Harbaugh Innovation Grants
Applications for the 2012-2013 school year are now available!
Please read all the details on this year's application carefully.
The Public Education Foundation is pleased to invite HCDE teachers – working in groups of two or more – to apply for grants of up to $1,000 to help carry out creative classroom learning projects during the 2012-13 school year. PEF’s goal is to encourage teacher collaboration as well as to deepen student learning through innovative experiences.
There will be three focal areas for 2012-13 innovation grants: arts and culture, STEM, and service learning. Collaborations with other community agencies are encouraged. Applications are due on May 7, 2012.
If you have questions, email Leslie Graitcer at PEF or call 423-265-9403 and ask for Leslie.
Congratulations to the following 2011-2012 Jane Harbaugh Innovation Grant recipients:
East Lake Elementary, lead teacher April Boggs: “Students Saving Their Environment” – 2nd graders will be the school’s Green Teams to collect recyclables from all classrooms and take to central recycle area, keep monthly reports, compost products from lunchroom to use in vegetable garden, and use recyclable resources to make art.
Hixson Elementary, lead teacher Josh Yother: “Wildcats in the Wild World” – 3rd graders will learn about ecosystems by creating a submersible garden pond and a residential garden at the school as habitats for different plants and animals to be studied; students will observe, chart and write about the ecosystems.
Hixson Middle, lead teacher Pat Bowen: “Hixson Healthy Starts Project” – Students will create an outdoor greenhouse, plant seeds, cultivate vegetables, then harvest and can or cook the products; will learn about careers in gardening, farming and food preparation.
Lookout Valley Elementary, lead teacher Brenda Miller: “Mini-Ecosystems” – Students will create a terrarium and aquarium to study the environment and interdependence of living plants/creatures and learn scientific inquiry methods in the process.
McConnell Elementary, lead teacher Connie Robinson: “Early Peoples Symbols Project” – 4th graders will do research on cultural history and symbols of early groups in local region (Cherokees) and create original artifacts in similar style; will connect and share with students from other countries as part of international iEARN program.
Normal Park Upper, lead teacher AnnaLouise Haynes Myers: “Al203.2Si02.2H2: The Chemistry of Clay” – science and art teachers will collaborate for students to study the chemical compounds that make clay (as part of unit on periodic table), mix components to make glazes, create clay sculptures and observe the chemical changes during firing of sculptures; then exhibit products.
Red Bank High, lead teacher Stacey Bandy: “Reaching Out, Buying In” – Students will gather on Saturdays to learn how to plan meals, create budgets, shop for and prepare healthy meals based on sample menus/recipes, with goal to learn personal finance and meal preparation for their families; students will share lessons in other classes to practice public speaking.
Signal Mountain Middle/High and Brown Academy, lead teachers Dean Cress and Dara Lacy: “Isolation of Mycobacteriophage from Soil Environment of Chattanooga” – HCDE’s two IB schools will collaborate on an environmental/biology project: students will search for and study novel bacteriophage, gather soil samples from diverse locations, study basic properties in soil, isolate and test bactriophage, and create bacteriophage clones for later DNA isolation/genome analysis.
Snow Hill Elementary, lead teacher Vicki Sewell: “Fantastic Fridays” – Science and art exploration; each teacher will develop hands-on science lessons with complementary art activities and students will rotate classrooms every Friday to do the projects.
Woodmore Elementary, lead teacher April Morris: "Butterfly Habitats: Life Cycle Unit” – Students will study life cycle of the butterfly by planting flowers in school garden designed to attract butterflies and also by raising butterflies in an indoor classroom pavilion; students will maintain both environments & study differences in habitats and phases of the lifecyle.
About the Jane Harbaugh Innovation Grants
Applications for new Jane Harbaugh Innovation Grants for Teachers will be available in early 2012.
PEF is pleased to be able to offer teachers an opportunity to apply for a small grant of up to $1,000 for creative classroom learning projects that require outside resources. PEF's goal is to encourage teachers to collaborate on these projects, as well as to spur innovation and enhance student learning. These awards will be competitive. The criteria for the grant awards are as follows:
- The application should be developed jointly by teams of 2-5 teachers for classroom projects that they will carry out either in unison or individually in each of their classrooms, with joint sharing in the end.
- One teacher on the team should be designated as Project Leader; this person will be responsible for communications with PEF.
- The projects should be in the areas of the environment, global awareness, technology, and for community betterment. (The projects should promote math and literacy skills as well).
- The projects should connect to the school's overall learning goals, but go beyond the strict curriculum in order to enliven student interest, widen the students' outlook, and add relevancy to their learning.
- The applicants must agree to share their project, the implications it had on their teaching and the results for student learning with their school faculties.
- Grant awards will come to the school, for distribution to the teacher team.
- The Project Director will be responsible for sending PEF an end-of-year summary on the project with an expenditure report, including copies of receipts.
Grant award checks will be sent to the school, for distribution to the teacher team.
For more information, contact:
Inga Johannesen, PEF Administrative Assistant
423.265.9403