Archive: Around Town

The Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI) awarded $8,370 in its fourth quarterly round of Red and Gold Grants for the 2013–14 school year. The 18 new grants will assist teachers, students, and community members with projects that strengthen and enrich education at the Ithaca schools.

“I have witnessed firsthand the impact that a grant of $500 can have on student engagement in the classroom,” said IPEI Executive Director Chris Sanchirico.  “The very generous support of our community makes it all happen!”

Red and Gold Grant recipients in this cycle include:

• Pamela Engram, a teacher at DeWitt Middle School, will guide her students to create a sheet-sized map depicting the United States before and during the Civil War. Using icons on the map, the students will indicate key concepts such as slavery moving west, the Gettysburg battle, Lincoln’s election in 1860, the Underground Railroad, and women’s contributions to the war effort.
• Steven Anderson, a teacher at South Hill Elementary School, will team with art teacher Anna Goldsmith to lead his fifth grade class in a public art beautification project. The students, taught this year to “improve the world,” will paint a mural on an outside concrete wall of their school.
• Rebecca Gergely, an Ithaca High School teacher, will pair senior students in her Readers’ Workshop Class with first-grade readers at Fall Creek Elementary School. At the end of their partnership, the seniors will choose a “precious gift” book to give to their first-grade buddies.
• Katie Dietrich and Catherine Currier, teachers at Beverly J. Martin School, will ask students to take a series of photographs throughout the day to document what a day in their household is like. The students will then discuss the photos in small groups, write a caption for each photo, and produce an individual poster about their family.
• Jaana Grigorov and Gina Kolb, teachers at Lehman Alternative Community School, will enable students returning from a service project in New Orleans in May to share their experiences with local elementary and middle schools. After helping to rebuild houses damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the 15 students will use books and other materials to educate others about relief and service work and the storm that affected so many lives.

The newly awarded grants are listed below. All 2013–14 grants can be found at www.ipei.org under several categories: Teacher Grants, Red and Gold Grants, Community Collaboration Grants, Phyllis B. Brodhead Library Media Technology Grants, and Fine Arts Booster Group Grants.

IPEI Red and Gold Grants Recipients 2013–14 (Round 4):

EDGE Intramural Basketball Program
Karl Mellander/Ithaca High

Caroline Archery Program
Samuel Trechter/Caroline

CHES Chargers Running Program
Spencer Hill/Cayuga Heights

Being Buddies 101
Maureen Gilroy/Enfield

It’s Simply a Balancing Act
Judy Blood/Enfield

Expand Your Horizons
Judy Blood/Enfield

A Precious Gift
Rebecca Gergely/Ithaca High

Hangar Theatre Kidstuff Play
Sue Newman/Beverly J. Martin

Public Art/Beautification
Stephen Anderson/South Hill

College and Career Readiness Day
Katie Taber Vann/South Hill

Nelson Mandela Cultural Tribute Concert with Combined Ensembles
Jennifer Kivisild/DeWitt

Just Sew: Support for LACS Fiber Arts Committee
Kal McMannis/LACS

A Day in My Life
Katie Dietrich, Catherine Currier/Beverly J. Martin

Caroline Summer Reading Program
Nancy Lovell/Caroline

Civil War Sheet Map with Icons
Pamela Engram/DeWitt

To Look Closely: A workshop for Adults who work with Children
Julie Nichols Kulik/Earth Arts

Students Gaining Cultural Perspective through Service and Relief Work for Hurricane Katrina Victims
Jaana Grigorov/LACS with Gina Kolb

Raising Cultural Awareness through Raised Bed Gardens!
Jon Raimon/LACS

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