IPEI Announces 2015 Spelling Bee and New Teacher Grants

The community is invited to join an exciting school-community partnership event that occurs only once a year—IPEI’s 17^th Annual Adult Spelling Bee! This year’s Bee is scheduled for Sunday, March 1, 2015, at the Ithaca High School Wellness Center Gym.

 

The Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI) Spelling Bee is a family-friendly community event run like an official spelling bee, with rules, a pronouncer, an MC, a timekeeper, and three judges. There are 28 spelling bee teams—three team members each—with entry fees paid by local businesses and organizations or by the spellers themselves. Entry forms will soon be found at www.ipei.org as well as tips for finding team sponsors. Contact the Spelling Bee Committee, ipei@ipei.org to get involved or with questions.

 

In addition to being good fun and intellectually stimulating, the Bee is IPEI’s signature fundraising event. Thanks to the Bee’s event sponsors, all other proceeds go directly toward funding IPEI grants for Ithaca City School District (ICSD) teachers. The Blue Ribbon Champion Sponsor is Chemung Canal Trust Company, and the Red Ribbon Finalist Sponsor is Wells Fargo Financial Advisors. Sciarabba Walker and Cayuga Radio Group are the Gold Ribbon Sponsors.

 

IPEI’s Annual Adult Spelling Bee supports enhanced educational opportunities for students in classrooms at all grade levels throughout the ICSD. Teachers and others involved with the ICSD apply for funding through the four IPEI grants programs: Teacher Grants, Red and Gold Grants, Community Collaboration Grants, and Connecting Classroom Grants.

 

In November the once-per-year Teacher Grants were announced allocating almost $25,000 for 17 projects involving community partners and impacting 1700 students across all ICSD schools and all grade levels, Pre-K-12^th Grade. Visit www.ipei.org for the complete list, and for information about upcoming opportunities to apply for other grants.  The second round of Red and Gold Grants applications are due Dec. 8.

 

IPEI is a community based not-for-profit 501(c)(3) 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.

 

IPEI Teacher Grants 2014-15

Ithaca to El Salvador: Bridging Communities in the Spirit of Volunteerism!
Cara Salabrici/Boynton
Mauricio Rosa, El Salvadoran; Margit Chamberlain, Peace Corps, Rio Abajo El Salvadore

 

Music for Unity and Social Change; Motivational Assembly and Workshop Series
Ahrayna Zakos/Beverly J. Martin
Elisa Sciscioli, musician and Harmony Graves, Community Unity Music Education Program

 

Music for Unity and Social Change; Motivational Assembly and Workshop Series
Samantha Little/South Hill
Elisa Sciscioli, musician and Harmony Graves, Community Unity Music Education Program

 

Playing – Out of the Box or In!*
Nicole Dauria/Northeast
Ithaca Children’s Garden

 

Extending the Growing Season at DeWitt’s Vegetable Garden with High Tunnels
Wayne Gottlieb/DeWitt
Keith Thomson, Gardener

 

Enfield Shines at Literacy
Georgette Graham/Enfield
Carol Hockett, Johnson Museum of Art and Doug Levine, State Theatre of Ithaca

 

Planning and Printing a Community
Allison Trdan/Belle Sherman
Hod Lipson, Professor of Engineering at Cornell University and Gabriella D’Angelo, Professor of Art and Architecture Studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges

 

Continuing to Leveraging Students’ Access to Literature
Monica Sherman/DeWitt
Karen Yearwood, The Village At Ithaca

 

Spanish Brass Concert and Master Class
Michael Allen/Boynton
Aaron Tindall, Professor of Tuba at Ithaca College School of Music and the International Tuba Conference

 

Phun with Physics
Chris Bell/Fall Creek
Xraise Outreach Program, Cornell University and Erik Herman, Ithaca Physics Bus

 

Powered By Poetry
Rachel Valenzano /Beverly J. Martin
Sarah Wolff, Poet

 

Animals in the Garden: Making Friends through Literature, Storytelling, and Permaculture
Kathleen Downes/Caroline
Ithaca Children’s Garden; Regi Carpenter, storyteller

 

Songs, Music & Movement and Literacy
Sharon Ciferri/Enfield
Judy Stock, Musician

 

Emotions through the Arts-Mad, Sad, Glad with Music
Larissa Anderson/Northeast
David Plaine and Mark Sammo, Musicians and ICSD Bus Drivers

 

Emotions through the Arts-Mad, Sad, Glad with Visual Art
Kathleen Downes/Caroline
Carol Hockett, Johnson Museum of Art and Susan Zhender, Artist

 

Emotions through the Arts-Mad, Sad, Glad with Dance
Kelly Craft/Beverly J. Martin
Lisa Tsetse, Choreographer

 

Dancing through the Pages
Arne Van Leuken and Marnie Ecklund/Beverly J. Martin
Lisa Tsetse, Choreographer