Congratulations to 19 teachers in the Oxford School District for receiving $9,305.38 in grants from the Assistance League of Southeastern Michigan.
Oxford had a submission of 21 grants this year, 11 of which were granted.
Each grant will benefit the various projects the teachers developed geared toward helping students learn in a more creative way.
OHS
Teaching consultant Maggie Keely wrote a grant to assist ‘at risk? students, who, for financial reasons, would not have the opportunity to participate in any of the Oxford Adventure Club’s trips.
Students are recommended by their teachers, counselors, assistant principals, school social workers or the Oxford-Addison Youth Assistance.
The grant can pay either the full or partial cost of the trip or for equipment needed for that student.
Molly Darnell and Ray Sutherland also wrote their grant to benefit the Adventure Club students.
Their grant will provide financial scholarships for those who otherwise would not have the opportunity to attend. Additionally, each student who attends the trip will be influenced through his or her shared experiences that each individual activity offers. In the end over 200 students will be affected.
David Okasinski’s grant is to help Oxford’s Computer Aided Design (CAD) department integrate instructional goals with the math and science departments by providing a hands on learning experience that reinforces core math and science concepts.
Okasinski received DELMIA software which Ford, Chrysler, and Nasa spend about $60,000 per license to design some of the most innovative and complex products manufactured in the world. This software can be used as a tool to solve complex engineering problems such as calculating the volume and mass of a coil and then analyzing how much force would be required to compress that coil.
OMS
Jennifer Bennett, Pamila Molik and Melissa Flanagan wrote a grant for a student water monitor.
Leonard
Linda Dzurka and Jessica Peyerk’s grant for Visual Thinking Strategies will provide students with a creative way to develop their thinking and writing skills. The grant will pay for teacher manuals, instructional videos, posters of artwork for art students to discuss and a CD-Rom.
‘It’s supposed to help their writing skills because it develops vocabulary and thinking,? Dzurka said.
Daniel Axford
Early Childhood Developmental Delay (ECDD) teacher Nicki Bauer, speech pathologist Lisa Schneider and HeadStart teacher Karen Riddle worked together to get a grant to provide visual supports in the Early Childhood and Special Education classroom for current and future students.
The grant money is being used to purchase software entitled ‘Writing with Symbols? and includes both English and Spanish languages.
‘Our plan is to support our visual learners by providing picture schedules, create lists for our center areas, create visual sequences and also to create personalized student accounts to send home to parents,? Bauer said. ‘This software will enable our speech delayed kids to communicate more effectively both in the classroom and at home.?
Renee Green wrote a grant to receive an LCD (liquid crystal display) projector to use in conjunction with her Viz Cam, computer and other multimedia. The LCD projector will enhance learning in all subject areas for all students in her classroom.
Darlene Harsant’s grant will also be used to purchase a ceiling mounted LCD projector for a classroom already equipped with a document camera, VCR, electronic microscope and computer.
Kim Kreilach, Tammy Dasbach and Rita Upshur wanted their grant to develop positive character in the students at DA.
As well as participating in community service projects, teachers at the school will teach kindness during the month of November and part of December. They will place names of students that demonstrate kindness on a laminated bee on the beehive wall. They are ‘caught being kind? by teachers and their peers. Students will be read literature in each grade that teaches these qualities. The grant provided many children’s books to help teach and celebrate positive behavior in the students.
Oxford Elementary
Mary Kraniak’s grant got her Alpha Smart Neo Writing Tools, while Monica Kmiec’s Super Summer Success grant was named a winner.
Other teachers who submitted grant proposals that were highly considered, but not chosen, were Courtney Morin, Colleen Kazor, Jill Stuk, Julie McDonough from Lakeville, Jean Swartzmiller from Clear Lake, Jillian Opalach, Michelle Pinelli from Leonard, Cathy Sullivan, Jennifer Bennett and Catherine Colagross from Oxford Middle School, and Patricia Kukla from Oxford High School.