Grants Fund Classroom Technology

577

By Elizabeth Wulfhorst
Three schools in the area recently received $10,000 each from OceanFirst Foundation as winners of a 2016 Model Classroom Grant. Mater Dei Prep, Middletown; St. James Elementary School, Red Bank; and Trinity Hall, Tinton Falls, were three of the 15 recipients from 86 applicants to the foundation’s grant program, now in its 20th year.
According to OceanFirst Foundation, “The goal of the Model Classroom Grant Program is to support bold and innovative schools that have the vision, creativity and desire to develop model classrooms for learning.”
Mater Dei Prep will be using the $10,000 to outfit a classroom with media:scape technology for its Global Leadership Institute: Educational Experien
ces Creating Emerging Leaders Program (EXCEL). The program currently consists of two elective courses during which students learn leadership and conflict resolution skills in partnership with the United Nations. The new technology from Steelcase consists of a table that can seat up to six students at a time, with a Wi-Fi monitor and Puck system. This allows students to plug in using their own devices to virtually chat with other students and partners from around the world seamlessly as a team.
George Anthony, the Mater Dei Prep teacher who heads the EXCEL program and who also serves as co-chair for the United Nations NGO International Day of Peace: Education Peace Team, expects the students to use the new technology to work both locally and globally. Anthony believes, “when you give students the necessary skills to build better communities, they take ownership regarding their impact and responsibilities.”
On a local level, students will interact with younger grades on positive leadership and anti-bullying initiatives. Globally, students will work with the UN NGOs, supporting their 15-year plan for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a collection of objectives to transform the world by 2030. In 2015, 190 world leaders committed to 17 SDGs to help the world end extreme poverty, fight inequality & injustice, and fix climate change. “We each have a role to play if we’re going to achieve these goals of a more prosperous, equitable, and sustainable world,” said Anthony.
St. James Elementary School will convert an outdated school library into a middle school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) lab with their $10,000. The goal of the new lab is to help students become problem solvers, innovators, creators and collaborators. St. James will use the grant money to furnish and equip the lab with, among other things, lab tables, stools, a portable sink and microscopes.
“We are looking forward to creating a STEM lab where students will be able to use their problem solving skills to identify and create solutions to real world problems,” said JoAnn Giordano, principal of St. James school. “St. James is committed to providing our students with skills needed to succeed in future educational endeavors and careers.” According to the grant proposal, St. James expects to work closely with Red Bank Catholic to provide a strong STEM curriculum so students have the framework to succeed in high school.
“Students will be exposed to lessons that integrate the curriculum, encourage critical thinking and include project based learning,” said Giordano. The St. James PTA has also committed to raise $3,000 to supplement the grant.
Trinity Hall’s Model Classroom vision is to create a Digital Video and Broadcasting Production Pop-Up Studio, essentially a mobile production studio that can be used school-wide for a variety of academic and community purposes. According to Theresa Keirnan, director of advancement and admissions, the grant money will purchase a collection of studio equipment, including mobile and stationary cameras and MacBooks, which will allow the student Tech Team, overseen by technology coordinator Melissa Whelan, to develop real-world filming and editing skills.
Keirnan stressed the need for students to learn proper procedures even though they are native to everything digital. Students will benefit from, among other things, proficiency in video production, broadcasting, editing; opportunities for participation in creating content for school announcements, arts and athletic events, social media, website and targeted marketing initiatives; and support for the technical aspects of the arts program.
The mobile studio will be used throughout Trinity Hall’s interdisciplinary curriculum: teachers may film students speaking in a world language class to assess proficiency or students may film a joint project between the engineering and history classes. Keirnan also hopes the students will use the technology to support the local Tinton Falls community where the school now resides.
“Trinity Hall is honored to receive a second OceanFirst Foundation grant,” said Mary Sciarrillo, head of school. “Empowering young women to use their voices is one facet of our school’s mission. This Pop-Up Studio supports the growth of our students’ 21st century skills while providing a practical set of tools to advance the mission of Trinity Hall and our academic, arts and athletics programming.”
John R. Garbarino, chairman of OceanFirst Foundation and OceanFirst Bank explains, “We understand the critical role the classroom plays in a student’s academic and lifelong success and also the challenges presented by limited resources. That’s why we’re proud to partner with local schools and to contribute the resources needed to develop creative solutions that help students and teachers succeed in the classroom and beyond the school walls.”
Most important to OceanFirst Foundation is to support efforts that create and promote a culture of academic excellence, to improve and enhance classroom instruction and to support schools that want to embrace new technology, tools and training that will add value to the learning experience and help improve student success.