The Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County, Inc. has announced that the following Robert P. Bell grants totaling $2,244 have been awarded to local teachers for the second grant cycle of the 2009-2010 academic year. It is estimated that over 500 Delaware County students will benefit from these grants.
- Holly Summers, Muncie Central High School, was awarded $70 for algebra students to study a unit on ratios. Students will make a series of six peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, each with a different ratio of peanut butter to jelly. Students will then hold a taste test, collect and analyze data, and present their results.
- Holly Summers, Muncie Central High School, was awarded $100 for algebra students to create a book of algebraic terms to become more familiar with mathematical and specifically algebraic terminology. As part of the project students will also learn to use a checkbook and a budget to reinforce basic business math skills.
- Samara Newnam, East Washington Academy, was awarded $319 for fifth grade students to study Ancient Egypt. As part of their studies, students will create Egyptian clothing, jewelry, crafts and educational displays for a presentation to parents.
- Barbara Miller of Cowan Junior/Senior High School and Jodie Scales of Selma Middle School, were each awarded $250 for tenth and seventh grade language arts students to participate in several projects geared toward helping them understand and appreciate the culture of students in an Asian country. The two classes will correspond via email to collaborate on the project and will also correspond electronically with a classroom in Asia. Students will document aspects of school culture in writings and a video production. Students will write the scripts for the video school tours, including some narration in Hindi. Their work will be shared with sister classrooms in Asia.
- Jason Hart, Saint Lawrence School, was awarded $347 elementary students to study African drumming in their general music classrooms. Students will learn basic technique to play rhythm instruments, how to keep a steady beat while playing alone and in a group, to read and interpret basic music notation, and to perform in groups and alone. Students will also use their own creativity to improvise accompaniment patterns.
- Lisa Brand, Sutton Elementary School, was awarded $214 for kindergarten students to participate in correspondence project with a kindergarten class in another part of the state. Students will trade pictures, a class letter, cookies and a set of questions to their sister class in Greensburg. As part of the unit students will learn about geography and distance on a map, community helpers in action, math and measurement, and basic writing concepts.
- Matt Friend, Wapahani High School, was awarded $349 for technology and science students to create magnetic levitation vehicles. Groups of students will hold competitions based on research and paperwork skills, appearance, aerodynamic functionality, and speed.
- Stacy Morton, Burris Laboratory School, was awarded $77 for second through fifth grade visual art students to study the people and culture of Scandinavia. They will view and discuss art forms, including the stories of Hans Christian Andersen and Astrid Lindgren studied with the school librarian. During art class they will focus on the traditions of Scandinavia associated with the holidays and crate their own clay stamp. The project will culminate with the students making and stamping a cookie with their personal clay cookie stamp design.
- Ashley Ernstberger, Royerton Elementary School, was awarded $68 for fourth grade science students to participate in a unit about constellations. Students will read books about constellations and discuss the mythologies behind them. Students will then visit StarLab, a portable planetarium, before creating their own constellation on paper and writing a poem about it.
- Felicia Gray and Julie Austin, East Washington Academy, were awarded $200 for first and third grade American history students to partner for a unit about African American history. Students will work in small groups to learn about famous African Americans and their significant contributions to our country and world. Each group will construct a display board with pertinent information about their historical figure. Groups will also create a museum bust of their famous subject, an artistic piece, and a power point program about their chosen historical figure.
Bell Grants of up to $350 are awarded to teachers with innovative ideas, programs or projects designed to stimulate learning in their students. The deadline for the next round of grants in the 2009-2010 academic year is February 1, 2010.
For more information about Bell Grant applications, contact Suzanne Kadinger, Foundation Program Officer, at skadinger@cfmdin.org.
