Audubon Education Foundation Awards First Series of Grants for the 2010 School Year.
With over $900 million in state aid to schools eliminated this year, it has become increasingly difficult for public schools to maintain and bring in special programs that excite and inspire students to learn. In Audubon, a grass roots group, Audubon Education Foundation, continuously works to raise funds for such projects and has awarded a series of grants to select educators seeking to initiate unique and exciting programs in the Audubon School district. In this round, the Audubon Education Foundation awarded over $10,000 in grants to the following programs representing a variety of grade levels and subjects:
Mr. Eric Miller and Mr. Chris Sylvester, Science Teachers at Audubon High School, are initiating the “Audubon Green Initiative”. This “super project” is aimed at discovering renewable energy resources and will involve students at all grade levels across the district. This program also will go global and link up with other “Audubon” schools across the country through available technology. The schools will be presented with a bio-fuel project and each school will have a part of the problem to solve. To conclude the global project, all the schools will present and share their portions of the project with each other through video conferencing and other internet sharing technologies.
Mr. David Niglio, Science Teacher at Audubon High School, will be fortifying Audubon’s Forensic Science program with the erecting of “forensic science houses”. These special sheds will provide an area where mock crime scenes can be set up and studied without being disturbed. This will allow for more realistic training and create an experience similar to what they would expect in a post high school education or career training situation.
Mrs. Annette Hartstein, 5th grade teacher at Mansion Ave School, will nurture investigative skills and teamwork in her class with the creation of a field guide for Haddon Lake. The project will involve collecting samples and photos of plants and animals found at the lake at different times and seasons during the year, identifying and classifying these species and assembling the information into a field guide that would be made available to visitors of the lake.
Mrs. Marge Walsh, Occupational Therapist at Mansion Ave School, is using the Kids Connect Building Club to aid children on the autism spectrum in developing their social skills and friendships by interacting with “typical” peers while exploring, creating and learning about architecture and robotic engineering.
Mrs. Vivian Gayol, Art Teacher at Haviland Avenue School, is bringing a Cross Curricular Art Exhibit to students in grades K-2. This program involves a traveling art gallery within the school. Famous artists works will be enlarged and displayed in school and students will study these works and learn more about each artists and time period in which the art originates. Teachers will be given related exercises to include art history, multicultural issues, social issues, and critical thinking.
Created in 2008, the Audubon Education Foundation seeks to encourage academic excellence in the Audubon School District by providing funding not available through traditional local, state, or federal sources. For more information or to become involved in the organization, please visit audubonedfoundation.org or call 856-547-7695 ext. 4223.