ACE Teacher Grant Recipients
2008-2009 Projects supported by ACE Teacher Grants
Jodi Augustine from Portsmouth Middle School
Project title & description: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - An Opportunity for All Students to Understand Tolerance Through the Integration of World History
As part of a literary circles exercise focusing on their study of tolerance, Jodi Augustine's 8th grade ELA class will read the fictional novel, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. The author, John Boyne, takes on the emotional issues of evil, the Holocaust and raises questions about the nature of man. The grant will allow for each student to have a copy of the book and the purchase of the movie based on the novel. Among other benefits, the resources will support visual learners and help students clarify any misconceptions that rise throughout the text.
Amanda Boswell from Portsmouth High School
Project title & description: Flipping for Senior Project Co-taught
Preparing for the senior project presentation can be demanding and intimidating. Amanda Boswell knows that her students with special needs will benefit from immediate and concrete feedback as they practice their presentations. This grant finances the purchase of flip digital cameras that will be used to video students while they practice and upload the video to students' accounts. The students will be able to immediately see and critique their performance and better understand the teacher's suggestions for improvement.
Karolyn Bowley & Camille Moy
Project title & description: Exploring Nature and Non Fiction; A Hands On Look at Animals and Readers' Workshop
Proposed by Karolyn Bowley and Camille Moy, team teachers of the science curriculum in the inclusion multiage learning center at Forest Avenue School, this project provides each student a one year subscription to National Geographic Young Explorer magazine. The magazines are used in reader's workshop each week and kept handy in the students reading bag for their independent reading time. At the end of each month the children take the magazine home to share with their family. In addition the grant afforded the teachers the opportunity to bring in the "Meet the Animals" program from the Norman Bird Sanctuary.
Camille Moy from Forest Avenue School
Project title & description: Insect Investigation... an exploration of creatures that crawl, fly and wiggle!
This project supports an extension of the science kit curriculum, Animals 2x2. Camille Moy and her students are exploring insects and the life cycle of butterflies this spring with a school visit from the Roger Williams Zoomobile . This visit allows for students hands-on learning experience and exploration of insects. Student scientists will record information and observations in their scientists' notebooks. Special congratulations to Camille on her second ACE Teacher Grant award!
Janice O'Donnell from Middletown High School
Project title & description: The Story of Our Nation: Video Podcasts
Students will be introduced to the use of video podcasting as a means to examine the history of the nation and learn essential skills integral to creating and publishing online media. Using Flip Video Camcorders, Janice O'Donnell's students will create video podcasts and upload the documentaries they create to the teacher's blog.
Megan Sullivan from Portsmouth High School
Project title & description: Hear Me Learn!
This project will provide students of the Alternative Learning Program at PHS more flexibility in accessing literature for their English classes. The grant will allow for the purchase of audio books which Megan Sullivan will download to IPODs. The students can listen to the texts when and where their schedule allows and requires. This is the second ACE Teacher Grant Megan has received. In her grant proposal Megan explained that the at-risk teens in the ALP program cannot make excuses and from her perspective "the more we can provide, the more successful they will be, the more independent they will become, the more students we can help."
2007-2008 Projects supported by ACE Teacher Grants
Ellen Marshall and Paula Baker
Ellen Marshall and Paula Baker first grade teachers at Saint Philomena School received a grant to support their Poem & Photo project.
First graders at Saint Philomena School in Portsmouth have always loved memorizing and creating posters to illustrate favorite poems. During the 2007-2008 school year, with the help of a grant from ACE, a traditional school project took on a new twist.
During February the students in both first grade classes focused on poetry and became familiar with many cherished children's poems. Each student chose a favorite poem to memorize. Parents collaborated with their children to plan a photo to depict the poem. The photograph was taken and emailed to the teachers. For Show and Tell, each child recited the favorite memorized poem while the teacher projected the accompanying photograph onto the large screen in each classroom with an LCD projector. The teachers then used the proceeds from the ACE grant to produce four professional quality books containing the children's chosen poems and photographic illustrations. Shutterfly.com provided the service. Copies of the book are kept in classroom libraries and circulated among the students.
Megan Sullivan
Megan Sullivan from Portsmouth High School received a grant to support the Alternative Learning Program's Real World project.
The Real World project is a behavior modification/academic incentive program that is designed to encouraged change and nurtured real-life skills that students will use long after their high school career has ended.
Although no real money is exchanged, Real World employs real-life money making, bill paying, "how do I manage my money?" skills. Each student maintains a "mock" checking account. In Real World, school attendance is the students' job for which they are paid an hourly rate of $7.50. Students are billed weekly for academic and behavioral infractions and they pay ALP $450.00 in monthly rent for their seat.
Students can earn overtime pay and bonuses. Overtime is earned by staying after school to do homework or community service. Bonuses are awarded for good test grades, teacher compliments, making good decisions, being a good school citizen, and of course for report card grades.
At the end of each quarter there is an ALP auction where students can spend their hard earned money. Students bid on items such as headphones, arcade tokens, gift cards. But...they have to be wise with their spending because bills are still coming at the end of the next week, rent is right around the corner, and they have to have $1000 in their savings account in order to attend the end of the year field trip.
So has The Real World ALP been successful? Yes, more than Megan could ever have imagined. Her students, who were on the edge of dropping out, began staying after school to do homework, taking homework home, making a point to study, admitting to their wrongdoings and accepting the consequences of their actions. As a result, grades have notably improved. But Megan believes the most significant impact of the project is the increase of positive interactions her students have with teachers. Instead of conversations of dropping out of school ALP students are talking about their plans for the Senior Project, graduation and college!
Aaron Sherman and Sybil Grayko
Aaron Sherman and Sybil Grayko, Carey School teachers received a grant to support the Artist in Residence for Dance.
Over the course of 4 weeks, Aaron and Sybil's students participated in 4 one hour creative movement classes by the Artist in Residence. Linking to the Social Studies curriculum, the students studied Japanese dance movements and cultural music. In addition to enriching the students' cultural experiences, the program promoted healthy active lifestyles. Through an entertaining year end music and dance performance for parents, other students and school staff, Aaron and Sybil's students taught other about the Japanese culture.
Nancy Folcarelli
Nancy Folcarelli a teacher at Dr. Michael H. Sullivan elementary School received a grant to support the A-Z Garden book project.
Inspired by a March into Reading! school visit from Jerry Pallotta, author of several A-Z children's books, Nancy's students created their own A-Z Garden Book. The second graders researched, planned and planted a community garden on their school grounds. Each student was thrilled to receive a personal copy of the bound book written by their class.
Lisa Olaynack
Lisa Olaynack a 6th grade teacher at Thompson Middle School received a grant for the "Read-A-Palooza" Celebration of Young Adult Books, Authors and Readers.
The project was modeled after ACE's hallmark program March Into Reading! Following the completion of an author study and book summary, Lisa's students wrote to the authors and illustrators and invited them to Read-A-Palooza. Two local authors attended the festivities and each student received a book to have signed by the author.