The Bastrop Education Foundation continues its tradition of fostering unique and imaginative teaching
opportunities for BISD students. This year we awarded 23 grants totaling more than $93,224. Ranging
in amounts from $1,000 to $18,040, these programs cover subject matter as diverse as a two-day
music appreciation and composition workshop for all 3rd through 6th grade choir students, to a
robotics grant that spans all grade levels. He’s a brief synopsis of each – enjoy!
Read it Forward
Bastrop Middle School & Cedar Creek Middle School
Grant Recipients: R. Davis & D. West
This project encourages every middle school student in the BISD community, along with teachers,
administrators, parents, and support staff, to read a good book and share their enthusiasm for it with
others. 30 copies of two different books will be purchased and distributed to students and staff to
read. After finishing the novel, readers will share their thoughts about the book and then pass it along
to another reader to enjoy.
Counseling with Toys
Bluebonnet Elementary
Grant Recipient: Lisa Williams
Many elementary age children have difficulty working through problems with words. Therefore,
counseling with toys will facilitate the process by providing a play environment from which they can
work through those issues that impede their academic progress. Play therapy is utilized to help
children express what is troubling them when they do not have the verbal language to express their
thoughts and feelings.
Turn It In for College Success
Bastrop High School
Grant Recipients: J. Allen, D. Wallace, L. Jones, M. Roffol & D. Wenske
TurnItIn™ academic software greatly accelerates the delivery of rich feedback on student work,
engages students in their own learning and development, and promotes critical thinking while
maintaining academic integrity. Use of the software by students will better prepare them for college,
and increase their success in college. The program allows both students and teachers to track
improvements in their writing and in their ability to analyze, create and evaluate information.
Early Act First Knight
Bluebonnet Elementary
Grant Recipient: R. Batlle
Early Act First Knight is a unique Character Education Program that uses the code of an idealized
medieval knighthood to teach students to be honorable, and to be positive influences in school and at
home. The EAFK program is also taught as another curriculum course where students gather for 10
minutes to participate in a discussion or an activity focusing on character building.
Click it-Know It-Own It!
Bastrop Intermediate School
Grant Recipients: C. Matthews, B. Sanders, C. Oltmann & A. Gonzales
The Classroom Performance Pulse Response Device facilitates greater student-teacher interaction in a
fun, dynamic learning environment that encourages discussion and participation. Students will use the
response system during power point presentations, class discussions, warm-up exercises, homework,
quizzes and general review. This will increase interest in their learning - resulting in an increased
knowledge - which is the ultimate goal.
Anatomy in Clay
Bastrop High School
Grant Recipients: L. Cherry, H. Trujillo & K. Frerich
The Anatomy in Clay system allows students to build the human anatomy in clay on a skeletal model,
allowing them to immediately tap into their own kinesthetic intelligence. This inherent intelligence is
extremely powerful and can embed the knowledge deeply in the student's memory. This system will
create a better foundational understanding of human body systems and how they support homeostasis
to improve student success in Anatomy, Physiology, Health Science and beyond.
SmartMusic Band Technology
Cedar Creek Intermediate School & Cedar Creek Middle School
Grant Recipient: Jeff Hefler
The SmartMusic technology and music library allows us to incorporate additional literature and
repertoire to student learning. Students will not only be able to engage self-directed learning, but they
will also be able to receive a multitude of immediate feedback and assessments concerning their
performance.
Weather Wonderland
Cedar Creek Middle School
Grant Recipients: S. Arantes, E. Adams, D. Sampson. A. Phillips & D. Zoda
Weather Wonderland is a thematic unit created by CCMS teachers that effectively covers the new 8th
grade science TEKS for climatic interactions among Earth, ocean, and weather systems. Hands-on
activities and the appropriate tools will be used to conduct scientific investigations with weather
instruments. The variety of tools and weather equipment may also be used by 7h and 8th grade
teachers for ecology studies and investigations that explore the environment and the impact of
climatic change.
Fun Facts!
Cedar Creek Elementary
Grant Recipient: K. Doyle
Teachers will create a variety of math fact cards that can be used with board games to support fact
development across grade levels. These engaging math fact development games will support the
acquisition, development, and retention of math facts.
Reaching the STAARS
Cedar Creek Middle School
Grant Recipients: K. Laskowski & A. Richason
With this camera all six CCMS ELA teachers can project colorful, editable images such as artwork,
newspaper articles, passages from texts, objects, and models. Students can share, revise, edit, and
rewrite in real time, making the writing process come alive. The document camera will allow high tech
lessons to be more spontaneous and flexible to meet the dynamic needs of the twenty-first century
student.
Graphic Novels as Scaffolding
Bastrop Middle School
Grant Recipients: Z. Messina, C. Williams, A. Malone, C. Klaerner, L. Allen & K. Cheshire
Students are bombarded with electronic images that last an average of five seconds, and the mental
stamina required to read something as lengthy as a classic of literature is diminished. As part of the
scaffolding process, students need literature of equally high-interest to help them attain this level of
success. Increased mental fortitude is something that stretches across all disciplines and should be
encouraged at every opportunity. Through the use of these high-interest materials, students will be
able to visualize progressions more easily, hold focus longer, and associate academic rigor with
feelings of success.
Songwriting with Jim Papoulis
All Elementary Schools
Grant Recipients: D. Bodine, S. Gideon, L. Spreen, J. Schlechte, B. Zech, J. Jones & M. Nevares
Composer/conductor Jim Papoulis, co-founder of Foundation for Small Voices, will hold a two-day
songwriting workshop for BISD elementary choir students. An extension of the Music TEKS, the
workshop will promote creative, collaborative teamwork, providing over 300 district elementary (3rd -
6th grade) choir students a unique opportunity to compose and perform an original work. Mentored by
the composer/conductor, students will focus on singing accurately, in tune, with confidence and in
balance with others. They will also appreciate critical elements of music creation, assembling
thoughts/lyrics, beat, rhythm and melody. The workshop will conclude with a public concert showcasing
their original composition.
BookFlix
Mina Elementary
Grant Recipinets: B. Gravitt, L. Berdoll, S. Naumann, C. Eddy-Rodriguez & M. Black
The BookFlix interactive literacy website pairs classic fictional video storybooks with non-fiction
eBooks to reinforce reading skills and develop essential knowledge and understanding. Each fiction
book is paired with a non-fiction book with twenty-one of the pairs translated into Spanish for bilingual
use. Each pair includes activities such as vocabulary match, sequencing, or telling fiction from non-
fiction. There are also web links about the subject, meet the author, and other educational activities.
Students will have access in the classroom, at home and in the Integration Lab.
BBE's Learning Lab
Bluebonnet Elementary
Grant Recipients: H. Wheeler, T. Williams, D. Skiles, C. Harris, N. Ramirez & J. Perez
The Mimio View and the Mimio Teach will transform Bluebonnet's third grade classrooms into learning
laboratories. These multi-media tools will help students connect concrete concepts to abstract, multi-
step problem solving strategies while embracing their digital learning styles. These classroom
experiences will not only help students score higher on achievement tests such as the TAKS tests but
also foster fluencies in creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration - which are vital to their future
success in school and the global community.
Wii Are A Learning Family
Cedar Creek Elementary
Grant Recipients: L. Spreen & K. Murray
The interactive system of Nintendo's Wii will be integrated into the Music and Physical Education
curriculums, supplementing the content with simulated research-based activities. In addition, cross-
curricular collaboration will allow core teachers to incorporate content, aided by feedback from the
systems' scoring method, so that concepts in the classroom can be assessed with real data procured by
the students themselves.
Elmo's World of Visual Math
Bastrop Intermediate School
Grant Recipient: Roque' Thompson
Elmo document cameras will replace overhead projectors, and the cameras will allow teachers to
display textbooks, three dimensional objects, and promote engaging interactive lessons.
Seeing is Believing
All Elementary Schools
Grant Recipients: K. Deviney, V. Tayor, M. Butler, H. Bach, V. Johnson & M. Daugherty
Document cameras will be used to show students how to create a work of art or technique that can't be
shown on an ordinary whiteboard, interactive board, or even in a group setting. Students will benefit
from using the cameras to create videos, sharing artworks, or showing how to create a project.
Accelerated Reading
Mina Elementary
Grant Recipients: J. Ashbrook, P. Perkins, S. Hoffman, B. Harris & M. Tuttrup
This reading program motivates students and sparks a love of reading, it also increases test scores
and reading ability.
An Interactive Classroom for Tech-Savvy 4th Graders
Emile Elementary
Grant Recipients: J. Williams, H. Tucker, K. Mixon, J. Harr & D. Busche
This complete Mimio system will involve students in the use of technology while learning on a daily
basis. Students will interact with lessons, create projects, and make connections through the use of an
interactive whiteboard. Students will use the Mimio Capture to save their projects from the white
board, use the MimioView as a camera to demonstrate understanding, show work on the white board
from any seat in class using the MimioPad, and record answers and provide data using the MimioVotes.
We Do Robotics
All Elementary Schools
Grant Recipients: P. Perkins & B. Doyle
Through the educational vehicle of LEGO robotics and other mechanisms in the classroom, true
technology integration experiences will be created for students, providing engaging interaction and
improve their science and math understanding. This grant also will enable students to problem solve
and think critically in STEM applications (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). This grant will
motivate both students and teachers by providing a program and resources that are user friendly,
hands on and also provide team interaction.
Automotive Technology Improvement
Bastrop High School
Grant Recipients: J. Summers & T. Killough
It’s all about technology these days, and the BISD Automotive Technical Training classes are no
exception. The ELMO camera system will be used to show what is going on with the brake repair –
where everyone in the class can see and not just the few who can look over the instructor’s shoulder!
Demonstrations are archived so lessons can be reviewed in the classroom setting.
Green City Robotics
Bastrop Intermediate School & Cedar Creek Intermediate School
Grant Recipient: Scott Pearson
The Green City grant, which includes environment mats, parts for models and curriculum, will be used
in the implementation of robotics classes. The curriculum introduces students to programming in a
progressive manner culminating with 3 renewable energy geared missions. This grant will motivate
both students and teachers by providing a program and resources that are user friendly, hands on and
also provide team interaction.
Putting the i in Science
Bastrop High School
Grant Recipient: Bryan Doyle
Biology and Chemistry teachers will use iPads to integrate mobile technology into daily lessons by using
specific apps that target biology and chemistry realms. The devices will spark new learning concepts
and ideas as they are used for more purposeful science projects with rich media content.
opportunities for BISD students. This year we awarded 23 grants totaling more than $93,224. Ranging
in amounts from $1,000 to $18,040, these programs cover subject matter as diverse as a two-day
music appreciation and composition workshop for all 3rd through 6th grade choir students, to a
robotics grant that spans all grade levels. He’s a brief synopsis of each – enjoy!
Read it Forward
Bastrop Middle School & Cedar Creek Middle School
Grant Recipients: R. Davis & D. West
This project encourages every middle school student in the BISD community, along with teachers,
administrators, parents, and support staff, to read a good book and share their enthusiasm for it with
others. 30 copies of two different books will be purchased and distributed to students and staff to
read. After finishing the novel, readers will share their thoughts about the book and then pass it along
to another reader to enjoy.
Counseling with Toys
Bluebonnet Elementary
Grant Recipient: Lisa Williams
Many elementary age children have difficulty working through problems with words. Therefore,
counseling with toys will facilitate the process by providing a play environment from which they can
work through those issues that impede their academic progress. Play therapy is utilized to help
children express what is troubling them when they do not have the verbal language to express their
thoughts and feelings.
Turn It In for College Success
Bastrop High School
Grant Recipients: J. Allen, D. Wallace, L. Jones, M. Roffol & D. Wenske
TurnItIn™ academic software greatly accelerates the delivery of rich feedback on student work,
engages students in their own learning and development, and promotes critical thinking while
maintaining academic integrity. Use of the software by students will better prepare them for college,
and increase their success in college. The program allows both students and teachers to track
improvements in their writing and in their ability to analyze, create and evaluate information.
Early Act First Knight
Bluebonnet Elementary
Grant Recipient: R. Batlle
Early Act First Knight is a unique Character Education Program that uses the code of an idealized
medieval knighthood to teach students to be honorable, and to be positive influences in school and at
home. The EAFK program is also taught as another curriculum course where students gather for 10
minutes to participate in a discussion or an activity focusing on character building.
Click it-Know It-Own It!
Bastrop Intermediate School
Grant Recipients: C. Matthews, B. Sanders, C. Oltmann & A. Gonzales
The Classroom Performance Pulse Response Device facilitates greater student-teacher interaction in a
fun, dynamic learning environment that encourages discussion and participation. Students will use the
response system during power point presentations, class discussions, warm-up exercises, homework,
quizzes and general review. This will increase interest in their learning - resulting in an increased
knowledge - which is the ultimate goal.
Anatomy in Clay
Bastrop High School
Grant Recipients: L. Cherry, H. Trujillo & K. Frerich
The Anatomy in Clay system allows students to build the human anatomy in clay on a skeletal model,
allowing them to immediately tap into their own kinesthetic intelligence. This inherent intelligence is
extremely powerful and can embed the knowledge deeply in the student's memory. This system will
create a better foundational understanding of human body systems and how they support homeostasis
to improve student success in Anatomy, Physiology, Health Science and beyond.
SmartMusic Band Technology
Cedar Creek Intermediate School & Cedar Creek Middle School
Grant Recipient: Jeff Hefler
The SmartMusic technology and music library allows us to incorporate additional literature and
repertoire to student learning. Students will not only be able to engage self-directed learning, but they
will also be able to receive a multitude of immediate feedback and assessments concerning their
performance.
Weather Wonderland
Cedar Creek Middle School
Grant Recipients: S. Arantes, E. Adams, D. Sampson. A. Phillips & D. Zoda
Weather Wonderland is a thematic unit created by CCMS teachers that effectively covers the new 8th
grade science TEKS for climatic interactions among Earth, ocean, and weather systems. Hands-on
activities and the appropriate tools will be used to conduct scientific investigations with weather
instruments. The variety of tools and weather equipment may also be used by 7h and 8th grade
teachers for ecology studies and investigations that explore the environment and the impact of
climatic change.
Fun Facts!
Cedar Creek Elementary
Grant Recipient: K. Doyle
Teachers will create a variety of math fact cards that can be used with board games to support fact
development across grade levels. These engaging math fact development games will support the
acquisition, development, and retention of math facts.
Reaching the STAARS
Cedar Creek Middle School
Grant Recipients: K. Laskowski & A. Richason
With this camera all six CCMS ELA teachers can project colorful, editable images such as artwork,
newspaper articles, passages from texts, objects, and models. Students can share, revise, edit, and
rewrite in real time, making the writing process come alive. The document camera will allow high tech
lessons to be more spontaneous and flexible to meet the dynamic needs of the twenty-first century
student.
Graphic Novels as Scaffolding
Bastrop Middle School
Grant Recipients: Z. Messina, C. Williams, A. Malone, C. Klaerner, L. Allen & K. Cheshire
Students are bombarded with electronic images that last an average of five seconds, and the mental
stamina required to read something as lengthy as a classic of literature is diminished. As part of the
scaffolding process, students need literature of equally high-interest to help them attain this level of
success. Increased mental fortitude is something that stretches across all disciplines and should be
encouraged at every opportunity. Through the use of these high-interest materials, students will be
able to visualize progressions more easily, hold focus longer, and associate academic rigor with
feelings of success.
Songwriting with Jim Papoulis
All Elementary Schools
Grant Recipients: D. Bodine, S. Gideon, L. Spreen, J. Schlechte, B. Zech, J. Jones & M. Nevares
Composer/conductor Jim Papoulis, co-founder of Foundation for Small Voices, will hold a two-day
songwriting workshop for BISD elementary choir students. An extension of the Music TEKS, the
workshop will promote creative, collaborative teamwork, providing over 300 district elementary (3rd -
6th grade) choir students a unique opportunity to compose and perform an original work. Mentored by
the composer/conductor, students will focus on singing accurately, in tune, with confidence and in
balance with others. They will also appreciate critical elements of music creation, assembling
thoughts/lyrics, beat, rhythm and melody. The workshop will conclude with a public concert showcasing
their original composition.
BookFlix
Mina Elementary
Grant Recipinets: B. Gravitt, L. Berdoll, S. Naumann, C. Eddy-Rodriguez & M. Black
The BookFlix interactive literacy website pairs classic fictional video storybooks with non-fiction
eBooks to reinforce reading skills and develop essential knowledge and understanding. Each fiction
book is paired with a non-fiction book with twenty-one of the pairs translated into Spanish for bilingual
use. Each pair includes activities such as vocabulary match, sequencing, or telling fiction from non-
fiction. There are also web links about the subject, meet the author, and other educational activities.
Students will have access in the classroom, at home and in the Integration Lab.
BBE's Learning Lab
Bluebonnet Elementary
Grant Recipients: H. Wheeler, T. Williams, D. Skiles, C. Harris, N. Ramirez & J. Perez
The Mimio View and the Mimio Teach will transform Bluebonnet's third grade classrooms into learning
laboratories. These multi-media tools will help students connect concrete concepts to abstract, multi-
step problem solving strategies while embracing their digital learning styles. These classroom
experiences will not only help students score higher on achievement tests such as the TAKS tests but
also foster fluencies in creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration - which are vital to their future
success in school and the global community.
Wii Are A Learning Family
Cedar Creek Elementary
Grant Recipients: L. Spreen & K. Murray
The interactive system of Nintendo's Wii will be integrated into the Music and Physical Education
curriculums, supplementing the content with simulated research-based activities. In addition, cross-
curricular collaboration will allow core teachers to incorporate content, aided by feedback from the
systems' scoring method, so that concepts in the classroom can be assessed with real data procured by
the students themselves.
Elmo's World of Visual Math
Bastrop Intermediate School
Grant Recipient: Roque' Thompson
Elmo document cameras will replace overhead projectors, and the cameras will allow teachers to
display textbooks, three dimensional objects, and promote engaging interactive lessons.
Seeing is Believing
All Elementary Schools
Grant Recipients: K. Deviney, V. Tayor, M. Butler, H. Bach, V. Johnson & M. Daugherty
Document cameras will be used to show students how to create a work of art or technique that can't be
shown on an ordinary whiteboard, interactive board, or even in a group setting. Students will benefit
from using the cameras to create videos, sharing artworks, or showing how to create a project.
Accelerated Reading
Mina Elementary
Grant Recipients: J. Ashbrook, P. Perkins, S. Hoffman, B. Harris & M. Tuttrup
This reading program motivates students and sparks a love of reading, it also increases test scores
and reading ability.
An Interactive Classroom for Tech-Savvy 4th Graders
Emile Elementary
Grant Recipients: J. Williams, H. Tucker, K. Mixon, J. Harr & D. Busche
This complete Mimio system will involve students in the use of technology while learning on a daily
basis. Students will interact with lessons, create projects, and make connections through the use of an
interactive whiteboard. Students will use the Mimio Capture to save their projects from the white
board, use the MimioView as a camera to demonstrate understanding, show work on the white board
from any seat in class using the MimioPad, and record answers and provide data using the MimioVotes.
We Do Robotics
All Elementary Schools
Grant Recipients: P. Perkins & B. Doyle
Through the educational vehicle of LEGO robotics and other mechanisms in the classroom, true
technology integration experiences will be created for students, providing engaging interaction and
improve their science and math understanding. This grant also will enable students to problem solve
and think critically in STEM applications (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). This grant will
motivate both students and teachers by providing a program and resources that are user friendly,
hands on and also provide team interaction.
Automotive Technology Improvement
Bastrop High School
Grant Recipients: J. Summers & T. Killough
It’s all about technology these days, and the BISD Automotive Technical Training classes are no
exception. The ELMO camera system will be used to show what is going on with the brake repair –
where everyone in the class can see and not just the few who can look over the instructor’s shoulder!
Demonstrations are archived so lessons can be reviewed in the classroom setting.
Green City Robotics
Bastrop Intermediate School & Cedar Creek Intermediate School
Grant Recipient: Scott Pearson
The Green City grant, which includes environment mats, parts for models and curriculum, will be used
in the implementation of robotics classes. The curriculum introduces students to programming in a
progressive manner culminating with 3 renewable energy geared missions. This grant will motivate
both students and teachers by providing a program and resources that are user friendly, hands on and
also provide team interaction.
Putting the i in Science
Bastrop High School
Grant Recipient: Bryan Doyle
Biology and Chemistry teachers will use iPads to integrate mobile technology into daily lessons by using
specific apps that target biology and chemistry realms. The devices will spark new learning concepts
and ideas as they are used for more purposeful science projects with rich media content.
INNOVATIVE TEACHING GRANTS 2011-2012
| © Bastrop Education Foundation, All Rights Reserved, 2011. info@bastropeducationfoundation.org web design by: MorzArt |
