Learning Grants by SRP
2011-2012
Students across Arizona will learn about math while growing vegetables, building robots, exploring renewable energy resources and studying Mars thanks to Learning Grants by SRP. The grant program, which awarded more than $124,000 to 29 schools, provides a unique opportunity that allows schools, teachers and students to develop projects and programs that improve student performance objectives in math and science.
Schools receiving 2011-12 funds include:
- St. Thomas Aquinas (Avondale) - $639. Fifth through eighth-grade students will learn about the role water has played in Arizona's history during the water conservation unit. They will experience water-themed lessons from the Arizona Project WET curriculum guide, work with water-saving devices and share their new knowledge with parents and students at the Water Conservation Awareness/Science Night.
- Canon Elementary School (Black Canyon) - $2,960. Fifth and sixth-grade students will conduct a study of the Agua Fria River riparian area including testing the water quality and soil sampling culminating in a presentation to the school board on their findings. The program's goal is an increased desire to learn about the environment and student engagement in solving real-world, relevant problems in our community.
- Archway Classical Academy (Chandler) - $5,000. Kindergarten through 5th graders will benefit from the use of anatomical models of plants, flowers, human body, solar system, cells and more. These biological, geological and anatomical models will enhance the science and math curriculum by providing an innovative way to augment visual and kinesthetic learning, therefore deepening students' intellectual understanding.
- Jane Dee Hull Elementary School (Chandler) - $5,000. Teachers, students, parents and community volunteers will benefit from an expanded math resource library. They will be able to check out math manipulatives and board games that they can use to more effectively teach math concepts and engage students. The program will include professional development for teachers to learn how to use the manipulatives and games most effectively.
- Verde Valley Montessori (Cottonwood) - $4,996. Students will create a school garden at the Cottonwood Community Garden where they will develop and apply cross-curricular math, science and social skills to a real-world context. During the Life Cycle of a Garden Project, students will test soil, prepare a garden, chart plant growth, prepare a meal from their harvest and donate excess produce to a local food bank.
- Fountain Hills High School (Fountain Hills) - $5,000. Students in the school's engineering class will construct and equip a solar-powered, fully robotic and automated astronomy observatory on the roof of the school's science building with live Internet video feed. The district's teachers will have access to the system to use as a teaching tool in their own classroom. Additionally, the school's astronomy classes will use the streaming data and images for their own research projects and learning experiences.
- Burk Elementary School (Gilbert) - $4,200. Students will have the opportunity to participate in several engaging projects throughout the school year in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Club. They will study Mars including career exploration in science and engineering, visit the Challenger Space Center and Biosphere 2, create models of the Earth system and participate in the Future Cities Project.
- Edu-Prize (Gilbert) - $4,000. Fifth and sixth graders will benefit from two new curriculum modules for use with the school's mobile planetarium dome. Body Code explores the human body systems and cells and Force Five explores weather and natural disasters. The live learning labs immerse students in an experience that will engage curiosity and questioning for an even richer understanding of the curriculum.
- Gilbert Elementary (Gilbert) - $5,000. The school's Dual-Language Program will celebrate Arizona's centennial by integrating social studies and science curricula to produce a year-long theme that will incorporate the study of water throughout Arizona's history. Students will use GPS devices to conduct and create Geocaching treasure hunts, study Theodore Roosevelt Dam, visit the Desert Botanical Garden and much more! The program will culminate with a "Water Night" for parents and community members.
- Lauren's Institute for Education (Gilbert) - $5,000. This special school for students with disabilities will help students access science and math content with the use of an interactive whiteboard. The large-format, tactile experience will allow students - especially those with special needs including autism - interact with the material presented, manipulate it and build on their innate strengths.
- Desert Mirage Elementary (Glendale) - $5,000. Sixth-grade students in the "Gifted and Highly Performing Program" will participate in an afterschool enrichment STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) club using hands-on science materials to explore renewable energy. They will use a laptop and flip video camera to create public service announcements for their school about the benefits of renewable energy.
- Landmark School (Glendale) - $4,887. Sixth graders will use the latest educational technology to advance their study of math and science - iPads. In math, students will use the iPads to complete practice and remediation work. Teachers will utilize a learning application entitled "Study Island" which integrates practice games into student profiles so they can have a tailored learning experience. In science, the iPads will be used for research projects.
- Cesar Chavez High School (Laveen) - $5,000. The robotics team students will participate in the FIRST Tech Challenge (beginning level robotics engineering), FIRST Lego League (intermediate level robotics with an emphasis on Climate Connections), and FIRST Robotics Competition (an expert level engineering competition involving improving the functionality of a robot system). The students will also mentor elementary school students interested in learning about engineering.
- Mayer Elementary (Mayer) - $5,000. Students will be engaged in a whole new way of practicing their math facts using the Accelerated Math software program. Fluency (or speed) in math concepts, especially those taught at the elementary level, is imperative for more difficult computation in older grades. In addition to the software, Mayer teachers will purchase NEO2 personal keyboards and a classroom set of responders to augment math instruction and increase student engagement.
- Academy with Community Partners High School (Mesa) - $5,000. Students taking part in the Plant Science course will work in their community garden to install a solar water pump and irrigation system. Students will benefit from a multidisciplinary approach to learning, working on the project in both math and social studies courses as well and will learn about real-world applications for renewable energy and water concepts.
- Girls Leadership Academy of Arizona (Phoenix) - $5,000. Math and biology students will participate in an interdisciplinary project to gather and analyze ecological and hydrological samples from the Nina Mason Pulliam Audubon Rio Salado restoration area in Phoenix. Students will compare the current data to 2008 data to determine changes in the habitat and hydrology and present it to their families and peers.
- Squaw Peak Traditional Academy (Phoenix) - $5,000. All students will have a chance to work with LEGO robotics kits. Grant funds will be used to build the SRP Lego Learning Lab on campus for all teachers to use to develop science, technology, engineering and math skills and ignite students' creativity and love of learning. A robotics club will be started as afterschool enrichment for students who want to learn about robotics.
- Phoenix Collegiate Academy (Phoenix) - $5,000. Eighth graders will participate in field experiences and testing at the Rio Salado Audubon Riparian Area. After synthesizing their data by incorporating and applying math skills and drawing conclusions about the science they observed, they will share their learning and field journal work with younger students through teaching presentations.
- Sacaton Middle School (Sacaton) - $5,000. Students will develop a riparian site in their schoolyard throughout the year to learn about the past, present, and future of the Gila River drainage system. Students will learn about the history of the Gila River and its dependents, measure the flow of the Gila, learn about the components of an interdependent riparian ecosystem, discuss cultural impacts of water on societies and more.
- Combs High School (San Tan Valley) - $5,000. With the addition of math intervention software, students will get remediation, practice or extension depending on their individualized learning needs. The software will work with the school's "blended model" for instruction including a mix of both traditional teacher-based methods and the ALEXS internet-based instructional program.
- Mountainside Middle School (Scottsdale) - $5,000. Sixth graders will lead a campaign for an energy-free day - "Lights Out Day" - to raise awareness about renewable technologies and saving energy. They will participate in several data analysis activities to determine the cost and energy savings for one day of no-energy use.
- New Way Academy (Scottsdale) - $4,840. Seventh and eighth-grade students will participate in the Environmental Detectives Program, which will engage students with learning differences in solving environmental mysteries. Grant funding will provide microscopes, projection system, lab equipment and iPads for Internet research. Students will to do field research and data collection at a park to solve environmental mysteries in their own backyard.
- Scottsdale Preparatory Academy (Scottsdale) - $5,000. Students will benefit from a newly-equipped science lab in order to increase lab experiences and student achievement in science. Scales, microscopes, materials kits, magnets, scales, hotplates, electrodes and more will be purchased. Experimentation equipment is essential for inquiry-driven instruction which leads to higher learning outcomes for students.
- Yavapai Elementary (Scottsdale) - $5,000. Fourth graders will learn about Water, Environment, Conservation, Air, and Renewable Energy during the W.E. C.A.R.E Project. Students will explore the relationship that exists between the environment and the need for conservation of our natural resources. They will use a laptop and iPod touch technology to do research projects and communicate their learning.
- C.I. Waggoner Elementary School (Tempe) - $1,590. Fifth graders will participate in activities learning about robots with the purchase of LEGO Mindstorm Robotics Kits. Students will learn how to work together to design and program robots, ultimately participating in the Arizona FIRST Lego League competition.
- Desert Vista High School (Tempe/Ahwatukee) - $5,000. Students in the school's Engineering Academy will participate in the Shell Eco-Marathon and design three hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles. They will engineer, design, build and test vehicles with the goal of acquiring the highest miles per gallon. By building three vehicles, students will be able to compare different designs, constraints, materials and combinations.
- Emmanuel Lutheran School (Tempe) - $1,500. Sixth and seventh graders will work through an integrated math and science curriculum to learn physical science concepts. Students will benefit from a modeling approach in which purchased equipment is used to make concepts more concrete and curiosity-driven than traditional text-book instruction.
- Country Place Elementary (Tolleson) - $5,000. Seven First Lego League competition teams throughout the Littleton Elementary School District will be funded. Students will also participate in the LEGO Green City Challenge in which students are given a number of missions simulating real-life challenges, each environmentally focused. Students will also present their robots to the Littleton School Board.
For information about how to apply for a Learning Grant by SRP, please visit our Learning Grant page, or call (602) 236-2484.
