Prize Patrol visits AISD schools

By Randy Grider
randy@casscountynow.com

With all the pomp and circumstance of Publisher’s Clearinghouse Prize Patrol, members of the Atlanta ISD Atlanta Education Foundation visited city schools this past Thursday giving out grant checks to selected teachers.
The AEF’s own version of the Prize Patrol included young Atlanta Rabbit cheerleaders, balloons, noise makers and a police escort as teachers were surprised with oversized check depicting their monetary award for proposed classroom projects.
This year, AEF presented grants totaling $8,516.
“It’s always a big deal,” said AEF Vice President of Development, Special Events and Fundraising Susy O’Kelley. “We do it once a year in May, and the only ones who know when we are coming are the principals. No one knows who is getting the grants, but when they hear us making noise when we arrive, the teachers know someone at their school is getting a grant. They are all excited to get the money for their projects.”
The AEF Prize Patrol started in 2011. AEF funds innovative teaching techniques created by Atlanta teachers. It’s up to the teachers to design a project that will engage students in the learning process and make a formal proposal in a grant application to AEF. The AEF board reviews the applications and selects the most outstanding ideas each year.
This year’s grant recipients are:
Katherine Stubbs: (Atlanta Primary School/Atlanta Middle School) -- $2,191.44 for project Good Vibrations, which encompassed handheld chimes that allow students to achieve success by being able to immediately play music regardless of whether they have had any musical training. Everyone, even beginners, can experience the joy of music with these handheld chimes.
April Britton, Susan Tidwell, Gina Clements: (Atlanta Elementary School) -- $2,300 for project Kanopy: “DIY” Do It Yourself computer kit, which allows students to assemble a computer from scratch and develop coding skills.
Loree Saffel, Tammi Clements, April Britton and Leigh Stanley: (Atlanta Elementary School) -- $1,980 for project Osmo’sis for technology hardware that allows students in their classroom to use IPads for interactive experiences and learning through Osmosis.
David Harris: (Atlanta Middle School) -- $980.16 for project Speedometry, which is a hands-on, standards-based approach using Matchbox cars to learn STEM ( Science-Technology -Engineering-Mathmatics) content. Students learn without actually realizing they are learning STEM content while using the cars.
Stacy Nash and Shelly Waldon: (Atlanta Middle School) -- $964 for project Learners’ Nook, which creates an environment to inspire active, involved, explorative learning by creating a space/nook that is cozy and conducive to learning by using rugs on the floor, beanbags, saucer chairs and cushions.