Minigrants offer big support

minigrant021: Minigrants offer big support�When the Kern County Superintendent of Schools summoned 20 teachers to his office on December 2, it was not just to personally thank them for the work they do for children. It was to reward them so they could do more.

Annually, Superintendent Larry E. Reider presents "minigrants" to deserving teachers from the divisions of special education and student services. This year a total of $12,000 in minigrants was dispensed ranging from $93-to-$1,700. Each is designed to help fund a special project which will educationally benefit students. Teachers must demonstrate and document how in their minigrant applications, which must be received in October. In thanking the teachers, Reider told them, "I can tell by these applications that you will be making important things happen for our children."

Recipients received their minigrants from Reider, Student Services Administrator Ken Taylor and Special Education Services Administrator Carol Hatcher. Each then gave a brief description of how the money would be used.

Dan Means from Pride Academy explained how his "Young Artist's Web Gallery of Digital Art" will work. "It will help our students learn (computer) web designing skills by making them familiar with digital cameras and scanners."

Special Education Programs bilingual counselor Liliana Labra, who works with behaviorally challenged students, is using her minigrant for a "World of Puppets" which involves several elements.

"We are going to build a portable puppet theatre, which will involve the classroom teacher and psychologist, as well as the students," Labra explained. "The teacher will work on writing scripts. The psychologist will suggest social skills that can be taught through the scripts. Then, students will perform puppet productions for kindergarten students at various school sites."

Sherry Shapiro, teacher of students with severe disabilities at Aurora, wants to help students understand the world they live in with her "Fairfax Explorers" minigrant.

"They will work with compasses and maps on field trips to places such as Hart Park," Shapiro told the audience. "It will help them learn how to socialize, become more independent and about cultural diversity."

Some projects, such as teacher Don Hansen's "Video Text CDs," demonstrate how the simplicity of an idea has the potential to bring about measurable results.

"Our Sandstone Academy programs in math through algebra II have already seen students progress anywhere from one-to-four grade levels," Hansen said. "With the purchase of 27 sets of CDs students will be able to receive additional mathematical instruction and support by using Walkmans, DVDs, CD ROMs and CD players."

Here are the other 16 teachers and the programs for which they received minigrants:
Sandra Elliott - Community Learning Center - "Leadership to Success"
Katharine Haines - Erwin Owen High - "Proposal for Art Materials"
Stacy Arambula - Central School - "Incentive Program for Reading and Writing"
Billy Gaeta - Student Services - "Physical Education"
Darlene Boyce-Gonzalez - Community Learning Center Tech - "Multicultural Exchanges"
Dan Gates - Erwin Owen High - "Opportunity for Pride"
John Roser/Lynne Haley - KEEP Ocean - "Better Presentations Through PowerPoint"
Jane Urbelz - Special Education Services - "Order Up!"
Jean McAfee - Severe Disabilities, Orangewood Elementary - "How Does Your Garden Grow?"
Denis Essex - Severe Disabilities, Wasco High - "Project Blastoff III"
Karen Yankovich - Severe Disabilities, Wasco High - "See What I Have Done"
Terry Page - Autism, Del Rio Elementary - "Sensory Integration in the Classroom"
Phil Craft - Non-Severe Disabilities, Woodrow Wallace - "Hooked on Phonics"
Cindy Komaromi - Severe Disabilities, Sunset School - "Trikes for Tikes"
Patricia O'Connor - Autism, Stockdale School - "On the Road to Success"
Sherilyn Sarff - Speech Pathology, Buena Vista School - "Scanning New Horizons"


Print This Page   Email This Page