2019 Grants
Physics (Field) of Dreams- $4,888.01 RCHS
Alan Stowers (grant author) Kevin Babcock, Cynthia McNeal, Robert Sutherland
“Physics of Dreams, if you build it, they will learn. Teachers have one day at a time to influence the future of our students. Each classroom interaction and activity can set the stage for a life-time of knowledge, curiosity, and experiences. With this grant, students will have the ability to see the world in motion in a way that most don’t get to experience. To see the physical world’s game in action is transforming. Students will view the motion of their daily lives in a scientific format of all kinds. Teach out there where students can grasp onto dreams.”
I'm Hungry for a Book! - $4,998.00 Vernon
Cheri Froehling, Noemi Ramos
“We teachers always want our students to read more, but how? When? What? What if getting a new book was as easy as picking a delicious snack from your favorite vending machine? Even better, what if getting the book was free? Better than that, what if you got a special token, from any adult in the building for any reason, (but especially for doing something you were not able to before!) Then you could hop on down to Inchy the Bookworm’s Book Vending machine, push a button and get a brand new, yummy looking, fiction or nonfiction, fantastic book! Just for you!”
MERGE Cube -$2,253.56 Fort
Amber Hutcheson
“The MERGE cube is an interactive engagement tool that creates a virtual learning experience on devices that we already have in class! This innovative MERGE Cube is a fresh addition to our current technology. The Cube will not only foster creativity, but it will also engage students in a new way. MERGE Cube encompasses learning by allowing students the capability to manipulate and interact with activities to learn and reinforce key concepts in a virtual setting. Teachers can personalize the experience for their class by downloading activities and games that will enrich their learning specific to their needs.”
Entrepreneurs for Life -$3,263.01 RCHS
Michelle Culp, Jessica Gettys, Chelsea Holcomb, Debi Wood
“Entrepreneurs drive our economy. In fact about 543,000 new businesses are started each month in the U.S. Our passion is to prepare our students for life beyond high school. We want them to have full, active, and amazing lives! However, the sad fact is the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 7.2% compared to 3.6% for people without disabilities. We believe preparing our students for the business world is the answer to this problem. By teaching our students to run a business, we are teaching them the skills needed to be an effective employee or even begin their own venture.”
Rock Climbing Wall -$3,293.00 Ruth Cherry
Shannon Ellington, Georgette McDaniel
“Imagine the excitement of all the little faces when they walk into the gym and see a rock climbing wall. As for the fun aspect of things, this could be an opportunity for some of our students that will get the chance to enjoy places like Ninja Warrior or Shenanigans. For the teacher point of view I see an opportunity to teach so many aspects of all units. Here are just a few of them range of motion, flexibility, strength, hand eye coordination, balance, teamwork, and problem solving. The possibilities are endless!”
Uniquely Ukulele- $2,988.64 Ruth Cherry
Sharon Steele
“Daily Ukulele is a music grant that will excite Ruth Cherry's 5th and 6th grade music students and encourage them to learn more about reading, playing and performing music. Students will be learning basic strumming techniques that can be transferred to guitar and other strummed instruments. They will be strengthening their music reading skills and they will be gaining confidence as they perform the songs they learn on their Ukuleles! This program will also strengthen hand/eye coordination, and help students learn to work and play as a team. Learning an instrument like ukulele can: improve memory and social skills, provide stress relief and self-expression, increase confidence and creativity, enhance listening skills, patience and sharpen concentration and give students a sense of achievement and happiness.”
The Wondrous Wacky to Wiser Wiggle Walk -$1,500.00 Davis
Christy McNiel, Audrea Peterson, Crystal Anderson, Ashleigh Nelson, Ron Corcoran, Andres Gabino, Kimberly Palmer, Jennifer Prewett
“A sensory path is a colorful, creative and playful way for students to build connections in the brain that are responsible for the five senses. This will enable students to develop motor skills like balance, hand-eye coordination, and spacial awareness.. Sensory play also is an excellent "brain break". Sensory pathways assist students that need to increase energy levels as well as help students to calm down and refocus. A sensory path would also reinforce basic skills such as letter identification, 2d shapes, counting and number identification. A sensory path would be great for helping develop and strengthen academic skills as well as gross motor skills.”
Let Their Voices Be Heard!- $ 968.84 Herndon
“The QBall is a wireless microphone that also is a ball that students can toss around the classroom. The ball aspect of this device allows it to be an engaging tool that gives students a hands-on experience in classroom conversations, while also building community within the classroom. The microphone gives each student a voice in the classroom and allows all students to connect to what others are saying, both the outspoken and reserved students.”
All Aboard; Full Steam Ahead!- $1,522.42 Vernon
Tayla Wallis (Writer), Christy Miller, Jana Pope, Kim Faulk, Casey Oyer, Esther Holmberg, Bethani Leija, Julie Bennett, Kristen Jacobs
“Kindergarteners are full of energy and excitement to learn! Full Steam Ahead is a day of hands-on learning designed just for them that they will remember for years to come. Students will problem solve, use critical thinking, and their imagination using a variety of tools. They will investigate their world and become scientists, engineers, artists, mathematicians, and technologists for the day! Students will be fully engaged as they learn how the world works around them.”
We Like to Move It, Move it! - $1,500.00 Fort
Lisa O'Neal, Jennifer Murrey
“We like to move it! Move it! And so do our students! Peer reviewed research shows that students often benefit from the opportunity to expel energy in the form of frequent short breaks. These breaks can increase productivity and help improve focus with in the classroom environment. Our hope is to purchase the products for and create a sensory/movement hallway so that any student who benefits from movement breaks or proprioceptive sensory input can utilize this tool as a strategy to increase success within the classroom.”
SOAR: Near-space Flight- $3,571.51 RCHS
Kevin Babcock
"SOAR" may be the impetus that causes our students to become the next great engineer in-space or on-land. This project is part of a project-based learning unit that explores force, motion, energy, gas laws, remote imagery; and then connects these concepts to engineering. This cross-curricular science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) project will allow student teams to design/build a high-altitude balloon system for the Global Space Challenge. This challenge will require that students plan the solution using an integrated approach and then make connections between the payload, regulatory, safety, launch and communication requirements using the Engineering Design Process that we are learning in the classroom.
Drones: from Eye-level to Sky-level $ 4,068.54 RCHS
Kevin Babcock
“Have you ever watched a drone buzzzz? Better yet, have you ever flown a drone? Cool! is usually the word uttered when people see one fly-by. Many people see drones as cool toys; however, drones could be the 'hook of coolness' that moves our students into the growing STEM fields. Showing our students that drones are a tool with relevance to technological applications in the fields of aerospace, agriculture, and environment may be a motivating force that moves them into the fields of aviation, engineering, programming, or mechatronics. Moving students vision from eye-level to sky-level becomes a possibility with "Drones"!”
Bulldog Factory- $5, 000.00 RCHS
Lisa Davis
“The Fashion Design Practicum need to start their own business to fulfill a TEKS requirement for a formal Internship/Externship in Fashion Design/Production. Beginning with the purchase and training of the students on how to use the production equipment. The Sublimation process produces a beautiful product that is limitless in style a scale. Imagine no more designs peeling off of your vinyl or screen printed shirt. The design is actually part of the garment. The students will create the customer's design for approval, print the design product and then using a heat press the ink is turned into a gas and becomes part of the garment. Science is awesome. There is no raised edge to peel or flake off. The process will also allow for Design students to create their own fabric for garment production, this also fulfills another TEK for Textile design.”
QBall for Questioning $1,200.00 RCHS
Kathleen Krumnow
(on behalf of the entire English Department)
"Students learn more when everyone can hear what their students and their fellow students are saying" - Shane Cox, inventor of QBall Qball is a soft ball with a microphone inside of it. This product allows students to be heard, block out background noise, and gives them the opportunity to move around! Even at the high school level, many students are afraid to speak up, The Qball helps students and teachers to be able to hear one another in a fun way to help engage students throughout the entire class.
Play-On-Neon -$327.11 Fort
Angela Roberts
“Games in the classroom are such a powerful way to get our students excited about learning. It makes the buy-in so easy which is super important! However, games can easily become just that.....excitement without any academic mastery actually happening. The bottom line is this....if the excitement isn't matched with rigorous content, then all you have is fun without the learning. The idea of 'Play-On-Neon' is transforming your classroom for review with a black light neon environment. Turning regular games into an engaging and educational experience. Students will have the opportunity to bring their classroom to life with a glowing innovative neon application of learning. Students will be captivated by lights and intrigued by skill games that will challenge their minds to explore our hardest TEKS, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, in a hands-on, higher level, and problem-solving phenomenon.”
Capturing Minds With Book Buddies- $1,880 Fort
Kristi Byrne (Grant Author), Stacy Bookout, Valeri Jayroe, Ashley Drabble, Miriam Martinez,
Chelsea Robertson.
“Imagine the excitement you feel on Christmas morning, as you wake up to find wrapped gifts under the tree. We would like our students to feel this same excitement every month with a Book Reveal Party! Each month every 1st and 2nd grade student will receive a book of their own to grow their own personal home library. However, that's not even the most exciting part, they will also get to share the love of reading with a Book Buddy. This will not only encourage kids to become bookworms, but they get to create new friendships too!”
Bones, Math, & Basketball $769.12 Scott
Alison Linnert
“Bones & Basketball will involve a lesson on the major bones of the body. We will review this frequently over the course of the basketball unit. Once students have had time to memorize most if not all of the bones, they will participate in basketball dribbling relay races. Each student will dribble down the court to the box of bones, select one, and then dribble back with the bone. Each student will repeat this until all the bones are gone, while their teams are working on putting the skeleton (bones puzzle) together. The team who completes bone puzzle correctly first wins.”
Let There Be Light- $1,999.00 RCHS
Gina Nelson, Sarah Steinbacher
“Let There be Light will provide opportunities for more students to have hands-on learning in the technical theatre and theatre arts classrooms, increasing motivation and engagement. Currently the outdated portable lighting system is dedicated to the UIL One-Act play competition team and Mainstage productions. In addition, access to the Performing Art Center lighting system is limited. Providing a new portable system for the competition team and the mainstage crew would allow beginning theatre classes to use the old portable system to fulfill the technical design and skills TEKS for Theatre Arts and Technical Theatre Arts education.”
Suspension Training - $907.52 Fort
Melissa Kethley Rager
“Kids enjoy moving around and being active! The TRX trainer is a wonderful tool for students to use to enhance their physical fitness. We would love the opportunity to bring this great fitness tool to our students at Fort! Through TRX training students will gain muscular strength and endurance, core stability, improve flexibility and cardiovascular health. The TRX trainer is another avenue for students to explore in physical education that they can continue to use throughout their entire life.”
"LEADing The Way to Mental Wellness": RCHS Mental Wellness Center $2,730.52
Leah Voth
“A current study by the National Education Association stated that 70% of students suffer from anxiety. That translates to approximately 1400 kids at RCHS that deal with this on a consistent basis. Our grant would provide them a spot to relax, refocus, and learn some practical ways to calm themselves whether they are feeling anxious, overstimulated, or simply overpowered by life. Monitored by teachers and available to students during power hour, this would give RCHS the ability to track where students are and become proactive in their approach to helping the mental health crisis that students are facing today.”