Ten teachers receive district mini-grants
Submitted photo
Emma Muschick and Mauro Steban pose for a picture in the Blenderia Pizzeria.
Submitted photo
Front row, from left are Ashley Sharpnack, Samantha Barron and Melissa Gough; standing are Scott Chambers, Marla Kuhn, Stacie Doman, Sherree Mohler, Rebecca Wolf, Lynette Stewart, Lindsay Evans and Michelle Keaton
Each year, the district gives out $800 in mini-grants to a handful of deserving teachers. These teachers must go through an application process and are evaluated by a panel of district employees. The committee consists of representatives from the Canon-McMillan Education Association and district administration. For this school year, 10 teachers were selected for their innovative ideas. Canon-McMillan looks forward to seeing these ideas put into action this year!
Rebecca Wolf, Canonsburg Middle School – Escape the Ordinary with Breakout EDU: This grant promotes critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity and team building. The materials that were requested for this grant included a Breakout EDU kit (which included items such as three- and four-digit locks, key locks, reflection cards, invisible ink pen and more) and access to the online platform so students can create online content.
Wolf, a 7th grade language arts teacher, believes “in a society dominated by technology and collaboration, the implementation of Breakout EDU materials, both the kits and online resources, could be incorporated into any unit and emphasize critical thinking and team-building skills, all of which are beneficial for a student’s future success.”
Sherree Mohler and Samantha Barron, High School – Cafe Mocha Coffee Cart: With this grant, students in grades 9-12 will sell coffee and/or hot tea from the ‘Made with a “Latte” Love’ coffee cart to faculty and staff every Friday morning. The Coffee Cart will provide the students an opportunity to develop skills in numeracy and finance, social skills and peer communication, as well as improve general soft skills and employability in a real-world situation within the school environment.
Ashley Sharpnack, Muse Elementary – Set the Stage to Engage: This is the sixth grant that Muse’s first-grade teacher Sharpnack has received. The “Set the Stage to Engage” award is unique because it transforms the classroom into different themes and enhances student engagement each week in reading, math, writing, science and social studies. Some examples of topics that the class will transform into include: Boot Camp – students will arrive at an “army” boot camp and learn about different types of writing; Glow Day – students will learn about phonics sounds with many glow in the dark activities and more. Sharpnack already had one transformation in October, the Blenderia Pizzeria (pictured), where students started their study on beginning blends. The next one will be a bakery.
Lynette Stewart and Lindsay Evans, South Central Elementary – Reading Under the Lights: South Central is a Title 1 Building that serves over 450 students. The teachers are always looking for new techniques to build the relationship between home and school. Before this grant, they were using technology as a way for parents to see what was going on but found it challenging to increase attendance. “Reading Under the Lights” was developed as a way for families to use strategies with their children at home in a relaxed environment while also mingling and reading with high school athletes from our community on the football field. This night will bring the school and community together in a fun event for not only the families and teachers but also for former students.
Melissa Gough and Michelle Keaton-Hills, Hendersonville Elementary – Escaping Ordinary Lessons with Breakout EDU Boxes: There are several age ranges to choose from for the Breakout EDU kits: early childhood, elementary, middle school, high school and even adult. Gough and Keaton believe that “It’s time to adjust our way of teaching. In the classroom, our students are sitting and learning, maybe completing a few worksheets. It’s time to mix it up! It’s time to get the students excited to show what they are learning. The students get the chance to work together to achieve academic success and feel the triumph of ‘escaping the box.'”
Stacie Doman and Marie Kuhn, South Central Elementary – #BetheKindKid in Kindergarten: This grant is to promote character education starting with the very first year they enter South Central Elementary. They will also begin to engage students in community service in the school and community. Activities to encourage and promote kindness include: making aprons that say #BeTheKindKid every Friday, reading stories about kindness, painting “Kindness Rocks” throughout the community, and creating a “Snippet Jar” with Random Acts of Kindness. Doman and Kuhn felt this grant was unique because the sooner children learn about the importance of treating others kindly, the more likely they are to continue to use kind words and good manners towards others in the future.