The results are in!  Last week, the Hamilton Southeastern School Board joined with the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation to recognize some incredible teacher leaders.  Educators who went above and beyond to recognize an opportunity for enhanced student learning, propose a solution, and seek funding.

We are proud to announce 2017/18 grant recipients.  Educators from around that district that put all of themselves into creating new learning moments.  They are what the Foundation is all about – investing in difference makers for all our students.

Kelli Servizzi (BSE) Making Math Child’s Play
Student Impact: 250
Fun, intentional, and engaging math experience in preschool matter.  For 3- to 5-year olds, most of their learning occurs through opportunities to play.  Math can be seen on the playground, during music and movement, in the dramatic play area, and at home.  Math take-home bags can extend learning and involve families in their children’s education.

Lori Smith (FCE) Mobile Learning Lab
Student Impact: 625
Students are future artists, mathematicians, scientists, architects, explorers, programmers, and specialist of the future.  This project creates an innovation lab to add to the related arts rotation.

Julie Vairo (FCE) Fall Creek Community Trail
Student Impact: 634
This will create an accessible trail in the wooded area behind Fall Creek Elementary.  Students will gather for instruction and create a wetlands area with board walk access.  Supported by Tri Kappa, Boy Scouts, and Hamilton County Parks Department.  This project may be eligible for district matching funds.

Lisa Harvey, Kristen Beinecke, and Susan Galliher (GES) Great Gator Outdoor Learning Project
Student Impact: 800
Student led project to create an outdoor “excavation” site.  Students will experiment with moving soil around to effect the path of water, using collaboration and cooperation.  Exploration will continue in the areas of environmental science, process in nature, and paleontology.   This project may be eligible for district matching funds.

Erin Duros (HRE) Anything you can dream, you can weave
Student Impact: 700
This project fosters confidence for all students to be artists while providing hands-on learning, critical thinking, visual thinking, and collaboration.  Students will unleash the inner artist in students – even those who don’t feel artistic.

Jamie Howard (HRE) Beekeepers
Student Impact: 700
Pollinators are vital to creating and maintaining the habitats and ecosystems that many animals rely on for food and shelter.  This student-led, inquiry project encourages students to investigate honey bees culminating in the three phases of project work.  Study will include developing questions, studying habitat and bee behavior, and documenting learning.

Lori Mankin (NBE) Nature’s Classroom
Student Impact: 300
Greenspace provides the perfect natural environment for tying together important work in the district.  Nature’s classroom promotes authentic play, inquiry, collaborative and community-based opportunities aligned with HSE21. This project may be eligible for district matching funds.

Angel Myers (NBE) I Want to Be an Engineer!
Student Impact: 25
This project welcomes young learners to the field of engineering.  Children will be engaged in collaboration, communication, creativity and critical thinking.  The hands-on experience will help students move through a design process creating a positive first interaction with STEM.

Bryan Alig (SCI) Shark for Sharks
Student Impact: 971
A 325 hundred gallon salt water aquarium has been installed for students to student a living environment.

Jennifer Suskovich (SCI) Light My Class with Solar Energy
Student Impact: 110
Student Led Philanthropy Project – Zimmerman Moeller Fund
Students will use solar energy to power the lights in the classroom.  Using knowledge of seasonal daylight movement, students will investigate the locations that provided the maximum amount of solar energy.

Amy Knerr and Michelle Bunnell (RSI) We the People
Student Impact: 160
We the People promotes civil competence and responsibility for HSE humanities students.  This project brings the famed program to the intermediate level.

Daniel Loomis (FCJH) Treadmill
Student Impact: 800
Regular exercise aids the classroom in that students who regularly exercise perform better academically, sleep better and are sick less often.  This project will begin to build a cardio room at Fall Creek Junior High.

Adam Brown (FCJH) Human Battlegrounds
Student Impact: 125
Students will explore the microbial world of viruses, bacteria, and parasites as well as how they interact with the human body and its defenses.  Students will have the chance to grow bacteria, learn how to identify them by real life lab processes and formulate testable hypotheses.

Nick Tschuor (FCJH) New Digital Media
Student Impact: 500
This project will facilitate the creation of a digital media class at the junior high level providing authentic classroom demonstrations, differentiation, and collaboration with fellow students and educators.

Cindy Baney (FJH) Operation Choir Festival
Student Impact: 700
Traditional choir contests do not foster a growth mindset among musicians as it is a “one and done.”  This festival approach is designed to encourage interaction between performers and vetted choral experts including Ryan Alwardt, HSE Alumni and Straight No Chaser performer.  The experience will culminate with a performance demonstrated what students have learned.

Elizabeth Good (FHS) Project Lead the Way Upgrade
Student Impact: 400
Through problems that engage and challenge, students explore a broad range of engineering topics including mechanisms, the strength of structures and materials, and automation.  The program’s courses engage students in compelling, real-world challenges that help them become better collaborators and thinkers.  Students take from the courses in-demand knowledge and skills they will use in high school and for the rest of their lives, on any career path.

Jennifer Pope (FHS) Focused Success
Student Impact: 50
One of the key factors in sustained focus is the need for body movement.  This project incorporates the use of standing desks, seating discs, and standing pads into the classroom to improve focus and alertness.

Janet Chandler (HSEHS) We the People
Student Impact: 60
We the People and Mock Trial team allow students to immerse themselves in the Constitution, law, government and civics education.

Jagga Rent (HSEHS) Black Student Union
Student Impact:  25 – 3400
The goal of the Black Student Union is to celebrate the African American culture, to educate HSE stakeholders about the culture and to unify our school campus through programming.  This project will support student programming and marketing efforts including a mentoring program with Hoosier Road Elementary.

David Young (HSEHS) HSE Student Media
Student Impact: 30
This project expands school and community connections by developing a streaming sports broadcasting program.  Students will gain hands-on knowledge of mass media, journalism, photojournalism, newsroom production and broadcast journalism.