WHEELING -- Three teachers in Ohio County Schools have won funding for innovative programs they've implemented in their classrooms.
The West Virginia Public Education Collaborative announced this week they were awarding new "Teacher Innovation Program" grants locally to West Liberty Elementary fourth grade teacher Brandy Lackey, Warwood School second grade teacher Christa Miller, and Woodsdale Elementary School media teacher Sandra Wiseman.
– Lackey received $4,000, for her "Ready, Set, 3D Print!" project in which students assist a local small business by creating and printing out items such as signs using technology.
"We're using the money to purchase four 3-D printers," she explained. "Right now, we only have one printer. When each kid prints out something, a project takes all month. We can only print out one a day."
Lackey said the school is always looking for ways to connect with their neighbors in the community. West Liberty University is one of their partners in education with whom they work and try to find ways to solve small everyday problems.
"It's nothing huge. They're fourth graders," Lackey said. "But maybe we print out something for them to keep business cards in order."
This past year, students helped the neighbor across the street, The Lions Club, to plant a garden. Lackey sees the students this year printing out markers for the garden.
"We will be doing something like that to get them into the community, and it should also help them with their speaking skills," she added.
– Miller said she and her fellow second grade teacher Heather Puglisi partnered on the grant application, which brought their program "Creating Connections Through Family Engagement Nights" a $4,000 reward.
"We've talked about how parental involvement is lacking in schools," Miller said. "We want to make them more involved in our program, get them in our classrooms, and make them feel more like we're a team."
She said she and Puglisi are planning four parent nights, which at this time will be specifically for second grade families. These can be expanded in the future.
The events will be geared toward students and their reading, with the first being a night when students show paintings they've created to accompany their readings.
There will be a night with Ohio County Library employees present to get students and their families signed up for library cards. Later, students will write books that will be sent to a publishing company. They will read from these on a parents night to their family, and a local author also may come in to speak, according to Miller. The last night will be a game night.
"We will explain how much learning can be done through games, and how games can enhance learning," she said.
- Wiseman received a $3,600 grant for her "3D Super Me" project. She said the money she receives also will be put toward buying a scanner and additional 3D printers for a project that combines STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) with writing projects.
"The idea is we are trying to give kids an authentic reason for writing," she explained.
The program involves partnering the fifth grade "big kids" with kindergartners. The older students will take photos of the younger children and scan them into the printer, and little "superhero" figurines will be created.
The bigger and smaller students then will work together to color the figures, and create a story about their action figure.
"We hope to have these done in time (by the end of the school year) so we can take them over to Petersen Rehabilitation to read to the residents."
Wiseman explained as a media teacher, she only sees the students one day a week and completion will take time.
"The kindergarten students consider the older kids rock stars, and they are really excited about working with the older kids," she said.
The WVPEC describes itself as "a non-partisan collaborative of diverse state and national leaders committed to championing public education at all levels through outreach and innovation, while engaging government, education and business leaders to rapidly respond to emerging issues."
Among its members are West Virginia Schools Superintendent Michele Blatt; Paul Hardesty, president of the West Virginia Board of Education; Adj. Gen. (Ret.) James Hoyer, vice president for economic innovation, West Virginia University; and Sarah Armstrong Tucker,
chancellor of the West Virginia Community and Technical College System and West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission.