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GRANT
AWARDS
Round 33 - Fall, 2003 (Page 1
of 2)
PRIMARY/ELEMENTARY LEVEL AWARDS
Title: From School to GLOBE
Level: Elementary
School: Rostraver Elementary Schools, Belle Vernon Area School District
Contact: Henrietta C. Rebish, Carol Manack, Marsha Ferrara
This great idea finds first, second and fifth grades participating in a worldwide,
hands-on science program. In partnership with GLOBE, a federal inter-agency sponsored
by NASA and the National Science Foundation with the support of the State Department.
Students will learn to take scientifically valid measurements of the atmosphere,
hydrology, soils, land cover and biology, and phenology, which will be shared
with scientists in over 100 partnered countries. Students will learn to question,
analyze, draw conclusions and report results using instruments such as aneroid
barometers, sling psychrometers, rain gauges, pH indicators, cloud charts, etc.
Students will relay their results by way of the computer to the international
environmental science community.
Title: Lights, Camera, Action!
Level: Elementary
School: Bentworth Elementary School, Bentworth School District
Contact: Joy Gazi, Denise Lawrence
This great idea is to use the process of filmmaking to teach art, literature,
math, science and technology. Students will select a piece of literature on
which to base their film. They will develop their storyboard, determine how
many drawings will be needed to produce their film segment, collaborate with
William Kentridge (an artist and filmmaker from South Africa) and animate their
short stories for film production. The final productions will be premiered
at a school event for parents to enjoy.
Title: Lights, Camera, Action! Education at
BEC
Level: Elementary
School: Bentworth Elementary Center, Bentworth School District
Contact: Patricia Vandermark, Brian Nath, Dion Jansante
This great idea program creates a library of teaching concepts on video that
parents can view to help work with their child at home. Printed booklets containing
additional examples for the parent to use would accompany each video. The project
is intended to be across the curriculum, for all grade levels and be a viable
way to bring parents and teachers together as a team.
Title: Developing the WHOLE Child: Character
Education
Level: Elementary
School: Cardale Elementary School, Brownsville Area School District
Contact: Jolene Hough
This program intends to help build on the core values (respect, trust, responsibility,
fairness, caring) that parents instill in their children. Through group activities
and discussions, reading selected pieces of literature, and viewing videos
students will develop into "whole" individuals while they also grow
in knowledge in their classroom.
Title: Moving to the Beat
Level: Elementary
School: Cardale Elementary School, Brownsville Area School District
Contact: Dorothy
J. Swinker, Natalie Zuchelkowski, Kim Rhodes,
Valerie Kovach, Irene Campagna, Melanie Brosky
Moving to the Beat will expose students to a variety of musical activities
that will make this medium ideal for supplementing and reinforcing much of
the desired learning in other areas of study. Lessons will include different
rhythm and movement activities, styles, and the history of music and dancing.
Music of different cultures will also be explored.
Title: 4th Grade on the Prairie
Level: Elementary
School: Central Elementary School, Brownsville Area School District
Contact: Terri Trempus, Susan Solomon
This project finds fourth graders experiencing hands-on activities related
to their reading of Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Students
will view a few videos from the television series to "get the big picture".
Then as the students read their novel, they will participate in activities
referred to in the book, such as making butter, making a rag doll, planting
a potato, etc. This project hopes to promote learning by using all 4 learning
styles and enhance the children’s enjoyment of reading.
Title: Division Around the World
Level: Elementary
School: California K-8 School, California Area School District
Contact: Elaine Shannon
The purpose of this grant is to help students learn the basic division facts
that are essential to their problem solving development and their future math
success. Division facts will be reviewed in an exciting and fun game called "Around
the World". In this game, the students' quickness in answering problems
helps them travel around the world and return to their original starting point.
A tournament will be held in each classroom with the winners competing against
the other winners in the third grade. This project will enhance all the students’ basic
math skills.
Title: Look At Me Now
Level: Elementary
School: Charleroi Elementary School, Charleroi Area School District
Contact: Marlene Oreski, Barbara Kendra
This program hopes to help emergent readers become more confident, fluent readers
and writers. Children will build their language skills, reading fluency, vocabulary
and writing skills as they work toward publishing their writings in a book
to be presented to their mother at a Mother’s Day Tea.
Title: Do-A-Dot Math
Level: Elementary
School: Charleroi Elementary School, Charleroi Area School District
Contact: Connie Wilson
In this project, children will use sponge tip applicators to make dots that
will reinforce counting, patterns, addition and subtraction skills. This aid
provides a concrete visual to assist children with computation helping students
move from a concrete method to the abstract work of pencil and paper worksheets.
Title: Let Me Try!
Level: Elementary
School: Charleroi Elementary School, Charleroi Area School District
Contact: Cathy Hayden, Steven Shields
Through this grant, students will use mathematics models and practice materials
to gain true mathematics understanding. Students will practice various concepts
using time flipbooks, fraction models, place value practice boards, etc. This
method will give students experiences in mathematics that provides a solid
foundation for their future math success.
Title: Where Am I!
Level: Elementary
School: Charleroi Elementary School, Charleroi Area School District
Contact: Cathy Hayden, Steven Shields
This great idea creates an interdisciplinary unit in which students will participate
in activities that will strengthen their social studies knowledge and skills
in world geography, history, culture, and historical personalities. Students
will use desktop globes to investigate geographic locations around the world.
They will also learn to use a GPS device and compass and have a treasure hunt
on school grounds to practice those skills. The study of world cultures and
history will be included through the use of Internet and library resources
as well as classroom videos and displays. Students will share their knowledge
through PowerPoint presentations, oral histories, etc.
Title: Back Pack Readers
Level: Elementary
School: Clairton Elementary School, Clairton City School District
Contact: Amy Grobelski, Nancy DeMedio, Susan Piper, Nina Ohm, Bloneva Wiggins
Back Pack Readers is a program designed to reinforce reading
skills, serve as a motivation to increase positive reading behaviors
and to strengthen the school home partnership to promote reading. Backpack
kits will include creative, high interest activities and manipulatives
that reinforce emergent readers’ essential literacy comprehension
skills. Activities that emphasize rhyme, rhythm, patterns, familiar
words and sounds, journal writing, etc., will help parents assist their
children in practicing skills taught in class. Back Pack Readers will
allow both parents and teachers to work together to reinforce reading
skills and positive reading behaviors.
Title: Attendance Incentive Program
Level: Elementary
School: Clairton Elementary School, Clairton City School District
Contact: Kindergarten: Nina Ohm, Nancy Demedio, Bloneva Wiggins, Sue Piper,
Amy Grobelski, Margo Dym, Jennifer Frasier, Cheryl Bowser
Grade 1: Kristi Schweitzer, Sharon Biros, Rebecca Hallas, Vivian Weir, Margo
Dym, Jennifer Frasier, Cheryl Bowser
Grade 2: Cheryl Bowser, Andrea Dague, Cheryl Englert, Michelle Ward, Margo
Dym, Jennifer Frasier
Grade 3: Jane Marcinowski, Linda Withrow, Karen Vaccari, Hilda Romano, Margo
Dym, Jennifer Frasier, Cheryl Bowser
Grade 4: Shanna Mignogna, Mario Rudolph, Marie Bayles, Margo Dym, Jennifer
Frasier, Cheryl Bowser, Mrs. Fisher
These grants create grade-level attendance incentive programs that will reward
children for coming to school on time and being ready for school. Students
will earn tickets for perfect attendance with drawings for prizes held at predetermined
times. Families will receive "tip" sheets to prepare their children
for improved school success, such as completing homework, packing book bags
the night before, setting alarm clocks and going to bed early. This program
is designed to counter the chronic and severe absenteeism and tardiness that
has been prevalent in the past. This program seeks to help each student, in
partnership with his/her family, to develop a sense of responsibility and ownership
of their education.
Title: Changes: From Soils to Butterflies
in Western PA
Level: Elementary
School: Green Valley Primary School, East Allegheny School District
Contact: Lynne
Botti, Tracy Yusko, Carole Policastro, Cathy
Maloney, Peter Drakulic, Donna Grzyb
This program finds second graders using the process of inquiry to learn about
and understand the life cycle of the butterfly. Students will plan and nurture
native Western Pennsylvania plants that are host to caterpillars that metamorphosis
into butterflies that are also native to the region. The selected annual and
perennial will provide nectar for the butterflies and will also serve as hosts
for caterpillars and butterfly eggs. Students will use this area for observation,
questioning, hypothesizing, predicting, investigating, interpreting and communicating
what they have learned. This grant program will give students the opportunity
to experience an exciting, hands-on learning environment.
Title: A Child's Schoolroom Begins
with a Mother's Heart
Level: Elementary
School: Monongahela Elementary Center, Ringgold School District
Contact: Kathleen Cooper
This grant will provide a library of resource materials and books for the parents
to use with their children. The resources can be borrowed to assist parents
who do not have the tools to help their child at home. Community speakers will
be invited to PTO meetings to teach parents how to engage their child in learning.
Parents will also be invited to the classroom. This program will build the
school-home connection and reinforce important skills in the students.
Title: Star
Math Students
Level: Elementary
School: Donora
Elementary School, Ringgold School District
Contact: Patricia
Bellora
The goal of this program is to improve math computation skills. Students will
work in a math center with different weekly activities. Activities will include
number fact games, flash cards, flip cards and activity worksheets and are designed
to help students attain mastery of their basic addition and subtraction skills.
When mastery is achieved for certain skills, students will receive a Star in
the hallway, a certificate and their name announced to the student body.
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Title: Bag
It
Level: Elementary
School: Donora
Elementary School, Ringgold School District
Contact: Patricia
Bellora, Maureen Andrews, Carin Alvarez, Danielle
Pucel, Carol Lucas, Kelly Mentzer
This program intends to further build the home/school partnership by enlisting
the help of parents/guardians to improve skills for beginning readers through "Family
Help Nights". A large variety of bags containing materials to help reinforce
a particular skill area (example: short vowel sounds) will be created. Families
will check out these resources for a week and use them at home to help their
child practice skills that have been taught in the classroom. The program will
begin in first grade when good learning habits begin and later extend to second
grade.
Title: Into
the Woods
Level: Elementary
School: South
Allegheny Elementary Center, South Allegheny
School District
Contact: Audrey
Aubrecht, Joan Adams, Joyce Hovanec, Vicki Underwood,
Julie Callahan, Patricia Kostik, Michele Finneran,
Jamielyn Hazen, Jennifer Matyasovsky, Tamara
Nichols, Debra Pliska, Janice Boyko, Robin Reinhard,
Stephen Slafka, Marijo Speidel
"Into the Woods" will provide an on-site area where children can study
deciduous woodland with native plants of Western PA. Student representatives
from the participating grade levels will plant trees, shrubs, herbs and ferns.
High school shop classes will build birdhouses to be placed in the habitat.
Plants and food provided will attract birds, insects, and other animals making
this
site a true woodland and wildlife habitat where students can observe and study
their local environment.
Title: Strategic
Moves
Level: Elementary
School: Barrett
Elementary School, Steel Valley School District
Contact: Judith
K. Stokes, Karen Catterall
This program will introduce chess to elementary students helping them to learn
stepped thinking processes, develop patience and long range focusing, and interactive
social skills. The chess club will meet weekly to participate in instruction,
practice and play. Each year a tournament will be held as the culminating activity
for the program.
Title: A
Weekend Visit with Maximus and Josephine
Level: Elementary
School: Barrett
Elementary School, Steel Valley School District
Contact: Regina
Takos
This grant program promotes literacy and provides reading and writing activities
for students and their families. Students will enjoy sharing their weekend
activities with a furry friend (Maximus, a floppy dog, or Josephine, a tabby
cat) and will tell the story of their weekend together through journal writing
and photographs. The take home kit will include the stuffed animal with a change
of clothes, pajamas, a toy, its favorite book, a book for the student, and
journal and pencil, crayons and a disposable camera. A classroom scrapbook
containing the adventures of Maximus and Josephine will be assembled and placed
in the school library.
Title: Sign
Me Up
Level: Elementary
School: Park
Elementary School, Steel Valley School District
Contact: Susan
Kaufold, Holli Bobick, Kevin Tomasic, Roberta Lebedda,
Cindy DeLuca, George Farkal, Chris Cortinovis
This program will introduce sign language to fourth graders. The goal is to have
the students learn to sign and then present a program in sign language for the
parents and the student body. Students also will become pen pals with deaf children
from the DePaul Institute culminated with a visit from the children from DePaul
to the school. Students will learn another form of communication as well as appreciate
others who are different.
Title: Book
Cook Buddies
Level: Elementary
School: Homeville
Elementary School, West Mifflin Area School District
Contact: Heather
Vidic, Jennifer Butts
In this project first and third grade buddies will read a book each month that
has a food theme related to it (i.e., Pumpkin, Pumpkin, The Gingerbread Man).
In addition to reading, each book will provide opportunities for children to
practice math skills and learn science concepts as they prepare a treat from
their literature-related cookbook. Appropriate manners and social skills will
also be reinforced when the students get to eat their cookbook treat.
Title: Chinese
Culture's Hidden Treasures
Level: Elementary
School: Gill
Hall Elementary School, West Jefferson Hills
School District
Contact: Kathy
Warburton, Ph.D., Karen Sheppard, Melissa Wahl
In this grant program the entire school will be transformed to envelop the
children in Chinese culture and traditions. Classroom lessons will revolve
around this theme and the students will participate in a variety of activities
to teach them about the environment, history, language, and customs of China.
A culminating celebration complete with costumes and a dragon parade will highlight
the lessons learned during this unit of study.
Title: Stitching
with Love and Tied to One Another
Level: Elementary
School: Mendon
Elementary School, Yough School District
Contact: Kim
Smith
This grant project finds first and fifth graders joining together and combining
good literature with creative arts. The older students will share fairy tales
and other popular children’s books with the younger students and then
the younger children will retell the story. After several such sessions, partners
will select their favorite story and then create a quilt square depicting a
part of that story. Parents will assist in assembling the story quilt that
will be presented to needy children at Christmastime.
Title: Healthy
Heart Kids Club
Level: Elementary
School: Mendon
Elementary School, Yough School District
Contact: Karen
Ruddon, Laura Zimmero, Stephanie Bogac, Michelle
Mills
This grant program initiates a Healthy Heart Kids Club that will meet during
recess and will promote physical fitness, good nutrition and good sleep habits.
In addition to participating in a variety of exercises and good health practices,
students will keep a journal of their activity and their physical and emotional
response to a given activity. The goal of this program is to get students in
the habit of doing things that result in a healthy and active life.
Title: Library
School Books - Stay Awake for Summer
Level: Elementary
School: H.
W. Good Elementary School, Yough School District
Contact: Linda
Casey Kustra, Sharon Roose
This grant will initiate an Accelerated Reader program during the summer. During
the regular school year, students participate in an Accelerated Reader to build
their reading skills. However, those skills often backslide during the summer
months. This program seeks for the public and school library to join forces
to provide this reading opportunity during the summer and to make a positive
difference in the children’s academic development.
Title: Kindergarten
Readiness Program
Level: Pre-K
School: H. W.
Good, Mendon & West Newton Elementary School,
Yough School District
Contact: Corina Waldenville, Kelly Bergman,
Jennifer Beirhals, Debbie Crotti, Karen Lauer, John Wagner, Dr. Charles Marchetti,
Marla Frescura, Nancy Jolley, Nancy Holliday, Marlene Yurkovich
This great idea initiates a Kindergarten Readiness Program to help better prepare
both parents and children for their kindergarten experience. Several sessions
for parents will provide information and training to prepare their child for
kindergarten. Activities and skills to work on with their children will be
explained and demonstrated. Learning centers will help children explore and
study. The goal is to make the transition to kindergarten easier for children
because they are aware and better prepared for the experience.
MIDDLE/INTERMEDIATE
LEVEL AWARDS
Title: Ecosystem Exploration: A Part of the Ocean in Our Classroom
Level: Sixth & Seventh
Grade
School: California Area Middle School, California Area School District
Contact: Roxanne P. Vavases
This program is designed to inspire student appreciation
of ecosystems having them design, maintain and
study a saltwater aquarium ecosystem. Students
will
be able to identify biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem as well as identify
marine organisms and their interactions. Students will test the water for ammonia,
nitrite, pH, calcium, etc. They will adjust water quality as well as temperature,
lighting and nutrients. This program gives students a hands-on opportunity
to explore and discover one of the earth’s
ecosystems. Title: Twisting Across the Curriculum
Level: Eighth Grade
School: East Allegheny Jr./Sr. High School, East Allegheny School District
Contact: Holly Spallone, Cheryl Ihnat
This grant project seeks to help students make the connection between reading
and other content areas. Students will read the novel The Night of Twisters
by Ivy Ruckman in English class. They will participate in a variety of activities
related to the novel in their other classes – science, writing, social
studies and math. They will discover the myths and facts of tornadoes, learn
about tornado safety, understand the relationship between geography and weather
and create graphs to analyze tornado statistics. Through this project students
will read across the curriculum and gain practice in skills that will increase
their PSSA scores.
Title: Digging Holes
Level: Sixth Grade
School: Francis McClure Middle School, McKeesport Area School District
Contact: Eric L. Allison
In this grant project, students will read Holes by Louis Sachar and will focus
on the various character traits associated with individuals in the story. The
book helps students view and develop the traits exhibited in the story while
providing a means for reading and listening skill development. Students will
learn about the author’s writing style, his use of figurative language
and word choice and then model this in their own writing exercises. This program
will supplement the regular reading program and build on the character education
program that is presently in place.
Title: Worms Eat Our Garbage
Level: Seventh Grade
School: Francis McClure Middle School, McKeesport Area School District
Contact: Amy Eileen Baer
This grant project will teach students about the world around them making them
aware of what effect garbage has on the environment and society. The entire
student body will donate their lunchtime food scraps and the seventh grade
science classes will be responsible for the worm composter. The resulting compost
will be used to fertilize plants in the spring. Students will study food chains,
recycling, natural gardening, soil science, plant growth, life cycles and societal
issues related to the environment. This hands-on learning experience is guaranteed
to engage the students and be a screaming wiggling success.
Title: SA Times: A Glance at the
Past, Present and Future
Level: Sixth Grade
School: South Allegheny Middle School, South Allegheny School District
Contact: Kari Mollica, David Hoffman, Kris Curran, Tom McAuliffe
This grant will support the creation and publication of a school magazine to
enhance the language arts curriculum of sixth grade. The language arts unit
will utilize all aspects of the writing process while inspiring students to
consider the past, present and future of the school district. Students will
learn about the history of the school district and its communities and showcase
their findings through written articles. Student writings will be showcased
in a literary magazine format for viewing in the library. A time capsule will
be buried to allow students to think about their link to the future. Artifacts
and symbols from the community and school will be placed in the capsule.
Title: Be a Buddy, Not a Bully!
Level: Sixth, Seventh & Eighth Grade
School: Yough Middle School, Yough School District
Contact: Barbara Rebon, Michele Bernard
This grant program institutionalizes an anti-bullying program that will promote
friendship, kindness, respect and tolerance among middle school students. A
C.A.S.T (Character Always Stands Tall) club of eighth graders will provide
core leadership that will take a positive stand against bullying, demonstrate
acts of kindness and assist in planning anti-bullying activities and community
service projects for the middle school.
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