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LASF announces its grant awards for 2002

By Sandy Mouat
CORRESPONDENT

Every year, the Lafayette Arts & Science Foundation encourages teachers, administrators and interested parents and others to apply for grant funding for an innovative or imaginative program in the Lafayette School District or at Acalanes High School. Programs can be one-time only, or pilots that demonstrate the potential to be expanded to all students in a particular grade level or program subject. Grant applications are primarily evaluated on their innovation and ability to promote excellence and link to curriculum.
        Last month, LASF awarded several new grants to Lafayette schools for projects that support the district's educational goal of differentiated learning, or meeting the needs of the individual learner through traditional and non-traditional approaches to learning, across all subjects and grade levels.
        Springhill Elementary School received grants for projects in language arts, science, and math. Early fluency in reading through a combination of visual learning and technology will be emphasized. Creative writing and editing skills will get an early start through writers' workshops. Extra support to improve early math skills will happen with technological support for skills practice and assessment. In co-sponsorship with the parents' club, a math specialist pilot program also will continue. To round out their studies of early American History, Springhill's fifth grade students will have an authentic Colonial history trunk, with genuine artifacts gathered from around the country. Second graders students have an engrossing new science unit on rocks and minerals.
        Happy Valley Elementary School will have a new science lab garden through a partnership between LASF and the parents' club. The garden will provide an opportunity for the students to learn hands-on lessons in botany, zoology, entomology, ecology, geology and meteorology. Lab work will include the thinking skills of observation, measuring, classifying, predicting and testing. Many projects and science lessons will be enhanced by this opportunity for students to be involved in the cultivation of their very own garden.
        Adrienne Small, a science teacher at Happy Valley School, said, "I am thrilled with the approval for the Happy Valley Science Lab Garden grant. LASF is a generous organization that not only supports the education of the children of Lafayette, but also the ideas and enthusiasm of the classroom teachers. We are a community that will grow together with this project."
        Burton Valley Elementary School will begin a pilot program in fourth grade called the Multimedia Digital Yearbook which will familiarize students with the skills and equipment needed for digital video production. Many different learning opportunities will be incorporated into the projects as students decide on their yearbook theme, plan and conduct interviews, plan and shoot video clips, learn to digitally edit the material, and then keep a permanent record of their final product on DVDs that they have "burned" themselves.
        Stanley Middle School will have a computerized micro-router in the Wood Shop and Industrial Arts class, which will incorporate the curriculum of many subjects. This integration will be accomplished several ways. For instances, students can graph their designs in math class and then bring their mathematical formulas to the microrouter to be turned into 3-D projects. Stanley also received a grant to further support the highly successful video production class and another to support enhancement of current curriculum through multi-media presentations. Through another grant, audiobooks, directly tied to the curriculum in the English and history classes across all three grades, will be made available to support students who absorb the material more thoroughly by hearing the words spoken as they read along, and for those students who are learning English as a second language.
        Michael Merrick, the video production teacher at Stanley Middle School said, "We could not provide the conduit of knowledge for the students if we did not have support from organizations such as LASF and the PTA. We are so grateful. Their interest in education of the arts is what keeps our students' interest in school at such a high level. Where else do they get such rich experiences than in classes that motivate and educate at the same time? Without LASF, we would not be able to provide such wonderful opportunities."
        Meanwhile, Acalanes High School received a grant for a Big Bands program and another to refocus its ninth grade World History class, in light of current world events. A third grant will create an extensive social studies resource Web site for use by all teachers and students.
        "All of LASF's volunteer spirit is of such great value in helping us build cutting edge curriculum, programs and enhancements for the students," said social studies teacher Larry Freeman.
        LASF monitors each funded program to evaluate its success as well as the likelihood and logistics of expanding it to reach across a grade level, a school or the district. Many of LASF's current ongoing enrichment programs have sprouted from this innovative, grass-roots process. It's a true team effort that promotes innovation and excellence.

4/02 Reprinted with permission. Visit the Contra Costa Times on the web at www.contracostatimes.com.

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