In an effort to expand the opportunity for teachers, The Foundation for the Bethlehem Area School District provides funding opportunities for innovative and service-learning projects, programs, and initiatives.
Teacher Innovation Grants are available to Bethlehem Area School District teachers to implement an innovative project, initiative, teaching strategy, technology application or other effort providing measurable educational outcomes for students. The purpose of this grant program is to enhance student learning and student interest in learning by providing educators an opportunity to exercise their passion for teaching, develop their ideas, partner with colleagues and connect with the wealth of knowledge, expertise and talent within the district and the community.
Service-learning Grants are available to Bethlehem Area School District teachers to implement high-quality service-learning projects. Service-learning is a teaching strategy that connects classroom curriculum with service projects that engage students socially, civically and academically. A high-quality service-learning experience combines meaningful service with in-depth learning. Service-learning begins with classroom content and moves into the community through the planning and implementation of a service-project.
2021-2022 Teacher Innovation & Service-Learning Grant Summaries
Innovation Grants
“Conversation through Collaboration,” – Asa Packer Elementary School, Hilari Takacs
Description: Conversation through Collaboration is an initiative to promote authentic and meaningful conversation through the use of activities, projects, and games. Students who participate in the ESOL program will have an opportunity to invite a friend to participate in activities with them in order to learn, explore, and use the English language in a fun, engaging environment. Students are offered the opportunity to learn and practice new vocabulary.
“Broughal Rockets Bottle Rockets,” – Broughal Middle School, Kari Bennett
Description: Students involved in the Engineering course at Broughal Middle School will be able to follow the steps of The Technological Design Loop to design and build their own “Broughal Rocket,” a water-propelled rocket. Hands-on learning is a foundation for engineering education and allows students to use fundamental fine motor skills and challenges them to think outside the box. This activity produces a tangible outcome that students keep.
“Re-Write Boogie Board Writing Tablets!,” – Calypso Elementary School, Danielle DosSantos
Description: The Re-Write Boogie Board Writing Tablets are designed to be an individual student whiteboard replacement. Year after year, the second grade students at Calypso Elementary School will be actively engaged in the curriculum lessons. The quick responses allow students to interact with the teacher in a new way that provides additional opportunities for participation. The writing tablets are a helpful tool to accommodate students who are tactile and/or visual learners.
“Lights, Camera, READ!,” – Donegan Elementary School, Jamie-Lynn Carrodo
Description: This project focuses on using technology and student lead learning to reinforce automaticity with High Frequency Words. Kindergarteners are introduced to HFWs through videos, and they are tasked with creating their own video that states the HFW, spells the HFW, uses it in a sentence, and restates the HFW. All of the HFW videos are rewatched every week, since repetition is key to learning. The students are able to create connections with their HFWs and will use multisensory tools to master trickier words.
“Circuit Playground Express,” – All BASD Middle Schools, Tammy McDonald
Description: As a part of the enrichment curriculum for gifted seminar students, a coding unit is explored as an extension to their encore class and as a communication skill. To enhance this unit, this project introduces the four Circuit Playground Express Educators’ Pack. The pack allows students to explore computer science through programming physical computing and problem-solving. Students will learn how to use circuits by programming the boards and innovate their own designs.
“Flexible, COllaborative, and Creativity Promoting Seating for Gifted Learners,” – East Hills Middle School, Tammy McDonald
Description: Igniting learning within the classroom is enhanced when students have the flexibility to work collaboratively and reinforce the creative/critical thinking process. With the addition of new furniture, students have the option to rearrange and work together in various formations or work independently. The flexibility of having pods will promote the problem solving processes of many of the unit activities students encounter in gifted seminar enrichment support.
“Classroom Calming Areas,” – Freedom High School, Karla Erdman
Description: This project provides students with a small, semi-quiet space in which to promote emotional and behavioral self-regulation in students. The space will focus on social-emotional learning, centralized on mindfulness, empowerment, de-escalation techniques, and executive functioning. The area(s) will be located in the small alcove of each classroom and includes a desk, chair, flexible seat, fidget box, and educational posters focused on social-emotional learning. These areas don’t isolate the students in the classroom, instead, it gives them ample opportunity to manage feelings in an environment that is monitored by the teacher.
“Trebuchet Day,” – Freedom High School, Jennifer McCauley
Description: STEM courses at all levels study concepts to support the understanding of projectile motion. Teachers will develop lessons and activities that support the projectile motion of the trebuchet, adding specifics after its completed creation. With the help of the wood shop class and/or focus groups, students will build a large trebuchet capable of launching objects up to the length of the football field. Toward the end of the school year, students will host a Trebuchet Day to view all of the creations, launch objects, and study projectile behavior.
“Who’s taking care of YOU?,” – Governor Wolf Elementary School, Tracy Correll
Description: This program partners fifth grade students with kindergarteners to create a buddy program. The fifth grade students will have bi-weekly classroom sessions and use take-home self-care kits to demonstrate their understanding of emotional well being to their family and community members. After practicing at home, fifth graders will share their knowledge to teach kindergarteners how to handle their emotions. Fifth graders become the role models for their peers and practice handling emotions themselves.
“Breathe Like a Bear Book Blast,” – James Buchanan Elementary School, Holly Pasko
Description: James Buchanan is implementing a school-wide mindfulness programming to help address students’ increased levels of anxiety, depression, and other behavioral extremes. This program creates a mindfulness toolbox for all students in James Buchanan which includes regular guidance lessons. The purpose of this program is to teach students four major techniques that enable them to increase their focus, decrease their anxiety and depression, and improve academic achievement.
“Leader In Me Mosaic Series Part 1: I Can See the Leader In Me,” – James Buchanan Elementary School, Elizabeth Rega
Description: The purpose of this project is to engage students with their community by creating a mosaic to celebrate students at the entrance of James Buchanan. The students will learn about The Five Leader in Me Paradigms to promote students’ confidence.
“100th Anniversary Scale Model of Liberty High School,” – Liberty High School, Kristin Stuby
Description: With the 100th anniversary of Liberty High School, several classes at Liberty will determine measurements, create drawings, build the model, and embellish the model. Students participating will keep a team journal to communicate with one another and to ensure all aspects of the project are completed and perfected. Hobbyists within the community will help review how models are created and what materials and techniques are best. With the completion of the model by April 2022, students will celebrate the accomplishment during the Art Show at Liberty High School.
“The Marvine Musical Experience,” – Marvine Elementary School, Tiffany Tarleton
Description: Students will have access to a new musical playground at Marvine Elementary School. All students and their families will be able to create music outdoors, specifically with a hand-made chime wall. Being nearly four feet tall, it is a beautiful piece that creates a lovely sound. This allows students to participate in outside curricular activity, during recess as self-expression, and during out-of-school hours for entertainment.
“The Marvine Mustang Film Festival,” – Marvine Elementary School, Elizabeth Rega
Description: By utilizing the students’ creative brainstorming ideas, they will be partnered with graphic organizers to create their own original narratives that reflect the students’ culture, identity, and/or community. Students will capture original footage, add transitions, sounds, and text to create their project. After peer edits and critiques, the final video will be created to submit to this new film festival. It will be enjoyed by the school and community as a celebration for the 5th grade graduates at the end of the school year.
“Felting for All,” – All BASD Elementary Schools, Jayne Preletz
Description: Felting lessons will be incorporated into the BASD Elementary Art curriculum by giving elementary art teachers access to the tools and resources to teach felting lessons. Through a curriculum writing approach, art teachers will have the flexibility and creativity to introduce students to a new art medium.
“Northeast Hornets Journalism & TV Studio Project,” – Northeast Middle School, Daniel Wynn
Description: Due to an extreme interest in the current Journalism Schoology group, Northeast Middle School is in the process of expanding the TV Studio and morning announcements that are necessary to relay important daily information to the students. This student-led project will foster collaboration and communication between the members of the club and the school community. The creation of their own news studio and production team will engage the population with the latest “buzz”.
“BASD Choral Music Workshop: Together We Sing!,” – BASD K-12 Vocal Music Department, Denise Parker
Description: Through collaboration, mentorship, and performance, all the members of the vocal music programs across kindergarten through high school will benefit from the workshop. A venue will be designed to accommodate all social distancing practices that still allows necessary collaboration and a comfortable environment. In honor of Music in Our Schools Month, the workshop will take place in March 2022 which includes video tutorials, rehearsal tracks, and supportive resources. The final piece performed will include grades 4-12 for the celebration.
Service-Learning Grants
“Charger Care Closet,” – East Hills Middle School, Sarah Quay Matyus
Description: The Charger Care Closet (CCC) is a service-learning project geared toward helping the students in need at East Hills Middle School have access to clothing, shoes, school supplies, and hygiene products. It promotes family and community partnerships by giving students and families access to essential items. The CCC has the ability to improve the students’ lives.
