Carthage ISD Education Foundation

Summary of 2004-2005 Grants

 

34 Teaching Grants—Total of $77,685.31

 

Carthage Primary

 

            “Do You Hear What I Hear?” -- $450.00 -- Primary -- Leslie Brightwell This grant provides Whisper Phones for all kindergarten and first grade students. Phonemic awareness is critical to beginning readers, and this PVC pipe device enables students to effectively hear the sounds of phonemes as they learn to read.          

“Zippity Doo, We’re Off to the Zoo” -- $642.50 -- Primary -- Ellen Day & Melissa Johnson -- All kindergarten students will view animals in their natural environment at the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas.  This exciting trip provides an educational experience impossible to achieve in a regular classroom setting      

“Simply Celebrating Science at Sci-Port” -- $2,202.00 -- Primary -- Shari Shull, Kim Bagley, & Amanda Ivy -- All first grade students will gain hands-on learning opportunities, reinforcing their science and health curriculum, as they explore over 200 exhibits at Sci-Port in Shreveport.

            “T.O.T. (Technology of Today)” -- $5,000.00 -- Primary -- Cheryl Williams -- Strong computer skills are essential for today’s students and required in the new TEKS objectives. With this grant, Primary teachers will have the technology needed to introduce KG-Grade 1 students a step-by-step introduction to word processing, drawing and graphics, presentation, spreadsheet, database, electronic reference, and internet use.

 

Libby Elementary

 

            “Takeout Science II:  Libby Learning Lab” -- $1,486.94 -- Libby -- Teresa Brooks --Building on 2 previous grants, materials in mobile science lab kits will be supplemented and serve as the basis for a science lab for all third graders.  Housed with the Libby All-Achiever Store, this site will provide hands-on, real-life applications for both the science and math curriculum.

            “ESL Survival Kit” -- $831.50 -- Libby -- Teresa Brooks       -- To serve a growing population of Spanish-speaking students, a large collection of Spanish/English games, books, posters, and puzzles develops their vocabulary and comprehension skills and also encourages English-speaking students’ acquisition of a second language. 

            “Creating Awesome Math Teachers (CAMT)” -- $1,300.00 -- Libby -- Kay Hubbard -- This grant funds three Libby teachers’ participation in the Conference for the Advancement of Mathematics Teaching, a three-day, intensive math conference in Dallas in July. They will learn and share effective new ideas and strategies from outstanding speakers and math teachers from across the state and nation. 

            “Ani-Mania!!  A Third Grade Learning Adventure at the Zoo” -- $534.00-- Libby -- Kay Hubbard -- This grant funds a trip for the entire third grade to the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas.  Most third grade life science TEKS focus on animals. The zoo is unequivocally the best tool for expanding on that instruction and breathing life into what is taught in the classroom. 

            “3, 2, 1 Blast Off!  Space Journeys Science Carnival” -- $950.00 -- Libby --Carla Cheshire -- When Sci-Port’s traveling Space Journeys Science Carnival visits the Libby campus, the entire third grade will become junior astronomers. Hands-on exhibits include a portable planetarium, trying on an astronaut’s suit, and much more. 

            “Fancy Footwork” -- $640.00 -- Libby -- Jacinda Gwinn – Three full chromatic octaves of foam piano keys provide musical enrichment for all Libby students.  This footwork kit allows students to play notes and create rhythmic patterns—with their feet!  Statistics show students who excel in music improve in other subject areas as well. 

            “ELMO (Exciting Look Motivates Observations)” -- $814.32 -- Libby -- Tryphena Bledsoe -- With the ELMO, all second grade teachers gain an excellent teaching tool for all subject areas. Any object or written work becomes easy for the entire class to immediately see with this electronic visual presenter.

            “Chuggin’ Along” -- $1,464.00 -- Libby -- Diane Phillips      -- Integrated with a study of Texas history, all second grade students will step back in time as they ride the historic steam-driven train at the Texas Railroad State Park in Rusk, Texas.  A museum tour and video are also part of the field trip. 

 

Baker-Koonce

 

            “Project ELMO” -- $ 3,777.60 -- Baker Koonce – Gail DeJohn -- This grant funds two ELMO Visual Presenters and two multimedia projectors for all fourth and sixth grade language arts teachers. This technology vastly expands teachers’ presentation options. A picture, page from a book, Web site, Powerpoint presentation—all can be easily viewed by a large group. Students learn in many different ways, and the ELMO effectively addresses these different styles of learning. 

            “Sci-Port Discovery Place Rules” -- $1,836.00 – Baker-Koonce – Pam Todd and Susan Harris—The entire fifth grade will tour Sci-Port Discovery Center in Shreveport. Sci-Port features constantly changing world class exhibits, over 200 hands-on educational activities, and a state of the art IMAX theatre.

            “Jumpstart” -- $2,405.77 – Baker-Koonce – Rhonda Hillin --This grant provides excellent and much needed software and other self-paced materials to enable ESL and Title students (200) to meet today’s testing standards and prepare them to be successful citizens.

            “Technology:  The Final Frontier” -- $4,331.24 – Baker-Koonce – Pam Todd -- This grant funds 3 multimedia projectors, cordless mouse/keyboards, & rolling carts for use by all 4th, 5th, and 6th grade science classes (620 students). This technology allows easy to see and use access--via the internet--to an infinite amount of historical and current information to enrich the science curriculum.

            “Reading to Teach Math” -- $1,325.31 – Baker-Koonce – Monica Griffin -- Building on a previous grant, this request funds three sets of 54 math-based literature books for all fourth grade math classes.  Research shows the linkage of basic math concepts with stories used to present these skills is a successful cross-curriculum approach.

            “All Aboard:  Virtual Time Travel” -- $4,376.24 – Baker-Koonce -- Rhonda Heard -- This grant for three multimedia projectors, cordless mouse/keyboards, and rolling carts opens the world of travel to Baker-Koonce (651) children. All social studies classes will go on virtual tours of famous museums and historic locations and experience the unique feeling of traveling back in time with this technology.

            “A Medieval Adventure” -- $1,517.00 – Baker-Koonce – Dana Chambers -- To enrich sixth graders’ study of the Middle Ages, this grant funds transportation costs for an exciting field trip to Medieval Times in Dallas. Students (254) will experience a medieval feast, cheer a jousting tournament, and converse with appropriately costumed knights and serfs.

            “A Trip to the Strand” -- $901.44 – Baker-Koonce – Sheila Willis -- To stimulate and extend reading activities, the entire fourth grade will experience a live professional performance from the Children’s Series of Literature at the beautiful Strand Theatre in Shreveport. They will see a performance based on literature they are reading.

 

Carthage Junior High School

 

            “No Teacher Left Behind!” -- $1,369.20 -- CJHS – Teresa Dennard -- This grant funds two CJHS computer teachers’ attendance at the Texas Computer Education Association Convention in Austin where they will attend innovative hands-on technology workshops led by exemplary teachers, learn about projects for the one-computer classroom,  and more.

            “The Innovative Classroom” -- $4,760.30 -- CJHS – Petra Hagan and Kim Griffith -- This grant funds 2 laptop computers, 2 multimedia projectors, and 1 ELMO for the 7th grade math department. This vital technology allows teachers to incorporate a wide variety of effective teaching resources in their daily classroom instruction.

            “Study Island for 8th Grade Students” -- $780.00 – CJHS -- Kiley Schumacher -- This computer-based study program is aligned with science TEKS objectives. Used once each week in the computer lab and at home anytime, scientific facts studied in the classroom will be thoroughly reinforced.

            “Career Choices Explorer” -- $363.00 -- CJHS –Dannett Hooker -- Choices Explorer is an extremely informative Web site for seventh grade students investigating their future career options. This site offers access to 900 + career profiles, 200 + career videos, Spanish career videos, real-life expert interviews, real-life activities, and more.

            “Connecting to the Future” -- $2,774.24 -- CJHS – Teresa Dennard and Dannett Hooker -- Urgently needed new materials and software for the seventh grade computer applications course will improve skills with fun, age-appropriate applications. 

 

Carthage High School

 

            “A Cut Above the Rest” -- $4,995.95 -- CHS – Don McGuffin and Charles “Bud” Worley -- The CNC plasma cutter enables high school agriculture and computer students to utilize computer-controlled equipment in the metal fabrication field.

“Algebra Camp” -- $1,600.00 -- CHS -- Art Horton -- This grant funds an effective one-week, twenty-hour summer math camp.  The course utilizes hands-on, small group activities and the use of scientific calculators to prepare students for success in Algebra I.

            “The Art of Seeing” -- $1,077.83 -- CHS -- Millie Wilkie          -- This grant enhances the school’s art resource center with delightful videos featuring diverse artists and artistic styles. Additionally, the art teacher will learn new techniques and activities to excite and interest beginning students at the TX State Art Convention in Austin.

            “Expanding Science for an Expanding Universe” -- $4,793.00 -- CHS -- Nola Manis -- Scientific knowledge advances rapidly. This new technology puts CHS chemistry and physics students (450) on a par with larger schools and allows students to view and participate in scientific experiments that were previously impossible.  

            “Worldwide Broadcasting” -- $4,994.00 -- CHS -- Donnie Pitchford -- This grant enables CHS-TV to broadcast audio and video productions by way of the Internet.  Internet streaming equipment will vastly expand communications. All CISD campuses and anyone—anywhere--with internet access will be able to see and hear CISD programs.

            “Open Your Heart to the Scientific World” -- $4,996.00 -- CHS -- Joyce Oliver -- AP Biology, Anatomy, and Physiology students will tour the Houston Medical Center, forensic lab, Natural Museum of Science, and Galveston Bay. Students will observe open-heart surgery, forensic evidence, & collect & classify organisms in the bay.

            “A Sensory Experience” -- $1,000.00 -- CHS -- Sherrie Russell -- The stimulation of senses enhances learning for medically fragile and/or blind and/or profoundly mentally retarded students. This grant funds a cascading fountain of strands of color which can be touched and manipulated.

            “New High School Club—First Field Trip” -- $3,435.00 -- CHS -- Dr. Jane Radicke -- This grant provides seed funds for the first field trip--an overnight in Dallas with visits to the zoo, aquarium, science museum, and a live theatre performance--of a new club with a focus on special students. This club will help provide the bridge from classroom to independence.

            “Upgrading to InDesign” -- $4,000.00 -- CHS -- Annette Johnson -- This new software and technology—InDesign--enables journalism students to learn the latest in page layout and design, preparing them to step confidently into the world of print publications.