BPSF Announces Fall Grant Recipients
The Beaumont Public Schools Foundation (BPSF) Awards Caravan made its rounds on November 30 to surprise the 2018 recipients. This year, the BPSF awarded five staff grants and one student grant totaling $6,013.72. The BPSF continues its work to promote innovative learning ideas through its grant program which is made possible through the generous donations of community members and business partners.
Congratulations to the following recipients:
Amy Mathis - Caldwood Elementary - The Escape Classroom
The Escape Classroom is a company that supplies digital materials to carry out fun lessons. It is an innovative way to excite students in learning state curriculum using creativity, innovation, critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration. Students are required to work together to solve clues and “escape”, which leads to successfully accomplishing the task and getting the code to open the locked box. The project enables teachers to access escape lessons for all elementary grade levels in all subject areas.
Carroll Durden - Martin Elementary - Sailing through Phonics, Cruising into Reading
The project focus is to increase reading in kindergarten through second grade in a fun, exciting and relaxed environment. Students cruise in boats created from large containers or relax in hammocks made from clothes baskets. Each day the boats will stop at a port of learning, the island where they will learn reading skills using activities and the tools provided through the project.
Elaine Schumacher - Fehl-Price Elementary - Escape to an Exciting Classroom
Escape rooms are interactive and immersive team-based puzzle games where groups are locked in a room and must use critical thinking in order to solve puzzles to escape.
The idea is to bring the escape room challenge to the computer lab. Students work through a series of puzzles to open boxes sealed by various types of locks in order to complete the ‘escape.’ Puzzles include activities that marry technology from the classroom. The concept fosters cooperation and team building.
Sheri Remirez - Caldwood Elementary - Building a STEAM Powered Lab with KEVA Planks
KEVA planks, cuboid wooden block toys which are each approximately ¼ inch x ¾ inch x 4 ½ inches, allow elementary students to gain an understanding of the engineering process. The project focuses on stimulating the imagination and increasing problem-solving skills by integrating the engineering process with content area design challenges to be solved with KEVA Building Planks. All planks are the same size so students must use problem solving skills to design a way to make the planks work by stacking, overlapping or laying pieces end-to-end and side-by-side.
Bobbie Williams - Beaumont United High School - Future Perfect Program
As a previous BPSF grant recipient, Williams’ goal is to continue to prepare students with learning and physical disabilities to successfully live in the Beaumont community. The enrichment program makes learning is fun where students participate in activities such as flipping a pancake, getting cookies out of the oven or counting real money. Enrichment activities also include development of new skills for a job after high school and beyond.
Jarom Anderson and Zachary Moore - Regina-Howell Elementary - Ozobot Coding Awesomeness
Having used the Ozobots in the STEM Lab, the student recipients enjoy using them to help learn coding and can be shared across all grade levels. They will be used as an incentive once a student has earned their AR points.
Throughout its 25 year history, the Beaumont Public Schools Foundation, Inc. has kept its mission at the forefront; to recognize students and staff for innovative learning ideas. The Foundation has awarded grants to 390 staff and students totaling $277,867.64 and awarded $77,000 in memorial scholarships. All of these efforts are made possible through generous donations and support of local community members and businesses.