Local teachers put North Central Education Foundation Classroom grants to good use

MANSFIELD/BRIDGEPORT/BREWSTER/PATEROS – Jessica Bowman and Marie Goulet are two among 93 teachers in the Chelan-Douglas-Okanogan-Grant county area to receive 2017 Teacher Classroom Grants from the North Central Education Foundation (NCEF).
Bowman, who teaches science, and Goulet, art, in the Mansfield School District, joined Becky Buckingham and Jana Ewing of Bridgeport, Pam Haley of Pateros and Sue Poppe of Brewster as this year’s award recipients.
This marks the eighth year that NCEF has distributed teacher grant awards in categories of literacy, STEM, STEAM, music\fine arts, college preparation and Chelan-Douglas Land Trust Foothills, according to a media release from the Foundation.
I am teaching an engineering class this year,” said Bowman, a STEM/STEAM grant recipient. “The funds helped pay for the materials for our students to build catapults and to learn about the engineering cycle to learn to solve problems.”
Bowman said her students are learning about construction, electrical plumbing and “the different kinds of engineering professions that are available for individuals to pursue after high school.” She included a photo of her charges standing near a snow-covered field preparing to launch pumpkins from a wooden catapult they built. 
Buckingham, a Bridgeport second grade teacher and another STEM recipient, said she applied for the grant for her classroom and for use in the other two second grade classrooms.
“STEM kits focus on students learning, simultaneously, about science, technology, math, and engineering,” said Buckingham. “I got the grant for $300, and purchased my kits from Lakeshore Learning.”
Buckingham said the funds covered the cost of eight kits.
“One has students building with LEGO structures and testing their structure to see if it is earthquake-proof,” said Buckingham. “One kit has students making cars, others have them building bridges and buildings.  Others have students looking at cards to make various shapes and another kit has students building in sequence to create a chain reaction.”
Buckingham said that as her students create, they are required to improve their communication skills, work on the school’s PBIS protocols (being respectful, responsible, problem solvers, and safe), and learn about what structures work and what do not.
Buckingham said she believes she won the grant “because my idea is going to be used not just in my classroom, but in two others, with nearly 100 students total.”
“It is building up our science program and it helps students tangibly grasp our school protocols, putting them into action,” said Buckingham. “The kits can be used from year to year. They are not consumable.”
“The Adopt a Classroom grant we received was used to purchase clay, glazes, and several new clay tools that will be used for sculpture and pottery projects,” wrote Mansfield District art teacher Marie Goulet. “Last year I began the process of transforming a small greenhouse attached to the Agri-science classroom into a pottery room.”
Goulet said that thanks to the donations the Mansfield school has received, they are well on the way to developing a ceramics program for all grades, K-12. Now, the first set of fired elementary and seventh and eighth grade projects are on display at the school.
Ewing, who teaches English and Additional Language (EAL) at Bridgeport Elementary, used her grant to purchase a color printer for her classroom.
“It wasn't funded originally due to the number of requests,” said Ewing, “however, community members are able to ‘adopt’ the grant and fund us.  I don't know who the generous donor was, but our Christmas came early.”
Ewing said her students primarily speak Spanish at home and have limited opportunities to hear "academic" language except in school. 
“We teach in both languages, with the goal of increasing academic skills in English,” said Ewing. “We needed a color printer because we use every tool we can get our hands on to make English meaningful.”
Ewing said colors are significant for engaging students in projects.
“The oranges of tigers, the reds and purples of a woven blanket, the greens in the map of Louis and Clark,” said Ewing. “Can you imagine Christmas without color?”
Ewing said that while there is great support in her school district, “the NCESD grant allows us to take larger steps toward the education of these great children and the eventual development of a bilingual program.”
The Foundation is working to make a difference in the future of the children in the North Central Educational Services District region by providing teachers with opportunities to enrich their classroom environments, the media release said.
NCEF acknowledged the generosity of its many supporters including North Cascades Bank, Woods Family Music & Arts Fund, Olive Garden/Darden Restaurants, Community Foundation of NCW, Chelan-Douglas Land Trust, LASER Science/Pacific Science Center, Clear Risk Solutions, PlanMember Services, and generous board members, ESD staff and community members who also donated to the fund.
“It has been inspirational to see the Foundation grow, in just eight short years, from giving out eight teacher grants in our region to giving out 93 grants, including 15 grants adopted by businesses or individuals,” said NCESD Superintendent Michelle Price. “We are fortunate to have generous new corporate sponsors with a heart for education and dedicated Foundation Board members who are passionate about the work of the Foundation.”