Over the past 12 years, the Berkeley Heights Education Foundation has funded programs totaling over $180,000. The BHEF awarded these funds to educators in the district who every year are given the opportunity to apply for grants to support programs and related equipment that promote creative and effective teaching techniques. It is the goal of the BHEF to enhance the learning experiences of students and to help build ties between the schools and the community. During the 2005-2006 school year, the BHEF awarded $20,000 for many exciting programs which not only benefited the students in the schools, but also supported the entire community. BHEF Grants Awarded for the 2005-2006 School Year Over the past 12 years, the Berkeley Heights Education Foundation has funded programs totaling over $200,000. The BHEF awarded these funds to educators in the district who every year are given the opportunity to apply for grants to support programs and related equipment that promote creative and effective teaching techniques. It is the goal of the BHEF to enhance the learning experiences of students and to help build ties between the schools and the community. 1. $3,510 to purchase three laptop computers for Geometry students at Governor Livingston High School. These computers will be used with Geometer’s Sketchpad software to provide an innovative approach that will enable students to understand Geometry principles in a dynamic way. 2. $2,800 to purchase a laptop computer and LCD projector for the Social Studies Department at Governor Livingston High School. This equipment will enable teachers to enhance their current teaching methods by making use of movie clips, photographs, artwork, documents, maps, and websites for classroom discussion and analysis. In addition, this grant will help promote student interaction in the classroom and offer opportunities to use this new technology for projects and presentations. 3. $2,406 to purchase two Apple Macintosh computers, a scanner, and Photoshop software to build a professional digital photography lab for photography students at Governor Livingston High School. With this equipment, the students will have the latest technology that is used by professionals and will be taught how to format, scan and print digital photography. 4. $1,559 to purchase computerized laboratory probes for use in the 7th grade life science curriculum at Columbia Middle School. These probes allow students to collect data both in the classroom and outdoors during laboratory and field investigations. Students can then transfer the data into computer software that will help them analyze and display information in table or graph format. This gift was funded by a generous grant given to the Foundation by Schering-Plough Corporation. 5. $1,497 to purchase three laptop computers for the creation of a portable technology-based lab for all high school science classes. The hardware and software will expose students to the types of tools used in science laboratories in the field and increase exposure to technology-based research facilities and methods. 6. $1450 for a 4-day residency program with the New Jersey Writer’s Project/Playwrights Theatre for the 5th graders at Mountain Park School. Students will meet with the professional writer and will engage in creative activities and writing exercises. At the conclusion of the residency, the students will create original plays which will be performed for the 3rd grade classes at Mountain Park School. 7. $1,300 for a pilot program to fund “Smart Music” software subscriptions for 3 teachers and 36 students at the three elementary schools. This software will be used by students at home and in the classroom to assist them in practicing instrumental or vocal music. Students will also be able to record their performances to self-assess their level of achievement. 8.$1,300 to fund an interschool Spanish and Art program for students at Mountain Park and Hughes Schools. This innovative program is an interdisciplinary and cooperative learning approach that will combine the Elementary Spanish and Art Curricula and will educate students in the Spanish language, history and culture of Spanish-speaking countries and their art, while enabling them to create authentic art forms, demonstrating the art and culture of a specific region. The program will also include a cultural arts program by Young Audiences of New Jersey. 9. $980 for the purchase of two Calculator Based Rangers and two view-screen enabled graphic calculators for Algebra 1 and 2 students at Governor Livingston High School. With the use of this technology, students will perform experiments that create mathematical models of motion. This grant was funded, in part, by a generous grant given to the Foundation by Schering-Plough Corporation. 10. $900 to fund attendance by seven Governor Livingston High School teachers at customized Professional Development Workshops at the Museum of Modern Art. These workshops are designed to address specific themes and questions that arise in response to modern and contemporary art, and to provide interdisciplinary links. Teachers will implement information learned at the workshops into their classrooms, reaching approximately 500 high school art, humanities, and foreign language students. 11. $800 to fund audition workshops at Governor Livingston High School for actors and technicians. Actors will participate in music and dance workshops to improve their skills in auditioning for shows. There will be a lighting and sound workshop for technicians to help them build their skills in these two areas. 12. $790 to purchase 5 microscopes and one Digiscope 300 for Kindergarten students at Hamilton Terrace School. These easy-to-use microscopes will give students a hands-on approach to learning about the scientific process and will enable them to begin to understand how to ask questions and engage in direct investigations as they explore their world. 13. $750 to fund a trip to Sandy Hook for the creation of 3-D sand sculptures and 2-D images for 11th and 12th grade art students. This innovative field trip will enable art students to create 3-D sand sculptures under the direction of a renowned artist, who is donating his time. Students will critique the sculptures and then photograph them, using techniques of light and shadow. 14. $630 to fund a monarch butterfly project for all students at Woodruff School. This innovative program incorporates a unit of study about the fascinating and spectacular 2000 mile migration of the beautiful monarch butterflies and makes a classroom connection with Mexico. Students will gather eggs and larvae from their butterfly garden, watch them grow and emerge into adult butterflies. They will tag the butterflies with an ID sticker and track their migration from the US to Mexico via the Internet through a program at the University of Kansas. This interdisciplinary program will include various projects that integrate language, literature, social studies, geography, science, math and art. 15. $630 to purchase 4 “Making Words” Reading Rods kits for a pilot program for first graders at Hamilton Terrace School. These kits contain versatile interlocking manipulatives that are fun to use when teaching and learning to read. 16. $500 to fund a program on the effects of alcohol for 11th and 12th grade high school students. The program, “Destructive Decisions”, will take place a week before prom and will focus on the effects of alcohol and how drinking hampers the ability to make good choices. 17. $405 to purchase “Seeing Stars” kits to help with reading and phonetics for 2nd graders at Mountain Park School. These kits include various types of workbooks, cards, charts, and vocabulary lists to help students develop symbol imagery in learning to improve their reading skills. 18. $300 to fund a workshop for Project Connect, an interdisciplinary orientation program for 9th grade students at Governor Livingston High School. 19. $240 to fund transportation for Columbia Middle School students participating in community service projects. These projects enable students to increase self-awareness and understanding of personal connection to community. Possible trips include visits to a local nursing home, nursery or preschool, and a local park or recreational facility.