 |
| Ashleigh Apostolovski, a math teacher at Northville High School, receives a Northville Educational Foundation grant for her project, Desmos Digital Classroom, presented by Northville High School Principal Tony Koski. |
Grants were presented to 28 projects and 42 teachers across the district, according to officials from the Northville Educational Foundation (NEF) officials. More than 30 applications were received requesting about $48,000 in funding. The applications were reviewed by a committee comprising of NEF board members as well as retired Northville teachers.
The projects were scored based on their innovation, how they address curriculumstandards, their ability to be replicated, the number of students impacted and the goals for the outcome of the project.
 |
| Markus Hartnett, fourth grade teacher at Amerman Elementary School, holds his check for $3,000 which will fund his project, The City X Project, where students will design and engineer solutions to problems encountered by residents of an imaginary planet being colonized in space. |
Awarded projects included STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) oriented projects including: problem solving and product creation with 3D printers; mini robots to help teach coding; and sensors that measure force, temperature, light and sound to help engineering students develop and refine their prototypes.
Other projects resulted from teachers grappling with the challenges of COVID-19: virtual reality goggles that allow for virtual field trips that coincide with world history lessons; online applications that offer engaging videos, activities and assessment tools; COVID-19-adjusted art projects; microphones to assist in teacher video creation; and exercise bands for all of the middle schoolers who take on-line gym at home.
Committee members said they were impressed with the teachers' commitment to bring extra programming into their classrooms with projects that showed wonderful creativity and invention, especially since they are also juggling the challenges of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“These teachers have a lot on their plates already. We tried to keep the grant process simple, however, they are still planning the project, filling out paperwork and meeting the necessary deadlines in addition to all of the tasks they are facing around mastering a new learning management system and converting some of their lessons from face-to-face to on-line,” said Christa Howley, NEF director. “Of course, we could not award these grants without our incredible donors and community partners. This year, the Bosch Community Fund and Community Financial Credit Union (CFCU) donated a total of $9,500 to Innovative Teaching Grants. We also had over 150 Northville teachers and staff members donate almost $10,000.”
“The Northville Educational Foundation shares our dedication to provide high-quality educational programming that closes the gap in opportunity and achievement for all children, said Kathleen Owsley, president of the Bosch Community Fund. “We have a deep appreciation for teachers as they navigate a challenging academic year while they continue to deliver exceptional education. We're honored to award funding to enhance the academic experience for students of the Northville School District.”
“Community Financial is committed to investing in our surrounding areas. A major component of stable and vibrant communities is strong school districts,” said Natalie McLaughlin, CFCU community relations manager, “This school year presents so many new obstacles. We commend all teachers for the incredible work they are doing. Community Financial is dedicated to supporting Northville schools, teachers and students and hope that our donation will help provide them with the extra resources they need to be successful.”
 |
| Heather Zoldak, Ridge Wood Elementary School kindergarten teacher, is surprised during a staff meeting with a grant for her project, Learning Alive Journals. |
Many of these projects have already been started, while others will be implemented over the winter semester, educators said. While these projects will affect thousands of students this year, many of them will be able to be replicated year after year, increasing their impact.
“Award Day is one of NEF's favorite days of the year,” said Howley. “Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we were not able have our 'Big Check' moments with the teachers. We want to thank the principals for being our representatives in awarding these grants.”
This is the 12th year of NEF Innovative Grants to teachers across the district. More thanr $250,000 has been granted to innovative teachers since the program began. Visit the NEF website, www.SupportNEF.org to see a full list of the awarded grants.
Innovative Grants Committee members included Chairperson Martha Michalak, Lori Farrow, Jeff Jaghab, Laurie Masi, Susan Oleson, Sharon Pernia, and Don Price, Jodie Roden, Bryan Valentini.
The Northville Educational Foundation is in the midst of its Annual Campaign. To donate, please go to www.SupportNEF.org.
