GRANTS -SPRING 1999

We are pleased to present to the Irvington School Board the following gifts for the 1999 school term:

Grades 9-12: This grant will expand the electronic research tools already in existence at the high school library by providing two additional networked computers. More students will be able to quickly access Internet Links by searching for a topic using the on-line Encyclopedia Americana and Grolier Multi-Media Encyclopedia.  Award: $4,930.00

Grades 9-12: This grant will fund the purchase of a "Black Scrim" for the auditorium which is an important tool for many theatre productions.  Award: $763.56

Grades 9-12: This grant will fund an assembly which will expose students to an art form not currently offered in the district, modern and jazz dance.  Award: $350.00

Grades 9-12: This grant will fund the purchase of a class set of Calculator-Based laboratory systems to be used by the Science department. This hardware enables the accumulation, storage and analysis of data collected by the students during science experiments.  Award: $3,800.00

Grades 9-12: This grant supplements the traditional offerings in physical education by exposing students to alternatives such as, yoga, karate, weight training.  Award: $1,000.00

Grades 9-12: Last cycle, the Foundation funded the launching of a new and innovative course, entitled Architecture Design and Drawing. This grant will fund the purchase of two computers which will further the goals of this program and satisfy a component of the district’s long range technology plan. Award: $4,114.00

Grades 6-8: A grant to modernize the biography section of the library allowing the purchase of additional titles. Award: $1352.00 (but granted up to $2500.00 should classroom teachers suggest additional titles to supplement the curriculum).

Grades 6-7: This grant would enable the purchase of math manipulatives designed to help students to understand mathematical concepts more effectively. Award: $669.00

Grade 7: This grant enriches the social studies and English curriculums by exposing students to African American stories and poetry through an assembly and workshop conducted by a recognized poet. Award: $1350.00

Grade 8: A supplement to the successful Jason project already in its second year of funding, this interactive exploration of the tropical rain forest will utilize slides, artifacts and anecdotes to motivate and educate the students regarding the delicate balance between indigenous people and the rain forest. Award: $750.00

Grades 6-7: A program involving live birds of prey, mammals and reptiles will dovetail with the Animalia theme of the middle school this year. Students will go beyond existing science studies by discussing animals in literature and legends. Award: $425.00

Grade 6: The presenter will emphasize the link between art and science through the discipline of natural science illustration. Award: $600.00

This grant will fund the hiring of a highly respected and well-regarded assistive technology consultant to evaluate the communication needs of special education students in the middle and high schools. Many of these swudents have writing, graphomotor difficulties. The consultant will present her findings to a team created by Susan Levey which will learn about specific technologies that have been found to be effective with similarly situated students. The team will then prepare their list of recommendations in the spring of this year for later presentation to the school district. Award: $3,200.00

DOWS LANE ELEMENTARY

Grades 1-5: This grant supplements the elementary art program at Dows Lane through the purchase of a laminating machine. The art teacher will be able to preserve existing and newly donated prints for students’ study. Award: $2,000.00

Grade 1: This grant will support the return of a Westchester Council Artist in Residence who will introduce the students to papermaking. Award: $2,800.00

Grade 5: This grant will support the successful Civil War Reenactment funded last year. Award: $1,000.00

Grade K: This grant will support the return of the well received Deep Sea Magic Puppet Show which we funded last year. Award: $725.00

Grades 2-5: This grant will support the performance of an interactive, magical, musical adventure story from Haiti which enriches the students’ study of rhythm. Award: $800.00

Grades K-5: This grant involves a live animal hands-on educational experience which will primarily benefit the students in Ms. Kravitz’ English as a Second Language program. It will utilize the interaction with the animals to teach lessons on tolerance and diversity. This program may also be made available to all other students in the school. Award: $350.00

Grade 2: This grant will allow Actor/Singer/Storyteller Lou Del Bianco to give 3 grade level assemblies on ancient myths and fairy tales. Award: $900.00