Excellence In Education Grant Programs
Spring 2010 - Grant applications are being reviewed at this
time (April 2010).
Fall 2009 Grants
Awarded
-
Village Courtyard
Garden, Marie Bresnahan, Village School
-
Grover Fifes &
Drums, James Fultz, Grover Middle School
-
Dress Ups for
Preschool, Diane Kosar, Millstone River School Preschool Class
-
Hawk Summer Book
Buddies, Enid Perry, Maurice Hawk
-
Gator Garden,
Kathleen Schmidt, Town Center
-
Stepping Stones at
Wicoff, Lizbeth Reil, Wicoff School
Spring 2009 Grants
Awarded
-
Human Skelton
Model, Shirley Allan & Grade 6 Science Teachers, Grover Middle
School. Funded in partnership with Thomas Grover PTSA.
-
Fostering Fluency,
Janet Bowes, Town Center
-
Grid-Tied Solar
Renewable Energy, Brendan Field, High School South
-
Tunes in Teaching:
Incorporating iPods in the Classroom, Donna Gil, Community
Middle School
-
Measuring Cell
Respiration and Photosynthesis, James Looney, High School North
-
Service
Learning-Bridging the Generation Gap, High School North, Todd
Robinson
-
Trout in the
Classroom, Danica Taylor & Sven Strnad, Millstone River School
Fall
2008 Grants Awarded
-
Infusing
Amistad Legislation within Social Studies, Gail Mitchell,
Sven Strnad, and Vicki Gurzau, teachers, Millstone River
School
-
"Moving"
Assessments, Heidi Wachtin, Millstone River School
-
Smarter
SMARTBoard Use, Laura Agnella, Vanessa Clax, Rachel Farrow,
Kristi Baur Village School
-
IRLA, Tina
Bohy, Catherine McGuiness, Kathy Seller, Lisa O'Shea, Marie
Zaccaria, Community Middle School
-
Weighing in on
Chemistry, Dr. Julie Norato, High School North
-
GREEN,
Community Problem Solvers, David Hao (student), Melissa
Pearson, High School South
-
ESL/Outdoor
Adventure Club, College Spicer, Mike Adams, Lynn Grodnick,
Megan Dunlap, High School South
Spring
Grants 2008
September 2008-June 2009
Dutch
Neck Elementary School Outdoor Classroom,
Erik Breitenbach, WW-P High School South student.
This is an Eagle Project which will create an outdoor classroom with
tables, benches, and amphitheatre seating that will allow teachers
to utilize this community garden for science classes that bring
together hands-on activities with instruction.
Developmental Guidance Lessons and Career Exploration,
Linda D’Orlando, Jenny Godnick, Mary Fregosi, and Dawn Gilchrist,
Guidance counselors, Grover Middle School.
Career awareness is a major area of development for middle school
students, and this grant will allow the Guidance department to help
students explore potential careers that match with their interests
and skill sets by using an individualized program called “the Career
Game”.
Get
“Real” with Reading
Kristine Luberto, Gina Hopkins, and Barbara Sheridan, teachers
Maurice Hawk Elementary School.
Elementary-age students have a strong interest in non-fiction books.
This grant will provide opportunities for the children to explore
non-fiction material through small group instruction, individual
interests, and research projects.
Bee Buddies, Stacy Bradshaw, teacher, Town Center Elementary School.
An
innovative social skills program for multiple disabled students and
their grade level regular education students is at the heart of “Bee
Buddies.” This program will bring special education students
together with their grade level peers to play games and make crafts
with the goal of helping regular education students gain tolerance
and understanding of those who are different than themselves.
Summer Book Trading Club
by Regina Lertch, Shaun Andolina, Enid Perry, and Linda Griffin,
teachers, Town Center Elementary School and Wicoff Elementary
School.
This program is for at risk first grade students to maintain and
increase their reading skills they have developed over the school
year by providing them with “just right” books to be read over the
summer. The program also involves parents by providing them with
ways to help their children continue their reading progress
Pollywog Paradise,
Dr. Sven Strnad and Kristina Niwinski, teachers, Millstone River
School.
The overall goal of the project is build a pollywog (tadpole) pond
which would be set up in one of the courtyards of Millstone River
School. The pond is actually a model of a vernal pool, a type of
temporary, fish-free wetland that fills up each spring with water
and dries out later in the year as water evaporates. This will allow
for field research activities including student observation of the
life cycles of frogs and toads and the study and record keeping of
ecosystems. Hands-on activities will be used in other content
areas, such as reading and writing, as students learn to share the
experiences in the natural world.
Interdisciplinary Experimental Science
Materials, April Sheffield, teacher, Village
School.
This project will give fourth graders the opportunity to expand on
their understanding of the Grade 4 science curriculum, including
land and water, electric circuits, and astronomy. These components
will give students a greater opportunity to connect learning through
new and inventive activities.
FIRST Robotics Team #1923,
Libby Kamen and Matt Lagana, High School North students,
The High School North FIRST Robotics Team 1923 is a group of
students that work together with engineers and teachers to design
and build a robot that competes against team from all over the
world. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and
Technology) is designed to show students that engineering, robotics
and sciences are the “sport of the mind”. Funded in partnership
with Janssen, a division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
Fall Grants 2007
January - December 2008
Big Books for Preschool
Diane Kosar,
Millstone River School’s Preschool Classroom
This
grant will purchase “Big Books” for the preschool students with
special needs. Story time is a special time in the day where the
teacher reads a story and asks “WHO”, “WHAT”, “WHERE”, and “WHY”
questions about the story. Children who are language-delayed,
both expressive and receptive, depend upon the pictures in order to
comprehend the story. Big Books, usually 20” by 30” in size,
offer the children the possibility for “reading” the story
through pictures.
Up
Close with Nature
Judy Breitenbach, Dutch Neck School
In partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb
“Up
Close with Nature” will provide for a document camera that will
allow elementary grade students heightened visual awareness of
specimens found in the Dutch Neck Community Garden. The Community
Garden is a living learning center alive with many insects, plant
and vegetables for the children to observe life cycles. As a K-3
school, our science curriculum is being implemented into this
outdoor classroom. The students have planted, harvested, and
maintained the garden. The goal of this
grant is to allow the
students the opportunity to get a closer view and understanding of
the garden’s fruits of their labor.
Electricity and Magnetism
Marie Bresnahan and Lisa Gray, Village School
In Partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb and
Integra Foundation
(Photo
is of Marie Bresnahan
and Kara Kleckner, and their 4th grade class)
This project will enable the Grade 4 science classes to
enhance their knowledge of electricity and have a better
understanding of how it is used in the world around us. Liberty
Science Center will present an assembly for students followed by
workshop sessions that provide additional hands-on experiences,
support a variety of learning styles, and extend the content of the
electricity kit. This program will enrich the students learning and
bridge their classroom experience with real world understanding.
Science Mysteries and Musicals
Rebecca Saba, Community Middle School
In partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb
This project will enhance the Grade 7
Human Body Systems and
Earth History units by supplying materials that will engage
students. Students will perform science-content musical plays, such
as “Geology Rocks”, “Name that Internal Organ!”, and “The Nutrition
Show: Hansel and Gretel Eat Right!” for their peers and parents. The
program will promote healthy behaviors, improve classroom
camaraderie, encourage parental involvement, and build student self
esteem. In addition, through the purchase of the National Geographic
Book Series, Mysteries in our National Parks, students will continue
to develop literacy skills through book group/literacy circles while
developing a sense of responsibility for the care of our national
wonders. The integration of technology will provide students an
opportunity to use their computer graphic and word processing skills
to construct informational brochures.
Virtual Eye Dissection for the Culturally Diverse Classroom
Denise Weber, Community Middle School
In Partnership with Integra Foundation
Today’s culturally diverse classroom often contains students
with cultural or religious backgrounds who are not able to
participate in science labs involving the dissection of animal
tissue. By obtaining plastic models of the human eye, these students
will still be able to kinesthetically and visually use models to
increase their understanding of the three dimensional structure of
the human eye.
Modeling Through Mentor Texts To Support Writing and Reading
Workshops
Stacey Friedman, Grover Middle School
This grant will purchase books that will be used writing and
reading workshops, based on the Columbia Writing Program. Many of
the books are recommended by staff developers, and include stories
and essays that will be highly useful to students. Some of the
books have essays, stories, and ideas that relate to the work
students do in the workshops. Students will be able to use mentor
texts as models to improve the quality of their writing.
Helping ESL Students Acquire English
Suihua Zhao, Chinese Bilingual Teacher
Community Middle School and WWP HS South
This grant will help ESL (English as a Second Language) students
acquire English through bilingual teaching projects and community
service involvement. Chinese speaking ESL students will use English
to teach mainstream classes about their culture and participate in
“Traditions”, a cultural event sponsored by Plainsboro Township, to
demonstrate Chinese calligraphy, and use English to communicate with
the visitors. This program is the most effective way to help them
and their families adjust to the American school and society.
Lab Pro Control Boxes
Rich Therkorn, Carolyn SooHoo, Regina Celin, WWP High School
North
In partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bringing technology into the science classroom provides our students
with experiences they can take with them to colleges and jobs. The Venier LabPro control boxes will allow teachers to make better use
of technology they already have. Students will be able to design and
implement testing and application experiments with better accuracy
and further their development of ideas in physics and engineering.
Spring 2007
Grants
September 2007- June 2008
Sowing
the Seeds of Math and Science in a Community Garden
(In partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb)
Judi Shilling, Judy Breitenbach, Christi Campbell, and
Carley
Fisher-Maltese
Dutch Neck Elementary School
The Dutch Neck Elementary School community garden will become an
outdoor classroom and hands-on place to learn as students, teachers,
and residents of the Dutch Neck community get involved in all
aspects of
plant and organism development and maintenance.
African
American History Alive Theater Tour
(In Partnership with Merrill Lynch)
Heidi Wachtin
Millstone River School
Through the creation and production of a touring play about
an African American figure, students will enhance their performance
skills and interpersonal and group dynamics, all while learning
about an important time period in history.
Math in the
Middle: Math Lab Excursions (In Partnership with Merrill Lynch)
Faye Airey & Roberta Petti, Math Lab Teachers
Community Middle School and Grover Middle School
Math in the Middle: Math Lab Excursions provides a variety of
teaching aids including math games, puzzles, and interactive
problem-solving activities to supplement the middle schools Math Lab
program. These resources will be used as tools to help students gain
greater skill proficiency and confidence in mathematics.
Graphic Novels:
Give them a Try!
(In Partnership with Merrill Lynch)
Judy
Staggard, and Karen Black
Community Middle School
This project will expose reluctant readers to the world of graphic
novels. After students read a graphic novel, they will write letters
to classmates, teachers, and administrators sharing the experience
and encouraging others to try this genre of literature.
Using
Technology To Further Student Presentations, Interactions, and
Visualization
(In Partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb)
Brendan Field and Karen Shannon
High School South
This grant will support an LCD projector to engage students
in interactive activities; highlights will include student
presentations of research and reports on modern physics phenomena.
Community
Problem Solvers (CmPS)- Healthy Lifestyles FRESH
(In
Partnership with Merrill Lynch)
Holly Sassinsky
High School South
The Community Problem Solvers at High School South (FRESH) will work
to raise awareness and educate students about healthy lifestyles
through healthy eating and increased activity. FRESH will work with
the Extended Day Programs in several schools in the district during
the 2007-2008 school year.
Spring & Fall 2006
Grants
Helping Students Who Stutter
Bonnie Engel Lee, Speech & Language Specialist
Dutch Neck Elementary
School
The
project uses DVDs and printed materials from the Stuttering
Foundation to educate parents, teachers, speech and language
specialists and students. In-service training will be provided for
speech and language specialists throughout the school district.
All Aboard Reading
Karen Krech, Barbara Sheridan, Gina Hopkins, Kristine Luberto,
teachers
Maurice Hawk Elementary
School
This
project will foster emergent reading skills in ESL (English as
Second Language) students as they read to their families from the
emergent reader books on topics from their science and social
studies curricula. Parents will be shown early reading strategies to
use with their children.
Math Matters
- Making Kids Feel "At Home" with Math
(In
partnership with
Merrill Lynch)
Nancy McCaffrey,
Basic Skills Math Teacher
Maurice Hawk Elementary
School
Through
the integration of math and reading, this project will use the Math
Matters Series to improve students' awareness and understanding of
math in their everyday lives. The Math Matter Series uses individual
stories to introduce new math concepts to 2nd and 3rd
graders and enhance students' interest and discussion skills.
Astonishing Astronomy: Star Bound
(In
partnership with Bristol-Myers
Squibb)
Lisa Stamile and Keith Van Doren, 4th grade teachers
Millstone River School
This
project will reach all 4th graders in the school. It will
enhance the new astronomy science kit with computer software, 3-D
solar system models, binoculars and telescopes for night time Star
Parties.
Electricity Enhanced
(In
partnership with Bristol-Myers Squibb)
Michael Jones, Beth Eaves, Keith Van Doren, Luis Ramirez, 4th
grade teachers
Millstone River
School
This project will enhance the fourth grade electric
circuits’ kit by supplying materials that will provide additional
hands-on experiences, support a variety of learning styles, and
extend the content of the kits, and enable teachers to expand
student learning through enrichment materials.
Professor Nemo’s Salt Water Aquarium
(In
partnership with Bristol-Myers
Squibb)
Sven Strnad and Lizbeth Reil, 5th grade teachers
Millstone River
School
Fifth graders will apply basic chemistry concepts as
they establish and maintain a 55 gallon salt water aquarium. These
concepts connect the mixtures and solutions science kit to real
world application. The aquarium will be set up in a common area of
the school for all students to learn and enjoy.
Speaking Out: Bringing Stories to Special Populations
(In
partnership with Merrill Lynch)
Heidi Wachtin, 4th grade teacher
Millstone River School
Through
storytelling, fourth grade students learned to interpret text,
enhance their public speaking skills and gain an appreciation for
technology and the arts as tools to reach out to others. They
brought their festival of stories to those who cannot come to them
such as nursing home residents. They performed at Barnes & Noble in
June.
Music
Materials for the Preschool Handicapped Children
(In
partnership with
Merrill Lynch)
Diane Kosar,
Special Education Teacher
Millstone River School
Music
instruments and materials were purchased and used during daily
music time in the special education preschool program.
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Science, Math and
(Art)isan Bread Baking
(In
partnership with
Bristol-Myers Squibb)
James Eng, teacher
Village School
Artisan
bread baking involves math, science, and art in a classic, creative,
hands-on, fun-filled way. This project will endeavor to teach the
children the art of baking French bread while physically
representing academic concepts they have learned.
Middle Schools (Grades 6-8)
Career Exploration- Developmental Guidance Lessons
(In
partnership with Merrill Lynch)
Lynn Fisher, Colleen Pedersen, Faith Hancock, Ellen Burgess,
Guidance Counselors
Community Middle School
Seventh and eighth grade students will explore career choices in our
rapidly changing world of work. They will match their personal
interests and strengths to the universe of job possibilities by
using “the Career Game”
Audio Books for Below Grade Level Readers
Ginny McNeil, Literacy Lab Teacher
Thomas R. Grover Middle School &
Community Middle School
This
project will benefit 8th grade readers by
providing audio books to read along with their class novel, To
Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It will support student
comprehension, improve vocabulary and motivate students to actively
participate in discussions and reader response activities.
Future City Competition
David Meni, Siddharth Pant, Mahesh Reddy, Jared Meltzer, Alex
Gerber, 8th grade students
Thomas R. Grover Middle School
The goal
is to design and build a city of the future virtually and physically
in a model.
This is new pilot project and if it is a success, the students hope
that future students will be able to have an opportunity to engage
in an innovative and educational club.
Building an
Educational Amphitheater
(In
partnership with Merrill Lynch)
Jason Kuo, Student and Boy Scout; James Looney, Teacher
WWP High School North
The
project designed, built and maintained an amphitheater made of
wooden benches at WW-P High School North.
Improving the
Millstone River
Ecology Site
(In
partnership with Merrill Lynch)
Peter Maa, student and Boy Scout; James Looney, science teacher
WWP High School North
The
Millstone River ecology study site at High School North was
renovated and extended to 2900 feet in length. Woodchips cover
the trail and five benches wereinstalled at points of
educational interest.
Rider University’s PROBE Program
(In
partnership with
Bristol-Myers
Squibb)
Kristina Susca , Science Teacher
WWP High School North
Environmental science students participated in Rider
University’s PROBE Program, which is an aquatic ecological workshop
at the Hamilton/Trenton marsh. Students will be contributing to
authentic research in scientific study and will gain more awareness
of environmental issues in their surrounding community.
Support Group for At-Risk Students of Color
Linda Morrell,
School Counselor
WWP High School North
This
lunch group for at-risk students of color includes guest
speakers, career counseling and group sessions. Activities
focus on providing a support system for students with the goal of
increasing student success in school.
Digital
DNA Gel Analysis
(In
partnership with
Bristol-Myers Squibb)
Matthew Foret and Meenakshi Bhattacharya, AP Biology Teachers
WWP High School South
This
project enables students in AP Biology and the Waksman Club to
use computers to analyze DNA gels.
Smart Board in the High School Science Classroom
(In
partnership with
Bristol-Myers Squibb)
Katherine Heavers Princiotta, Christopher Trefz, teachers
WWP
High School South
Students will be able to view and manipulate a wide variety of
images, from graphs of their data to virtual dissections. All notes
from lectures will be available for access at any point in the
future. Visual information of all kinds can be sent to all students
so they can pursue study of class work at their own pace.
Unity Day
Stacey Gasper, Caryn Vlassenko, Carlos Lopez, Kelly Fisher, Adam
Jacyszyn, Eric Schnitter
WWP
High School South
The
purpose of Unity Day is to recognize and embrace the similarities
and differences of students from diverse social, cultural and
academic backgrounds. Student volunteers will organize and run a
field day for the diverse student population to eliminate
stereotypes and misconceptions.
Spring
and Fall 2005 Mini-Grants Awarded
(This section is not complete)
Click here for a list of Spring and Fall 2005 mini-grants awarded.
Merrill Lynch funded a reading grant which was awarded to Janet
Bowes, reading specialist at Town Center Elementary School for
'Home Reading: Just Right Books.' Ms. Bowes used the funding
to purchase age-appropriate reading materials for students to
share between school and home.
Photo: Students of Mrs. Bowes present a
book of thank you letters to Helene Garcia (back left), VP
Community Leadership, Merrill Lynch. Joining the children
are Marcia Smith Fleres, Executive Director, West
Windsor-Plainsboro Education Foundation, Marilyn Hynes,
principal, Town Center Elementary School, and Janet Bowes,
Reading Specialist, Town Center Elementary School.
Spring 2004 Mini-Grants Awarded
Language!
Kristin McCormack,
Special Education Teacher, Town Center Elementary
School
This
comprehensive program will increase reading skills of children in
grades K-3 with learning disabilities. Using effective literacy
strategies, the project will support the goal of teaching children
to be independent, successful readers and writers.
Third Grade Math
Kelly Borup, Ann Trzasko, Ellen Wheeler, Teachers,
Wicoff Elementary School
Parents and
children will come together to promote a love and appreciation of
mathematics.
Visual Feedback for
Voice Production of Speech and/or Hearing Impaired Students
Bonnie Engel Lee,
Speech & Language Specialist, Dutch Neck Elementary
School
Terri Russo-Weitz,
Speech & Language Specialist, Wicoff Elementary
School
Students with
speech, voice, and/or hearing impairments will be able to watch a
computer screen and “see” their voice and speech change as they
learn and practice new movement patterns using the Speechviewer III
software.
Friday
Friends
Lisa Stamile,
Special Education Teacher, Millstone River School
This innovative
program utilizes board games to foster friendships between special
education and mainstream 4th and 5th grade
students.
Millstone River Habitat II
Beth Eaves, Sven
Strnad, Teachers, Millstone River School
This
project will use large aquariums to replicate the Millstone River
environment, allowing 4th and 5th grade
students to observe and interact with the ecosystem for which the
Millstone River School
is named.
Reading S.E.E.D.S.
Book Share Group
Frances McDonough,
Language Arts Specialist, Village School
Victoria Anderson,
Language Arts Specialist, Millstone River School
Reading S.E.E.D.S.
(Stories that Explore and Excite Discussions to Share) brings
children, parents, and educators together in a literacy setting to
share various perspectives and explanations on a shared book.
WeatherBug
Achieve
Michelle Vitulli, Village School
WeatherBug Achieve,
a unique combination of live weather data, dynamic graphics,
standard based lesson plans and web-based instruction. The program,
affiliated with the NBC news program, provides a connected learning
environment that extends beyond the classroom, into the community
and into to the rest of the world.
Using Technology
to Enhance Microscopic Investigation
Sharon Zubricky,
Computer Teacher, Millstone River School
With the use of a
computer and the ProScope, a handheld USB microscope, there is a new
and exciting way to discover the microscopic world. This technology
allows teachers and students to see a display, capture, and reuse
microscopic images during scientific explorations.
Courage: The
Character of “We the People”
Karen Black, Media
Specialist, Community Middle School
Innovative reading
discussions among middle school students, other students, and older
adults in the community. Book characters will embody the
characteristics of courage.
Kids Loving Kids
Joseph Cifelli,
Donna Ritz, Debra Radice, High School North
High school students in the Academy program provide education and
hot lunches to homeless pre-school children who attend the Cherry
Tree Program.
Pulse
Oximetry Monitoring for Asthmatic Students
Patricia Walsh,
Anne Marie Gominiak, School Nurses, High School North
Grant funds will
purchase a pulse oximeter, a non-invasive portable monitor, which is
used to measure blood oxygen saturation level and heart rate. It
will be used to assess students with asthma or any student requiring
assessment in a school setting.
Bringing
Authentic Chinese Art to WW-P
Wei-ling Wu,
Chinese Teacher, High Schools North and South
A two-day cultural
event organized by the Chinese Club and classes at High School North
and High School South. Students from grades 4-12 will interact with
artists from China and learn from them such unique Chinese art forms as
dough modeling, paper-cutting, inner painting, Chinese calligraphy,
brush painting, and seal carving.
YouthInk:
Playwriting Residency
Donald Gilpin,
Language Arts Teacher, High School South
Under the guidance of McCarter Theatre professionals, 85 11th
and 12th graders will engage in a demanding, eight-week playwriting
workshop. They will all complete original short plays, with four
selected to be performed at High School South and one staged at
McCarter’s spring 2005 play festival.
Lending Library for
Parents of High School Students with Special Needs
Karen Kelley,
Learning Consultant, Wicoff Elementary School, Community Middle School
Expand the special
education Lending Library to include resources for high school
parents to help answer questions about their child’s special needs.
The Parent Connection Lending Library is located at the Community
Middle School’s Media Center.
“Polk County”/Harlem
Renaissance
Estella Ruggiero,
Language Arts Teacher, High School South
Students will read
Polk County
by Zora Neale Hurston and engage in a hands-on theatrical experience
with artists-in-residence from McCarter Theatre. Students will
enrich their understanding and appreciation of the Bayou people and
the musical ties that bind them.
A.S.E.T.S.
(Achieving Sexual Equity Through Students)
Christine
Fedorka-Tomalin, Guidance Counselor, High School South
Deb Levinson,
Guidance Counselor, High School North
Eighteen high
school students will be trained to present the A.S.E.T.S. program.
This program addresses the issues of equal career opportunities,
harassment, and gender equity issues. The target audience is 8th
and 9th graders in the district.
African
American Male Support Group
Toni Watten, School
Psychologist, High School South
Weekly support
groups will provide African American male high school students with
academic support and motivation to reach their aspirations.
Bilingual Book
Centers – Chinese/Japanese/Korean
Suihua (Susie)
Zhao, ESL/Bilingual
Teacher, High School South, Community Middle School
Establish Bilingual
Book Centers to help ESL students learn English faster and adapt to the
American school system in the shortest possible time.
Korean
Festival and Textbooks
Hee Kyong Chai,
Korean Bilingual Teacher, High School South
The Korean Festival
is a cultural event that will provide an unforgettable experience of
Korean culture to students and the community. Activities will
include traditional dances, plays, fashion show, music, and special
games.
Cognetics
Holly Cowell,
Advisor, High School South
Cognetics is a
program offered through the National Talent Network that allows
student teams to use creative problem solving to work on an
interdisciplinary challenge. A multi-district exposition in the
spring will allow students to showcase their efforts.
Future
Problem Solving
Holly Cowell,
Advisor, High School South
Students in this
program use a six-step problem-solving method to solve a futuristic
problem. The grant will allow the team to expand and continue its
success at regional, state, and international levels.
Fall
2004 Mini-Grants Awarded
Elementary Schools (K-3)
Computer
Microscopes & Science Conferencing
Rick Ellis, Computer Teacher, Dutch Neck Elementary School
Using computer microscopes and an iChat camera, elementary school
students are able to do science research and conduct video
conferences in order to share their data.
Upper Elementary Schools (grades 4-5)
Tapes for Trenton (Martin House)
Krista Davis & Cathy Gregorio, 4th grade teachers,
Millstone River School
In an effort to foster philanthropy and enhance children’s
reading and speaking skills, fourth graders will practice and model
reading picture books onto tapes. These tapes and several tape
recorders will be donated to Martin House’s after school program for
underprivileged children in Trenton.
The Shakespearean
Players – Live and On Stage
Jennifer Grosse, 4th grade teacher, Millstone River
School
This project provided 4th graders with an exciting
and dynamic introduction to the works of William Shakespeare, and
the unique opportunity to perform in the 12th Annual New
York City Student Shakespeare Festival.
Middle Schools
(Grades 6-8)
Personal Narrative Publication Project
Sarah Hugger, 8th grade teacher, Thomas Grover Middle
School
This project will introduce eighth graders to the excitement of
writing for publication. Eighth grade students will be publishing a
book of personal narratives which will then be used as teaching
tools for 6th graders. The Grover Middle School PTSA and
student fundraising are also providing support for this innovative
project.
Enhancing the Science Curriculum with the
Environmental Learning Center Trail
Denise Weber, Rebecca Saba, Virginia Baner, Wanda Rinker, Teachers
Community Middle School
This project will rehabilitate the Environmental Learning Center
Trail which runs behind Community Middle School and Millstone River
School. Surveys will be done of existing flora and fauna, as well
as comparative water studies and will provide cooperative
educational opportunities.
High Schools (Grades 9-12)
Gel Electrophoresis – The Gateway to
Molecular Biology:
Menakshi Bhattacharya, Science Teacher, WW-P High School South
Gel electrophoresis is a simple experimental procedure that can
be used to separate, visualize and analyze proteins and DNA. The
Honors Biology, Genetics and the Waksman Research Club will be using
this technique to visualize DNA from a variety of sources.
Future Problem Solvers
Brett Frankel, student, WW-P High School South
The Future Problem Solvers Program teaches students to
creatively analyze and address real world issues. With this
mini-grant, the FPS Club hopes to continue its competitive success
at the state and international levels.
Concert for Hope to Cure Breast Cancer
Mary Jacobsen, Director of Choral Activities, Jon Enz and Mark
Bencivengo,
WW-P High School North
Concert for Hope is an event on May 26, 2005, sponsored by the
High School North Music Department at Verizon Hall at the Kimmel
Center in Philadelphia. Students will perform Carl Orff’s Carmina
Burana. Proceeds will benefit City of Hope, a breast cancer research
center.
I Want to Be a Filmmaker
Deborah Marinsky & Randye McBride, Media Specialists,
WW-P High School South
This is a special speaker series grant. The Media Center will
offer a seminar series on different aspects of filmmaking for
interested high school students. The seminars will be presented by
documentary filmmakers who will show clips of their work, present
their educational background and discuss the process of creating a
documentary film.
Introduction to Electricity with Household
Appliances
Tiffany Seeley, Lawrence Swesey, Zetta Kamm, Marc Dorfman, Science
Teachers
WW-P High School South
Students will use electronic circuit kits to create electrical
circuits that they utilize in everyday life such as light switches,
fans, and speakers.
