Title:  Citizenship Garden
Level: Elementary
School: Barrett Elementary School, Steel Valley School District
Contact: Judith K. Stokes, Mrs. Catterall, Ms. Marzec, Mrs. Williams

This project, Citizenship Garden, finds third graders taking their science lessons out into the community by planting a garden in a local park.  Students will begin their seedlings in a light garden in their classroom.  In the late spring, students will take their plants and make a garden in the park.  Science, social studies and language arts lessons will be incorporated into this hands-on project that promotes citizenship and improves the community.

The All Star Authors program is a literature-based activity that will introduce the students to various authors (Marc Brown, Jan Brett, Bill Peet, Norman Bridwell, Theodor Seuss Geisel, and Beatrix Potter) each month.  Students will read with an older/younger student, write a critique using PSSA standards and participate in a correlated activity presented to the community.

Title: Mega Math Workout
Level: Elementary
School: Homeville Elementary School, West Mifflin Area School District
Contact: Gina L. Susan, Melissa Bracco, Erik Hilligsberg, Mike Sable, Heather Vidic, Mundi Gouker, Lisa Newmyer, Sharna Baker

The main objective of the “Mega Math Workout” grant is to improve student achievement in areas of math, critical thinking, problem-solving, pattern recognition and technology through the use of the First In Math Online program and 24 Math game.  It also intends to promote a partnership with parents and family members in the learning process.

Title: The Homeville 500
Level: Elementary
School: Homeville Elementary School, West Mifflin Area School District
Contact: Kelly Gomolak-Bandik, Michele Kameg, Barb Gregory, Arlene DeMauro

This grant program uses NASCAR as a motivational theme to engage children in the study of science, math, technology, geography and language arts.  Students will use the Internet to learn about racecar designs and to collect racing results. Data will be recorded, graphed, and various math and science problems will be explored. Students will map out race locations as well as keep journals related to this theme. A highlight of this study will be the making and racing of pinewood cars for The Homeville 500.

Title: Magic Tree House Learning Center Day
Level: Elementary
School: West Newton Elementary School, Yough School District
Contact: Leann Steban, Nancy Smith

This grant creates several learning stations in the library that students and parents will complete together.  The stations, based on “The Magic Tree” series by Mary Pope Osborne, will revolve around the many adventures Jack and Annie take through time.  The activities reinforce classroom lessons and will include a math counting station, a read together station, a language arts station, and a research activity.  These activities will jump start a unit of study on “The Magic Tree” series and culminate with students making a book report scrapbook.

Title: Who Took the Pickles from the Pickle Jar?
Level: Elementary
School: H.W. Good Elementary School, Yough School District
Contact: Jennifer Klobucar, Elaine Trentin, Shawn Kohlhepp

This program finds second graders working as detectives to solve a classroom mystery.  Students will apply key scientific concepts (observing, analyzing, deductive reasoning) as they solve the mystery of the missing pickles.  Students will learn about fingerprints and police methods and will keep a detective log to record their findings.  As the students solve the mystery they will earn their detectives’ badge.

Title: A Learning Adventure to My Country’s Neighbors
Level: Elementary
School: H.W. Good Elementary School, Yough School District
Contact: Jennifer Klobucar, Elaine Trentin, Doug Kasic, Shawn Kohlhepp

Second graders will study the USA’s neighbors, Canada and Mexico studying each country’s history, geography, money traditions, and customs.  Culminating their study the students will take a pretend trip to these countries.  Visiting Mexico students will go through customs, visit the market place, exchange dollars for pesos, listen to traditional music and eat authentic Mexican food.  The visit to Canada will be via learning stations created by fourth graders.  Journal writings will compare and contrast the countries and note reflections about what they have learned in this activity.

Title:  A Walk Through My Year
Level: Elementary
School: H.W. Good Elementary School, Yough School District
Contact: Dawn Hildenbrand

By creating individual scrapbooks, learning support students will be able to creatively express their thoughts, through journaling, as they capture their school achievements and memories in a lasting format.  Students will use a five step writing process to “walk through” their year and their journaling cards will be part of their memory books.   The primary focus of this grant is the development of writing skills while pride and enrichment activities motivate the children involved.

Title:  Super Second Grade Scrapbooks
Level: Elementary
School: Mendon Elementary School, Yough School District
Contact: Holly MacLaughlin

Super Second Grade Scrapbooksis a project that integrates writing into the curriculum in a creative and meaningful way, the making of individual memory scrapbooks.  Each month students will capture their activities in digital photos and then write about those activities for their activity page.  Photos will be used to inspire writing and the teacher will reinforce grammar and other skills that the students will use.  At the year’s end students will combine the individual pages into a keepsake book.

Title: Kinder-CastleLevel: ElementarySchool: Mendon Elementary School, Yough School DistrictContact: Elaine Yackovich, Bob Weaver, Rose Castine, Erin Lawson

In this grant program, kindergarten students will begin their reading journey with the help of high school students.  Art students at the high school will construct a portable Reading Castle.  In Kinder-Castle, many reading activities will take place; high school students will read to the children; Dudley the Reading Dragon’s Corner will encourage reading and have puppets to foster creative play, and The Royal Reading Area will feature a listening nook.  The project will culminate with a royal festival of literature where the children will proclaim their favorite book.  Highlights of the event will be broadcast on the school’s morning newscast.

Title:  A Treasured Moment in Time
Level:  Elementary
School:  Mendon Elementary School, Yough School District
Contact: Jan Merlino, Cathleen Laird

This grant will expand the capacity of the school’s in-school TV station by giving it mobile capability to enter the classroom and other areas of the school.  Classroom plays, spelling bees, speakers and special activities could be broadcast.  This would enrich the school environment and give students motivation to achieve.

Title:  Libraries Galore! (Home, School, & Public)
Level: Elementary
School: Yough School District
Contact: Cathleen Laird, Linda Kustra, Nancy Smith

The grant starts a district-wide summer reading initiative.  Each elementary library in the school district will be open during the summer for book exchange, story time, independent reading, and activities. The school libraries will be open on different days and the reading and activities will be themed (math, social studies and science) so that children and their families can take advantage of any or all of the programs offered.  The elementary libraries and the community public libraries will work together to encourage good reading habits such as family reading times, and joining and visiting the public library.  The ultimate goal is that the reading skills and abilities of children (K-6) will PROGRESS instead of regress over the summer months because the children are exposed to a variety of reading activities at school, at home, and at their public libraries. 

MIDDLE/INTERMEDIATE LEVEL AWARDS

Title: It’s In Our Own Backyard
Level: Seventh & Eighth Graders
School: Bellmar Middle School, Belle Vernon Area School District
Contact: Ross Farmer, Carol Aten Frew, Christin Matta, Nancy Berna

This great idea project will teach students about regional history as they produce journal writings, scrapbooks, CDs, and create a website on this subject.  Music, art, and technology will be employed as students discover the relevant events of history in their own backyards. 

Title: Let’s Start Cooking
Level: Seventh & Eighth Graders, Special Education
School: Redstone Middle School, Brownsville Area School District
Contact: Mary S. Seelye

”Let’s Start Cooking” introduces a basic life skill, cooking, to special education students.  Students will learn the importance of healthy eating, food safety, and appliance safety as they plan and prepare various meals.  Organization and time management will also be a focus of these hands-on, realistic experiences. 

Title: School Store
Level: Seventh & Eighth Graders, Special Education
School: Redstone Middle School, Brownsville Area School District
Contact: Mary S. Seelye

“School Store” will give special education students an experience in real life money concepts and inventory skills as they provide a school-service by operating an in-school store.  Sale of school supplies will be available during the homeroom period.  Students operating the store will get experience in counting money, making change, keeping inventory, creating price lists, advertising, and social interactions.

Title: Going For The Gold
Level: Eighth Grade
School: Redstone Middle School, Brownsville Area School District
Contact: Lynn Hartmann

This project finds eighth graders researching selected Canadian cities to prepare a proposal for the city to be the site of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.  Students will use specific skills such as group planning, persuasive writing and speaking, technology and research to present their case to an audience of parents and community members who will vote to decide the winning site for the Olympics.  Students will apply their geographic analysis skills to a real life event.

Title: Academic Festival
Level: Middle
School: Charleroi AreaMiddle School, Charleroi Area School District
Contact: Laurie A. Lash, Mary Tickner, Eric Farner, Regina Moorby, Stephanie Rice, Elizabeth Noble

This grant will initiate an academic festival where students and their families can play various types of academic games.  Games will vary from booth to booth depending on the teacher’s choice; however, each game will require the answering of questions for a specific subject in order to play.  Students can win Cougar Dollars that can be redeemed for an age-appropriate Chinese Auction. 

Title: Power Point Your Past
Level: Eighth Grade
School: East Allegheny Middle School, East Allegheny School District
Contact: Lorainne Pennington 

“Power Point Your Past” will give students an opportunity to research and create a multimedia presentation about their personal family trees.  Students will collect data about their family and incorporate their research into an original PowerPoint presentation.  Students will be required to use and refine reading, writing, speaking, and technological skills.

Title: Let’s View It
Level:  Seventh & Eighth Grade
School: Founder’s Hall, McKeesport Area School District
Contact:  Jane Steiner, Daniel Bonga, Dorian Siebel, Patrick McGuire

This grant idea will create an art gallery of students’ and famous artists’ work.  Located in the cafeteria area and main hallway of the school, historical and current masterpieces will be displayed along with featured students’ artwork.  Students will be exposed to various artwork as the area will be designed to be changed regularly.  Students will be encouraged to view the artwork critically as they develop an appreciation for art.

Title: This Valley
Level: Seventh & Eighth Grade
School: Carroll Middle School, Ringgold School District
Contact: Mary Anne Mares, Jon Bellamy, George Hanna, Pat Murphy, Jeff Bonifate, Robyn Cheplic

In this project students will research, write, act and edit the story of their local communities as they produce a DVD movie.  Using a “Ken Burns/Rick Sebak” approach to documentary filmmaking the students will make an hour-long DVD focusing on the history of the communities that make up our valley.

Through this grant project, students will be introduced to the art of photography.  Using this medium, students will view their environment through the lens of a camera to learn about the good and the bad.  They will combine their photographs with creative writing to address the issues of their environment. 

Title: Biodiversity in Our School’s Backyard
Level: Sixth, Seventh & Eighth Grade
School: Steel Valley Middle School
Steel Valley School District
Contact: Alice A. Cottone, Gail Meister, Rick Owston, Steve Puello, Steven Large, E. McCorvey

This project will promote interdisciplinary teaching using the school grounds and pond.  The project will link art, science, writing and ethics as students conduct a bio-blitz, create a database of birds, and illustrate the wildlife and nature of the local environment.  Students will learn how their lives are intimately linked to biodiversity and that biodiversity is one of the most pressing environment issues of our time.

Title: Bridges of the Mon Valley
Level: Fifth & Sixth Grade
School: Clara Barton Elementary School, West Mifflin Area School District
Contact: Donna Vranesevic

In this project, fifth and sixth graders in the gifted program will explore and study area bridges to learn about design, materials, and engineering techniques.  They will use books, PowerPoint, selected websites, games, and videos to prepare them to build their own toothpick bridge.

Title: Pleasant Hills Middle School Save A Life Program 
Level: Eighth Grade
School: Pleasant Hills Middle School, West Jefferson Hills School District
Contact: Joan Perry

This program will teach American Red Cross First Aid and Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) to eighth grade students.  The eighth graders, in turn, will demonstrate these life skills to sixth and seventh graders.  Students will also explore health careers and volunteer opportunities through this program.