Classroom Grants to Teachers 2003-2004
Districtwide
Suzanne McCulloch - Jumpstart in Music
Sends 5th and 6th grade musicians to Cazadero's intensive weekend performance
camps.
$4,000
Neil Smith - Guided Reading Libraries for Early
Literacy Plan
This grant helps build libraries of carefully selected "Guided Reading"
books in fourth and fifth grades at all of Berkeley's 11 elementary schools.
Teachers use Guided Reading books in small, ability-matched groups of
students to teach not just how to read, but how to learn from reading.
This grant is the result of requests from teachers at five elementary
schools: upon investigation, the Foundation determined that the books
were needed at all elementary schools and that not enough District or
school funding was available.
$10,000
Neil Smith - Science Textbooks for Elementary
Schools
This grant assures that all students taking the mandatory fifth-grade
California Standards Test in science, which counts this year for the first
time, have the textbooks with which the test is aligned. Unanticipated
state slashes in the textbook budget, to $22 per student, had prohibited
some schools from being able to purchase the $41 books.
$10,000
Donna Van Noord - Early Literacy Plan: Staff
Development Resource Collection
Purchases a Guided Reading video series to hone the skills of K-5 teachers
using the Districtwide Early Literacy Plan.
$2,500
Elementary Schools
ARTS MAGNET ELEMENTARY
Rupert Gopez - Guided Reading Books for 4-6
Graders
Furthers the District 's Early Literacy
Plan by providing non-fiction "Guided Reading" books to challenge budding
readers in carefully supervised small-group settings. This is one of the
requests that led the Foundation to award $10,000 to all Berkeley elementary
schools for non-fiction Guided Reading books.
Charlene Kalagian - Seeing Literature Through a Puppet Theater
The crafting of puppets, scenery, and
accompanying narratives will "intertwine reading and writing as third-graders
visualize what they read and improve their ability to retell and comprehend
literature." $410
Carole Ono - Enriching History Through Guided
Reading Books
Books carefully leveled to challenge early
readers will also enrich learning about Ancient China and India, and Early
Greece and Rome. $400
Karen Sudjian - Celebrate my Roots to the Fruit
Students in the Extended Day program will research their own cultures
and make "special representations and celebrations involving cooking,
costume, music, and family," for performance at the annual Youth
Arts Festival in May. $400
Cameron Teasdale - Replication of a Math Workbook
for 4, 5, and 6th Graders
Pays for duplication of "Doctor Daryl's
Devilish Dose of Dynamath", a 90-page math book emphasizing critical
thinking and problem solving. $510
CRAGMONT ELEMENTARY
Ann Luisa Delgado - Zoo and Nature Kindergarten
Field Trips
Field trips for the Spanish/English "dual immersion" kindergarten to the
Tilden Park Little Farm and Oakland Zoo will complement the "Zoo Phonics"
curriculum with first-hand experience. $392
Bill Joyce - Photo Opportunities
Buys a digital camera to enable students with behavioral problems "to
become aware of alternative ways of responding to problem situations and
improve their own behavior." $150
Susan Katz - Art Education/Mosaic Making
Buys books and art supplies to enrich a Spanish/English "dual immersion"
first grade class. Students will study various artists through literature-based
lessons developed by the teacher and then replicate the artists ' work
in the appropriate medium. $350
Nancy King - The American Revolution
Provides a professional, "very successful and highly engaging" classroom
presentation to bring the American Revolution to life for fifth graders.
$555
Jason Lustig - Cragmont/Berkeley Symphony Collaboration
Supports the Berkeley Symphony in the Schools program that includes a
symphony concert, class visits by symphony musicians and a student symphony
concert. $1,000
Nancy Mar - Chess in the School
Students "learn chess that develops self-esteem, critical thinking, sportsmanship
and peer interaction through play--all transferable to classroom learning."
$1,500
Cheryl Marsh "Light" Perception and Culture
Sends students on a field trip to the San Francisco Exploratorium 's "Seeing"
exhibit to "add new insight as to how eye and brain function together
and how culture affects our understanding of what we see." $385
Greg Martin - Poetry Inside Out
Enriches the two-way Spanish/English immersion program. Students translate
the works of great poets, write original poetry, and translate in both
languages. $1,000
Eleanor Tigiao - Patterns in the Sky
Supports core curriculum science teaching that integrates language arts,
math, and social studies. Funds will send students to the Chabot Space
and Science Center astronomy lab and a culminating overnight fieldtrip
to Tilden Park "that will surely be a memorable way to enhance their studies
of the sky." $1,200
EMERSON ELEMENTARY
Ray Adams - Remote Sensing Weather Stations
Grant will purchase two remote control weather stations to support the
GLOBE Program in Weather and Environmental Education. "The overall goal
is to support student learning and understanding of weather, and scientific
methods used to measure these things." $649
Lori Barnes - Science in Action
Brings experts from the Lawrence Hall of Science into the classroom for
two presentations: "Electrical Connections" and "Reptile Style". "This
terrific enrichment program provides unique and irreplaceable opportunities
far beyond the limits of the classroom." $1,000
Jamie Carlson - Experiencing Symphonic Music
Supports the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra 's Music in the Schools program,
including symphony performances and classroom visits from professional
musicians. "The program enhances music education and creates schoolwide
community-building experiences." $1,000
Robert Chamberlin - Adapting "California Math"
for the Computer
Provides 20 licensed copies of Adobe Acrobat 5.0, software that allows
students with cerebral palsy and other orthopedic impairments to keep
up in math by using their laptop computers and material specially developed
for the purpose. $767
Kimberley Davis - Science and Math Exploration
Brings experts from the Lawrence Hall of Science to the classroom, and
sends students to the Hall for close-up study of science and math in presentations
including "Slime!," "Crime Law Chemistry," and "Ponds Alive." $1,000
Steve Eslami - Coloma Outdoor Discovery School
Sends students on an overnight field trip to participate in a ropes course
that "greatly enhances student self-confidence and responsibility, and
serves as an immense bonding tool for our three 4/5 grade classes. $900
Susan Hodge - Building Healthy Lifestyle Choices
through Organic Cooking
Continues "a successful nutrition and cooking program for which we have
lost state funding." The program forges concrete links between the social
studies, vocabulary, math and science curriculum. $2,000
Stefani Maida - Berkeley Marina Education Program
Funds take a third grade class to the Berkeley Marina Education Program
on Fish, "to participate in learning activities that will enhance their
understanding of living things." The teacher attends a pre-trip workshop
and receives materials that help integrate the field trip into classroom
teaching. $260
Ralph Nelson - Computer Skills Class
This after-school program, for which state funding was eliminated this
year, will offer students a computer skills class agreed to be a "unanimous
interest" by students, parents, and teachers. $750
Tom Prince - Listening Library
Builds on Emerson 's successful schoolwide Books-on-Tape library, which
is part of the District 's Early Literacy Plan and aimed at developing
vocabulary and reading comprehension skills. $750
Monica Santos - Academic Volunteer and Mentor
Program
Provides training for one-to-one mentors who meet with children weekly
"to help close the achievement gap between our students of color and white
students." Mentors are trained on specific reading, writing, and math
strategies. "Our fundamental goal is to create a caring learning community
where all of our students enjoy academic and social success." $750
Kirstin Snyder - Chess in the Classroom
Funds will pay for classroom chess instructors. "Chess increases math
reasoning and reading comprehension skills . . .and creates teachable moments
for children of varying learning styles and skill levels." $900
Jeannie Wang - Kindergarten Listening Center
Buys books, tapes, tape players, and bags for a new kindergarten "listening
center." "In order to prepare my students for first grade, I must make
sure that my classroom nurtures all aspects of early literacy . . .A listening
center will help me target students who have very little book experience
or who have a different home language." $300
Phil Wiegand - Bear Cub News: Equipment
Replaces a worn-out video projector and screen to be used in presenting
videos for school assemblies and family events. "Our goal is to show the
students to themselves and their parents in a way that highlights their
vitality, creativity, humor, beauty, and dignity." $550
JEFFERSON ELEMENTARY
Sarah Goldstein - Assembly Pianist
Provides a stipend for Jefferson 's beloved pianist at weekly assemblies.
"Every week our children experience first-hand the expertise and excitement
brought by a professional musician who understands children and cares
deeply about their musical education and opportunities." $500
Morris Norrise - Voyager Art Supplies
Provides art supplies for a volunteer-led afterschool program. "Some of
our children may have strong and specific talent in art, but this talent
may not be fully addressed in the classroom due to budget cuts and changing
grade-level standards. By adding art to our program, something that may
otherwise have remained a mystery will be explored." $500
Maggie Riddle - Research Centers for Upper Elementary
Students
Enables this teacher to develop four "expert" boxes, corresponding to
the social studies curriculum, the include books and other materials needed
for students to research and write a comprehensive report. The project
developed from the Early Literacy Plan. $500
Rosemary Robinson - Sand and Water Table for
Kindergarten
Buys a sand and water table to introduce students to principles such as
volume, flow and liquidity. "Students at this age benefit from hand-on,
ongoing experimentation with materials such as sand and water, and the
tools used to work with them and measure them." $240
Glory Styles - Nonfiction Guided Reading Sets
This request from the school 's Literacy Team is part of a consolidated
grant for $10,000 awarded to all elementary schools in the District. (See
Districtwide Grants.)
Marguerite Talley-Hughes - The "Wright" Stuff
"
"The maple-wood blocks. . .are in my fingers to this day," said Frank
Lloyd Wright attesting to the influence of childhood building blocks on
his work. This grant purchases wooden models of simple machines as well
as multi-cultural architectural pieces to enhance the block set provided
by the District. "State and district standards ask that students identify
geometric solids and simple machines . . .I know these are best taught by
beginning with hands-on experience." $571
Beverly Thiele - Ethnically Diverse Photography
Books
Purchases Our World, a photographic portrait book of Oakland 's
children. "We are aware that many cultures are under-represented in the
materials that are available to us . . .We want our instruction to support
all members of our diverse community so that each child will feel validated
and work to the highest possible level of achievement." $100
Zosia Topolnicki - Rest Mats and Beanbag Seats
Buys rest mats and beanbag chairs for the after school program. "When
we pick up the kindergarten children from their classrooms, they are often
tired, cranky, and distracted. After resting for an hour before the older
children arrive, they are refreshed, more focused, and ready to tackle
homework." $442
Anna XL Wong - School Assemblies
Provides stipends for the Bubble Man, musicians, acrobats, and a story
teller to attend schoolwide assemblies. "The children look forward to
our weekly assemblies and, through the course of the year, learn to appreciate
a variety of programs from class performances and cultural celebrations
to professional presentations." $1,000
JOHN MUIR ELEMENTARY
Michael Bush - Supplies for Success
Purchases basic supplies to continue the school 's Garden Project. "The
children have developed an understanding of health and the natural, living
world that has enhanced their lives over the last three years." $800
Anne Donaker - Story Quilts
Purchases fabric and other materials for a year-long quilt project. "While
making quilts, the students will be practicing math. They will be improving
their language arts skills while listening to and dictating stories about
quilts. They will feel proud about the end product and, as in the old
apprenticeship system, see the value of learning skills." $500
Marina Franco - Asian Art Museum Field Trip
and Storyteller Session
Supports a field trip to San Francisco 's Asian Art Museum, including a
storytelling session. "I want to do this project so that my students can
visit the renovated historic building, see the integration of Western
architecture with Asian art, and have an artistic and cultural experience."
$300
Lisa Jackson - Drama Project
Funds an after-school drama workshop resulting in the performance of "Bringing
Little Red Riding Hood to Life." "In non-competitive, all-inclusive environment,
participating students will benefit from the various facets of building
a dramatic production: from learning about plot and character to memorizing
lines; from choreographing to stage presence." $783
Pam Ormsby - Train Trip to Sacramento
Fourth graders studying California history and geography, both mainstream
and deaf classes, will travel to the State Capitol by train. "This will
give the deaf and hearing students the opportunity to experience the curriculum
together and forge new friendships. They will also negotiate two public
transportation systems together." $700
Stephen Rutherford - Science Fair: "Calling
all Scientists"
Purchases colored display boards, participation ribbons, and prizes to
encourage students and parents to attend a family Science Fair night,
with hands-on science activities. "The evening we did last year was a
great success, both in attracting hundreds of families to school for an
educational event and in linking to the core science curriculum. I want
to build on that success." $400
Kathleen Van Sandt - Starry Night Art Quilts
Supplies fabric and other materials enabling first graders to make individual
art quilts based on their study of Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. "It
is my goal to expose all the children to great art and great artists,
and to empower them to become artists in their own right." $408
Marlo Warburton - Look it Up!
Buys notebook-size, three-hole-punched dictionaries, thesauruses, and
atlases for each student to have at their fingertips "at all times". $797
Kris Waters - Experiencing Symphonic Music
Supports the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra 's successful music education
program, both with in-class visits by professional musicians and through
field trips to Symphony performances. $1,000
Nancy D. Waters - Mental Health Care for At-Risk
Students
Funds will hire a licensed clinical psychologist to provide at-risk children
with individual and group therapy, as well as parental support. "Just
one student experiencing deep grief, frustration, or anger can dramatically
change the culture of the classroom." John Muir typically identifies about
15 children per year as "potentially benefiting from professional mental
health consultation and a carefully crafted program." $2,000
Joanne Weil - A Recipe for Learning
Buys ingredients and supplies needed for this classroom cooking program.
"Our cooking projects extend math, science, and language arts skills,
cultural awareness, nutrition education, and cooperative group learning."
$300
LE CONTE ELEMENTARY
Lynda Arnold - Ballet Folklorico at LeConte
Provides costumes, and fabric for parents to make costumes, for schoolwide
student performances of cultural dances studied as part of the Spanish/English
"Dual Immersion Program." The small-group program aims to have native
Spanish and native English speakers fluent in both languages by fifth
grade. $2,000
Maria Carriedo - Ohlone Native Americans
Buys otherwise unavailable bilingual books, maps, and other supplies needed
to teach the required third-grade unit on Ohlone Native Americans to a
Spanish/English dual immersion class. $400
Sonia Gill - Outdoor Banner Project: Composition
and Communication
Pays for printing of student-designed school banners as the culminating
poster art project of a curriculum on composition. "Composition lessons
teach students to think about beginnings, ends, focus points, and the
importance of carefully choosing what to include and what to leave out."
$423
Benjamin Goff - Le Conte Farm and Garden
Supplies seeds, tools, and other garden materials for this cooking and
nutrition program. "The garden is used as a space in which the students
can see and experience the interaction between humans, plants and animals.
The lessons are from our own garden curriculum that is linked to State
Science Standards." $675
Edy Scripps - PART--Parent Assisted Reading Training
Buys training handbooks to support reading tutors in K-5 classrooms as
part of the Early Literacy Plan. "We want to build a school culture where
students and community members work together to show the values we place
on reading." $431
Brenna Turman - Cooking and Nutrition
Buys a portable dishwasher in support of one of Berkeley 's first elementary
school cooking and gardening programs. "Our classes work together with
the Farm and Garden Program to bring healthy eating to our youth and combat
childhood onset of obesity, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases." $550
MALCOLM X ELEMENTARY
Jennifer Adcock - Ashland Shakespeare Festival
Supports this field trip as the culminating experience for students graduating
from this school specializing in visual and performing arts. "By staying
in campus dormitories, our students experience first-hand how university
students work and live . . .this has inspired many former participants who
might not have otherwise thought of college. $1,000
Candyce Cannon - First Grade Math Program
Funds provide intensive teacher training and materials to implement "Making
Math Real" in first grade classes. "The thing that really persuaded many
of us to pursue learning more about these methods was that 'the stuff '
we taught last year really stayed with the kids." $1,725
Tara Easley -Guided Reading with Nonfiction
Requested nonfiction Guided Reading book sets that link to the fourth
grade social studies curriculum. This was one of the proposals that led
to the consolidated Districtwide grant of $10,000 to procure these materials
for all elementary schools.
Ginny Gillespie - Chess in the Classroom
Provides a stipend for 3 hours per week of chess instruction. "Chess is
a generalized intellectual discipline with benefits that apply to all
areas of life." $1,200
Carol Huntington - Science Units Library
Helps to create second-grade library, shared among four teachers, of non-fiction
books linked to the science curriculum. The books are part of the Early
Literacy Plan, used for small-group, teacher-guided reading and shared
reading. $1,500
Honorine Kelley - Amtrak Educational Adventure
Supports a train trip taking K-3 students in the after school program
to Sacramento for a visit to the Railroad Museum and study of California 's
railway system. "This experience transforms the scope of the world for
our children." $600
Rivka Mason - Supplies and Materials for Garden
Project
Funds are for supplies for the school 's garden program. "All garden activities
are integrated with classroom work: historical, cultural, science, and
the geographical origins of food." $500
Shira Peck - Read at Home
Buys forty books for second graders struggling with reading, including
students in Special Education, to take home for supplemental reading practice.
"My long range goal is to have each student interested in setting up a
routine of reading at home, as well as a family member who would commit
to 15 or 20 minutes of reading." $300
Jai Waggoner - Word-for-Word Assembly
This grant supports an assembly for which District funds were eliminated
this year. Students study the text of a play before and after the performance,
see it performed by visiting artists, interview the performers, and study
how the performance differs from or enriches the written text. $600
OXFORD ELEMENTARY
Rita Davies - Ceramics Studio
Provides a stipend for a visiting ceramics artist, along with clay and
tools. "I really believe in exposing kids to professional artists and
especially in a medium not so easy for regular teachers to organize. It
is core curriculum!" $1,000
Katie Johnson - Architecture and History for
Third Graders
Supports a ferry trip to San Francisco to supplement the social studies
curriculum in this third grade class. With a focus on architecture that
integrates math, reading, science and visual arts, students will study
bridges, the historic architecture of Chinatown, and the cityscape of
San Francisco. $500
Virginia Muller - More than a Game--Golf for
Kids
Pays for transportation and golf lessons at Tilden Park. " 'Golf is a microcosm, '
said Tiger Woods, speaking of the sport from which he learned self discipline,
integrity, and sportsmanship . . .How do you apply negative numbers in real
life? That 's right, one way is golf!" $370
Chris Nakao - Oxford Kitchen Garden
Buys supplies to support the school 's
garden program. "I use the core subjects (English, math, history and language)
to reinforce the significance of agriculture and to recognize the impact
we all have on the earth." $500
ROSA PARKS ELEMENTARY
Gurjeet Ahluwalia - Program Enrichment
Buys a globe, books, and craft materials "to make my program more interesting
and meaningful as children enjoy hands-on activities." $300
Tontra Love - Exploring Animal Habitats
Sends kindergarteners to the Oakland Museum for a workshop, buys books,
and involves parents in the study of animal habitats. "This will give
the children access to more materials than we could provide in the classroom."
$315
Morgan Paar - Media Makers Workshop
Funds buy tapes and festival entry costs in this experimental after school
program. "My mission is to teach students how to turn their research into
creative and compelling storytelling that they can share with their peers,
their Berkeley neighbors and the global community." $150
Erin Schweng - Increasing Geographic Literacy
Buys maps and a classroom atlas for this mixed third and fourth grade
class. "I believe that this project will be an important step towards
increasing not only my students ' geographic literacy but also their interest
in their world." $550
Jessica Shussett - Teacher Training for a Multi-Sensory
Classroom Program
Provides funding for eight teachers to attend a six-week training program
honing skills for teaching classes of students with differing ethnic,
socioeconomic, and language backgrounds. $1,000
Elizabeth Windchy - Trips and Sips: Experiential
Nutrition Education at Rosa Parks
Supports the school 's cooking and gardening program with a field trip
to the UC Botanical Garden and the purchase of a classroom juicer. "Experiential
education, the process of immersing students in their learning, is a proven,
effective method of teaching children new subject matter with a higher
rate of retention than traditional textbooks alone." $700
THOUSAND OAKS ELEMENTARY
Amanda Abarbanel-Rice - Valuing Children 's Art
Buys portfolios and frames for kindergarteners ' artwork. "I hope to help
change the perceptions of what art is and who makes art, for both my students
and their families." $350
Mary Barrett - High Motivation, Low Readibility
Books
Provides books linked to the science and social studies curricula for
five third and fourth grade classes. "Instruction with appropriate leveled
books will improve reading for our below grade level students." $800
Patty Casetta - Management & Implementation
of Guided Reading in the Classroom
This was one of the requests for books carefully linked to the abilities
of struggling third and fourth grade readers that resulted in the Foundation 's
$10,000 Districtwide grant to purchase these libraries. The proposal also
requested a professional library on best practices in literacy teaching.
Rita Franklin - The Yosemite Field Science Project
Supports a two-class trip to the Yosemite Institute 's field science study
project as part of the fourth grade curriculum on California history and
the state 's watershed system. $1,000
Liz Fuentes - Monterey Bay Aquarium and Beyond
Supports a three-class trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. "Most of our
struggle in schools, as teachers, is to engage the students in their learning.
Taking the children out of the classroom and into another world, in this
case the sea, opens channels in their minds and hearts that often remain
closed inside schools." $1,000
Annette Gamper - Listening Centers and Guided
Reading Books
Provides leveled books and tapes to take home. "Implementing a home reading
program and providing books on tape will give multiple avenues of access
to the children who don 't have books at home, or who need auditory or
visual cues, such as our English Language Learners." $500
Constance Jubb - Explorations in Movement
Covers the cost of a mentor from Luna Kids Dance institute to help this
teacher craft a dance program that brings her class of all Spanish native-speakers
together with their English-speaking buddy class. $500
Chris Nakao - Roots and Shoots Garden
Buys supplies for the school 's garden program. "I teach gardening to emphasize
that anyone, including children, can grow and eat their own healthy foods."
$550
WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY
Dawn Bail - See, Taste, Touch, Hear California
History
Funds music, cooking and gardening supplies, and supplementary books to
enrich the fourth grade social studies curriculum with hands-on projects.
"This year I have a large percentage of English learners, and therefore
the curriculum must be context bound." $300
Tara Creehan - Washington Environmental Yard
Project
Grant funds buy supplies for the school garden. "The Washington Environmental
Yard involves the collaboration of the school garden coordinator, UC Berkeley
student volunteers, parents, teachers, and students. Together, we explore
the connections between people, culture, the environment, the way food
grows, and health." $1,500
Mindy Geminder - "Every Child Can Read at Home"--Creating
a Book Lending Library in the Class
Supplies specialized books to build a classroom lending library. "The
student response to these leveled books is powerful. They smile as they
read; they are beginning to choose books they can read, and to find books
that will also challenge them, but that they can comfortably read independently."
$500
Jodi Hardy - Hands-On Math for Kindergarten
Purchases blocks, dominoes, graph paper, and other materials for classroom
and take-home math games. "The goal of this project is to increase the
students ' knowledge of number concepts." $300
Jennifer Landaeta - Put Away Worn Out Words Buys thesauruses for students to expand their vocabulary and enrich their writing. "Last year I received a smaller grant for nine thesauruses and have been using them so much that I can 't wait to have more for my students!" $300
Simone Miller - Guided Reading Books
This was another request that resulted in the Foundation 's Districtwide
grant of $10,000 to purchase guided reading books to support the Early
Literacy Plan.
Mary Owens - Monterey Bay Aquarium Educational
Field Trip
Supports a summer (2004) field trip for the Extended Day program to the
Monterey Bay Aquarium. "No school district funds are available for field
trips next summer. We plan trips that will enrich learning through excursions
to museums, parks, libraries, and other facilities accessible by public
transportation." $500
Kay Sims - Buddy Reading Stronger than Ever
Supplies books, bins, film and games for a new Special Day Classroom.
"Children of all ages and levels need to read and play together. Children
teach each other reading strategies." $300
Joella Trupin - Extended Day Care Lending Library
This grant buys books for an after-school classroom library. "Books are
expensive. This project will help encourage reading within families."
$300
Ted Watson - Rolling Experimental Kitchen
Buys a rolling cart and kitchen supplies to allow two teachers with connecting
classrooms "to enhance our instruction in many disciplines . . . We believe
that engaging the students in multisensory lessons in the kitchen will
'hook ' children into the curriculum." $500
Middle Schools
MARTIN LUTHER KIND MIDDLE SCHOOL
Jesse Anthony - Musician Assistants for Jazz
Band
Provides a $500 yearly stipend to two professional musicians volunteering
with the 65-member school Jazz Band. "It is impossible for a single teacher
to effectively instruct each child in this large group with a wide variety
of skill levels. . . It is my purpose with this request to simply express
my appreciation of their large contribution of time and energy to our
students. $1,000
Rachel Brand - Music in the Edible Schoolyard
Kitchen
Provides sheet music and other supplies to supplement the piano already
residing in the kitchen. "Our goal is to create the kitchen as a space
where students feel comfortable exploring their musical interests, and
where they can learn how music ties into the cooking . . ." $150
Rachel Brand - The Crafts Club
Buys a sewing machine, fabric, and knitting supplies for lunchtime crafts
in the Edible Schoolyard Kitchen. "This club fits into our goal of teaching
the students skills that enhance their creativity, individuality, self-confidence
and self-reliance." $150
Jay Cohen - Bottle Rockets
Purchases supplies for students to build and launch their own pressurized
water and air propelled rocket. "This activity builds excitement and enthusiasm
for physics and rockets specifically, and for science and school more
generally." $590
Seth Corrigan - Social Living Speakers
Brings guest speakers on sexual orientation issues, substance abuse prevention,
and HIV to eighth grade Social Living classes. "The speakers, many of
whom have first hand experience with the issues we are discussing, provide
an unforgettable emotional and cognitive experience for the students."
$500
Elaine Eger - Heroes on the Wall
Provides materials and artist 's stipend to repair murals damaged during
school reconstruction, and create a third, "all of which prominently display
our multi-ethnic heritage and greet all students, visitors and teachers
to our school." $1,000
Teri Gerritz - Homework Club
Funds provide stipends and supplies for high school and college student
tutors in this long-successful afterschool homework program. "Can you
imagine homework being fun? This club replicates the dining room table
or peer study groups with cross-grade help, volunteers and materials."
$800
Josie Gerst - Literacy Pals
Pays for postage and supplies to enable middle school students to write
regularly to adults about books and reading. "Literacy Pals offers students
an opportunity to engage in authentic, purposeful writing in the form
of regular letters to an adult pen pal." $1,274
Jan Goodman - Celebrating Student Voices through
Poetry
Pays for duplication and binding of class poetry books presented to students
at graduation. "Poetry can serve as a vehicle to invite middle school
students into the classroom as they explore their country 's history, their
own lives, their passions and teenage identity issues." $686
Akemi Hamai - Pillar Point Tide Pools
Sends students on a life sciences field trip to the Pillar Point tide
pools near Half Moon Bay. The Foundation 's contribution increased significantly
this year to compensate for District budget cuts. $1,500
Martha Hoppe - Nonfiction Periodicals for Silent
Independent Reading
Covers subscription costs for Kids Discover magazine and other periodicals
to support Silent Independent Reading activities. $75
Mya Hotter - Building Community and Developing
Cultural Literacy
Covers subscription costs for "high interest" periodicals, at two reading
levels and in both English and Spanish, for Special Day Class students.
"My students have a difficult time keeping up on current events because
reading materials are often beyond their reading level." $500
Barbara Lind - Enhancing Film-Making Opportunities
Purchases a video camera for use in computer science elective classes.
"Working in teams, students write short screen plays and documentaries,
and then film and edit them for presentation. They love it!" $711
Loralie Miller - Photography Class at the Extended
Day Program
Provides photography materials for King 's popular afterschool program.
"In learning the technical issues of photography, students will gain a
sense of mastery over a scientific topic while still having the fun of
seeing the results of their efforts in a finished photograph." $500
Joy Osborne - Pt. Reyes Outdoor Education Field
Trip
Funds food for this three-day field trip offered as a community-building
and academic enrichment program for all sixth graders at Berkeley 's largest
middle school. "We are fortunate to have teachers who are well-versed
in environmental education and committed to this curriculum at our school."
$2,250
Patricia Rathwell - English as a Second Language
Tutorial
Funds bilingual tutors for an afterschool homework program. "Due to the
budget deficit in the district, two of our English Language Learners classes
closed last year, causing even more ELL students to be placed in mainstream
classes where they obviously receive less direct support." $2,000
Lea Redmond - Papermaking with Plants
Buys supplies for an Edible Schoolyard project using plants to create
handmade paper. "Making paper out of garden plants would be a great way
to discuss the fact that everything comes from nature, not just the food
we eat." $500
Joyce Seitz - Newsletter Translation for Spanish-Speaking
Parents
Provides a stipend for translation into Spanish of the schools 's monthly
newsletter. "Parent involvement is crucial for students ' academic success."
$875
Jan Sells - Countering Homophobia at King
Brings New Conservatory Theater Center artists to King to present eighth
graders with a performance of The Other Side of the Closet. "As a result
of the Gay/Straight Alliance 's activities at King, we have seen a decrease
in homophobia as education and awareness increase." $525
Jan Sells - Replenishing our Counseling "Tools"
Provides materials used by King 's school counselor after three recent
moves diminished supplies. "These tools offer richer resources for emotional
expression to King 's hundreds of counseling clients." $375
Kelsey Siegel - Seed to Seed Supplies screens, bowls, jars, and other materials to implement a seed saving program in the Edible Schoolyard. "Seed saving meets the needs of both students and teachers in core curriculum including history and science." $400
Richard Silberg - Beowulf: The Play
Pays for lighting rental and prop materials to produce the annual spring
play. "We need to make Grendel 's severed arm realistic enough to gross
out an auditorium filled with middle school students . . .Beowulf is part
of the core curriculum for seventh grade, so perhaps we can invite our
Willard and Longfellow neighbors." $400
Richard Silberg - Playmaking
Brings four professional actors from the Shotgun Players, a local theater
group, into classes to work with students. "During the two-week program
there are improvisations, theater games and writing activities leading
students to create their characters with wants, wishes, and conflicts.
It is, at its core, a playwriting project . . .Plays are magic." $500
Thomas Sinsheimer - Poetry Anthology
Pays for printing and binding of a student poetry anthology. "Often the
students with the hardest lives have the best success with this project
. . .It is something valuable that the students take with them both literally
(in the form of the anthology) and figuratively (as an experience)." $500
Beth Sonnenberg - Multilingual Signs in the
School Garden
Signs that reflect the many languages spoken by school families will be
created to iden-tify the biodiversity of plant life found in the garden.
"Student achievement is a direct result of individuals making connections
to the place where learning happens." $350
LONGFELLOW MIDDLE SCHOOL
Carole Bloomstein - Library Books in Spanish
Supports Longfellow 's new 6th grade Spanish/English "Dual Immersion" language
program by buying up to 50 new and varied books to supplement the library 's
current collection of 20 bilingual works in fiction only. $300
Rebecca Cheung - Spirit Building and Recognition
Buys a button-making machine for use in boosting school spirit. "We feel
the power of school unity and the power of deserved recognition for positive
attitude and accomplishment adds to the success of each student and of
the school." $464
Shaeedah Deal - Cultural Dance Performance
Purchases costumes for the students in cultural dance as well as supplies
for set designs and props $400 Ruth Dorman Classroom Presentations on
a Television Screen Purchases a camera to allow students a close-up view
of techniques and objects as demonstrated by this art teacher. "The entire
class would be able to see me and hear me." $362
Ruth Dorman - Masks of the World
Provides a stipend for Oaxacan artist Ernesto Olmos to work with students
on creating paper mache masks influenced by different cultures of the
world. "This year, Longfellow is the site of the dual immersion Spanish
program for Berkeley middle schools . . .Mr. Olmos is a wonderful role model
for all students, especially our Latino population." $685
Alan Lee - Supplementary Materials for Social
Living
Updates texts and videos for this class on adolescent health and social
issues. "Our current materials are from the late 1970s and '80s.
Students lose the message because the images are so dated." $500
Tina Lewis - English Language Learners Club
Provides a stipend for the bilingual supervisor of this after-school homework
club, which offers one-on-one UC Berkeley tutors. "Our club, and our bright
young Cal students who serve as positive role models, provide emotional
support on a personal level that may not be available from daytime teachers
whose classrooms have increased in size this year." $1,691
Mary Patterson - Longfellow Dual-Immersion Team
Building
Pays for school buses and scholarships for students in the new Dual Immersion
language program to attend an overnight, all-in-Spanish trip to the Marin
Headlands Youth Hostel. "I believe this trip will help solidify the feeling
of community among the students, and give them more reason to value their
participation." $500
WILLARD MIDDLE SCHOOL
Jessica Cole - Life Science Comes Alive!
Buys slides, reagent paper, and other materials to help "make difficult
life science concepts and functions easy to understand." $509
Tiffany Carrico - Willard Band-Jazz School Liaison
Brings young adult musicians from Berkeley 's Jazz School to teach and
mentor members of the band class, which has grown this year from 25 students
to 37. Also funds a performance and lecture at the school by Jazz School
musicians. $1,000
Ryan Chinn - Scholastic Dynamath
Pays for subscriptions to "DynaMath", a monthly magazine presenting up-to-date
articles of interest with challenging math and word problems. "Experience
has shown that with high-interest articles, photographs, and challenging
work, motivation is greater, curiosity is stronger, and time on task is
longer." $924
Ryan Chinn - Science Discovery Boxes
Replenishes supplies of small animals--crickets, rats, toads, meal worms,
etc.--for use in a hands-on project "which allows each student to enter
the world of science through his or her own lens and understanding." $327
Jeb Evans - Mayan Madness: Using Positive and
Negative Numbers to Learn Timelines
Allows the purchase of a game that demonstrates the concept of time "before
and after the year 0". "The two concepts of time lines and computing positive
and negative numbers are difficult for sixth graders to understand, given
their age and their developing brain." $272
Suzanne Ingley - Plate Tectonics in Your Hands Buys three-dimensional globes for geography studies. "I 'm now teaching geography concepts using balloons and flashlights. Running your fingers down a mountain range and seeing how the plates once joined will bring earth science more to life." $500
Vana James - Robotics in Space
Buys K-Nex building kits and batteries to allow astronomy students to
design and build robot models. The models will populate a space colony
on Mars, and be designed to function under that planet 's challenging conditions.
$500
Susanne Jensen - Nutrition and Cooking Education
Purchases supplies such as a refrigerator and grain grinders for the school 's
nutrition program. "We apply reading, math, science and geography in a
practical way in each class." $750
Jesse Ragent - Math Scholastic Magazines
Purchases class subscriptions of the monthly Math Scholastic Magazine.
"Students often do not see the relevance of pre-algebra to their daily
lives. This magazine focuses on such real-world connections." $233
George Rose -Sixth Grade Book Club Sixth graders will select books to order for classroom Book Clubs, then visit bookstores to buy the books for use in small groups and as a permanent classroom library. $250
\Matt Tsang - Willard Greening Project Supplies irrigation supplies, food for chickens and rabbits, and other materials necessary to one of Berkeley 's original school gardens. $1,100
High Schools
BERKELEY HIGH SCHOOL
Ilene Abrams - College Application Handbook
for Seniors & College Info Guide for Juniors
Provides partial support for these popular handbooks that provide every
student important college information. The Handbook also allows the college
advisor more time to meet individually with students. $1,000
Rick Ayers - Literary Magazine
Helps the Communication Arts and Sciences (CAS) project revive the school
Literary Magazine which was abandoned a few years ago due to a lack of
funding. "With the Literary Magazine, we are inviting students to soar--to
create their own forms, to break barriers, to make a difference." $750
Barbara Beal - BBQ at Pt. Reyes
Sends students working in the school 's Good Food Cafe on a field trip
"to establish community among our students and further their environmental
awareness. "I like to introduce as many city kids to the outdoors as I
possibly can." $750
Rory Bled - Organizer Book
Supports the annual production of the Organizer, a spiral-bound daily/monthly
student planner book distributed to all Berkeley High students. "Consistent
use of the Organizer can assist with the development of organization skills
and can have a great impact on student achievement." $500
Susan Brown - Baile Folklorico
Provides a stipend for an instructor to teach Baile Folklorico to P. E.
students. "The students receive great physical training as well as a lesson
in history, diversity and performing arts." After nine years school funding
was cut, and the instructor is currently volunteering. $1,300
Linda Carr - Guest Choreographers Series
Provides stipends for Master Classes in various forms of modern dance,
to be taught by Bay Area choreographers. "My students benefit tremendously
from receiving instruction from professional dancers in areas outside
of my own expertise." $585
Tamar Chaet - Life Skills/Community Based Instruction
The grant will provide hands-on experience in life and work skills to
participants in the Special Education program for severely disabled students.
"'Community-Based Instruction ' gives my students the opportunity to be
educated in non-traditional settings, learning essential life skills that
non-disabled students learn at an early age." $350
Lucinda Daly - Photography Students Collaborate
with English Language Learners
Provides film, mounting boards, and other materials for a project in which
advanced photography students work in pairs with English language learners
to create black-and-white photographic portraits for public exhibition.
"I have consistently promoted the idea that students should pursue careers
in the arts by developing outstanding skills and professional portfolios,
and by exhibiting their work in galleries and public spaces." $417
Janet Dunlop - Cooking is for Everyone
Purchases specially adapted cooking equipment and food items for use in
a Special Education class teaching daily living skills to handicapped
students. $350
Per Eisenman - Bringing Life into the Classroom
Supplies live fish and plants to a Special Education class focused on
ecology and life sciences. "This project will bring the fascinating world
beneath the surface of the water into our classroom." $618
Tamara Friedman - BHS Culture and Language Exchange
Sends students on a field trip to the La Honda Ropes Course for team building
and culmination of year-long activities. "I had never thought about how
difficult it is to come to the US and learn to speak English until joining
this club." $700
Anne Johnson - Making a Community of Heroes
Sends sophomores in the new Community Partnerships Academy (an outgrowth
of the Computer Academy) to a day-long workshop exploring the concept
of community heroes, in which participants learn to trust and rely upon
each other, and help each other rise to meet challenges. The course is
one component of a year-long Community Heroes Project. $1,800
Christina Kellogg - Library of Short-Form Films
Buys high quality short films for use in the fast-growing but minimally
supported video program to teach story structure, character development,
and film language. "While an English teacher might use Salinger or
Shakespeare to teach metaphor or character development . . .video teachers
need top notch films to demonstrate all of the above in addition to film
language and shooting and editing techniques." $500
Alan Miller - Improving Persuasive Writing
Provides hourly stipends for ten English teachers to review student papers,
with the goal of improving Berkeley High 's teaching of persuasive writing.
"With support form the Writers ' Room, we have developed a common pedagogy
for assessing student writing and teaching the persuasive essay . . .which
is required by the California High School Exit Exam as well as most college
applications." $1,253
Eric Norberg - Display Boards for Photography
Purchases mat boards and photographic paper for public presentation of
artwork created in five photography classes. "From our own exhibits on
campus to the Oakland Museum, and even this last year 's winner of the
New York Times Magazine competition, the students ' vision is a beacon
of light to the world." $300
Eric Norberg - Pencils, Charcoal and Ink for
Students who Draw
Buys crayons, charcoal, a life skull cast, and other materials for two
drawing classes. "Many students find it hard to access the artistic materials
needed to experience the course." $500
Dharini Rasiah - Audio Equipment for the Video
Program
Purchases microphones, boom poles, and other audio equipment for the video
production program. "Our students ' videos have been accepted to the New
York Film Festival, the SFMOMA Film Festival, the Orinda and Mill Valley
Film Festivals." $1,040
Dharini Rasiah - A Portable Screen for the Video
Program
Purchases a portable screen for the video production program to display
student work at the high school and throughout the city, as well as at
other partner schools and for presentation of work by guest filmmakers.
$1,000
Joanna Sapir - World History Literature Circles
Supplies books for Literature Circles, a highly engaging method of selecting,
reading, and reporting on books in small groups. "Since being introduced
to the Literature Circles method four years ago . . .I have used it as a powerful
way to connect students to the content and engage them in historical thinking
around that content." $1,000
Jody Sokolower - Fast Food
Nation in Econ Class
Purchases a class set of Fast Food Nation as supplementary text. "There 's
a tremendous need for economics materials that will engage the students
and make them realize the connection between the critical economics principles
in the California academic standards and their own lives and futures."
$378
Vern Spohn - Biological Consumables for Enrichment
Lab Program
Provides perishable supplies to enrich the single-period biology lab class.
"The grant monies will allow the students to explore the biological concepts
being studied in a small lab group setting, rather than a teacher-directed
classroom demonstration." $2,500
Karen Wells - Professional Musical Mentors
Provides honoraria for four professional musicians to work intensively
with small groups of musicians in the school 's orchestra and band. "Last
year the mentors were able to coach students very specifically on embouchure,
bowing techniques, specialized fingerings, breathing technique, and playing
traditions. It is vitally important for this program to continue." $600
Jordan Winer - Costume Director
Provides a stipend for the drama department 's costume and prop director,
who for the last five years has, as a volunteer, maintained and restocked
the costume collection needed for the annual fall and spring musicals
and other productions. $1,250
Jordan Winer - Tape Recorders for Interviewing
Buys hand-held cassette tape recorders for beginning journalism students
to use in interviewing subjects for "Voices in the Hive", a planned monologue/oral
history production. $150
Jordan Winer - Technical Theater/Production
Provides a stipend for a Berkeley High alumna and theater professional
to assist the school 's sole drama teacher with instruction in set design
and construction and other related skills necessary for two major productions.
"This technical theatre training goes directly to the heart of my own
core educational values: it develops team-building skills, brings students
together from different cultures and learning styles, and teaches students
to focus on a project from beginning to end." $500
BERKELEY ALTERNATIVE HIGH SCHOOL
Philip Halpern - Video Yearbook Projects: Berkeley
Alternative High & Le Conte Elementary
Buys videotapes and other supplies for the school 's fourth annual Video
Yearbook, and this year for the first time enables high school students
to work with Le Conte students on a yearbook for their elementary school.
"Producing the yearbooks has proven to be a valuable tool for the teaching
of English, video production, media literacy, commitment to community,
and collaboration among students." $817
Travis Smith - New Traditions Organic Garden
Purchases fruit trees and irrigation equipment to create a small organic
orchard in the busy campus area adjacent to Berkeley 's weekly Farmers
Market. $1,000
Larry Stefl - Schoolwide Ceramic Tile Mural
Pays for ceramic tiles, glazes and grout to install a permanent mural
on campus. "Our students need this project due to the fragmentation in
their lives, lack of success in school, and the large degree of violence
that they experience on a too regular basis." $800
Jean Whittlesey - CPR Project
Contracts for the services of certified teachers to train students in
cardiopulmonary resuscitation. "CPR is a basic way for our students to
get a taste of what working in the health field entails, and to gain a
skill required for entrance to some colleges offering these programs."
$500
Independent Study Program
Nancy Silver - Herb Garden
Purchases herbs to enable an Independent Study student, under teacher
supervision, to design and install a campus herb garden as part of her
community service requirement. $100
Nancy Silver - PE Equipment for Berkeley Independent
Study
Buys weights, balls, and instructional videos to incorporate the School
District 's physical education standards into the Independent Study program.
$191
