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	Last updated 6.15.05

Innovation Grants: Spring 2004 Recipients

The NEA Foundation's Innovation Grants are funded in part by Staples Recycle for Education.

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AL AZ CA CT DE HI IL IN MA MI MS NJ NY NC ND OH OR PA RI SC TX UT VT VA WA

ALABAMA

Alfreda Williams, Camden
7th & 8th Grade Teacher
Camden School of Arts & Technology
Partner: JoAnne Williams
Collaborating with the University of Alabama, Ms. Alfreda Williams and Ms. JoAnne Williams create a summer school reading and acting program to improve the literacy skills of their disadvantaged students. Students study Greek mythology and other classical literature and attend plays at local theaters. Using what they have learned, students write and stage six plays based on Greek mythology.

Gregory Swann, Tuscaloosa
9th to 12th Grade Science Teacher
Central High School
Partners: Jocqueline Richardson, Loyd Watson
Mr. Swann, Ms. Richardson, and Mr. Watson design an applied science unit on sound waves. After learning about sound, students work in groups to build musical instruments and create an original composition. Students perform and record their composition and use the recording to explore the engineering of sound waves and digital envelopes.

ARIZONA

Jane Scott, Flagstaff
Technology Coordinator
Flagstaff Middle School
Partners: Susan Hanks, Tim Quigley, Carol Sharp
Students with special needs and those in general education classes collaborate to produce a school newspaper. Ms. Scott and her partners train students to use digital cameras and computer software, and lead a field trip to a local newspaper. After choosing a topic for their articles, students conduct interviews, take photographs, and produce and distribute the newspapers.

CALIFORNIA

Kimberly Mickey, Bellflower
7th & 8th Grade Science Teacher
Bellflower Middle School
Partner: Carey Williams
Ms. Mickey and Ms. Williams develop inquiry-based activities to help their students learn about marine ecosystems. Students research, write, and illustrate books on animals and explore current environmental issues. At the unit’s conclusion, students visit a floating lab in San Diego to investigate marine life and learn the importance of preserving ecosystems.

Glenda Pepin, Los Angeles
9th to 12th Grade Teacher
Susan Miller Dorsey High School
Partner: Trevor Oystrick
Ms. Pepin and Mr. Oystrick provide their inner-city students with opportunities to explore nature in several hands-on environmental activities. Students research and monitor water quality at a local park, teach lessons on nature to local elementary students, and participate in a camping trip to a local, state, or national park.

CONNECTICUT

Paula Carlson, Hartford
4th to 6th Grade Special Education Teacher
Simpson Waverly School
Partners: Holly Kevorkian, Andrea Namnoun-Allen
Ms. Carlson, Ms. Kevorkian, and Ms. Namnoun-Allen design a multidisciplinary curriculum that improves students’ social studies, art, and literacy skills. Collaborating with a local museum, students research the history of one of Hartford’s landmarks, the Bushnell Park Carousel. With this knowledge, students create artwork, books, and music about the carousel. At the conclusion of the project, students visit Bushnell Park and produce and stage a musical production about the carousel landmark.

Nancy Goss, Orange
7th to 9th Grade Library Media Specialist
Amity Junior High School
Partners: Valerie Cournoyer
In a four-week unit on human biology, ninth-grade students at Amity Junior High School create an illustrated children’s book on the human body. Students research a system in the human body, and then create a children’s book about that system. At the conclusion of the unit, students travel to a local elementary school to share their books with second graders.

Joseph Rodrigues, Bloomfield
9th to 12th Grade Teacher
Harris Agriscience & Technology Center
Partners: Howard Dashefsky, Mary LeBlonde
The “Invasive Plant Field Study” project applies environmental science to the students’ lives. Mr. Rodrigues, Mr. Dashefsky, and Ms. LeBlonde help students conduct field research to investigate the detrimental effects invasive organisms and purple loosestrife, an aggressive perennial plant, have on the local environment. Based on their research, students create a public awareness campaign for their own school.

DELAWARE

Rosetta Roach, Dover
7th & 8th Grade Visual Arts Teacher
Dover Central Middle School
Partners: Sahirah Hameed, Tonya Mackey
By integrating art across disciplines, Ms. Roach, Ms. Hameed, and Ms. Mackey develop thematic lessons to enhance their students’ critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Students learn how art affects their lives, from the clothing they wear to the houses in which they live. In one unit, students research Native American art, form their own tribe, and create artifacts that symbolize their respective tribes. At the completion of this unit, students interact with local Native Americans.

HAWAII

Melanie Hermstad, Hanalei
K to 6th Grade
Hanalei Elementary School
Partners: Arren Cook, Jennifer Easterly, John Kaneholani, Carol Seielstad
With an integrated classroom, Ms. Hermstad and her partners use service learning to help students apply their content knowledge. Students identify a community problem and create short public service announcements to address the issue. After researching and filming a topic, students broadcast the announcement on closed-circuit television in their community.

Stephanie Skelly, Ewa Beach
6th Grade Teacher
Ewa Elementary School
Partner: Ann Tonaki
Ms. Skelly and Ms. Tonaki build students’ knowledge of science and environmental issues through a curriculum on ecosystems. Students learn about local ecosystems, produce a musical on the environment, and investigate environmental preservation issues. As a final project, students develop plans for a future community that uses sustainable alternative energy resources.

ILLINOIS

Roberta Oliver, Chicago
6th to 8th Grade Teacher
Richard Edwards School
Partner: Jennifer Widd
Eighth-grade English language learners improve their literacy and science skills by creating laboratory manuals for elementary students. To develop these documents, the older students photograph each stage of the various experiments and add step-by-step instructions. To help elementary teachers use the manuals, the eighth graders lead a training program.

Brian Schultz, Chicago
5th Grade Teacher
Richard E. Byrd Community Academy
Partner: Brian Billings
Collaborating with faculty from Tennessee Technical University, Mr. Schultz and Mr. Billings create “Writing and Technology,” a mentoring project among doctoral and fifth-grade students. The fifth-grade students explore different genres of literature and learn about the writing process by sharing their work with doctoral students and receiving feedback. To develop technology skills, the fifth graders also incorporate hypermedia such as digital video, photography into their writing.

Cecil Smith, DeKalb
Professor of Education
Northern Illinois University
Partner: Lee Shumow
Partnering with local schools, preservice teachers learn about adolescent development and behavior. Dr. Smith and Dr. Shumow solicit documentary autobiographies from adolescents, and edit the videotapes for classroom instruction. Students use the documentaries to reflect on adolescent behavior.

INDIANA

Anne McGrath, Indianapolis
5th Grade Teacher
Lowell Elementary School
Partners: Meredith Browning, Theresa Clemons-Ohmer, Kim Griffin, Kris Presley
To address the unique learning needs of their students, Ms. McGrath and her partner have created “History Smart Gallery Project.” Using a “Jeopardy” game show format, students learn about economics, folk music, and theater. At the project’s conclusion, students create short films, musical compositions, paintings, and other products. They host a gallery night with parents to showcase the yearlong student learning.

Tim Soliday, Spencer
5th Grade Teacher
McCormick’s Creek Elementary School
Partners: Gwen Dieter, Myrna Fields, Fred Walden
Mr. Soliday and his partners use “Inquiring Minds,” a program that integrates science and language arts, to build their students’ literacy and science inquiry skills. Combining the Four Blocks® Literacy Model with high-interest scientific materials, the teachers introduce students to themes such as space, the animal kingdom, and environmental responsibility. Students use hands-on materials and kits to engage in inquiry activities.

MASSACHUSETTS

Mary Burke, Westfield
Kindergarten Teacher
Moseley Elementary School
Partner: Marty Rheaume
Working with kindergarten teachers throughout the district, Ms. Burke and Ms. Rheaume integrate science and technology by creating a unit on the lunar moth and painted lady butterfly. Students participate in a field trip to the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens and use software to compare moth and butterfly species. Based on what they learn, students create books on the life cycles of these insects.

Holly Tuttle, Springfield
10th to 12th Grade Teacher
Springfield Central High School
Partner: Naomi Volain
Ms. Tuttle and Ms. Volain use botanical sculpture to integrate science and art. Students research invasive plants at local parks and design and construct a functional sculpture for their school courtyard. To share their learning with the community, students invite the media and public to observe the design and construction of the sculpture.

MICHIGAN

JaNell Koskie, Waterford
K to 5th Grade Music Teacher
Donelson Hills Elementary School
Partner: Robert Craner
With rising numbers of Mexican and other Latin American students attending their school, Ms. Koskie and Mr. Craner design a curriculum that explores Latin American cultures and builds community within the school. Students study the Latin American art, music, and dance of each of the students’ cultures. At the project’s conclusion, students create Latin American performing arts and participate in a culinary celebration.

MISSISSIPPI

Carrie McCool, Noxapater
1st Grade Teacher
Noxapater Attendance Center
Partners: Pam Mills, Gina Smith, Susan Webb, Cindy Wilkes
Ms. McCool and her partners establish a writing center and implement the 6+1 Trait™ Writing model to enhance their students’ writing skills. Students demonstrate their reading and writing skills by creating a brochure on local history sites. To connect to their community, students distribute this brochure at local businesses to be used as a visitors’ guide.

NEW JERSEY

Elena Kalacheva, Montclair
9th to 12th Grade Teacher
Montclair High School
Partner: Anthony Keys
Ms. Kalacheva and Mr. Keys develop an interdisciplinary project to motivate their minority students to learn German poetry. Students in German classes study German poetry and culture and compose and record music to accompany these poems. At the conclusion of the project, students disseminate their recordings on a compact disc and on the school website.

Erin Kirchmer, Morristown
9th & 10th Grade Science Teacher
Morristown High School
Partners: John Madden, Kathryn Schneider, Barbara Snyder
Connecting literature with science, Ms. Kirchmer and her partners design a project that investigates the biological and physiological effects of high-altitude hiking. After researching these effects, students read Into Thin Air and identify passages that describe the effects of hiking. Students also analyze heart and respiratory rate data recorded after Ms. Kirchmer climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa.

NEW YORK

Alan Horowitz, Stony Point
7th Grade Director of Special Projects
Felix Festa Middle School
Partner: Ralph Lapidus
To enhance their middle school students’ mathematics, science, and technology skills, Mr. Horowitz and Mr. Lapidus create a project focused on rotorcraft vehicles. Students apply mathematics and science theories to construct a full-size helicopter.

Jude Julian, Bronx
7th & 8th Grade Teacher
Arturo Toscanini Community Junior High School 145
Partner: Dawan Cornish
Mr. Julian and Mr. Cornish connect science and math to real-world experiences through a unit on motion. Students learn to use a motion detector, and explore the relationship between position- and velocity-time graphs.

NORTH CAROLINA

Martha Mentzer, Supply
Pre-K to 5th Grade Teacher
Supply Elementary School
Partner: Donna Allen
Through the “Basketball Poets Program,” Ms. Mentzer and Ms. Allen use basketball to motivate students to analyze and write poetry. Students write an original poem to participate in the group. Dividing their time between basketball and poetry, students study poetic theory and host visits from professional poets and actors. Students read poetry or a dramatic text for the group, school, and community and create books of original poetry.

NORTH DAKOTA

Patrick Boehmer, Carrington
8th to 12th Grade Science Teacher
Carrington Public Schools
Partner: Renee Johnson
Mr. Boehmer and Ms. Johnson enhance the science and environmental knowledge of their students through a project on ecosystems. Students form peer-learning groups to research an ecosystem of their choosing and use plants, animals, and materials to create an ecosystem in aquariums. Groups collect and exchange data on their respective environments.

OHIO

Joe Heilman, Hamilton
4th to 6th Grade Teacher
Adams Elementary School
Partner: Cheryl Meyer
Integrating language arts with citizenship learning, Mr. Heilman and Ms. Meyer form an international ePal program. Students use a Web camera to see each other as they engage in discussions with peers throughout the world about customs, traditions, and beliefs. At the conclusion of the project, Mr. Heilman’s and Ms. Meyer’s students create a presentation for their parents and the school community.

OREGON

Daniel McNairy, Bend
6th to 8th Grade Teacher
RiverBend Alternative Middle School
Partner: Jeff Adkins, Tom Dickman, Shannon Herringer
Mr. McNairy and his partners implement “Alternative Avenues,” a program that uses experiential-based activities to help at-risk students understand their civic responsibility. Students participate in several wilderness adventures including backpacking, flat-water rafting, mountain biking, and community service projects to explore the consequences of their decisions.

PENNSYLVANIA

Jason Jaffe, Warrington
6th Grade Teacher
Mill Creek Elementary
Partner: Eileen Block
Mr. Jaffe and Ms. Block use handheld computers to increase their students’ knowledge across curricula. Using software, students personify characters from their readings, visualize the solar system, study plate tectonics, and collect and manipulate geographic data.

Dean Rosencranz, Wyncote
9th to 12th Grade Mathematics Teacher
Cheltenham High School
Partners: Jacqueline Benson, Keziah LaTorre, Linda Roeder, Leni Windle
Through “Rising Stars,” Mr. Rosencranz and his partners seek to reduce the achievement gap in the Cheltenham School District by helping minority students to succeed in higher-level courses. Students learn technology and teachers use research-based strategies to motivate students to succeed. College tutors visit the schools weekly to mentor students who enroll in higher-level classes. On a field trip to a college, students enroll in a one-day course to get a taste of higher education.

RHODE ISLAND

David Sousa, Central Falls
School Based Coordinator
Central Falls High School
Partners: Bertrand Brousseau, Vincent Hey
Mr. Sousa, Ms. Brousseau, and Mr. Hey develop a WeatherNet Classroom program to give students career-relevant experiences. Students collect and analyze weather data to generate daily weather forecasts, understand how weather affects culture and historical events, and learn to read graphs and charts.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Karen Irwin, Anderson
6th to 8th Grade Teacher
Southwood Middle School
Partner: Judy Schall
Ms. Irwin and Ms. Schall increase their students’ literacy skills and content knowledge by creating mini-library carts, filled with fictional and non-fictional books. Students select readings for discussion in literature circles, written reports, and learning activities on mathematics, science, and social studies.

TEXAS

Judy Leinius, San Antonio
6th to 8th Grade Campus Instructional Coordinator
Jeremiah Rhodes Middle School
Partners: Bertha Mayorga, Denise Meacham, Ray Palencia, John Richbourg
At-risk students at Jeremiah Rhodes Middle School learn how to build computers to increase their technology and critical-thinking skills. After researching components, students assemble computers for the school library. To increase parental involvement, middle school teachers develop classes for parents on accessing online resources.

Joyce Roberta Miller-Alper, Houston
12th Grade Teacher
Spring Branch School of Choice
Partners: Joanne Frimel, Bob Koupa
To give their disadvantaged students practical experience with the political process, Ms. Miller-Alper, Ms. Frimel, and Mr. Koupa design a political science curriculum that focuses on voter registration. Students meet political candidates while organizing and conducting community forums, participate in mock elections, and analyze election data. Students create trunks of voter registration materials, then launch registration campaigns and examine data to assess the effectiveness of those campaigns.

Shannon Saunders, Rio Grande City
6th to 8th Grade Teacher
Ringgold Middle School
Partner: Cynthia Hallums
Ms. Saunders and Ms. Hallums, both beginning teachers, strengthen the literacy skills of their students by implementing a reading and writing workshop in their classes. Students read, analyze, create, and publish their original writing. Teachers and students host literacy nights for parents throughout the year to showcase the students’ writing and literacy skills.

UTAH

Michelle Evans, Huntsville
6th Grade Teacher
Valley Elementary School
Partners: Carolyn Hogge, Shirl Weight
Ms. Evans, Ms. Hogge, and Ms. Weight increase the critical-thinking and inquiry skills of their students by transforming computer labs into spaceships. Students use these spaceships to travel back in time and research famous mathematicians. Students also interact with volunteers who pose as these figures. Based on what they learn, students write journal entries and produce booklets about the mathematicians’ influence.

VERMONT

Danielle Conley, North Troy
K to 4th Grade Teacher
Troy School
Partner: Jane Boutin
Ms. Conley and Ms. Boutin strengthen the literacy skills of their students by providing family journey packs, containing materials on several themes. To involve parents in the students’ learning, the teachers videotape model activities and provide directions on how to use the packs.

VIRGINIA

Elizabeth Pegram, Falls Church
9th to 12th Grade English Teacher
Falls Church High School
Partner: Sharon Yates
During the summer, Ms. Pegram and Ms. Yates engage their underserved middle school students in a summer enrichment program on civil rights. Students learn about efforts to desegregate public schools, and interview local African Americans about their educational experiences in the 1950s and 1960s. Students host a community forum and deliver presentations that showcase civil rights stories based on the interviews.

WASHINGTON

Tim Granger, Marysville
5th Grade Teacher
Quil Ceda Elementary School
Partner: Hank Palmer
Mr. Granger and Mr. Palmer develop “Math Takes Flight,” a mathematics unit focused on flight instruction. Students take lessons in an aircraft simulator, with each session relating to a mathematical concept. After mastering these lessons, students demonstrate their mathematics and aviation knowledge by taking a written examination to obtain a pilot’s license.