Foundation Announces Mahuron Education Fund Grant Recipients
The Mahuron Education Fund was established at the Washington County Community Foundation to encourage educators and staff to teach in innovative ways. This year, the fund has awarded several teachers in the county school corporations over $5100.00.
Rebecca Jones’ 3rd grade class at East Washington Elementary School will be creating a Makerspace by learning and using creation and innovation as a theme, shifting the learning to the student center.
Students in Anna Marie Endris’ 6th grade East Washington Elementary School class will be using robotics to support good pedagogy and providing hands-on learning that puts the focus on problem-based learning, collaboration and cooperation, and the application of knowledge, skills and concepts.
Carla Coachran’s 6th grade class at East Washington Elementary School will also utilize robots in science by learning to code. The objective of the project is to have students create projects and solve problems that exist in the real world.
Students in Stephanie Bower’s Bradie Shrum Elementary School Kindergarten classroom will Paint to Play. Bower plans on painting games and activity courses on the kindergarten playground for children to develop skills such as balance and coordination. Playground markings may include letter, number, and shape designs, maze, hopscotch, Four Square, and balance lines.
Students in Lisa Thomas’ East Washington Elementary School Kindergarten room will be exploring visual spatial skills to designing structures using TEGU magnetic blocks.
Focus will be the key in Lorie Campbell’s 3rd grade Bradie Shrum Elementary classroom when her new standing desk arrives. The desk provides a way for students to stand while completing work so they may stay focused on the task while learning.
Jenisa Collier’s Bradie Shrum Elementary School Kindergarten class will be enjoying new workspaces to work during the day. The new workspaces will keep students focused and on-task.
Students in Leah Stewart’s 4th grade classroom will be reading a new book this year, the BFG by Roald Dahl. Stewart will be receiving a classroom set of the book and students will take part in discussion about friendship and kindness.
Greg McCurdy’s Salem High School Biology classes will get an up close and personal look at bacteria growth and other organisms with new teaching tools. The first is a device that clips to a student’s cell phone, turning the phone into inexpensive, portable microscopes. Another new tool is a time lapse camera that will be programmed to record the growth of bacteria in petri dishes and culture tubes.
All students and staff at West Washington School Corporation can be involved in producing quality YouTube videos for instruction and tutorials as well as building and participating in breakout games within the classroom due to a grant issued to Kelly Williams, Technology Coordinator for the school system.
Erin Moore’s Bradie Shrum Elementary School 2nd grade class will be exploring the world through STEM by utilizing STEM challenge kits, focusing on analyzing real-life scenarios to plan, design, and create models. The students will test and improve their designs using problem solving brought about by real life disasters.
Students in PE at East Washington Elementary School will begin to learn the sport of tennis. The grant, awarded to Leah Starrett, will be used to purchase smaller rackets, small nets, and tennis balls specifically made to bounce slower for younger children.
Jennifer Olesh’s students at Eastern High School will be using experimental design to determine maximum electricity from wind turbines, allowing students to see how wind generates energy and experiment with different types and sizes of blades for turbines, which will lead to deeper discussion about the pros and cons of wind/alternate forms of energy.
Marcia Smith’s 3rd grade classroom at East Washington Elementary School will be learning about Indiana animals by incorporating reading, writing, and science about a specific animal in Indiana. Students will examine animal classifications, adaptations, habitat, and animal characteristic and write an organized report and create animal habitats out of LEGOs.
Third grade students at Bradie Shrum Elementary School will also be exploring the world of STEM due to a collaborative grant awarded to Crystal Mikels and Emily Johnson. Mikels and Johnson plan to start an afterschool STEM Club to develop student problem solving skills in the fields of computer coding, robotics, and other STEM related topics.
Angela Snelling’s 2nd grade Bradie Shrum Elementary classroom will be getting their wiggles out with a grant for Isokinetic Balance Cushions. The cushions are designed to better help students focus and learn throughout the day.
