The NBC4 Make A Difference School Grant program is giving local schools a chance to win one of three $10,000 grants this school year. Five elementary schools in Westerville are in the running – Cherrington, Emerson, Robert Frost, Huber Ridge, and Whittier. The grants will help provide resources to academic and extracurricular school programs that give children the opportunity to grow and develop.
The public has the opportunity to make a positive change in their schools through engagement in online social voting via Facebook and at www.NBC4MakeADifference.com. Anyone can vote up to one time per day until March 7, 2013. Schools are competing for top votes in each size classification. Categories are Think, Serve, Shine and Connect. The top six vote getters will advance to the final round of judging which will be decided by a panel of five judges. Judges will select three grand prize winners and will be announced on May 16. Westerville schools competing and a description of their programs follow.
-
Cherrington Elementary School, Multimedia Masterpieces. This program is designed to place technology into the hands of creative young minds. The funds would be used to purchase iPads for each of our K-5 classrooms and provide money for the purchase of educational apps. Teachers and students would utilize the iPads to create multimedia projects that cover multiple standards and skills. The use of iMovie, built in camera and recording features of the iPad allow for many creative opportunities and will help students engage in the 21st Century skills of creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. iPads available in every classroom will open students’ educational environment to the world of accessible ebooks, sentence builder apps, math activities, and keyboarding activities. These are just a few of the experiences that can be incorporated into our stations and small group instruction classroom set up. Additionally, teachers can utilize the iPads for whole class instruction by connecting them to an HDTV, sharing web pages, lessons, photos, videos, and more on a big screen.
-
Emerson World Cultures Magnet Elementary, Emerson Hunger Line. Last year second graders took on the challenge of hunger in our school and community. It was discovered that one of the second graders was stealing food due to food insufficiency at home. Under the direction of teacher Cathy Montiero, and in true Emerson fashion, they tackled the problem, read about it, wrote about it, gathered data and drew conclusions. The students discovered that the issue of food insufficiency was not an individual problem but one of the wider community. They came up with a plan to make sure that kids have enough to eat. They call it the Hunger Line. Through a variety of activities they have raised funds to create an Emerson Food Pantry which provides food for kids to take home on the weekends. The kids pack backpacks full of food to create a minimum of two meals for the weekend. No child should go hungry whether in school or out of school. Our Hunger Line project continues with even more students involved in making a difference in their classmates’ lives. This project has become much more than simply kids supporting kids...Every day it demonstrates to our students that they have the power to make a real difference in peoples' lives and in the world. This has resulted in real and relevant learning that will have a long lasting impact in their lives and in their community.
-
Robert Frost Elementary, Kindness is Possible – Pay it Forward! Be kind to yourself, be kind to others and be kind to your community! These guiding principles are where developing great citizens begin. They address anti-bullying, mental and physical health, and service to our community. This year, our third graders at Robert Frost committed from day one to this kindness philosophy. It started with a simple Pay It Forward system; when a student completes three acts of kindness they are given a green plastic bracelet with the words Kindness Is Possible on it. After each kind act, a business card is given to the recipient of the kind act. That person then takes the card to a teacher who explains that if they too perform three kind acts, they will also receive a bracelet, and so on. Students have taken ownership of their positive behaviors, and we’ve seen a decrease in discipline reports. Their Kindness Is Possible project has branched out in unexpected ways. They have built and harvested gardens, seen kindness ripple across all grade levels within our building, and they are preparing to train for a 5k together. The next natural step is to capitalize on their excitement by expanding it into basic economic lessons as well as helping kindness spread throughout our district and further into our community.
-
Huber Ridge Elementary School, iPads for Primary Literacy. Huber Ridge Elementary is a building that is working hard to equip our students with 21st Century Learning Skills. Technology plays a large role in the academic lives of our students, beginning with our youngest learners, Kindergarten. Our students are highly motivated by technology, and love to learn via mobile devices, like iPods and iPads. Huber Ridge Elementary would like to purchase 10 iPads, one for each of our K-2 classrooms. With these iPads, we will create literacy learning labs that focus on literacy skills for our youngest students. We will purchase digital books, fluency and vocabulary apps. These literacy labs differ from traditional listening centers, because students are able to interact with digital, interactive books. They will not only listen to, but also interact with books that they are reading. Students will be able to not only practice their own reading fluency, but record via the iPads for self-monitoring and progress. Vocabulary apps allow students to build sight work fluency and develop vocabulary skills. Using the iPad, students can also create digital book trailers, focusing on implementation of literacy skills. These book trailers are shared via the web to convince other students to read a great book.
-
Whittier Elementary School, Service Learning Project. Education is not just about molding the mind. It is also about teaching a child to reach out to others. The students at Whittier Elementary School in Westerville are committed to service learning. Students in all grade levels choose an organization to assist throughout the school year. This year our students have chosen the following organizations:
*Preschool children learn the importance of recycling.
*Our students with autism concentrate on recycling, composting, and terracycling.
*Kindergarteners work with a local organization called My Very Own Blanket. The children make blankets to give to children in need.
*Our first graders help local families in need through a project called, The Whittier Wishing Well. They have a partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
*Second grade students have joined forces with CHA (Citizens for Humane Action) where they visit and spend time with homeless pets. The students also collect paper towels, pet food, treats and toys to donate to CHA.
*Our third graders have teamed up with The Ronald McDonald House. They collect gently used or new books and pop tabs. So far this year, they have collected more than eleven pounds of pop tabs.
*The 4th and 5th graders are continuing a longstanding partnership with The James Cancer Hospital. Students team up with local businesses to raise money for cancer research. Other activities include: ribbon campaigns, Best Seat in the House, 25¢ links, Hope Concert and Art Exhibit, sewing club, etc.