2011-12 Grant Awards

Archie R. Cole Middle School

• Enhancing Design and Engineering: This grant will allow for the purchase of the DEPCO Design Suite which is designed to introduce students to 3D modeling and rapid prototyping. Using this technology, students will learn about reverse engineering, as well as how 3D modeling and rapid prototyping are used in the design process. For every process studied, students will learn about real world applications.

East Greenwich High School

• Composting Project: This innovative grant solves a problem and creates a learning opportunity at the same time. The new greenhouses at the high school are requiring sizeable soil purchases. By composting some of the waste materials the school generates, the school can help to meet those soil requirements. The composting process will be used as an interactive, hands on approach to studying biogeochemical cycling, a component of the earth and life science curricula. Students will be involved in all stages, from collection of compostable materials, turning, sampling and nutrient levels, and using the soil created for greenhouse related projects.

• Global Ozone Project: This project is designed to help students gain a healthy understanding of global climate change and local air quality issues, and to collaborate with other students around the world to explore potential solutions to these problems. Students will use ozone monitors and a meteorological station to monitor air quality and take numerous measurements, interpret results, and post data on an overlay in Google Earth to share with other students, scientists, and the public around the world.

• Starry Nights: The Starry Nights grant will enhance the Earth and Space Science Unit by providing students with an opportunity to gain personal experience maintaining and operating a telescope to view features in the night sky. Students will create learning stations for public viewing on “Starry Nights” that will describe and explain celestial features and events.

George R. Hanaford Elementary School

• Live Mathematical Classroom: This grant enables the school to purchase and utilize grade level math activity books and the companion hands-on manipulatives for every classroom teacher and resource specialist. These materials were developed by world-renown Mathematics Specialist Marcy Cook for the purpose of bringing mathematical concepts alive in the classroom. These added resources will enhance the Everyday Math program and district curriculum by engaging students daily in mathematical thinking, giving students continual practice in mental computation and communication, providing daily challenges and varied problem solving strategies, and meeting the needs of individual students to maximize the use of the whole math period.