2005 GRANTS AWARDED: $44,492

$5,000
Signed Readers
Glendale

Historically deaf and hard-of-hearing students have had difficulty becoming literate readers, with an average of a third to fourth grade reading level reported for high school graduates. Many of our deaf students do not begin learning any language until they start attending school. "Signed Readers" will pair photos of conceptually accurate sign with early reader written text/pictures to facilitate the transition from a deaf child's first language of American Sign Language to written English text decoding and comprehension. Using these texts, children could practice reading/signing the text by themselves, using repetition and pairing of the known (sign) to the unknown (English words) to facilitate the development of beginning literacy.

$6,017
Community Building at Midvale Elementary: Phase 1 cob Wall
Midvale

This hand-made gateway, to be built from cob, a historic building material made from mud, straw and sand, will become a novel, local landmark. The project will address a variety of critical needs including community building within the school and with surrounding neighbor-hoods, enhancing the education of students through service learning, and beautification of the school grounds and neighborhood. Students, staff, and residents will directly invest in the school by building the gateway themselves.

$10,000
El Centro Familiar
Sandburg

The Sandburg Family Resource Center, El Centro Familiar, will offer highly-engaging learning materials that Spanish speaking families will be able to check out on a regular basis to encourage family learning beyond the school and work day. The project addresses the fact that the Latino population at Sandburg has grown substantially in recent years, from just 3.8% in 2000-2001 to 22% of the population in 2004-2005.

$5,590
Wild Rice Cultural Awareness and Ecological Restoration
Dept. of Teaching and Learning, Title VII Indian Education Program
MMSD

The Wild Rice Cultural Awareness and Ecological restoration project is unique in that it allows Native American students to act as leaders in the development of curriculum materials by creating a website for classroom use after they have interviewed tribal elders and plant biologists, done research on the cultural, historical, and biological significance of wild rice, and documented the status of wild rice beds in southern Wisconsin. This project provides a unique resource on the importance of wild rice to Indigenous people and their knowledge systems, and the relevance of these systems to ecological science and sustainable resource management.

$6,000
Madison West Honor Guard
West

Honor Guard is an academic tutoring and mentoring program for freshmen and sophomores whose goals are to improve the achievement of all students at West, create a safe and inviting environment for underclassmen, and provide a greater number of deserving students an opportunity to shine as leaders. Operating in the Resource Halls, this program recognizes the need for a support system of peers to whom younger students can relate and respect, the need for stronger bonds between all sections of a school community, and the need for positive and visible recognition of all students, especially students of color.

$3,000
East LMC Reading/Browsing Renovation: "Library Café"
East

East High School LMC will renovate an area of the library to create an enticing reading/browsing/study area resembling a bookstore café. This will promote reading, increase library traffic, develop life-long library and reading behaviors, and provide a positive experience for students using the library. The plan is a direct result of asking students what they want from their library - a colorful, relaxed space with appealing displays, smaller tables, and comfortable furniture. In order to successfully reach out to students, the Library Café is an effort to reach out to bring them into an environment in which they are comfortable.

$3,000
Emerson Pride Photo Project
Emerson

The Emerson Pride Project is an innovative and creative opportunity for all students at Emerson, but especially those experiencing homelessness, to feel a stronger connection with the school. By having their pictures displayed throughout the school, students transitioning in and out of Emerson will know that they are valuable members of the Emerson community. By enhancing leadership skills, providing opportunities for learning new digital technology skills, and connecting with families and neighbors through students' photos, this project will provide a vital connection to school and academic achievement.

$1,885 (Unrestricted Grants)
[$1,100 (Music Endowment)]
One Drum Experience
Affiliated Alternatives

One Drum Experience will provide a day-long musical experience at a school where no music programming is available. Affiliated Alternatives serves a diverse group of at-risk students through 4 alternative programs. Many of the students are interested in music, play instruments or perform rap, and clearly possess kinesthetic learning styles. This program offers an engaging and educational musical experience which will promote a better sense of community and greater school pride.

$1,000
Outdoor Classroom Revitalization
Huegel

This grant project will clean up the school prairie and revitalize the outdoor classroom. Work would be completed in two phases during 2005 and would involve students, teacher, parents, and community members. Our goal is to turn a neighborhood eyesore into a place of wild beauty and a learning center.

$3,000
Bilingual Resource Specialist - Knowledge Project
ESL & Bilingual Division

The BRS project is intended to utilize the reflective inquiry process with the Bilingual Resource Specialist based on a model provided for teachers in the Teacher Knowledge Project. This project focuses on professional improvement through self-reflection, which has gained national attention for its success in implementing best practices. Currently there is no professional development offered by the District for BRS to improve their support to English Language Learners (ELL). With over 3000 ELL in our district, the 76 BRS would like to take advantage of this professional development plan by developing their own BRS Knowledge Project (BRS-KP).

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