Tim Lavin (Kiwanis Club), Paula Rupel & Katie Exum (Naval Ave. Elem), Katherine Freedman (Crownhill Elem.), Sunny Wheeler (Kiwanis Club), Blake Greisinger (Bremerton High). Not pictured: Alyson Rotter (Kiwanis Club)
2018 was the first year of the Teacher Innovation Awards. Although the time line for submitting proposals was very short this year, the number and quality of proposals was amazing. Listed below are the winners, along with a brief description of their projects.
>>>> Click here for the 2019-2020 application. <<<<
Bremerton School District Food Computer
Bremerton High School
Blake Greisinger
This project aims to build a Bremerton School District set of “Food Computers” to be placed at schools throughout the district as hands on, interdisciplinary showcases for experiments in biology, food science, and agriculture. A food computer is a cross between a computer and a greenhouse which allows student researchers to adjust the parameters of the climate in which the food is being grown. By changing the climate students can see the impacts on growth and taste of the food and compare them to the results of other food computers. Originally developed by the MIT Media Lab this project uses their resources to build a school friendly version which utilizes the capabilities of the Bremerton High School Engineering program to construct the machines
STEM Makerspace
Naval Avenue Elementary School
Paula Rupel & Katie Exum
A STEM Makerspace is a designated area where students can come to explore, innovate, and create with STEM type materials. Skills learned from the Second Step curriculum and Social Thinking materials can be applied, reinforced, and encouraged as the students are using the materials in small groups or teams.
Having this space will help prepare our students for not only West Hills STEM Academy, which is the next step for our students, but also for future careers and college.
Young children are naturally interested in science. Children are very inquisitive and if we capitalize on that natural way of how they think and process information, we are preparing them for development of these skills. Having this space will allow students opportunities to interact with other students in a way more structured than the playground but less structured than the classroom.
School Wide House PBIS System / SEL Plan
Crownhill Elementary School
Tara White & Katherine Freedman
Our school and district have been prioritizing a focus on SEL (Social Emotional Learning) for students in our community. The SEL initiative has helped us understand and begin to implement ways to help students feel a sense of belonging, develop relationships, be engaged in relevant learning, and gain gain tools to become resilient little humans. Our community of students is showing a need for a stronger PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) as we are noticing a trend of office referrals. This project would help students not only build relationships, but they would build the specific SEL skills to become resilient learners. It would also provide our school with a way to reinforce skills and characteristics related to the SEL skills we are directly teaching students within our “houses”. Students will feel motivated to earn recognition for their houses, and continue to build relationships outside their normal classroom.
Kiwanis Club of Bremerton 