IPEI Announces New Board Members and Officers

IPEI Announces New Board Members and Officers

 

At the annual meeting of the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI) board on September 22, President Terry Byrnes welcomed five new board members and moderated the election of officers and approval of the annual budget.

 

Thanks to the continued generosity of the community, IPEI is able to support educational experiences for Ithaca students and teachers through its five grant programs. This year IPEI is introducing a new funding opportunity—Connecting Classrooms Grants—designed to encourage collaboration and innovation within the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) and positively impact and actively engage students. All grant application deadlines and forms are accessible at www.ipei.org.

 

IPEI’s support also includes funds for Kids Discover the Trail!; funds for use by its affiliates (Fine Arts Booster Group and IthacaSTEM Advocates); and funds for other IPEI-managed awards and programs.

 

Nominating Committee chair David Lee announced that Jennifer Engel will serve as IPEI’s new president, replacing Terry Byrnes, who was a founder of IPEI and served as its president for 12 years. Mary Grainger and David Lee will serve as vice presidents, Kevin Brew as treasurer, and Ann Caren as secretary.

 

Martha Frommelt, David Lee, and Pat Tempesta were re-elected for board terms. They are joined by five new board members: Jennifer Biloski, Kevin Cartmill, Janis Graham, Marshall McCormick, and Cheryl Mitchell. Janine Eng and Alice Wu will continue as liaisons to the IPEI board for the Fine Arts Booster Group, and Illa Burbank will continue as liaison for IthacaSTEM Advocates. Amy Schwartz will be the board’s PTA Council liaison.

 

“IPEI welcomes interested community members as volunteers and committee members, too,” stated Executive Director Christine Sanchirico who also stressed the importance of the financial support of individuals, corporations, and foundations.

 

Biloski moved from Manhattan to Ithaca in 2001 after an 11-year career in finance. She has three sons in the school district and served for two years as president of the Cayuga Heights Elementary School PTA. During that term she restructured the school’s Spanish enrichment program and served on the ICSD World Language Committee.

 

A native Ithacan, Cartmill attended Ithaca schools before receiving a degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After serving as a senior mortgage consultant in an Atlanta bank, he joined the Tompkins Trust Company as a business development officer in 2008. He now manages the Residential Mortgage Team. Cartmill and his wife live in Ithaca with their three young children; two attend Ithaca schools.

 

Graham and her husband moved from Manhattan to Ithaca in 1993 so their two children could attend Ithaca’s schools. She recently retired as a freelance writer specializing in health, medicine, and nutrition reporting. She is the author of three books and was a regular contributor to a number of national publications. An active community volunteer, she has served as president of three local nonprofit boards.

 

McCormick, a Dryden native, coordinated education programs with Empowerment International in Nicaragua, and managed public health consultant teams for Management Sciences for Health in Washington, D.C. He returned to Ithaca for a master’s degree in city and regional planning at Cornell. He currently is a financial advisor and president of Fingerlakes Wealth Management.

 

Mitchell’s career in education spans several decades. She taught pre-school and elementary school in Ithaca and served as an adjunct professor for Morrisville State College and Ithaca College. She also has led teacher-training workshops in multicultural/anti-bias education, and she created an interdisciplinary movement/dance curriculum for Ithaca elementary schools.

 

IPEI is a community based not-for-profit organization that develops supportive community and private sector relationships with the Ithaca City School District. Founded in 1996, IPEI is committed to connecting school and community through collaboration, engagement, gifts and grants. For more information, see www.ipei.org or contact 256-IPEI (4734) or ipei@ipei.org.

 

 

 

Kids Discover the Trail! Celebrates a Decade of Discovery

Kids Discover the Trail! Celebrates a Decade of Discovery

 

By Terry Byrnes, President of the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI) in collaboration with Charlie Trautmann, Executive Director of the Sciencenter; Frank Robinson, retired Director of the Johnson Museum of Art; and Don Rakow, retired Director of the Cornell Plantations.

 

Can you imagine elementary school children discovering the world - right here in Tompkins County – through experiences that inspire them to become more engaged as students, better critical thinkers and lifelong learners?

Kids Discover the Trail! (KDT!) does all this, and more, by providing field trips with educational programming at the eight world-class Discovery Trail organizations. Students study animals in art, learn how libraries work, identify fossils, analyze wind energy , identify wildflowers, re-enact 18^th century schooling, find bird habitats, and share leadership challenges. In addition to field trips, KDT! features classroom activities, social interaction, and a special book for each student,  which builds on the field trip experience.

Why is KDT! Important?

KDT! is a unique learning experience for our young people broadening their knowledge and inspiring lifelong interests. KDT! creates equal access for all students and teachers to the Discovery Trail. KDT! attracts families to the Discovery Trail as students bring their families to see what they learned.

“Reflecting on the first ten years of KDT!, I am so proud of this collaborative effort and  the participation of over 25,000 students since it began”, says Don Rakow. “The KDT! model successfully provides meaningful, hands on experiences that support classroom learning and engage students’ imaginations.”

“Reflecting on the first ten years of Kids Discover the Trail!, I am so proud of this collaborative effort and  the participation of over 25,000 students since it began”, says Don Rakow. “The KDT! model successfully provides students and teachers with meaningful, hands-on experiences that support classroom learning and engage students’ imaginations.”

School district teachers and Discovery Trail educators collaborate to design and present comprehensive student experiences using Discovery Trail resources to align with the New York State Learning Standards. Students develop important communications skills and collaborative problem solving. They learn that museums and libraries are fun and inviting places where they can explore new ideas and gain a better understanding of their local and global communities. Our community can be proud of KDT!

How Does KDT! Work?

Each grade, Pre-Kindergarten through Fifth Grade, is linked with one of the Discovery Trail organizations each year, with grade and site specific curriculum designed for KDT!. Pre-Kindergarten is linked with the Johnson Museum of Art, Kindergarten with the Tompkins County Public Library, first grade with the Museum of the Earth, second grade with the Sciencenter, third grade with the Cornell Plantations, fourth grade with the Eight Square Schoolhouse, and fifth grade with both the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Cayuga Nature Center.

As students advance from one grade to the next, they move to a different Discovery Trail site so that at the end of their seven years, they have experienced programs at all eight. Social interaction is part of the Ithaca program to help students from our eight elementary schools gain a better understanding of each other and have connections across the district before middle school.  KDT! Ithaca partners all 3000 Ithaca students in over 150 classrooms with another classroom at the same grade level for the activities.

KDT! in Ithaca is funded by annual charitable donations to IPEI and is supported by the ICSD. In Trumansburg, donations are made to the Trumansburg Central School District Foundation (TCSDF) which partners with its District. To expand the program, the Discovery Trail is coordinating programming and financial support for all districts.

How did KDT! Start?

IPEI has been connecting classrooms with community resources through our grants to teachers since 1996, but we were seeking additional ways to connect Ithaca City School District (ICSD) students and teachers with our community. The KDT! vision was first introduced at a workshop with over 250 parents, teachers, local business people and Discovery Trail representatives in April 2004. According to Frank Robinson, “It was a wildly ambitious idea to create excitement about learning by connecting students by grade level with the world class resources of the Discovery Trail. Not only did lesson content have to be developed, but also the challenging logistics of moving so many students from different schools to all eight Discovery Trail sites. “

After six months of planning, KDT! began as a pilot centered around the field trip. Initial funding was provided by local foundations and businesses. As the impact and logistics were evaluated and improved, program enhancements were added to the core trip, including a book related to that year's theme, pairings of students from different schools to increase understanding across the community, and additional field trips to extend learning and increase social interaction.

Each year, more students participated as funding was raised and as teachers learned of the program’s benefits. By 2009, ICSD reached 100% student involvement where it remains today.

What are the Future Plans?

KDT! is a priority of IPEI which continues to evaluate, improve and manage the Ithaca program going forward. “KDT! is a Discovery Trail priority as it aligns with our mission of providing accessible educational opportunities,” stated Charlie Trautmann. As word spread about the Ithaca program, other districts expressed interest in joining KDT!. In the spring of 2010, Trumansburg Central Schools used the KDT! Ithaca model for Trumansburg Kids Explore and Discover, and now is under the countywide KDT! umbrella. In the spring of 2014, Groton Central Schools started with a fifth grade pilot and hopes to expand to other grades this year. The Discovery Trail is collaborating with the other three school districts in Tompkins County (Newfield, Lansing and Dryden) to help make KDT! available to their students as well.

We welcome community support for the continued success of KDT!

For More Information: Visit www.ipei.org or www.kidsdiscoverthetrail.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

IPEI Made 108 Grants Last Year!!

IPEI Awards 108 Grants in 2013-14 School Year

 

At the beginning of the 2014-15 Ithaca City School District (ICSD) year, the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI) announced the grand totals for all its grant programs during the previous year. IPEI is a nonprofit organization committed to making community connections that encourage innovative teaching and enhanced educational experiences for all ICSD students.

 During 2013-14, IPEI awarded 108 grants totaling $83,845, including 24 Teacher Grants ($33,310), 80 Red and Gold Grants ($34,835), and two Community Collaboration Grants ($6,000). In addition, the Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG), an IPEI affiliate, awarded 21 mini-grants totaling $9,045; and IPEI allocated $49,536 for the Kids Discover the Trail! Ithaca program.

IPEI’s grant and program funds originate as donations from generous individuals, businesses, organizations, and foundations. In addition to Annual Fund gifts, IPEI has received financial support through its capital campaign, “Our Children * Our Schools * Our Future,” completed in 2012. Expanding grants and programs for emerging opportunities was one of the campaign’s three priorities. From these funds IPEI has recently introduced another grant program, Connecting Classrooms Grants, designed to encourage collaboration and innovation within the ICSD while positively engaging students.

Reports of the 108 grant projects that occurred this past year have been submitted by the recipients. In addition to being used to evaluate the impact of IPEI grants on student engagement, the reports and stories are relayed to supporters and to the public through the IPEI website, www.ipei.org. Follow IPEI on Facebook and Twitter @IthacaPEI, and consider signing up for its e-newsletter, IPEI Connections, and blog at http://ipeiblog.blogspot.com/.

Pat Tempesta, chair of IPEI’s Grants Committee, reports that data collected by last year’s grant recipients indicate that student engagement again rose following IPEI grant-funded activities. "It is encouraging to see a second year of assessment data confirming that our grants consistently lead to an increase in active student involvement in their learning. Kudos to our teachers who encourage this kind of student engagement by taking the time to create great, innovative projects!"

For more information, see www.ipei.org or contact 256-IPEI (4734) or ipei@ipei.org.

Code Red Robotics Serves Ithaca Community

Code Red Robotics Serves Ithaca Community

Throughout the summer, Ithaca High School’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Team 639 Code Red Robotics has been active in countless ways in the community.  Code Red Robotics members display their commitment over the summer as well as during the school year, taking action by volunteering in events such as the Cayuga Lake Triathlon, Dump and Run Sale, and Taughannock Falls State Park Clean-up; as well as by doing demonstrations at locations such as the Sciencenter, the Tompkins County Public Library, and the New York State Fair.  “Unwavering commitment shines through the actions of these young individuals as they give up their time in order to give back to the community and inspire the young engineers and scientists of the future.” says Katie Henderson, Code Red Robotics Public Relations Officer.

 

Volunteering has always been important to this Ithaca High School club, and this summer was no exception.  At the Cayuga Lake Triathlon, Code Red members volunteered their time in order to give back to the community, signing up to help to ensure that the event ran as smoothly as possible.  At the Dump and Run Sale that occurred at Cornell University, Code Red members volunteered to assist in the set-up and running of the massive event.  While helping out at Taughannock Falls State Park, members assisted in the clearing of trails.

 

Along with volunteering, Ithaca High School’s Code Red Robotics members have been doing many demonstrations in order to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists, and inform the community of their actions.  At the Sciencenter, Code Red Robotics did a demonstration for an Engineering Summer Camp as well as a Saturday Showtime, explaining what their team does, demonstrating the capabilities of their most recent robot, and providing interested children with a way to get involved in its international organization, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology).  At the Tompkins County Public Library, Code Red Robotics students played a role in the Maker Expo, displaying the regional competition-winning robot they created during the 2013-2014 build season.  Code Red Robotics ended the summer by attending the New York State Fair, informing the fairgoers of the team’s actions, and inspiring the children attending the fair to join FIRST teams in their area, or even start their own teams.

 

After a busy summer of community service and local demonstrations, Code Red Robotics will be maintaining their active role in the community by participating in events such as State Parks Clean-Ups.  In addition, they will be doing local demonstrations at locations such as the local elementary schools, Purity Ice Cream, the Ithaca Mall, and the Kids Book Fest at Boynton Middle School.

 

Code Red Robotics receives generous support from the community and local companies. Sponsors include Rheonix, Autodesk, BAE Systems, BorgWarner Morse TEC, CBORD, Cayuga Family Medicine, Cayuga Medical Center, Cognitive TPG, Cornell University Center for Computational Sustainability, Cornell University Computing & Information Science, Cornell University College of Engineering, Datapoint Labs, GORGES, M&T Bank, NASA Glenn Research Center, Sciarabba Walker, Tetra Tech, Tompkins Trust Company, Vector Magnetics, AccuFab, Incodema, Innovative Metal Works, U-Haul of Ithaca, Ithaca City School District, ICSD Board of Education, Ithaca High School, IPEI and IthacaSTEM Advocates.

FIRST Code Red Robotics, an Ithaca High School student organization, is an associate of Ithaca STEM Advocates, an affiliate of the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI). IPEI is a not-for-profit organization that believes the education of every ICSD student is enhanced through community connections and support facilitated by IPEI for students and teachers through engagement, collaboration, gifts, and grants. More information about Ithaca STEM Advocates and IPEI can be found at www.ithacastem.org and www.ipei.org

For further information about FIRST, Jr. FIRST Lego League, and Code Red Robotics, please email ikrywe@icsd.k12.ny.us, or go to www.usfirst.org.

Katie Henderson

Public Relations Officer

Code Red Robotics

FIRST Team 639

(607) 277-0231

katie.henderson412@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

5th Annual LAFF Show Benefits ICSD Arts Programs

5th Annual LAFF Show Benefits ICSD Arts Programs

 

 This year the Rotary and Savage Clubs of Ithaca are teaming up with the Ithaca City School District (ICSD)’s Fine and Performing Arts Program for the 5th Annual Little Apple Fall Follies – LAFF – scheduled for Saturday,September 27, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. at the Ithaca High School’s Kulp Auditorium.   This two hour show features a wide array of talented local performers. Proceeds from the show will go to community grants for area youth arts programs and one third to the ICSD for fine and performing arts.

The 5th Annual LAFF Show is the kickoff event of the Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival.  Tickets are $12 and are available at Pastimes Antiques in the DeWitt Mall, online at http://www.savageclubofithaca.com/, from any Savage or Rotary Club member, at the Ithaca High School Activities Building M-F 8:30-11:30 a.m., and at the door the evening of the show.  Plenty of free parking is available.

 

This family-friendly variety show features the diverse talents of The Dorothy Cotton Jubilee Singers, The Ithaca Gay Men’s Chorus, Running to Places, Magician James Warren, Juggler “Nate the Great," Circus Culture, the incomparable Ed Clute on piano, and music ranging from Broadway to jazz to rock.   Emcees for the show are Brett Bossard, president of the Rotary Club of Ithaca and Executive Director of Cinemapolis, and Joey Steinhagen, Artistic Director of Running to Places. 

Ithaca Rotary grants promote the quality of life in Tompkins County and the greater Ithaca area. Past grant recipients include Cancer Resource Center, Ithaca ReUse Center and Family Reading Partnership. The Savage Club makes annual donations to community arts organizations that include the Community School of Music and Arts, Vitamin L Chorus, Running to Places Theatre Company and Armstrong School of Dance. For more information, call 607-277-3457.

 

The ICSD’s Fine and Performing Arts Program serves all students grade K through 12 teaching visual art, dance, drama and vocal and instrumental music. The Fine Arts Booster Group (FABG) works in partnership with the district to support and celebrate all the arts for all the kids.  FABG is an affiliate of the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI).  For more information visit www.fabgithaca.org and http://www.ithacacityschools.org/index.cfm/icsd/Menu/arts.htm.

IPEI Announces Application Deadlines for Five Grants Programs

IPEI Announces Application Deadlines for Five Grants Programs

 

The Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI) announces the application deadlines for its grants programs available during the 2014-15 school year. Another grant opportunity has been added to the four grants offered in previous years. Funding is for Ithaca City School District (ICSD) teachers, staff and others in the community who have ideas to enhance the educational opportunities for all students.

 

Teacher Grants of up to $1,500 are awarded through a competitive review process to teachers for innovative projects that bring community resources into the classroom. Applications are due November 1, 2014; forms are available online at www.ipei.org and must be submitted via email. For more information, contact TeacherGrants@ipei.org.

 

Red and Gold Grants are one-time grants of up to $500 awarded to teachers and others in the school community, including students and parents, for projects that strengthen and enrich the schools. Grants are awarded in four cycles. Application deadlines are October 20, December 8, February 9, and April 6. Forms are available at www.ipei.org and must be submitted via email. For more information, contact Red&GoldGrants@ipei.org.

 

Fine Arts Booster Group Mini-Grants are awarded to support arts activities in the schools, including collaborations, visiting artists, and musical equipment. The fall deadline is October 15; the spring deadline is February 1. For more information, contact president@fabgithaca.org.

 

Community Collaboration Grants are one-time grants of up to $3,000 awarded to community organizations wishing to initiate curricular-enhancing projects with district schools. Application forms are available at www.ipei.org and can be submitted via email at any time during the school year. For more information, contact ComColGrants@ipei.org.

 

Connecting Classrooms Grants, IPEI’s recently announced funding opportunity, encourage collaboration and innovation within the Ithaca City School District. Statement of Interest forms are available at www.ipei.org and can be submitted via email at any time during the school year. For more information, contact ConnectingClassroomsGrants@ipei.org.

 

IPEI’s website (www.ipei.org) includes details on all its activities. Follow IPEI on Facebook and Twitter @IthacaPEI, and consider signing up for its e-newsletter, IPEI Connections, and blog at http://ipeiblog.blogspot.com/.

 

IPEI is a community based not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that develops supportive community and private sector relationships with the ICSD. Founded in 1996, IPEI is committed to connecting school and community through collaboration, engagement, gifts, and grants. 

 

 

 

Congratulations Nancy, Patti and Kathleen on Loehr Innovative Science Teaching Award

South Hill First Grade Teachers Receive Innovative Science Teaching Award

 

South Hill Elementary School’s three first grade teachers; Patti Caughey, Nancy Marino, and Kathleen White; were honored with the Raymond C. Loehr Innovative Science Teaching Award at the Ithaca City School District (ICSD) Convocation for all staff members on September 2. Managed by the Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI), the award was presented by Loehr’s son Stephen Yale-Loehr and Ann Caren, IPEI board member and Awards Committee Chair.

 

Raymond Loehr’s family initiated the teaching award at the time of his 70th birthday in honor of his career as a science educator. It has been presented to nine different teachers from Ithaca’s elementary and secondary schools. A second award in his honor is presented each June to a student who excels in environmental science.

 

The team of teachers was nominated for the award by South Hill Principal Samantha Little: “During the 2013-14 school year, their first grade classes participated in a year-long integrated teaching and learning experience focusing on farms and demystifying the journey of providing healthy food from the farm to the table, for all people. ‘Farm to Table: Healthy Food for all People’ included enriching and empowering experiences that engaged the students. Their passion and commitment to providing project-based and experiential learning opportunities for all students was reflected in their thoughtful planning and execution of the curriculum they designed.”

 

Little also reflected on the teaching team’s activities: “This kind of innovative and creative instructional practice is a labor of love. Each of these teachers looked deep within their instructional practices and developed a collaborative inquiry process. Their dream very quickly turned into reality due to their dedication, love and passion for teaching. I am honored to work alongside this team and I have great respect and appreciation for their work and contributions to our school community.”

 

Caughey, Marino and White used an IPEI Community Collaboration Grant to facilitate their program. Key community collaborators were Katie Bigness of NYS Agriculture in the Classroom at Cornell, and Jerry Dietz of Taste of the Nation. Many local food producers were also involved as the year-long program integrated reading, writing, science, social studies, and math as well as physical education, music, and library curriculum with field trips. Family involvement was encouraged for activities and field trips as well as for evening cooking classes. Students made products and sold them at Taste of the Nation in June; these funds were used to donate to fight childhood hunger.

 

When Caren announced the award, she described how this “collaborative teaching and learning model afforded students rigor, relevance and the development of relationships within and outside of the South Hill community.” Over the course of the school year, each month had a different focus: apples, honeybees and corn in the fall.  In the winter, they focused on beans and then the lives of migrant farm workers, including a study of the life of Cesar Chavez and his advocacy and passion for improving the lives of farm workers.  Next the students visited the Cornell Dairy where they got to witness firsthand the milk production process and later at the Cooperative Extension kitchen cooking class where they explored healthy dairy options. 

 

In May and June, students studied seeds and grew seedlings, working closely with Dan Brangman, master gardener at Cooperative Extension, and then with Dan Flerlage from LACS to build a garden at South Hill. The garden consists of several small raised beds where the children grew crops that were harvested at the end of the school year and eaten during a family gathering in June.

 

A culminating experience for the first graders was their participation at Taste of the Nation on June 17, where they talked with event attendees about their experiences and sold their work, which included ceramic trivets, healthy food recipe booklets and layered bean soup-in-a-jar mixes.  They raised $742.00 which they presented to the organizers of the event to support the fight against childhood hunger.

 

Caren expressed, “The results of this experience have both short term and long-term effects. While the first grade teachers impacted the first grade students and their families directly, they have also modeled and led efforts in our community to demonstrate how and what can be done to engage students in an interdisciplinary curriculum where students’ creativity is etched into the fabric of the instruction.”