The Pine Tree Education Foundation, which promotes and helps provide funding for innovative learning strategies, awarded its 2008 grants. Winning projects and teachers were:
- Seeds for Science Lab for First Graders — Elementary campus, Joyce Moomau, $153. The money will be used to purchase brassica seeds so students can see the complete flowering plant life cycle within the classrooms.
- All Ears on Deck — Intermediate campus, Natalie Dubois, $2,250. This grant is to provide the students and teachers with phonological technology which should significantly change the auditory perception for nonauditory learners.
- Novel News — Middle 5/6 campus, Inga Davis, Crista Black and JoLynn McKnight, $1,099. The grant purchases equipment that will provide students an avenue to develop a creative twist on Reader's Theater. Students will be allowed the opportunity to prepare original news programs based on incidents in a recent reading, allowing students to explore standard literary elements of character, conflict, resolution and setting.
- Mobile Teachers = Smart Students — Middle 5/6 campus, Kathy Rhodes, Math Department, $1,580. This grant provides funds to purchase four mobile presenters, which along with previously funded projects, will fully integrate technology into the Middle 5/6 math department.
- History in the Making — High School campus, Susan Duncan, $6,100. This grant addresses the need for celebrating achievement on the high school campus by providing funds to the publication staff to purchase equipment to create banners and poster-size photographs that will be placed throughout the campus in an effort to show more pride in the accomplishments of the high school students.
- Auto Collision Repair/Kaiser Kompreser — High School Career and Technical Education Department, Joel Laws, $9,769.24. This grant provides funds to purchase a compressor and drier system for the collision repair program that will allow the program to qualify for certification through the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation and possible expansion of the program on the high school campus.
