Nebo Education Foundation Gives Grants March 2016 - Answer to Wednesday's Challenge

Submitted by lana.hiskey on

 

The Nebo Education Foundation is composed of 20 volunteer board members who live in cities serviced by Nebo School District.  Board members meet each month to review and award grant requests, consider fund-raising avenues and other items that advance the educational opportunities for Nebo School District students.  Many of the donations received are for selected projects, yet a substantial amount is available for the greatest need.  Greatest need monies are considered for grants submitted by area schools.

These grants are funded through the fund-raising efforts of the Nebo Education Foundation board. One fund-raising effort is the annual “Green Fever” golf tournament that helps fund these various grants throughout the year.  The “Green Fever” tournament will be Thursday, May 19, 2016.  Also, the foundation accepts donations from individuals and businesses to support projects.

Congratulations to the following teachers that continue to bless the lives of students.

Landmark – Sarah Lewis
“Landmark has never had a dance program. With our student population having many students who come from low income homes, this dance team is a great opportunity. The girls are seen as leaders in the school and are learning the value of responsibility through all the effort they are putting in to learn multiple dances. Costumes are something that these girls have never had and many can not afford.  They will be performing in an end of school year showcase. This grant allows us to have a different costume for a style of dance that the girls learned. It is so wonderful to receive it for all the hard work the girls put into learning how to dance. We are so thankful for the grant,” said Sarah Lewis, Landmark dance teacher.

Sage Creek – Pam Tippetts
Pam Tippetts, third-grade mentor, said, “Hugs and Kisses to the Nebo Foundation for replacing our beloved sets of Little House in the Big Woods books here at Sage Creek.  For the last two decades, it has been the anchor piece of our 3rd grade literature study.  The classic story of pioneer life on the  frontier in Wisconsin  has captured the hearts and imaginations of our students; our books were read by so many hands that they fell apart, were repaired and fell apart again.  As the number of books dwindled, our population grew and the Little House in the Big Woods books could no longer be used as a whole class read aloud but became a leveled book group choice.

“Because of the Foundations' generous grant, we can purchase enough copies for it to be used as a whole class integrated social studies/science/reading unit once again.   A curriculum map has been created to merge the reading objectives outlined in the district approved Journeys' program with the chapters of Little House in the Big Woods.  The themes of courage, endurance, family loyalty, ingenuity, thrift and challenges of nature will enrich the learning goals.  Prairie Day will now return as one of the highlights of the 3rd graders' year.”

Spanish Fork High – Angela Harman
“The Spanish Fork High School orchestra is excited and grateful for the grant we received from the Nebo Education Foundation.  The orchestra music library has been in need of updated music and materials.  With the money from this grant, we will be able to purchase much needed method books that will help students attain higher skill levels in their playing.  I am excited to be able to utilize these books in our rehearsals so that students will be able to continually refine their talents by learning and performing advanced technique,” stated Angela Harman, orchestra teacher. 

Cherry Creek – Susan Deardeuff
Susan Deardeuff, music teacher said, “Thank you so much for awarding Cherry Creek's choir this grant!  The choir comprises of students from 4th, 5th and 6th grade who love to sing.  We'll be using this money to buy new music for upcoming concerts and percussion instruments to accompany our songs. The students are thrilled to be getting new music and learn some new songs!! We are thrilled!”

Hobble Creek – Brandi Wayment
“Thank you so much for awarding this grant to my classroom. This grant will make it possible for my students to participate in fantasy book clubs this spring through the funding of sets of four different fantasy series. It also gives us the opportunity to add geometry manipulatives to our math tools. My students are going to have so much fun building solid shapes and learning to find the volume of them with these new tools. I can’t wait to start our geometry unit right away! Thank you for making learning more hands-on and fun in my fifth grade classroom,” exclaimed Ms. Wayment, fifth-grade teacher.

Sage Creek – Claudia Shaffer
Claudia Shaffer, first-grade teacher stated, “I was sitting in our Community Council meeting and was asked by our PTA President Reed what our teachers could use. I mentioned we need more updated die cuts. Right away one of the parents handed me enough cash to buy one, $35. It started a ball rolling. The PTA gives a group gift to the teachers for Christmas and decided to give us more die cuts. Then we found a sale two for one with the die cut company. Mrs. Burr encouraged me and some others to get on board to submit a grant to Nebo Foundation for $245 of the cost. We now have the Chinese New Year animals as well as many other fun die cuts. I have used the die cuts in my journals, comparing and contrasting diagrams, thank you notes the children made to their reading tutors, and other projects. They add some pizzazz to a lesson. Thank you so much Nebo Foundation!”

Diamond Fork Junior – Ellen-Anita Olson
“Thank you so much for the grant money. We need a new library computer lab and ChromeBook computers are so versatile. A new ChromeBook lab in the library will greatly benefit all the students at Diamond Fork, as well as teachers and staff. The library is very busy, and the lab is always used. I teach classes on research and all the students use the computers to work both during the lessons and after. Students often come in to use the computer lab to work on assignments and take tests. Teachers and staff also frequently use the computer lab. The teaching possibilities with this kind of technology in the library would be endlessly beneficial to all here. An updated ChromeBook lab in the library will help students take ownership of their own learning, by using technology to enhance learning. A ChromeBook lab is portable and students would be able to pick any seat in the library to work. It would help students that need to work on group projects to sit down together with the library ChromeBooks. The library is a ‘hub’ of activity here at school and we have a great learning environment. We have both the space and the physical layout to help enhance learning in the library. The ChromeBook lab will be like ‘icing on the cake,’” stated Ellen Anita Olson, librarian.

Mt. Nebo Junior – Linda Durrant
“Shh!!! That is what you normally hear in a library. But as they say, ‘Times, they are a changin!’ A new concept in libraries is taking the nation, and in particular school libraries, by storm. Makerspaces, a place where students can come and create, experiment, and discover. With Mount Nebo transitioning to a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) school, it became apparent that the library would have to transition as well. So, the ‘Panther DIY Place’ was created. Students can come in and work on projects such as 3D printing, coding, robotics, etc. on their own or in small groups before and after school. It didn’t take long to realize that one item of need really stood out and that was students needed a basic understanding of electronics to really make this Makerspace concept work. LittleBits were designed to help students understand a complex electronic idea by allowing them to break down the complexities of electronics  and build it up one small concept at a time. By placing each element of electronics into a module, students can come in and create a circuit that will turn on a light, or power a motor, program and control a robot. These modules are designed to snap together with magnets so you can’t connect them the wrong way. Modules come in four categories: power, output, input, and wire. Simply snap these components in the correct order (with some self guided practice) and in a short time, students can be creating game controllers, program robots that use logic to detect and navigate around walls, and even eventually create their own littleBits. As the concrete block became the inspiration for Legos, littleBits can help students gain an understanding that our world is not as overwhelming and complicated as it seems. It just takes building something, one brick at a time, before you know it you’ve accomplished what had seemed at first to be unattainable,” explained Linda Durrant, librarian at Mt. Nebo Junior High.

Salem Junior – Kristen Van De Graaff
Kristen Van De Graaff, history teacher, said, “It is such a blessing for our school to have community leaders who are willing to donate their time and resources to help our students and school. Nebo Education Foundation's grant helped me purchase two classroom sets of the book Night by Eli Wiesel for our honors world civilizations students to read and analyze. Elie Wiesel’s book helps students grasp the experiences of Jewish Europeans during the holocaust and Nazi regime. It authentically illustrates Europe’s transformation to acceptance of the holocaust and highlights the social features that led to such atrocities. For many young students, history can seem distant and irrelevant. However, delving into the true experiences of a holocaust survivor helps history come alive and supplements their overall understanding of conflict during the twentieth century. I am grateful for Nebo Education Foundation's generous contribution so students can better engage in history.”

Spanish Fork High – Scott Moody
“Thank you for awarding the grant.  With the money, I plan on buying two pottery wheels so my students can learn the ability to create functional pottery pieces like cups, bowls, plates, vases etc. With this wheel, students will learn about the basics of ‘throwing’ on the wheel. With each wheel that we add to the classroom, we will have the ability to have more students at a time working and learning with them. With this being the first year teaching ceramics, I have had a great experience seeing students so engaged in class and their desire to learn more.  Adding these wheels will help to get more students the ability to learn about throwing on a pottery wheel,” stated Scott Moody, art teacher. 

Spanish Fork High – Clint Roberts
Clint Roberts, band teacher at Spanish Fork High, said, “Thank you for the generous donation you gave to the Spanish Fork High School Band Program. Your donation of $635.02 will be well used in building the band program here.  We are currently negotiating to stretch the money as far as we can in replacing method books we use in Concert Band and Jazz Band. They are slightly outdated and have been in bad shape ever since I came to teach here. With a little additional help and some careful planning we hope to use the new method books for many years to come. Every music student that goes in and out of our music classes will benefit from this current curriculum.  We are also using a portion of the funds to purchase brass mutes. This adds another color and dimension to band music that is irreplaceable for brass players.  As the Band Program continues to grow and improve each year, your donation will help us give more pride to the school by performing at a higher level.”

Oakridge  Roxana Garcia
“We are very excited about the iTalk2’s we are receiving.  Thank you very much!  They will be very helpful in teaching our students to make choices and to answer questions when they are not able to do so verbally. These devices are very cool because when activated they say whatever has been recorded on them. Thank you again,” stated Oakridge speech staff.

Sage Creek – Dayna Tanner