News

For the 2013-2014 school year the Foundation has awarded over $30,000 in Gripp Grants!  And, this year all six D39 schools received at least one grant to expand, enrich and complement the curriculum. Four grants were approved for the spring grant cycle.

Parlez vous francais? Highcrest’s French teacher, Katie Fox’s students will be able to develop vocabulary, grasp story meaning and flow with new French fairy tale books purchased with her Gripp Grant.  Using familiar tales will give students confidence, a frame of reference and enhance the foreign language reading experience.

“Recess is a time for fun, but it isn’t much fun for kids who feel left out or lonely”. Ms. Belconis’ 5th grade class at Highcrest read that quote in a Scholastic News magazine article from a boy who came up with the idea for a “Buddy Bench”. The class submitted a grant and now HMS will have two Buddy Benches on their playground where kids can sit if they aren’t feeling included and others will know they want to talk or play. The benches can be for someone who needs a friend and for someone who can become a friend. They are a great tool for teaching empathy towards peers.

Romona’s playground will have a new Gaga Ball arena next fall thanks to a Foundation grant. This game is a form of dodge ball, played in a wooden, octagonal-shaped arena, that everyone can play. Gaga Ball will give the students another organized game to play at recess and in PE class.

Multimedia books offer additional benefits that print books can not including note-taking and highlighting abilities, a dictionary, read-aloud features, follow-along text highlighting and year-round 24/7 accessibility from home of school.  Romona library will have a new multimedia book collection using funds from our fourth Gripp Grant this spring. The collection will include eBooks, interactive eBooks and digital audiobooks.

The foundation will be supporting a number of innovative initiatives within the D39 schools with five new grants that were recently awarded. The grant for Central School’s 21st Century Learning Space will pilot the initial phase of creating a collaborative learning area by reconfiguring the computer lab, library and adjoining classrooms. This new student-centered space will include technologies and other tools, space configurations and furnishings to facilitate various learning modes, and more.

Pre-loaded, portable audio books called Playaways, will be purchased for Harper’s library thanks to a Foundation grant.  Playaways increase opportunities for students of all reading abilities to have creative, educational, and successful literature experiences both in school and at home, provide support for struggling readers, and give all students access to more challenging text.

HMS will host composer Quincy C. Hilliard as artisan-in-residence for the sixth grade Hawks Band on February 19, 2014. The band will be performing several of his compositions in an upcoming concert and what better way to elevate their performance and understanding of the music than to have the actual composer teach it! Dr. Hilliard will rehearse with the band, provide students with his insight as a world-renown composer/conductor and hold small group master clinics throughout his day at Highcrest.

A similar grant was awarded for both HMS and WJHS to host artisan-in-residence Andra Durham, a classically trained violist who now fiddles and performs in Nashville. Ms. Durham, who grew up in Wilmette, will conduct an all-day master class for the 5th-8th grade orchestra students on February 26, 2014 and teach fiddling techniques and bluegrass music.  Later that evening during the orchestra’s Stringapolooza concert, the students will play a fiddle piece with Ms. Durham that they learned and rehearsed earlier in the day.

Colleen Chick, a first grade teacher at McKenzie will purchase a GoPro camera with funds from the Foundation’s fifth grant this cycle.  This camera will be used as an integrated and student-directed technology tool to increase independence and intrinsic motivation in the classroom. The students and teacher will employ the GoPro camera as a resource to support writing, develop presentation and expressive language skills, document scientific processes, and inspire creativity across the curriculum.