Title: Heavy Metal-lophone
Level: Elementary
School: South Allegheny Elementary School, South Allegheny School District
Contact: John McLaughlin

This grant will introduce the alto metallophone to the percussion ensemble as the elementary students learn about beat and rhythm.

Title: Medieval Feast
Level: Elementary
School: McClellan Elementary School, West Jefferson Hills School District
Contact: Amy Davidson, Marie Bartoletti, et al.

This great idea finds fifth graders engaged in a study of medieval music exploring, imitating, improving and composing in medieval style using their voices, instruments and movement.  In addition the students will learn about medieval history and culture, including researching and creating a family crest.  Also the students will read the story “A Medieval Feast” by Aliki.  They will plan a medieval feast, make costumes and decorations for a culminating medieval feast and celebration to share with first and second graders.

Title: Maglev Mania
Level: Elementary
School: Clara Barton Elementary School, West Mifflin School District
Contact: Mary Jane Hudak, Lisa Stillwagon, Mark Simone, Jennifer Terzich, Erik Hilligsberg, Donna Vranesevic

Excitement for science will grow as students learn about magnetic levitation and build their own maglev vehicle.  After researching about how maglev trains work, students will design a maglev vehicle to race against classmates.  Students will learn about aerodynamic drag, magnetism, technology design, using formulas and proportions as they participate in this project.

Title: Push for Poetry
Level: Elementary
School: Clara Barton Elementary School, West Mifflin School District
Contact: Lisa M. McGinty, Donna Vranesevic, Kristin  Wilson,  Michelle Marks, Maria Saracco, Kim  McElroy, Mary Jane Hudak, Jean Reick, Mark Simone, Beth Ann Buchleitner, Paula Kislock, Lisa Stillwagon, Jennifer Terzich, Erik, Hilligsberg, Alison Stright, Deb Kimmel

This project finds third and fourth graders learning different forms of poetry and becoming published authors.  Every nine weeks a new poetic style will be introduced.  Morning announcements will feature students’ original poetry.  Each student will submit poems for the “Parade of Poems” book that will be published and presented to each child.  A poetry picnic will culminate the “Push for Poetry.”

Title: Meet the Authors
Level: Elementary
School: H. W. Good Elementary School, Yough School District
Contact: Jennifer Klobucar

This program gets students actively involved in the writing processes as students explore the writing styles and genres of several authors and then write their own children’s book.  Each month the students will read a selected author’s book as well as study his/her biography.  Guest readers will visit the classroom each month and the second graders will read to younger students. The children will write their own stories and use the computer lab to type their work.  The final product will be bound and shared a book exchange.

Title: Lights, Camera, Action, Read!
Level: Elementary
School: H. W. Good Elementary School, Yough School District
Contact: Jennifer Klobucar, Doug Kasic, Lisa Terzolino, Aaron Knoechel

This program finds second graders paired with fourth grade reading partners to read the chapter book, Charlotte’s Web.  With their partners, they will complete various reading activities (drawing their favorite part of the chapter, listing the characteristics of their favorite character, creating story maps, etc.)  After the book is completed, the children will perform a reader’s theater skit based on the story.  The performance will be recorded and then premiered at a special opening night celebration (for students, friends and families) complete with the “red carpet” treatment of picture taking and interviews.

Title: Gardening in the Classroom
Level: Elementary
School: H. W. Good Elementary School, Yough School District
Contact: Leann Steban, Dawn Yackovich, Beverly Tomich

MIDDLE/INTERMEDIATE LEVEL AWARDS

Title: Sensory Language - Descriptive Writing
Level: Middle/Intermediate
School: Rostraver Middle School, Belle Vernon Area School District
Contact: Todd Vaccaro

This grant program creates a hands, eyes, ears, nose, tongue-on learning experience as students use all their senses and translate those sensory details into their descriptive writing.  The students will define sensory details, analyze adjectives to describe the sensory details, determine their importance in writing descriptive passages and construct written examples emphasizing sensory descriptions.

Title: Pi Day
Level: Middle/Intermediate
School: California Middle School, California Area School District
Contact: Renee Hajdu, Donald Hormell, Susan Hurley, John Vavases, Michelle Hrivnak

Pi Day will celebrate mathematics as students engage in a variety of activities about “pi”.  Students will study the history of pi, create pi mobiles, graph the first hundred digits of pi and have contests focusing on the circumference and area of circles.  The idea is to make math fun and enjoyable.

Title: The Monessen Game
Level: Middle/Intermediate
School: Monessen Middle School, Monessen City School District
Contact: JoBeth Urcho, Nicole Popelas, David Katzman, Tom Manderino

This project will be an extension of the student’s literature experience with Ellen Raskin’s, The Westing Game.  Through a multidisciplinary project, the students will apply skills and knowledge gained from their core classes (Language Arts, Science, Geography, and Math) to solve a mysterious crime.  Students will collect and analyze evidence, interview witnesses, conduct needed experiments and research as they prepare to present their evidence, suspect and motive.  The project promotes critical thinking, problem solving, cooperative work and a real world application of their classroom lessons.  

Title: Implementing a School Store
Level: Middle/Intermediate
School: South Allegheny Middle School, South Allegheny School District
Contact: Amy Obley, Deana Donovan, Jason Ruzich

With this grant, Life Skills students will operate a school store for all students in the middle school at the beginning of the school day.  In math class the students will take inventory, restock the supplies, calculate proceeds and place orders for new items as needed.  Proceeds from the school store will be reinvested in the inventory and be used to fund community-based instruction for the students.  The program will help students reinforce math and money skills, enhance social interactions, verbal communications and provide a real-life application of school lessons.

Title: Movin' On Up
Level: Middle/Intermediate
School: Yough Intermediate/Middle School, Yough School District
Contact: Lonna Mokay, Brian Grindle, Justin Gillott, Barb Vrable, Tom Evans, Tom Paterline, John Lario, Bonnie Kasic, Paula Ustazewski, Melissa Kelly, Erin Lyons, Debbie Toffolo

This grant project intends to ease the fears of students and their families as they transition from elementary school to the middle school. A Parents/Kids’ evening is planned where questions can be addressed while the students enjoy an evening of games and fellowship with students from all three of the elementary schools.  Older students will serve as “mentors” for younger students answering questions and sharing their personal stories about life in middle school.  Promotional items imprinted with “Movin’ On Up” will be distributed.   In addition, a pen-pal program will be initiated between the older and younger students to answer questions and alleviate fears.  An interactive bulletin board maintained by staff and selected student mentors will promote the positive aspects of the middle school experience.  The goal of this effort is to create positive thoughts and feelings in each student about entering a new phase of their education.

Title: YIMS Book Club
Level: Middle/Intermediate
School: Yough Intermediate/Middle School, Yough School District
Contact: Erin Lyons, Melissa Kelly, Darci Henry

This grant builds on the success of a previous grant that initiated a book club in the middle school by providing more book selections for the students.  The book club students read, discuss and write reviews of the books they have helped to select.  Students participate in discussion of the literary merits and emotional reaction to each book selection.  In turn, students share their literature with their community by composing book reviews to be published monthly in the local newspaper and during the school’s televised morning announcements.  The goal is to foster interest in reading, to expose students to the various perspectives of their peers in response to literature and to encourage school literacy across the curriculum.