CPSF Announces 2007 Grant Recipients

FOR RELEASE ON June 11, 2007

CONTACTS:
Lynnanne Baumgardner, President, 874-9055
Jan Swaney, Public Relations Committee, 864-0435

The Columbia Public Schools Foundation, a private foundation established by community volunteers dedicated to the enrichment of public education through community giving, announces that it will allocate $43, 589 to the following grant award winners in the Columbia Public Schools in the 2007-2008 school year:

• THE GEOGRAPHY GAP: INCREASING THE INTEGRATION OF GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION INTO SECONDARY SOCIAL STUDIES CLASSES – $9,963 – CPS middle/junior/senior high schools. To provide geographic materials to all secondary (grades 6-12) to support and improve geography education. This would include pull down maps, stands, globes, atlases, traveling map transparency sets.

• CHARACTER GENERATOR: CASA program – $919 – HHHS/RBHS/visitors. To acquire the Video Messenger Character Generator that will allow CASA students to generate text messaging across the bottom of the broadcasting screen, similar to what is seen on news stations. This will keep all informed of medical or alarm emergencies during the mission to increase realism.

• CLASSROOM PERFORMANCE SYSTEM – $10,264 – piloted in Gentry Middle School math classes. For the purchase of additional response pads, receivers, software, and chalkboard for existing SMARTBoards, plus two additional SMARTBoards. Allows the classroom teacher to immediately know if the student understands the math problem.

• DYNAMIC IMMERSION OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS (ELL) USING INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE (ROSETTA STONE) – $7,441 – 23 CPS ELL teachers in 13 buildings, K-12. This will introduce interactive technology (Rosetta Stone) into the ELL classroom. Helps students learn English in an environment that combines technology with native English speakers and a rich visual environment that builds English language proficiency. The software is interfaced with a Student Management System that tracks student progress. At any one time, 51 students can access this software anywhere in the district, providing access to all in computer labs and individual classroom.

• ANIMAL EXCURSIONS: (THE “CRITTERS PROGRAM”) – $15,000 – Provides a variety of animals on loan to classrooms throughout the district for enrichment opportunities in language acquisition, science knowledge, and artistic expression.

Established in 1996, the Foundation continues to build on its successful effort to establish an endowment for sustained giving, having surpassed its $1 million milestone in the fall of 2006. For further information about the Foundation, see http://www.cpsf.org.