Archive: Around Town

The Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI)'s first round of Red and Gold Grants this year includes awards to Ithaca City School District (ICSD) teachers for exploring a range of programs connecting community and curricula—from yoga and engineering to local farming and languages.

"We were very pleased to receive so many proposals showing innovative and engaging project-based learning," said Joyce Putnam, chair of IPEI's Red and Gold Grants Committee. "This first round of one-time grants included awards to 21 projects totaling $9,555. These funds will assist with programs in five elementary schools, two middle schools and Ithaca High School."

Red and Gold Grants are one-time awards of up to $500 for projects that enrich learning in the ICSD. The deadline for the second round is Dec. 7.

"Distributing grants to Ithaca's teachers is at the heart of IPEI's work on behalf of our community," said IPEI President Matt Braun. "These funds, which are generously donated by our wonderful supporters, are applied directly to enhancing the learning experiences for students throughout the district. We are proud that our Red and Gold grants help spark learning for students in the ICSD through this important investment in our teachers and their curricula."

Caroline Elementary School teacher Anna Chapman was awarded a Red and Gold Grant that helped her bring the outdoor education program Primitive Pursuits to Caroline's Extended Day program, which is offered to students in need of academic reinforcement. "As the lead teacher, I have worked to incorporate a variety of enrichment activities that give students hands-on experiences with science, cooking, art, and the outdoors," Chapman said. "Since we have such an amazing wilderness campus at our school, within the first week, I saw a huge impact on the kids. They were excited to stay after school!  One fifth grader was 'caught' on camera showing his kindergarten buddy where to find a rabbit den on the trail."

"I have been awarded grants through IPEI in the past and know firsthand how much their support directly impacts the lives of students," Chapman added. "My hope is that the interdisciplinary nature of our approach during Extended Day instruction will be an unprecedented opportunity for this target population of Caroline students."

Maureen Gilroy, a third-grade teacher at Enfield Elementary, received a grant to bring the local Beauty and the Beast Storytellers to her school this year. "As soon as I heard about their residency program, I knew I had to find a way to raise money so that they could do the program with our third graders," she said. "I thought of IPEI right away because they are so interested in giving opportunities to open our students' worlds to enriching experiences."

Red and Gold Grant Recipients, Round 1 2015-16

• Art then Yoga Marie C. Vitucci and Stiller Zusman with Melissa Enns/Beverly J. Martin
• Boynton 7th Grade Cornell Visit Patricia Schaup/Boynto
• Caroline Wildlife Monitoring and Data Collection Project. Debra Ward/Caroline
• All About Me Case Study Daphne Shululu/Caroline
• Extended Day Enrichment with Primitive Pursuits Anna Chapman/Caroline
• Third Grade Service Learning, Adopt-the-Garden Case Study Rebecca Schillenback with Mike Cecere and Mary Grover/Caroline
• Innovative Physical Education Teaching Curriculum Alignment and Improvement Initiative Samuel Trechter/Caroline and Belle Sherman
• Flaming Fries Service Learning Project: Physical Activity During Challenging Weather Emma Loiacono, Owen Loiacono, Miles Ackerman, Owen Rhudy, Liala Cryer, Owen Beigel, Liam Hansen with Amy Seldin Murphy, Lauren Loiacono, and Dr. Brown/Caroline and DeWitt
• Ithaca is Gorges Sarah Locke-Mountin/Cayuga Heights
• Tweens on the Town, Lindseth Cimbing Wall Eric Pritz/DeWitt
• Global Village - Art in the Park Installation Gerry Monaghan with Penny Boynton/DeWitt
• Learning Economics and Empathy with a School Store Joanna Brautigam/Enfield
• Beauty and the Beast Residency Maureen Gilroy/Enfield
• Fall Creek Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom Partnership Sarah Cummings with Susan Phillips/Fall Creek
• Encouraging Independent Math Centers Through Game Based Activities: First Grade Math Games and Manipulatives Library Caty Hart/Fall Creek
• Enabling All Students to Inquire, Code and Create Alexandra Spencer/Fall Creek
• J'ai faim! La cuisine française Janet Abowd/Ithaca High
• Print as Language Kari Krakow/Ithaca High
• Ithaca High School's Fashion Show: Featuring High School Designers Sandra Stromswold with Gina Cacioppo/Ithaca High
• AP Psychology Field Trips to Cornell and Enrichment Activities Sara Shenk/Ithaca High

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