The Michigan City Area Schools Teacher Innovation Fund funded a record number of applications this year to support innovative classroom projects.
The fund was established with Unity Foundation of La Porte County in 2011 by former Michigan City Mayor Chuck Oberlie and MCAS Superintendent Barbara Eason-Watkins, EdD. It provides grants of up to $350 to teachers and professionals at Michigan City High School and the La Porte County Career and Technical Education-A.K. Smith Center. In addition, Horizon Bank generously contributed to help grow the fund and Michigan City Area Chamber of Commerce supports one grant each year in memory of A.K. Smith graduate and long-time Horizon Bank employee Joe Mellen.
A record 21 applications were received this year, requesting a total of $6,544.25. The selection committee under Unity faced a difficult decision in awarding the more than $2,600 available in the Teacher Innovation Fund, and recommended selecting eight projects. Unity Foundation then reached out to representatives of its La Porte County Educational Advancement Fund, which opened in 2012. The LCEA also was impressed with the projects presented and generously contributed an additional $3,874.39 to fund all the applications.
A total of 41 Teachers will benefit, reaching 5,838 students with innovative projects during the 2015-16 school year. They include:
Michigan City High School
Erica Arnett, Hotpotatoes, $158.86
Nancy Benson, Read to Succeed, $259.61
Rory Boone, The "S.T.E.M.-Tacular" Problem Solving Project, $350
Janet Dimke, Outcasts United Novel Study, $269.70
Deanna Ehrhardt, Legacy of Learning, $350
Kelly Fargo, MCHS Students Save The Sinking Ship! $260
Kristen Freitag, Project Classroom Technology Interaction & More, $334.98
Aaron Garrett & Bruce Stahl, Don't be a Lone Wolf—P.S.A. Campaign, $350
Adam Goebel, Just How Small Is Our World, $333.80
Ashley Kohler, Bubble Learning, $268
Mary LaLuna, Operation Participate to Graduate - Phase 2, $335.70
Catherine Lindgren, Atlas of World Geography Student Classroom sets, $350
Michael Livovich, Digitize, Write and Revise: Digital Testing for English 11, $310.17
Richard Merrick, Jamey Aebersold Jazz Play-a-Long Sets, $349.98
Ronda Ross, Quickbooks Software for Accounting Class, $350 (Recipient of Joe Mellen Award)
Rebecca Sanders, Read-er-cise, $350
Rebecca Shaman, Black History Expo, $341.97
Lucas Snyder, Decades Project, $331.84
Mariam Taha, Popsicle Sticks Babies Project, $210
Amy Wojasinski-Labis, Teaching Like It's 2999 Going from Good to Great, $329.93
La Porte County Career and Technical Education/A.K. Smith Career Center
Ralph Gee, Bridging the Gap Between Engineering, Technology, and Art, $349.71
To support the growing number of teacher grant requests, tax-deductible contributions are welcomed to the Teacher Innovation Fund or the La Porte County Educational Advancement Fund. Online contributions may be made at www.uflc.net, or checks mailed to Unity Foundation, PO Box 527, Michigan City, IN 46361, with Teacher Innovation or LP Ed. Advancement in the memo line.
For more information, call the Unity Foundation at 219-879-0327, or email unity@uflc.net.