Program Funds Innovative Teaching Projects
Rainbow trout, scale model houses and an upright piano.
Those are all teaching devices that some of this year’s 22 EXCEL Foundation award winners will use.
The grants recognize innovation, providing equipment and materials that otherwise wouldn’t be available.
Students from all grade levels, and most of the district’s schools, received a total of $30,000 in grants sought by individual teachers.
The projects chosen this year are:
“Living Stream.” Katherine Liverman, Hayden Meadows Elementary, and Nancy Stevenson, Fernan Elementary; $2,989 to buy aquariums to create habitat for rainbow trout.
“Ground Water Model,” Harry Selby, Project CDA; $1,376 to help students develop and use a model to study the Rathdrum Aquifer.
“Who Lives Here?” Carol McCarty, Lake City High School; $399 to assist students in a study of wetlands environment.
“The House that MATH Built,” Jane Roletto, Lakes Middle School; $3,000 to increase student interest and motivation to pursue mathematics through design and construction of scale model buildings.
“Linking Mathematical Thinking,” Amy Werner, Lakes Middle School; $213 to provide for the classroom use of manipulatives in the study of decimals, geometric equations and fractional computations.
“Tapping the Power of Powerblocks,” Sue Stiles, Lakes Middle School; $332 to purchase a set of Powerblocks and resource books for hand-on enhancement of math curriculum.
“Computer-Aided Chemistry Labs,” Earl Pfeiffer, Lake City High School; $332 for the use of equipment that will allow students to see and share their work on a large-screen monitor.
“Virtual Science,” Scott Jacobson, Lake City High School; $1,160 to allow students to build their own 3D, virtual reality science tutorials.
“Environmental Control of Biological and Chemicals Supplies,” Dave Rodriquez, Coeur d’Alene High; $498 to supply refrigeration equipment in which to store science supplies.
“Signs of the Times,” Julie Brown, Lakes Middle School; $1,159 to help students learn American Sign Language in order to reinforce basic grammar and the use of vocabulary in context.
“Living Voices: Through the Eyes of a Friend,” Jeanne Reese, Canfield Middle School; $300 to bring an actress to the school during study of the Holocaust.
“Advanced Humanities,” Eric Gala, Coeur d’Alene High school; $1,927 to support the highly successful new course, Advanced Humanities.
“Picasso, Polacco & Pavarotti: Creating a Community of Culture,” Nancy Mueller and Ann Porter-Brown, Winton Elementary; $645 to illustrate to young students the many components that form communities.
“Scholastic News Magazine,” Paula Marano, Ramsey Elementary; $301 to buy magazines for third-graders.
“Newscurrents in the Classroom,” Linda Bennet, Barbara Crow and Kathy Liverman, Mary Joe Welch and Raina Bohanek, Fernan and Winton elementary schools; $610 for a subscription for fifth-graders to a weekly news filmstrip presenting world events.
“Virtual Economics,” Laura Vincent, Lake City High School; $2,178 to buy an LCD viewing panel that will project computer text and graphics.
“Art and Architecture Through the Ages,” Charles Kenna, Project CDA; $516 to buy slides of major works from throughout the world.
“Media Technology Upgrade,” Mia Eggleston, Lakes Middle School; $3,964 to upgrade the media/technology education lab to current TV cable Internet standards.
“An Ear for Talent, An Eye for Success,” James Gray, Lake City High; $2,892 to buy video equipment to record community events.
“The Twine Shall Meet,” Mike Clabby, Lakes Middle School; $2,005 to buy a computer system to improve lab capabilities to produce Windows and Macintosh-based CDs.
“Acoustic Piano,” Tim Stanford, Lake City High School; $3,184 to buy an upright piano for music programs.
“Composer Quest,” Barb Windisch, Hayden Meadows Elementary; $523 to develop a curriculum about major composers.
, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: EXCEL GRANTS The awards recognize innovation, providing equipment and materials that otherwise wouldn’t be available.