Student Achievement Grants: Winter 2010 Recipients
California
Mr. Gian Michael Sarabia, Salinas
2nd Grade Teacher, Boronda Meadows Elementary School
Partner: Ms. Adrienne Jerman
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
Second grade students at Boronda Meadows Elementary will learn about sustainable farming methods by building an organic garden. In addition to taking field trips to places that teach sustainable methods of organic farming, students will create a web page containing videos and photos that will explain the dangers of pesticide use and the benefits of sustainable farming.
Ms. Linda Preminger, San Lorenzo
7th to 8th Grade Math and Science Teacher, Washington Manor Middle School
Partner: Mr. Malik Dohrn
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
Ms. Preminger and Mr. Dohrn will lead a series of field trips designed to help students experience the relationship between human habitations in the local watershed and changes in the San Francisco Bay. Students will learn the importance of the interaction between water, topography, and human activity.
Ms. Donna Markey, Vista
8th Grade Science Teacher, Vista Magnet Middle School
Partner: Ms. Jamie Hagen-Holt
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
Vista Magnet Middle School students will analyze the construction of one of the largest desalination plants in the world. Through an interdisciplinary, inquiry-based approach, eighth grade students will investigate water issues that led to the plant's approval and the surrounding environmental controversy. Through the context of desalination, students will understand how science and technology can solve societal problems.
Colorado
Dr. Karen Johnson, Denver
6th Grade Science Teacher, Niver Creek Middle School
Partner: Ms. Donna Nelson
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
Middle school students and the community will be involved in the planning, design, and integration of alternative energy sources that power a greenhouse. In order to increase student achievement in science, each grade level will focus on a different aspect of the greenhouse project. Culminating activities will include communicating project results to other grade levels and selling plants and vegetables that are harvested in the spring.
District of Columbia
Ms. Mary Johnson, District of Columbia
5th Grade Teacher, Payne Elementary School
Partner: Ms. Judith Miller
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
Through the “Literacy through Photography” program, students will learn how to use the art of photography as a means of visual communication and expression. In collaboration with Turning the Page, a local education nonprofit, Ms. Johnson and Ms. Miller will attend professional development seminars, lead students on field trips of photography exhibits, provide students with digital cameras, and work with students in developing writing skills.
Florida
Ms. Kelly Livorsi, Minneola
Kindergarten Teacher, Grassy Lakes Elementary School
Partner: Miss Ashlie Rogers
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
The building of a greenhouse will be the foundation of an outdoor living learning center that will allow teachers to create first hand experiences for student investigations and discoveries for all aspects of science and provide them alternative options for teaching and enhancing subjects such as math and language arts. Students will have real world experiences that unite them with their environment and promote healthy lifestyles.
Ms. Meredith Spence, Santa Rosa Beach
6th Grade Teacher, Seaside Neighborhood School
Partner: Mrs. Kimberly Gordon
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
Seaside Neighborhood School's “Waste Away!” Project will provide hands-on learning opportunities for students to become aware of the amount of trash they produce during lunch and to develop strategies for waste reduction. Students will visit the local landfill to see local waste impact and the need to conserve and recycle. This environmental education project will become a model for other schools in the district.
Illinois
Mr. Matt Olson, Big Rock
7th to 8th Grade Science Teacher, Hinckley-Big Rock Middle School
Partner: Mrs. Kristin Trapino
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
In an effort to increase knowledge of energy conservation and alternative energy sources, students will learn the pros and cons of using different types of energy. Students will conduct research, add labs, analyze data from the school’s solar panels and wind turbine, design solar machines, and investigate other possible solutions for the current energy crisis.
Louisiana
Ms. April Stone, Opelousas
3rd Grade Teacher, South Street Elementary School
Partner: Mrs. Lashondra Taylor
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
Ms. Stone and Mrs. Taylor will create cross curriculum lessons about Louisiana and its environment utilizing the “writing across the curriculum” strategy. These lessons will engage the students in writing and hands-on real world experiments and help them understand the environment in which they live. Students will research and track Louisiana coastal erosion and ozone deterioration, spearhead a Louisiana Christmas tree recycling program, and participate in an invasive species stewardship project in the local community. We are also incorporating Louisiana and its habitats.
Maryland
Ms. Donetta Sisler, Accident
10th to 12th Grade Business and Technology Teacher, Northern Garrett High School
Partner: Mr. Jeff Beitzel
Grant Amount: $5,000
Northern Garrett’s CTE (Career and Technology Education) Alternative Energy Team will install LED (light emitting diode) lighting in one classroom and develop a shop that will serve as a model for all career and technology education students to observe and evaluate green technology as it applies to energy conservation and consumption. Ms. Sisler and her colleagues will educate students about the importance of green jobs in the current and future economy.
Massachusetts
Mr. Dan Moriarty, Whitman
9th to 12th Grade Science Teacher, Whitman-Hanson Regional High School
Partner: Mr. Mark Stephansky
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
Mr. Moriarty and Mr. Stephansky will sponsor an environmental awareness contest between each building in their district. Educators and students will be challenged to reduce electricity consumption, waste production, and the water use over the year. Additionally, a district wide recycling program will be implemented.
Michigan
Mr. Scott Satterly, Clinton Township
10th to 12th Grade Teacher, The Frederick V. Pankow Center
Partner: Ms. Shirley Tautolo
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with the Staples Foundation for Learning
In the “Farm to Table” cross-curricular project, students will hydroponically grow fresh produce for the school cafeteria using environmentally sound techniques. Students will experience, first hand, the process of identifying a real world problem, work to find a remedy or lessen the problem, and implement a solution.
Minnesota
Ms. Isis Buchanan, Saint Paul
Kindergarten to 6th Grade Science Teacher, Crossroads Elementary School
Partner: Mr. Kevin Williams
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
This yearlong collaborative project focuses on energy independence, energy conservation, and the development of alternative forms of energy that promote self-sufficiency and sustainability. To accomplish this ambitious project, Ms. Buchanan and colleagues will build upon an existing relationships with the Bell Museum to use the many University of Minnesota research projects focusing on connecting energy innovation with improving economic conditions in third world countries and enhancing healthy living.
Nebraska
Mr. Andrew James, Lincoln
9th to 12th Grade Science and Technology Teacher, LPS Science Focus Program
Partner: Mrs. Grace Aubert
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with the Staples Foundation for Learning
Physics students will design and build an “energy bike” that transforms mechanical energy (pedal power) to electrical energy. The bike will be available at the Science Focus Program Science Day, an educational outreach to 4th and 5th grade students, and to other science teachers in this district. The “energy bike” is part of a program to educate students about energy conservation and alternative sources of energy.
New Hampshire
Ms. Judith Lindsey, Candia
3rd to 8th Grade Math Teacher, Henry W. Moore School
Partner: Mrs. Jill Greeley
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
To give students a better understanding of how their actions affect the world, students will be involved in a variety of activities that will help them develop problem solving and critical thinking skills as they examine the impact of their decisions. The culminating results will be shared with the community in an academic celebration called “A Better World.”
New Jersey
Mrs. Nancy Harris, Oak Ridge
6th to 8th Grade Teacher, Jefferson Township Middle School
Partner: Mrs. Virginia Osborne
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
Students will combine science, art, and creative writing with service learning to draw attention to the importance of protecting and preserving the environment. Through a combination of digital photography and creative writing, students will create a one page layout that will become part of a collaborative “coffee table” book to be distributed throughout the community. As a result of this project, students will develop a multi-disciplinary and global perspective in the arts, learn to highlight key environmental issues, take academic risks in the form of creative writing, and become fluent in the theory and practice of digital technologies.
New York
Mrs. Sheila Egbe, Brooklyn
Kindergarten to 5th Grade Science Teacher, Public School 208
Partner: Ms. Randi Peppe
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
Mrs. Egbe will establish a program designed to educate students about the role solar electric power can play in providing clean energy for our homes, schools, and workplaces. Students will conduct experiments to compare two sources of energy: a solar cell and batteries based on chemical energy.
Ms. Maria Krajewski, Brooklyn
9th to 12th Grade Art Teacher, High School for Enterpirse, Business, and Technology
Partner: Mr. John Heegle
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with the Staples Foundation for Learning
Ms. Krajewski and Mr. Heegle seek to improve student achievement by increasing student awareness of mankind's impact on local and global environments. Students will better understand their responsibility to preserve the environment through research and the creation of short environmental documentaries. These “environmentaries” will follow students as they investigate environmental problems in their communities and take action to improve them.
Ms. Claudia Andres, Wilson
9th to 12th Grade Choral Music Director, Wilson High School
Partner: Mrs. Christine O’Keefe
Grant Amount: $5,000
The "Rhythm of the Soul" project will provide non-traditional music students with the opportunity to create improvisational music on various percussion instruments in an open atmosphere. Incorporated into the music curriculum (band, chorus, general music classes, matriculated classes), this will also offer a great beginning improvisation experience for the traditional structured musical student.
North Carolina
Ms. Dianne Eldreth, Warrensville
Kindergarten to 6th Grade Teacher, Blue Ridge Elementary School
Partner: Mrs. Tonya Blevins
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
Recycling, reusing, and reducing waste is important to the educators at Blue Ridge Elementary School. Therefore, a recycling program will be implemented at the school. Student engagement in the recycling program will provide service and leadership opportunities for all ages and will impact student understanding of recycling practices at home and in the community.
Pennsylvania
Ms. Karen Dolan, Bethlehem
9th to 12th Grade Social Science Teacher, Liberty High School
Partner: Mr. John Chay
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with the Staples Foundation for Learning
Ms. Dolan’s students will create a stream science lab in the once-condemned historic Illick's Mill. The mill will act as a functional environmental education center targeting elementary students in the Bethlehem community, and will be a primary field trip destination for local students.
South Carolina
Ms. S. Lorraine Moore, Glendale
3rd to 5th Grade Teacher, Cowpens Elementary School
Partner: Ms. Brenda Black-Morrison
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
“Solar Science/Solar Society” is a study designed for academically gifted 4th and 5th graders to experience the power of solar energy -- as scientists and as citizens. The students will conduct experiments showing the power of the sun to heat homes and water. They will also stage a debate and present perspectives of society's stakeholders on a move from fossil fuels to solar energy. Ultimately, these students will have conducted independent scientific experimentation, critically examined a societal issue, and presented their findings to an audience using twenty-first century technology skills.
Ms. Stephanie Davis, McCormick
3rd Grade Teacher, McCormick Elementary School
Partner: Ms. Brandi Jones
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
Ms. Davis and Ms. Jones will assist students in preparing and maintaining compost bins, rain barrels, worm factories, and homemade bird feeders. Students will display their knowledge by creating posters depicting ways to go green while caring for the environment. The posters will be displayed in the community to foster environmental awareness.
Texas
Ms. Lydia Renfro, Austin
7th Grade Science Teacher, Diane Gorzycki Middle School
Partner: Ms. Liz Gregory
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
Ms. Renfro and Ms. Gregory will create a native habitat and a weather station. The outdoor laboratory will directly teach students how to acquire, record, process, and evaluate data for scientific research and discussion; skills that are only developed and reinforced through hands-on learning. Given the opportunity to explore and experiment, students will develop a greater understanding of the natural world, and become more conscientious stewards of the Earth.
Utah
Ms. Esther Farrow, St. George
8th Grade Science Teacher, Snow Canyon Middle School
Partner: Mr. Spencer Ballantyne
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
To conserve the amount of paper used, the science department at Snow Canyon Middle School will use netbooks in class in lieu of paper for testing. Additionally, Ms. Esther and her colleagues will assist students in the implementation of a paper recycling and conservation program in the school.
Wisconsin
Mr. Joel Barthel, St. Francis
11th to 12th Grade Science Teacher, St. Francis School District
Partner: Mrs. Trudy Hundt
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with the Staples Foundation for Learning
Science students at St. Francis High School will use data collection sensors to study the rainwater, runoff, and water drainage of Lake Michigan. Students will work in teams of four to collect common data, and each team will be assigned a unique data sensor. Data will be tied to GPS locations, graphed, and analyzed for trends or relationships. Each team will present the results of their unique data collection and propose an area of further inquiry.
Ms. Victoria Rydberg, Portage
7th to 8th Grade Teacher, River Crossing Environmental Charter School
Partner: Mrs. Kathy Baggot
Grant Amount: $5,000
Grant Awarded in Partnership with Nickelodeon
“Hands On, Feet Wet Education” will engage and motivate middle school students by encouraging them to think critically about environmental issues while developing core academic skills through weekly hands-on, mud-on-their-boots field experiences that foster stewardship. Students will have the transportation and supplies necessary to gain first-hand knowledge of the world around them.
