FALL 2002 AWARDS - (Projects completed between 1/1/03 and 6/30/03)

02F-1: Northampton High School A Capella Group
Beau Flahive; NHS, $1,500

This grant supports the ongoing work of the Northampton High School A Capella Group. The group consists of 16 students who rehearse once or twice a week and perform at various functions in and out of school throughout the year.

02F-2: Northampton High School Art Gallery
Martha McCormick; NHS, $1,500

In creating a space for the display of student artwork in the school library, students will learn to select, prepare, and hang the work to be displayed.

02F-3: Blood Pressure Clinic for Elders
Donna Canuel-Brown; NHS, $450

This project is designed to allow students to apply classroom knowledge in a community service setting. Students will study the anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular system and research and write blood pressure brochures, culminating in implementation of blood pressure clinics for senior citizens.

02F-4: Book Collection for Comprehension Strategies
Nancy Allen and Jan Battey; Bridge St.; $250

Granted to teachers at Bridge Street School to continue and enhance their exploration of teaching methods that focus on new reading comprehension strategies.

02F-5: Grade Five Musical at Leeds School
Michelle Subocz, Seroe Michaud, Cynthia Larareo, Ms. Gordon and Ms. Pearson; Leeds, $1,500

This funding will help fifth graders produce, rehearse, design scenery and present a musical for family, friends and community.

02F-6: Economic, Social, and Technological Change in the Industrial Revolution
Michael Sullivan for The Blue Dolphins team; JFK; $1,500

This is the second year of funding for a trip to the Tsongas Industrial History Center at Lowell National Historic Park. This is an integral part of the interdisciplinary (English, history, social studies, science and math) unit studying the Industrial Revolution at JFK Middle School.

02F-7: Wonder of Nature Project: A Tissue Collage
Denise Wood; Leeds, $1,335

This project will use the literacy activities of reading and writing, interpreting different art forms depicted in the storybooks of Eric Carle. Students in grades two through four will design and create a collage representation of seasonal changes to be installed in a hallway at Leeds. The students will add to the collage as they study plant life, animal habitats and local insects in science units throughout the year. The project is interdisciplinary and will provide a visual presentation of the curriculum at these grade levels.

02F-8: A Celebration of Ancient Greece
Ruth Mackenzie and Linda Wayne; Leeds, $2,000

This program is an interdisciplinary exploration of Ancient Greek culture, history and mythology for the 4^th grade students. Resident artist Nick Kachoulis will work with the teachers and students on values common to the Greek experience through story telling, drama, music, art and dance. The legacy of Greece to American culture is stressed. Upon completion, the school will host a Festival Celebration of Ancient Greece open to all members of the Leeds School community.

02F-9: Literacy Collaboration: First Grade Writers -Middle School Techies
Katherine Fleming and Mary Bates; JFK and Jackson, $438

Eighth grade computer students will design and publish Web pages that illustrate original written work by first grade students.

02F-10: The Fish Project
Ellen Coss for The Big East team; JFK, $1,560

This is an interdisciplinary unit using fish as a common theme across the curriculum. The fish become a tool to learn about art and economy in fishing dependent cultures. Fish are used as a theme in science, literature, art, and the study of cultures.

02F-11: From Puppet to Performance - Character and Story Building with Inez Zeller-Bass
Kathy Kozaczek and Stephen Eldredge; Jackson, $2,000

Irene Zeller-Bass of the Sandglass Theater will conduct a series of workshops, rehearsals and performances, including her play, "Isidor's Cheek", to educate teachers and students in grades K - 2 in the creation of their own puppets and scenery and to inspire them to develop public performances of their own original stories from their lives, their imaginations and their curriculum.

02F-12: Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Residency at Jackson Street School
Charlene Zgrodnik, Patti Emerson, Megan Lambert, Linda Tiley; Jackson St., $2,000

In this project, Megan Lambert, Educational Outreach Coordinator with the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, will be in residency at JSS for two months. She will be working with teachers and students to build literacy skills using picture book art and focusing on the interdependence of art and text. Students will then use their new insight to explore the art of the picture book and publish some of their own picture books.

SPRING 2002 AWARDS - (Projects completed between 7/1/02 and 6/30/03)

02S-1: African Drumming
Scott Harrington, Suzanne Strauss; NHS, $1,940

An after-school program, meeting once a week, geared for students and faculty who are interested in world percussion. A typical meeting would entail: overview of the day’s lesson, warm-up activities/stretching, listening to recorded percussionists as examples, group lesson, equipment repair/maintenance and a group performance. The focus of the project is to provide a comfortable and inspiring environment where students can come together and learn about African music, culture, and heritage through the use of various percussion instruments.

02S-2: Art From Hot Glass
Lynn Goldman, Sally Prasch; NHS, $2,000

This grant will allow Lynn Goldman to incorporate handmade glass into her jewelry class at the high school. Students will gain an understanding of glass and glassmaking through exploration of the history, background and properties of glass.  Students will make their own moretti (glass rods), creating and annealing their glasswork. They will be assessing the coefficient of the glasses to assure compatibility. They will develop a deeper understanding of how the materials work and why it will break if the wrong glasses are joined.

02S-3: NHS Web Site/Community Service Grant
William Brown, Fran O’Donnell, Ellen Nigrosh; NHS, $2,000

The NHS Web site has enormous potential to enhance the educational resources of NHS, and to improve communication and build community among its students, teachers, parents and the wider Northampton community. A local web development company, eclecTechs, is hosting the new Web site, donating the use of the maintenance software. The Web site will include: daily announcements, general information, calendar, faculty and department pages, athletics, clubs and activities, library information, parent and community links, alumni links, and online publications.

02S-4: Enchanted Circle Theater/Student Performance Residency
Susan Fink, Linda Tiley, Priscilla Hellweg; Jackson St., $1,000

Enchanted Circle Theater will work with all students and teachers at the Jackson St. School in the third year of a theater arts residency program. Teachers will learn how to use theater as an educational tool to advance a chosen area of the curriculum. K-5 students will be included in the project, with the fifth graders developing and presenting their work in a public performance. Teachers will learn how to implement theater in their classrooms with ECT staff acting as coaches and mentors.

02S-5: Adapted Early Childhood Books
Louise Homstead, Marion VanArsdell, MaryEllen Reed, Richard Caiander;
Early Childhood Center at Jackson St. School, $2,000

The purpose of this grant is to increase the accessibility of books and concurrent activities to the diverse group of children enrolled in the Early Childhood Center through the creation of adapted books, a selection of related activities, and props contained in a large resealable bag.  In addition, classroom activities will be added to assist in expanding the meaning and enjoyment of each book, including the use of technology tools such as Intellitools, an enhanced keyboard overlay that can be custom-made using pictures and symbols related to specific books.

02S-6: Dual Language Study Group
Kim Gerould, Gwen Agna; Jackson St., $2,000

The Dual Language Study Group will engage Jackson St. staff and parents in reading and discussing current research and best practices in dual language, or “two-way” bilingual, programs in the U.S. and Canada, with the purpose of examining the elements of such programs that could be implemented at Jackson St. School. The Dual Language Study Group will meet for 10 sessions between Sept. 2002 and March 2003, and will present their findings to other staff and the wider community in the spring of 2003.

02S-7: Travelogue Back in Time
Anne Cernak, Barbara Thompson, Judy Gerlip; R.K.Finn/Ryan Rd., $2,000

Enchanted Circle Theater will offer an all-school artist-in-residence program at Ryan Rd. School focusing on the study of ancient cultures and language arts through creative drama. The residency will include a professional development workshop for teachers, an all-school performance by ECT, and a series of classroom workshops for students in grades K-5. The culminating event will be a performance by the fourth grade students for the school and community. The NEF will contribute $2000 towards the total cost of $12,615.

Top