Boone County Education Foundation
Mini-Grant Projects

 Collins Elementary – Coffee Cart run by children with disabilities

My name is Dana Wilde and I received the classroom innovation grant. My classroom is at Collins Elementary and it is students in grades 3rd through 5th with significant disabilities. We used the grant money to purchase coffee cart supplies to start a school based business to raise money to take community based instruction trips as well as to work on job skills and communication skills which will be necessary for success in similar school based businesses in middle school. I am including a series of pictures of the students making the coffee, delivering the coffee and some photos from We Rock The Spectrum sensory gym and Sky Zone. The money raised through staff participation in the coffee cart allowed us to fund both of those trips! Thanks again for supporting my classroom and innovative idea, the students learned a lot and staff members loved their weekly coffee delivery.

 Goodridge Elementary – Cincy Museum Center, One World, Many Cultures

Thank you so much for supporting our students through the innovation grant! All 2nd graders at our school were able to attend an educational program on wheels through Cincinnati Museum Center. The One World, Many Cultures program allowed students to practice map skills, learn about aspects of various cultures, and enjoy music and a Chinese New Year parade! It was fantastic! As you can see in the attached photos, the students were engaged and able to experience global learning. It was also a perfect introduction for our Immigration unit of study. All of the second grade teachers agreed that this program was even more beneficial than a field trip to the museum. Thank you again for your support!
– Melissa Craddock, 2nd Grade Teacher

 Ockerman Elementary – Makerspace Supplies

 Ryle High School – Drones and Drone Course Project

The grant funded the materials to build the Drone Course and 2 new Drones. The first picture was the course made out of the PVC pipes purchased. In Aerospace Engineering, students had to program their drones and make them fly through the course as far as possible. For this project, students learned how to code the drones to make them navigate through the course.

The Engineering Technology Student Association (TSA) took the following two students to compete at regionals and they are going to compete at state for the Drone competition later this spring. They will be using the materials to practice before the competition takes place. The students enjoyed this project and learned more about Aerospace Engineering and coding because of it. This will be a project that we do again each year. Thank you for your financial grant to help us with this project! -TJ Pelfrey, Ryle High School

Ockerman Middle School – Understanding Water Pollution

Thanks to a grant from Boone County Education Foundation, 8th grade students were able to perform water quality parameter testing on water samples from the Little Miami River. Students conducted tests for several pollution parameters, including dissolved oxygen, nitrate, pH, and phosphorus. -Jennifer Davis, Ockerman 8th grade science

New Haven Elementary – Relief Print Printmaking

Thanks to the Boone County Education Foundation the fifth-grade students at New Haven Elementary were able to experience designing, carving and printing a Relief Print out of linoleum.

Printmaking dates back to the Tang Dynasty in China in the seventh century. This is a time honored practice that my students got to experience. The oldest form of printmaking is called Relief Print. Blocks of wood were carved using sharp knives and tools to create the image. This is much to dangerous for elementary students to do so we will use soft cut linoleum.

Printmaking is an artistic process that involves transferring an image from one surface to another, often on paper. Due to the “hands-on” nature of printmaking, students drew four designs on paper first, then picked the best one to carve into the linoleum black. They then picked their color and printed the image. They fifth graders loved this project and couldn’t wait to print extras to share with their friends. They matted the best print and then displayed it the hallway for all the New Haven students to see. So many of the younger grades can’t wait for their turn to print too. Below are a sampling of pictures from this project.

 – Florence Elementary – Complex Needs Interactive Playground

I want to say a BIG THANK YOU for the grant money that helped to build the Interactive playground for our complex needs classroom at Florence Elementary School. Our playground started out as just one structure in the middle of the playground and a castle on the side. We have moved the castle to the middle and added a lot of interactive pieces that they can use. We have added a basketball goal, PVC pipes to put balls through, a colored peg board, a music wall, a lego wall, a chalk board, a dry erase board, a plinko board, riding toys, and a storage unit. During the year we found out that preschool will be joining us as well so they will get to use it all as well. We still need to add the pool noodle entrance (a great sensory experience), as well as an awning for shade. It will be done within the next few weeks. Thanks again for all of your help! Meanwhile, please enjoy the pictures from our album. –Ms Becky Aragon, Florence Elementary Staff Physical Therapist

Ockerman Elementary School – Vex Robotics

• The OMS VEX Robotics Club was established during the 2022-2023 school year, thanks to the Boone County Education Fund, with the mission of introducing basic robotics building and programing skills to students who are eager to learn.The club met for six weeks, from March 7 through April 18, in the Mr. Revo’s room after school on Tuesdays from 2:30pm until 3:30pm.  Mr. Revo sponsored the club with the assistance of Ignite student, Landon Huey, who has extensive expertise in VEX Robotics and took a lead role in working with students in the club. 
• Overall, the club was a big success.  The students involved, consisting primarily of 6^th and 7^th Graders, enjoyed the experience; and they all improved their understanding and skills in the field of robotics.   We plan to continue the club next year with the possibility of meeting for a longer window of time.    

.Cooper High School – Motivating Through Reading (German)

In Ms. Martich’s Cooper High School German class, she decided to take reading to a whole new level. Students need stories to which they can relate and feel a connection. When this connection occurs, students see how stories relate to their own lives. In Liam Printer’s podcast The Motivated Learner, he invites educators to find ways to motivate students. The most effective way is through story telling. Many world language programs do not have reading stories or storytelling as a component of their curriculum. This is innovative! Reading the stories also connects to the Kentucky World Language Learning Standards and the ACTFL Learning Standards for Interpretive Reading.

Ms. Martich wanted to bring world language learners into the lives of three young people: an American girl Anna, a German boy Anton, and an American boy Kobe (Bryant!). Each storybook is about a young person facing conflicts and challenges. The stories show how each character rises above their challenges by tapping into their skills and striving to succeed. The characters do not give up but rather work hard to persevere.

Students read two books in small groups and aloud as a whole class, then summarized the stories with illustrations on long posters. Students articulated how characters felt at the beginning, during, and at the end of the story. They also created sequels of their own to each story! Check out our pictures below!