GRANTS - 2001-2002

We are pleased to present to the Irvington School Board the following gifts totaling $102,971.54 for the 2001-2002 school year:

Grades 6-12: (Kathleen Anniccharico and Diana Schmertz)- Art. All interested students from the two schools are invited to create a group ceramic mural which will be permanently displayed in the Village of Irvington. This project will encourage cooperation, responsibility, communication skills and foster self-esteem. Award: $2,995.40

Grades 10-12: (Ben Kwiatkowski) - Science. This grant will support an depth science project through field study in an estuary. Students will collect, measure, study organisms found and record their data and analyze the information in the classroom. Award: $1,024.00

Grades 9-12: (Joann Molloy) - Library Research - This grant will provide for the purchase of essential research materials needed to support the faculty and the students. Award: $3,000.00

Grade 6-8: (Toni Kelly/Griffin Murray)- Character Development. This grant will support a program to provide students, faculty and parents (providing a common ground) with strategies for dealing with bullying and teasing. Award: $3,900.00

Grade 6-8: (Joann Molloy) - Library Research. This grant will provide for the purchase of essential research materials needed to support the faculty and the students. Award: $3,000.00

Grade 8: (Chuck Johnson) - Science and Related Disciplines. This is a repeat grant which will fund the Jason Project. It provides students with an unique opportunity to learn about a particular environment. This year's project will focus on glaciers and the world of ice. Award: $3,920.00

Grade 8: (Julie Ippolito) - Language Arts. This is a repeat grant. Susan Astor, a Poet in Residence, engaged the students in creative writing through poetry. A compilation of their efforts was distributed to each student at the end of the semester. Award: $4,420.00

Grade 8: (Julie Ippolito) - Language Arts. Artists-in-Residence will visit the classrooms for several days to enrich and build upon the grade's study of Shakespeare. Award: $3,450.00

Grade 6: (Susan Dillon) - Social Studies/Reading/Language Arts. This grant will enhance the Medieval Interdisciplinary Unit by providing a workshop for students to learn first hand about medieval drama, music, dance, processions and celebrations. Award: $7,000.00

Grades 4-8: (Lauren Allan and Lola Garcia) - Reading and Writing. This innovative grant will create a forum for teachers to cooperatively expand their instructional strategies, discuss curriculum reform, encourage critical thinking all with the goal of improving students' reading and writing skills. An outside facilitator will lead the discussions. Award: $4,000.00

Grades 4-8: (Lauren Allan and Lola Garcia) - Reading and Writing. Teachers will meet monthly in formal groups (large and small focus groups) to share strategies for teaching reading and writing skills. It is expected that this will have a positive impact in the other disciplines as well. Award: $2,400.00

DOWS LANE ELEMENTARY K-5

Grades 1-5: (Deborah Ottaviano) - The Arts. This grant will support a two year membership in the highly acclaimed Lincoln Center Summer Institute. The philosophy of the program is to facilitate learning while continuing to learn. Ten elementary school teachers will attend courses during the summer. In the fall each of these teachers will meet with a guest artist from Lincoln Center to plan eight classroom workshops for the selected work of art and each of these ten teachers' classrooms will participate in workshops over the next two years. It is our hope that this pilot program will encourage the district to expand this program in the future. Award: Up to $37,655.00

Grades 1-5: (Deborah Ottaviano) - Theater Arts. This grant will support the new special, Theater Arts which is being added to the curriculum. Drama has long been used as a tool to enhance language arts and social studies. Award: Up to $2,000.00

Grades 4-5: (Lola Garcia) - Curriculum Differentiation. This grant will assist faculty in tailoring their teaching methods to address different students' needs. It is a decision making approach in which teachers become responsive to the needs of each student. Award: $2,112.14

Grade K: (Krista Shortino) - This program will introduce "Dramatic Arts" to students, emphasizing verbal and non verbal communication skills and social skills through an outside consultant. Award: $2,300.00

Grade 1: (Corinne Daniels) - Art. This grant will again fund a paper making project with an Artist-in-Residence. The program has been enthusiastically received by both students and faculty. The students exhibit their finished art work at the Gallery on the Hudson. Award: $5,045.00

Grade 1: (Laurie Warager) - Science/Visual Arts. This is a repeat grant which uses the medium of art to teach weather. Author/Illustrator, Colleen Carol will engage each classroom on the topic of weather in art. Award: $2,000.00

Grade 1: (Kate Egan and Krystal Dodard) - Science. This grant will support an environmental center created through a vegetable garden. The award will also include a donation of the planting beds from residents, Larry and Janice Shepps. Award: $3,000.00

Grade 3: Social Studies. This grant will support a dance workshop which would enhance the study of countries around the world. Award: $1,800.00

Grade 5: (Scott Andrasko) - Science and Arts. This is a repeat grant of the Clearwater Sail which reinforces the ecological studies curriculum. The students learn about the importance of the Hudson River in our community in discussions and interactive projects with the crew of the Clearwater. Award: $4,700.00

Grade 5: (Scott Andrasko) - Social Studies/Literature. This grant will support that part of the curriculum which focuses on the westward expansion by purchasing research materials. Award: $400.00

Grade 5: (Scott Andrasko) - Science. Last year, the Foundation purchased advanced microscopes. This grant will support the purchase of additional microscopes for the extra sections anticipated for the coming school year. These microscopes enable the students to see and analyze samples more clearly. Award: $2,850.00

Total awards: $102,971.54