Teaching the youngest students in our district - Kindergarten, first and second grade students - STEM concepts ensure all students develop the skills to be successful in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
Primary School STEM teacher Melinda Dyer recently won a $5,000 Ohio STEM Classroom Grant for her Adopt-a-Duck Program proposal. The Ohio STEM Learning Network Classroom Grant Program funded by Battelle aims to enhance STEM Learning initiatives.
Ms. Dyer working with students in her STEM lab. This grant is one of 248 grants awarded this year to develop enduring STEM-based educational projects. A total of 197 public schools have been recognized with this prestigious award. The program has impacted students across 144 of Ohio’s school districts, spanning 67 counties.
Cambridge Primary School is the only school in Guernsey County to earn the award this year.
The Adopt-a-Duck program seeks to use the Cambridge City Park Pond and STEM engagement as a catalyst for students to gain a strong understanding of how living things interact with and impact their environment.
Some of the money will be used to purchase binoculars so students can observe the ducks in their natural habitat without disrupting them.
“All K-2 students will take a walking field trip to our city’s pond, next to our school,” Dyer explained. “They will observe the ducks, collect and record data noting the physical characteristics of the pond, ducks, and the park environment as well as the behavioral characteristics of the ducks.”
These observations will lead to several discussions about how the ducks impact the environment around them and how humans may impact the ducks, the park and the community.
Students will also be creating their own habitats, building and labeling models of ducks, and learning what adaptations and interactions are necessary for the ducks to survive.
Many teachers in the Cambridge School District have written grant proposals and received funding including Dyer who was able to use funding to purchase programmable robots and Kindles last year.
“Even though we do a good job as district providing the necessary materials and resources for our teachers and students, we appreciate it when teachers take the initiative to seek out grants and other funding resources to pay for programs and projects,” Cambridge City Schools Superintendent Dan Coffman said. “Ms. Dyer is doing a great job teaching STEM concepts to our youngest students at the Primary School.
“When teachers take the time to apply for grants, it demonstrates how they go above and beyond what we ask of them so that they can provide an exceptional learning experience for our students,” Coffman added. “We have many teachers who have taken it upon themselves to pursue funding for special projects and programs. They are to be commended.”