It’s Not about Events, it is About Ideas

Little ideas can make a big difference. It’s true in business, and it is true in our schools. During the school week, teachers often spend more waking time with your kids than you do. Teachers spend more time working with the students than anyone else in education. With that kind of experience, they come up with innovative ways to improve the learning experience in their classrooms. Ideas, even simple ideas, usually require funding beyond what the state provides for Center Grove Schools. That’s where the Center Grove Education Foundation steps in to help.

You may think of the Foundation as “the group that puts on events.” Toast of the Town and the upcoming Gala for the Grove raise the profile of the Foundation. However, those events have another purpose. Foundation Executive Director Carla Johnson says, ”Special events raise awareness of the Foundation’s mission to fund extraordinary learning opportunities for students. Through teacher grants, the funds raised go directly into the classroom to provide what I call ‘wow’ moments for CG kids.”

Twice a year, the Foundation awards grants to teachers in the Center Grove School system to fund some of those creative ideas. Last fall, the Foundation awarded 14 grants. The grants covered diverse subjects from “iPad in Arts” to “Introduction to Construction.”

The Storyteller’s Drum

Alisa Isaacs of Center Grove Middle School Central wanted to connect her students personally with what they had been studying in her seventh grade class: African geography and culture. Thanks to a Foundation grant, on December 13 The Griot Drum Ensemble performed

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju3ex-I0MjM

to the seventh-grade students at Central. Their performance is an interactive mix of the storytelling styles and the musical instruments of Western Africa. “The program is not only highly engaging but also covers state standards in social studies and language arts,” said Isaacs. The kids enjoyed it, saying, “It was fun to watch the teachers participating,” “What they do is very unique,” and “I thought the drums were really cool, and when they let me drum, it was fun and loud.”

Science Geeks

If you had a chemistry set as a kid, you know what it is like to get some hands-on science experience. Pleasant Grove Elementary teacher Amy Traut wanted to give her fifth-grade students something far better than a chemistry set. Her grant provides hands-on experiments.

Amy Traut's Science ClassSome of the experiments are simple, such as finding the center of gravity of a pencil or a plastic eagle. Others have the students working to track the sun and moon, investigate interaction of Indiana organisms, or construct prototypes of the musculoskeletal systems. Caleb, a fifth grader in the class said, “Science is an amazing thing to learn about. It is so much fun.” School doesn’t have to be fun, but the kids and teachers seem to like it a little more when it is.

Discovering Music

How do you get kids to discover music and learn to appreciate it? That question has been challenging teachers for years. There are many options out there, but finding the best one, incorporating it into the curriculum, and, of course, finding the funding is a challenge. Joel Newsham, a teacher at Pleasant Grove, thought Quaver’s Marvelous World of Music would work and submitted a grant request to the Foundation. This grant will fund the Mr. Worsham Music Classprogram for all five Center Grove elementary schools.

The award-winning 21st century teaching resource includes a classroom DVD series, teacher guides, and interactive instruction online including theory, instruments, composers and music history, and styles. Executive Director Carla Johnson and I had an opportunity to visit a class and see firsthand the enthusiasm of the students. The students laughed and were engaged in the video. The interactive whiteboard display allows the kids to not just learn but also interact with the lesson. Taylor, a student with Mrs. Maudlin’s 2nd-grade class said, “I like hearing music, and I love to learn music by playing a game.”

Now that’s a good idea, learning and having fun while doing it.

The Center Grove Education Foundation helps bring additional resources to the classroom. The next round of grants, funding, more good ideas, will be awarded this spring.

You can learn more about the Foundation and its other activities at CenterGroveFoundation.org.

Fall 2012 Center Grove Education Foundation Grants

  • Kids Discover Extended Learning” was awarded to Melissa Maxwell, of Center Grove Elementary School. The 5th grade extended learning program will purchase Kids Discover magazines to focus on concepts in science.
  • Poetry Café” was received by Tonya Hicks and LaRenda Peterson at Sugar Grove Elementary School. Third and fourth grade students will learn and write several types of poetry and share a few of their favorites in a café setting for their classmates, friends, and family.
  • First Lego Robotics” went to Mark Snodgrass at Center Grove Middle School North. FIRST Robotics is designed to help students develop a love for science and math through the use of engineering and presenting a robotics project. This grant will cover the registration fee for a 10-student team and the robot for the team.
  • The Storyteller’s Drum” was awarded to Alisa Isaacs of Center Grove Middle School Central. The culminating activity for the study of African geography and culture in seventh grade, this grant will bring a Drum Ensemble to present storytelling styles and musical instruments of Western Africa. The students will try instruments, rhythms, and dances.
  • Introduction to Construction” went to Cory Cooper at Center Grove High School to provide materials for students to gain experience in creating wall frames, installing electrical systems, and adding drywall. Community construction experts will share concepts needed for employment in the construction industry.
  • iPads in Art” was received by Ashley Kinner at North Grove Elementary School. This grant will provide an iPad station to introduce graphic design elements to students in grades K-5, also allowing them to create their own art websites.
  • Quaver’s Marvelous World of Music” was awarded to Joel Newsham of Pleasant Grove for all five elementary schools. This grant will provide QuaverMusic.com’s award-winning 21st century teaching resources, including a comprehensive classroom DVD series, teacher guides, and a website covering music theory, instruments and ensembles, composers and music history, and music styles. The mission: to inspire kids to discover and love music.
  • Introduction to Robotics” was received by Center Grove Elementary School Dad’s Club Volunteer Robert Hammill. The Dad’s Club at CGES coordinates the Introduction to Robotics for fourth and fifth grade students. This grant will provide updated technology to introduce students to robotics programming, general problem solving and working with a partner, helping to prepare them for the Middle School Robotics team.
  • The Flipped Classroom” went to Andrew Nuetzel at Center Grove Middle School North. The flipped classroom switches the traditional lecture to the home, freeing up class time for group problem solving, hands-on activity, and differentiated instruction. This grant will provide the equipment needed to record and post lectures for students to retrieve at home via iPad, computer, or DVD player.
  • I Connect with Books” was awarded to Rita Wiley and Alli Chance at Center Grove Middle School North. This grant will fund the Connect reading initiative for sixth grade students, providing high-interest books to be read in small groups. Teachers will use small group reading strategies to help students gain confidence and improve reading skills.
  • Creating APPtitude in Spanish” was received by Karen Hovanec at Center Grove High School to fund apps and equipment for the nine iPads used in her classroom. The first app allows students to record phrases and sentences, receiving immediate feedback as to whether they were pronounced correctly.
  • Science Learning Stations” went to Jacob Short at Center Grove Middle School Central. This grant will provide iPads to allow students to use apps in small differentiated learning groups within the science classroom, allowing the teacher to directly address multiple learning styles through dynamic small group activities.
  • Science Geeks” was awarded to Amy Traut at Pleasant Grove Elementary School to provide science equipment for fifth graders, providing hands-on studies of the solar system, tracking the sun and moon, investigating the interactions of Indiana organisms, constructing prototypes of the musculoskeletal system, and more.
  • Kids Teaching Math” was received by Andrew Smiley at Center Grove Middle School North. Research shows that the best way to learn is by teaching. This project will put students into the role of teacher when they create how-to video podcasts. The grant will provide pen pads and microphones, allowing student production of podcasts.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Send me your media kit!

hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "6486003", formId: "5ee2abaf-81d9-48a9-a10d-de06becaa6db" });