Life Town - Increasing Student Independence with Real Life Experience
Caitlin Bray and Nichelle Merolla
Athens High School and Boulan Park Middle School
Life Town is a real town replica that allows students with disabilities to practice skills learned in the classroom in a real world setting. Generalization is extremely difficult for students on the autism spectrum and LifeTown has a bank where students can withdraw and deposit money, doctor and dentist offices to practice making appointments and staying on time, a movie theater, a salon, a pet store, and a general store. There is something of interest for everyone, ensuring motivation to practice skills!
Physics of Cell Phones
Christopher Dannug, Sydney Barosko, and Jacob Augustine
Athens High School and Troy High School
In this project students create and learn about the technology we all use every day. Students apply their knowledge of waves, sound, light, and energy as they design and refine a sound-proofing solution. Students also have the chance to work collaboratively to build a cell phone and send a message to another classmate.
Creativity and Entrepreneurship through History
Dustin Harnish and Krystal Renton
Baker Middle School
For this project, students learn about ancient civilizations through board game design. Students will begin by playing ancient board games to learn more about particular civilizations and the people from that time. They will then design and build a board game that is either inspired by an ancient civilization or reflects some of our current societal values. After the design process, students will market their finished projects to board game companies. Who knows? Maybe some of them will make a sale!
ELD iPad Keyboards
Kelsey Witt, Julie Stebbins, Nadia Barbat, Stephanie Hyska, and Hilda Zanaliu
Baker, Boulan Park, Larson, Smith
English learners in middle school Transitional Language Arts courses are using iPad keyboards to increase writing volume, access to digital language development tools during writing, and interaction with authentic audiences.
Calming Space
Judy Coster and Jan Stasinski
Barnard Elementary
The purpose of our project is to provide a safe, calming space for students who are in crisis or having difficulty with self-regulation. This space needs to be soothing and provide options to promote optimal self-regulation while preserving a student’s dignity and safety. Barnard Elementary houses two Autism classrooms. Poor sensory integration is a common characteristic with Autism often coupled with impaired communication or complete inability to speak. Imagine feeling completely over stimulated and not being able to explain this to anyone. Our students struggle with regulating sensory input every day, all day long. They, as well as many of our other students, need a calm space where they can go. Sensory overload happens when too much sensory stimulus is occurring at once- it can be triggered by a crowded room, fluorescent lighting, various aromas, or a hundred other things. Sensory overload and subsequent dysregulation can impact all our students but especially our students significantly impacted by autism. Our calming room will be a fun and inviting space where students will feel safe and motivated to engage in problem solving techniques that they can utilize throughout their school day.
Let's Keep Our Learning in Shape
Gwen Simon, Deanna Dutts, and Amanda Morton
Barnard Elementary
The Barnard Family Enrichment Night is for families to learn how to keep students engaged in learning over the summer. Emphasis is placed on academics, enrichment opportunities, and health/wellness. Students will gather materials for activities to complete throughout the summer. Local community organizations will provide information on programs and camps that are available in our community.
PebbleGo Digital Literacy for #OneTroy
Lauren Henderson, Ruba Alexander, Heidi Apol, Mary Burns, Wendy Gustin, Lori Kostrzewa, Jaclyn Morrison , Katie Scott, and Patrick Werner
Barnard, Bemis, Costello, Hamilton, Hill, Leonard, Martell, Morse, Schroeder, Troy Union, Wass, Wattles
Digital Literacy is essential for all students. PebbleGo is a dynamic, interactive, digital research tool which all students can use to continue learning informational reading skills, digital literacy skills, and 21st century learning skills in their classrooms, media centers, and at home.
Media 2.0 Project
Mike Cottone, Matt Jansen, Lori Kostrzewa, Melanie Morey, Patrick Werner, Sarah Glass, and Lauren Henderson
Barnard, Hamilton, Wass
The Media 2.0 Makers Project for Hamilton, Barnard and Wass will create opportunities for over 1200 students to explore the world around them while learning to use tools and materials that develop creative projects. The Media Project will help these schools to develop a collaborative work space for making, learning, exploring and sharing that uses high tech to no tech tools. The space will be open to ALL students and adults. The Media Project is about teaching and learning that is focused on student-centered inquiry. Some of the skills that are learned in a makerspace pertain to electronics, 3d printing, 3D modeling, coding, robotics and even woodworking. Media 2.0 is fostering entrepreneurship while utilizing 21st Century skills as incubators and accelerators for business startups.
Building Environmental Awareness – A Collaborative Experience for Schroeder Elementary School Fifth Graders and Boulan Park Middle School Sixth Graders
Jason Cichowicz, Tammy Gilbert, Laura Guzowski, Shannon Kocher, and Tammy Polena
Boulan Park Middle School and Schroeder Elementary
This project represents a collaborative effort between Schroeder Elementary School fifth graders and Boulan Park Middle School sixth graders. Working together, students will deepen their scientific understanding of issues surrounding water quality. Students will use the 6Cs (Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Citizenship, Character, and Communication) to develop environmental awareness, combat an environmental problem, and become a voice for positive change.
Mentor Texts for ELD Learners
Lauren Henderson and Lindsay Long
Hamilton Elementary
Mentor Texts for ELD students provide our English learners with access to excellent mentor texts already being used in the classroom in their native languages. Providing students an opportunity to read in their home language will open the door for students to engage in deeper, more meaningful classroom discussions about books and reading.
eBooks for the Classroom
Karen Muzljakovich, Kylie Wood, Liz Thiel, Pam Mulligan
Hill Elementary
Book Creator is an amazingly easy-to-use digital book-making tool with limitless options. It's available for the iPad, which Troy students have in hand. Students in our shared third grade classrooms will use this app to produce and publish their own simple books or comics with images, videos, and audio. This Book Creator app will be used cohesively with the current Troy Lucy Calkins writing curriculum. The app will allow our students to innovatively publish and share their written work with the world around them.
Home-School Reading Partnerships
Colette Carlin, Brigette Garner, and Sarah Kijek
Hill Elementary
We are always looking for new and innovative ways to engage parents and community in the educational process. Our goal is to create a culture of reading that extends beyond school walls. This requires us to form strong home-school partnerships that provide a network of encouragement and support to our students and families. To accomplish our goal, we need to create a high interest and high engagement “take home” library for kindergarten, first grade and second grade parents and students to utilize during the school year and summer. Home-school reading partnerships will provide opportunities for our students to stretch their thinking by working collaboratively with their families and educators to extend and support each other’s ideas.
Green Team Garden Expansion
Lauren Field, Abbie Stys, and David Egan
Larson Middle School
The Larson Middle School Green Team garden has been a staple of the school community for the past 4 years. Student interest and participation has grown significantly. Students have developed awareness of horticultural practices, the importance of teamwork, and working together toward a common goal. This project will continue to be a point of pride at Larson Middle School for years to come.
Learning Friendly Lighting
Lisa Carruthers and Amy Wallace
Leonard Elementary
By altering the lighting in our classroom environment, we hope to create a calmer working environment with florescent light covers. In Ron Ritchhart's newest book, Creating Cultures of Thinking, he discusses the importance of an environmentally rich classroom. He highlights the disadvantages of florescent lighting in a classroom and references a teacher who used panel coverings to soften the harshness of these lights. Research suggests that florescent lighting can increase headaches in children and adults. Research also suggests that students with autism are particularly sensitive to the harsh light given off from fluorescent lights. The cloud-themed coverings we are requesting would provide the same effect as a real skylight. The cloud-themed coverings also connect to our past and present science curriculum. The students will have as a visual reminder of the different types of clouds while working in an environment that encourages their best learning!
Digital Instruments for Chemistry
Autumn Spiteri, Jeff Moore, Lauren Nacy, Katie Robles, Bill Hevel, Angie Benacquisto, Michelle Tedder, and Kyle Larson
Troy High
By replacing damaged and aging equipment with Vernier Go Direct Temperature and Conductivity Probes, students will be better able to interact with more modern forms of technology (iPad, Chromebooks, smartphones) and extend their learning into the community as they explore real-life situations outside of the chemistry lab. Along with improving the efficiency of current teaching, new content can be introduced such as Specific Heat (Chem 1 and Active Chem), Solutions/Solubility & Equilibrium (Chem 1), Heat of Solution Experiments (AP chemistry) and Equivalence Point Experiments (AP Chemistry).
Real World Dynamics of Collisions
Ransom Brown, Jacob Augustine, Sydney Barosko, Christopher Dannug , Brian Glynn, John Morrison, and Laura Ritter
Troy High
Students engineer a movie-scene stunt in which a rescue car collides with a careening car and slides to the edge of a cliff without falling over. They will collect detailed collision data with computer-based sensors, and apply their mechanics understanding to accomplish this engineering challenge.
Breakout EDU
Lisa Nirganakis, Eric Andary, and Stacy Tran
Troy Union
Breakout EDU brings escape rooms to the classroom. Students use critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills to solve puzzles based on the science and social studies standards to open a locked box. The funds will be used to purchase kits for the physical games and access to digital games and a game creator.
Not Your Normal Diet
Joyce Brasington, Cathy Renke, Andrea Alter, Kelly Pasternak, and Sarah Anspach
Wattles Elementary
More and more general education students and special education students have sensory processing issues. Individualized sensory diets can be created and implemented to include physical activities that will calm and/or stimulate students so they can improve their cognitive processing ability.
Caitlin Bray and Nichelle Merolla
Athens High School and Boulan Park Middle School
Life Town is a real town replica that allows students with disabilities to practice skills learned in the classroom in a real world setting. Generalization is extremely difficult for students on the autism spectrum and LifeTown has a bank where students can withdraw and deposit money, doctor and dentist offices to practice making appointments and staying on time, a movie theater, a salon, a pet store, and a general store. There is something of interest for everyone, ensuring motivation to practice skills!
Physics of Cell Phones
Christopher Dannug, Sydney Barosko, and Jacob Augustine
Athens High School and Troy High School
In this project students create and learn about the technology we all use every day. Students apply their knowledge of waves, sound, light, and energy as they design and refine a sound-proofing solution. Students also have the chance to work collaboratively to build a cell phone and send a message to another classmate.
Creativity and Entrepreneurship through History
Dustin Harnish and Krystal Renton
Baker Middle School
For this project, students learn about ancient civilizations through board game design. Students will begin by playing ancient board games to learn more about particular civilizations and the people from that time. They will then design and build a board game that is either inspired by an ancient civilization or reflects some of our current societal values. After the design process, students will market their finished projects to board game companies. Who knows? Maybe some of them will make a sale!
ELD iPad Keyboards
Kelsey Witt, Julie Stebbins, Nadia Barbat, Stephanie Hyska, and Hilda Zanaliu
Baker, Boulan Park, Larson, Smith
English learners in middle school Transitional Language Arts courses are using iPad keyboards to increase writing volume, access to digital language development tools during writing, and interaction with authentic audiences.
Calming Space
Judy Coster and Jan Stasinski
Barnard Elementary
The purpose of our project is to provide a safe, calming space for students who are in crisis or having difficulty with self-regulation. This space needs to be soothing and provide options to promote optimal self-regulation while preserving a student’s dignity and safety. Barnard Elementary houses two Autism classrooms. Poor sensory integration is a common characteristic with Autism often coupled with impaired communication or complete inability to speak. Imagine feeling completely over stimulated and not being able to explain this to anyone. Our students struggle with regulating sensory input every day, all day long. They, as well as many of our other students, need a calm space where they can go. Sensory overload happens when too much sensory stimulus is occurring at once- it can be triggered by a crowded room, fluorescent lighting, various aromas, or a hundred other things. Sensory overload and subsequent dysregulation can impact all our students but especially our students significantly impacted by autism. Our calming room will be a fun and inviting space where students will feel safe and motivated to engage in problem solving techniques that they can utilize throughout their school day.
Let's Keep Our Learning in Shape
Gwen Simon, Deanna Dutts, and Amanda Morton
Barnard Elementary
The Barnard Family Enrichment Night is for families to learn how to keep students engaged in learning over the summer. Emphasis is placed on academics, enrichment opportunities, and health/wellness. Students will gather materials for activities to complete throughout the summer. Local community organizations will provide information on programs and camps that are available in our community.
PebbleGo Digital Literacy for #OneTroy
Lauren Henderson, Ruba Alexander, Heidi Apol, Mary Burns, Wendy Gustin, Lori Kostrzewa, Jaclyn Morrison , Katie Scott, and Patrick Werner
Barnard, Bemis, Costello, Hamilton, Hill, Leonard, Martell, Morse, Schroeder, Troy Union, Wass, Wattles
Digital Literacy is essential for all students. PebbleGo is a dynamic, interactive, digital research tool which all students can use to continue learning informational reading skills, digital literacy skills, and 21st century learning skills in their classrooms, media centers, and at home.
Media 2.0 Project
Mike Cottone, Matt Jansen, Lori Kostrzewa, Melanie Morey, Patrick Werner, Sarah Glass, and Lauren Henderson
Barnard, Hamilton, Wass
The Media 2.0 Makers Project for Hamilton, Barnard and Wass will create opportunities for over 1200 students to explore the world around them while learning to use tools and materials that develop creative projects. The Media Project will help these schools to develop a collaborative work space for making, learning, exploring and sharing that uses high tech to no tech tools. The space will be open to ALL students and adults. The Media Project is about teaching and learning that is focused on student-centered inquiry. Some of the skills that are learned in a makerspace pertain to electronics, 3d printing, 3D modeling, coding, robotics and even woodworking. Media 2.0 is fostering entrepreneurship while utilizing 21st Century skills as incubators and accelerators for business startups.
Building Environmental Awareness – A Collaborative Experience for Schroeder Elementary School Fifth Graders and Boulan Park Middle School Sixth Graders
Jason Cichowicz, Tammy Gilbert, Laura Guzowski, Shannon Kocher, and Tammy Polena
Boulan Park Middle School and Schroeder Elementary
This project represents a collaborative effort between Schroeder Elementary School fifth graders and Boulan Park Middle School sixth graders. Working together, students will deepen their scientific understanding of issues surrounding water quality. Students will use the 6Cs (Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Citizenship, Character, and Communication) to develop environmental awareness, combat an environmental problem, and become a voice for positive change.
Mentor Texts for ELD Learners
Lauren Henderson and Lindsay Long
Hamilton Elementary
Mentor Texts for ELD students provide our English learners with access to excellent mentor texts already being used in the classroom in their native languages. Providing students an opportunity to read in their home language will open the door for students to engage in deeper, more meaningful classroom discussions about books and reading.
eBooks for the Classroom
Karen Muzljakovich, Kylie Wood, Liz Thiel, Pam Mulligan
Hill Elementary
Book Creator is an amazingly easy-to-use digital book-making tool with limitless options. It's available for the iPad, which Troy students have in hand. Students in our shared third grade classrooms will use this app to produce and publish their own simple books or comics with images, videos, and audio. This Book Creator app will be used cohesively with the current Troy Lucy Calkins writing curriculum. The app will allow our students to innovatively publish and share their written work with the world around them.
Home-School Reading Partnerships
Colette Carlin, Brigette Garner, and Sarah Kijek
Hill Elementary
We are always looking for new and innovative ways to engage parents and community in the educational process. Our goal is to create a culture of reading that extends beyond school walls. This requires us to form strong home-school partnerships that provide a network of encouragement and support to our students and families. To accomplish our goal, we need to create a high interest and high engagement “take home” library for kindergarten, first grade and second grade parents and students to utilize during the school year and summer. Home-school reading partnerships will provide opportunities for our students to stretch their thinking by working collaboratively with their families and educators to extend and support each other’s ideas.
Green Team Garden Expansion
Lauren Field, Abbie Stys, and David Egan
Larson Middle School
The Larson Middle School Green Team garden has been a staple of the school community for the past 4 years. Student interest and participation has grown significantly. Students have developed awareness of horticultural practices, the importance of teamwork, and working together toward a common goal. This project will continue to be a point of pride at Larson Middle School for years to come.
Learning Friendly Lighting
Lisa Carruthers and Amy Wallace
Leonard Elementary
By altering the lighting in our classroom environment, we hope to create a calmer working environment with florescent light covers. In Ron Ritchhart's newest book, Creating Cultures of Thinking, he discusses the importance of an environmentally rich classroom. He highlights the disadvantages of florescent lighting in a classroom and references a teacher who used panel coverings to soften the harshness of these lights. Research suggests that florescent lighting can increase headaches in children and adults. Research also suggests that students with autism are particularly sensitive to the harsh light given off from fluorescent lights. The cloud-themed coverings we are requesting would provide the same effect as a real skylight. The cloud-themed coverings also connect to our past and present science curriculum. The students will have as a visual reminder of the different types of clouds while working in an environment that encourages their best learning!
Digital Instruments for Chemistry
Autumn Spiteri, Jeff Moore, Lauren Nacy, Katie Robles, Bill Hevel, Angie Benacquisto, Michelle Tedder, and Kyle Larson
Troy High
By replacing damaged and aging equipment with Vernier Go Direct Temperature and Conductivity Probes, students will be better able to interact with more modern forms of technology (iPad, Chromebooks, smartphones) and extend their learning into the community as they explore real-life situations outside of the chemistry lab. Along with improving the efficiency of current teaching, new content can be introduced such as Specific Heat (Chem 1 and Active Chem), Solutions/Solubility & Equilibrium (Chem 1), Heat of Solution Experiments (AP chemistry) and Equivalence Point Experiments (AP Chemistry).
Real World Dynamics of Collisions
Ransom Brown, Jacob Augustine, Sydney Barosko, Christopher Dannug , Brian Glynn, John Morrison, and Laura Ritter
Troy High
Students engineer a movie-scene stunt in which a rescue car collides with a careening car and slides to the edge of a cliff without falling over. They will collect detailed collision data with computer-based sensors, and apply their mechanics understanding to accomplish this engineering challenge.
Breakout EDU
Lisa Nirganakis, Eric Andary, and Stacy Tran
Troy Union
Breakout EDU brings escape rooms to the classroom. Students use critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication skills to solve puzzles based on the science and social studies standards to open a locked box. The funds will be used to purchase kits for the physical games and access to digital games and a game creator.
Not Your Normal Diet
Joyce Brasington, Cathy Renke, Andrea Alter, Kelly Pasternak, and Sarah Anspach
Wattles Elementary
More and more general education students and special education students have sensory processing issues. Individualized sensory diets can be created and implemented to include physical activities that will calm and/or stimulate students so they can improve their cognitive processing ability.