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GAMECHANGERSCharlotte Hornets Teacher Innovation Grant Program

Grant Impact Report:Fall 2015 & Spring 2016 Cycles

Prepared November 2016

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TheCMSFoundation’sTeacherInnovationFundwasestablishedin2014througha$250,000investmentfromtheCharlotteHornetsFoundation,Lowe’sandFOXSportsSoutheast.ThroughgrantsawardedtoteachersinCharlotte-MecklenburgSchools(CMS),theFundhelpseducatorsimplementprogramsandstrategiestopreparestudentsforcollegeandcareersuccess.

TheCharlotteHornetsTeacherInnovationGrantProgramisthefirstprogramlaunchedthroughtheFund.Sinceitsstartin2014,450grantapplicationshavebeensubmittedbyCMSeducatorsfromallgradelevelsandrepresentingavarietyofsubjectareas.Todate,atotalof55grantshavebeenawardedto67teachers,impacting45schoolsthroughoutMecklenburgCounty.

Thisreporthighlightstheimpactofthe17grant-fundedprojectsselectedduringtheFall2015andSpring2016grantcycles.

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FALL 2015

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BryantBailey|ReidParkAcademy$5,000|Health&Fitness

Howhechangedthegame:Developedafitnesslabforstudentsinmiddleschoolhealthandphysicaleducationclasses

ReidParkAcademywasoriginallydesignedasanelementaryschool.Asaresult,age-appropriatefitnessoptionswerenotreadilyavailablewhentheschoolexpandedtohousemiddleschoolstudents.Bryant’sfitnesslab(completewithnewdumbbells,racksandaSmartCartTrainingSystem)enhancedhealthandphysicaleducationclassesforapproximately300studentsingrades6-8.Studentsdevelopedtheirownfitnessplansbasedonpersonalgoals,andmembersoftheschool’sDREAMTeamtaughtelementarystudentshowtousethenewequipment,encouragingthemtomakehealthandfitnessalife-longpriority.

JudyCaudle|TrilliumSpringsMontessori$3,000|Literacy|STEM

Howshechangedthegame:DevelopedaMakerspaceintheschool'smediacentertoenhancereading,writing,codingandotherdigitalliteracies

Bycreatingaspaceforstudentstotinkerandcreate,Judysoughttoteachherstudentsacriticallifelesson:It’soktofail—thepathtosuccessispavedwithfailuresandconstantcuriosityiscrucial.Studentsingrades3-5haveutilizedtheMakerspaceandcirculationofnonfictionbooksintheschool’smediacenterincreasedby10%asstudentssoughtadditionalresourcestohelpthemwithprojectsusingmaterialsinthenewspace.Theschoolalsoheldatechnologysymposiumwherestudentspresentedtheirworktoschoolleadersandteachers.Judyplanstoprovidetimesforstudentsingrades1-2tobeginusingtheMakerspaceduringthe2017-2018schoolyear.

BonusPoints:TheMakerspaceisoftenusedbytheschool’scounselorduringgroupandone-on-onesupportsessionswithstudents,meetingsocial-emotionalneedsinadditiontoitsoriginalpurpose.

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FALL 2015Cycle 3

DuringtheFall2015grantcycle,10innovationgrantstotaling$44,000wereawardedto:

BryantBailey|ReidParkAcademy

Marygrace Blubaugh |MoreheadSTEMAcademy

JudyCaudle|TrilliumSpringsMontessori

WhitneyGodfrey|RiverGateElementary

Rebeckah Hauss |MetroSchool

KathrynHeinen &BernadetteMacLeod |EastMecklenburgHigh

Eboné Lockett&CurtisOverton|WestMecklenburgHigh

ChandraMcCloud|NorthwestSchooloftheArts

MichaelRealon |OlympicCommunityofSchools

MichaelSchultz|EastMecklenburgHigh

Grantssupportedprojectsinthefollowingcategories:

Arts&Culture,CareerReadiness,CharacterEducation,Entrepreneurship,Health&Fitness,Literacy,STEM

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WhitneyGodfrey|RiverGateElementary$5,000|STEM

Howshechangedthegame:Acquired12LEGORobots,a3Dprinterandadditionalsuppliestosupportherall-girlsSTEMclub,STEMPossible

Noticinganachievementgapbetweenhermaleandfemalestudentsinscience,WhitneystartedSTEMPossible toencouragefemalestudentstoexploreSTEMtopicsandinspirethemtotakeonengineeringchallenges.Withthenewequipment,nearly60girlshavebeenintroducedtoroboticsandhaveaccesstonewSTEMlearningopportunities.Theschoolisalsostartingacompetitiveroboticsclub.

BonusPoints:StudentsfromtheOlympicHighSchoolHonorSocietyjoinedtheeffortandhelpedbuildtherobotsfortheelementarystudentstoprogram.

Rebeckah Hauss |MetroSchool$5,000|CareerReadiness|CharacterEducation|Entrepreneurship

Howshechangedthegame:Providedcommunityexperiencesandhands-on,school-basedactivitiestohelpherstudentsbuildcriticalcareerandlifeskills

MetroSchoolservesstudentswithseverephysicaland/orcognitiveneeds.Focusingonapproximately80studentsinthehighschoolandtransitionlevels(ages14-22),Rebeckah tookherstudentsintothecommunitytoexposethemtopotentialjobopportunities.OneexperienceincludedatriptoaCharlotteKnightsbaseballgame,wherestudentslearnedaboutjobsindifferentareasofstadiumoperations.Anotherintroducedstudentstoseejobsavailableinrestaurantservice.Rebeckah alsohelpedstudentsstartsmallbusinesseswithintheschooltopracticeskillssuchasbudgetingandbookkeeping,andtoearnandsavemoney.Studentoperationsincludeaschoolstoreandthriftshopandgreetingcard,jewelrymakingandpapershreddingbusinesses.

KathrynHeinen &BernadetteMacLeod|EastMecklenburgHighSchool$5,000|Arts&Culture|Literacy

Howtheychangedthegame:Throughacollaborativeeffortbetweentheschool’sArtsandTechnologydepartments,putonastudentproductionofthemusicalFootloose

EastMecklenburgHighSchoolhadnotputonamusicalin24years.ThatchangedMarch2016whenKathrynandBernadette’sstudentsputonasuccessfulproductionofFootloose.Theshow,whichcametogetherwiththehelpofmorethan200studentsingrades9-12, soldouteachofthethreeeveningsitwaspresented.Thisprojectsupportedtheschool’slargereffortstoengagethecommunitysurroundingtheschool.Inadditiontocreatingamoreinclusiveenvironmentforstudents,itbroughtinnewcommunitymembers,alumniandfamiliesofcurrentstudents.Forsome,thiswastheirfirstexperiencewithaneventatEastMecklenburgHigh.

Eboné Lockett&CurtisOverton|WestMecklenburgHighSchool$5,000|Arts&Culture|Literacy

Howtheychangedthegame:Launchedthe“FullSTEAMAhead”initiative,equippingWestMecklenburgHighSchoolwithmachinerytoenhancetheaterproductionandintegrateSTEMlearningintolanguageandtheaterartscurricula

TosustainthemomentumgeneratedthroughapreviousHornetsgrant-fundedprojectthathelpedrevitalizedtheschool’stheaterprogram,“FullSTEAMAhead”providedstudentswitha3Dcarvingmachineandmaterialstoproducestagesetsandpropsin-house.Theprojectincludedschool-basedresidencieswithlocalartistsandprovidedstudentsaccesstovariousculturalexperiencesinthecommunity.Studentsalsoaddresseddesignchallengesintheirschoolandhavestartedaschoolstoretosellcustomproducts.

BonusPoints:Charlotte-MecklenburgSchoolsisplanningtobuildacurriculumbasedonthisinterdisciplinaryproject.

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ChandraMcCloud|NorthwestSchooloftheArts$5,000|Arts&Culture

Howshechangedthegame:ExpandedtheNWSARepertoryScholarshipProgram,aninitiativestartedtohelpstudentssecuredance-basedscholarshipsandotherdevelopmentopportunities

TheNWSARepertoryScholarshipProgrambringsprofessionalchoreographerstoworkwithdancestudentsthroughanintensive-stylemodelandculminatesinastudentshowcaseatCharlotteBallet.Thisgrantsupportedtheprogram’ssecondyear,whichyieldedscholarshipsandotheropportunitiesfor35studentsvaluingover$180,000(anincreaseof10studentsand$80,000fromthepreviousyear).Studentsnotonlyincreaseddanceproficiency,butalsodevelopedresume-writing,networking,interviewingandmarketingskills.The2016eventsecuredayearlystudentauditionandscholarshipforNWSAdancestudentsfromAmericanDanceFestival,andincreaseddancescholarshipsfromLaRocheCollegeandsummerintensiveopportunitieshostedbyJohnsonC.SmithandWinthropuniversities.

MichaelRealon |OlympicCommunityofSchools$5,000|STEM|CareerReadiness|CharacterDevelopment

Howhechangedthegame:Providedhands-on,project-basedSTEMlearningthroughaHabitatforHumanityhousebuildontheOlympiccampus

AtOlympic,aHabitatforHumanityhomebuildisintegratedintothecurriculumforstudentsinconstructioncourses.Forthisbuildproject,155studentsingrades9-12participated.Studentsgainedreal-worldentrepreneurialandindustryexperience,raisingfundsforlandandsuppliesandensuringthehousecouldpassinspectionbeforebeingsold.Theprojectalsoincreasedstudents’accesstolocalemployersandpotentialjobopportunitiesasbusinessandvolunteerswereengagedtohelpcompletetheproject.

MichaelSchultz|EastMecklenburgHighSchool$1,000|Arts&Culture|Literacy

Howhechangedthegame:Increasedstudents’knowledgeoftheCivilRightsMovementandenhancedEastMecklenburgHighSchool’scollectionofCivilRightsresources

Michaelcreateda3-partCivilRights-focusedprojectthatincludedaletter-writingcampaign,exhibit(securedwithhelpfromLevineMuseumoftheNewSouth),andaguestlecturewithCharlesPerson,oneoftheoriginalFreedomRiders.

Morethan800studentsingrades9-12(nearly60%oftheschool’sstudents)directlyinteractedwiththevariouselementsoftheCivilRightsproject. Seventy-fivestudentsfrom6differentclassesparticipatedinaletter-writingcampaignthatbroughtinnewbooksandresourcesfortheschool’smediacenter.Roughly300studentsattendedthelecturebyCharlesPerson,withanadditional500visitingtheCivilRightsexhibitandcompletingprojectsbasedontheexperience.

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CharlotteFletcher|ParkRoadMontessori$5,000|STEM

Howshechangedthegame:Restoredtheschool’spondtoprovideamoreuser-friendlyoutdoorclassroomandbringsciencelessonstolife

Morethan500studentsingradesK-6atParkRoadMontessorihavebenefittedfromthispondrestorationproject.Thepondisnowabletosupportnewfish,plant,insectandbirdpopulationsforstudentstoobserveandstudy.Studentshaveshownincreasedcomprehensionofclassroomsciencelessonsthatareaccompaniedbyhands-onexperienceintheoutdoorclassroomarea;End-of-Gradeproficiencyratesinscienceincreasedfrom73%in2014-15to94%in2015-16.Additionally,studentsarelearningresponsibilityandownershipbytakingpartinthepond’songoingmaintenance(e.g.,cleaning,pullingweeds,monitoringwaterlevelsandfilters).

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SPRING 2016Cycle 4

DuringtheSpring2016grantcycle,7innovationgrantstotaling$33,000wereawardedto:

CharlotteFletcher|ParkRoadMontessori

BrookeFulton|UniversityParkCreativeArtsSchools

ToniHall|RockyRiverHigh

CynthiaHira&LilianaForero |Collinswood LanguageAcademy

WendyNeisler |BerryhillSchool

BarrySherman|Bruns Academy

ElijahWatson|Ranson IBMiddle

Grantssupportedprojectsinthefollowingcategories:

Arts&Culture,CharacterEducation,Entrepreneurship,Literacy,STEM

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BrookeFulton|UniversityParkCreativeArtsSchool$5,000|Arts&Culture

GamePlan:Brookeisplanningtoinstallaflexibleoutdoorstageandseatingareaintheschool’scourtyard,transformingapreviouslyunusedspaceintoanoutdoorclassroomandperformancevenuetoenhanceartseducationforthenearly500studentsstudentsatherschool.Whilestagematerialshavebeenpurchased,theconstructionprocesshasbeendelayed.BrookeisworkingwithherschoolleaderandCMSFacilitiesServicestoaddressschoolinfrastructureissuesandensurethestagecanbeproperlyinstalled.

AnticipatedCompletion:Spring2018

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CynthiaHira&LilianaForero |Collinswood LanguageAcademy$4,000|Arts&Culture|CharacterEducation|Literacy

Howtheychangedthegame:EngagedartistEdwinGil,whoworkedwithstudentsandstafftocreateamuralaspartofamulti-disciplinaryprogramonanti-bullyingandculturalproficiency

TocelebratethediversityoftheCollinswood schoolcommunityandpromoteahealthy,inclusivelearningenvironment,CynthiaandLilianabroughtinartistEdwinGiltocreateamuralthatincludedthefingerprintsofeverystudentandstaffmemberattheschool.Morethan800individualprintswereusedtocreatethemural,whichfeaturesthefacesof3studentwinnersofaschool-widevideoessaycontest.Essaydevelopmentanddiversity-themedprojectswereintegratedintotheclassroomcurriculumtosupporttheinitiative.Students,staff,familyandcommunitymembersattendedtheunveilingceremonyofthemural,whichwasdedicatedtoaformerCollinswood principalandpermanentlyinstalledneartheschool’smainentrance.Thisprojectbecamethespringboardfortheschool'sfocuslonger-termfocusonincreasingculturalproficiency.

WendyNeisler |BerryhillSchool$5,000|Literacy

Howshechangedthegame:Developedafamilystorytimeandtoddler-focusedlendinglibraryforfamiliesofBerryhillstudents

Wendyexpandedherschool’slibrarytoencourageearlyliteracyandprovidereadingresourcestoparentswithchildrenages0-5.Sheaddedmorethan500newtoddler-focusedmaterialstothemediacenter,inventoryingandplacingthemincirculationtomakethemaccessibletocurrentK-8Berryhillstudentsandthesurroundingcommunity.Booksfromthenewtoddlerlibrarywerecheckedoutmorethan500timesduringthe2016-2017schoolyear.WendyalsopartneredwiththeCharlotte-MecklenburgPublicLibraryandReadCharlottetoholda4-weeklong“BuildingBetterReaders”workshopforparents.

BarrySherman|Bruns Academy$5,000|CharacterEducation|Arts&Culture

Howhechangedthegame:Facilitatedauniquepublic-privateschoolpartnershipthatbroughttogether8thgradestudentsfromBrunsAcademyandProvidenceDaySchooltobuildbridgesandunderstandingbetweentheschoolcommunities

BarryteamedupwithMiachel Magno,ProvidenceDaySchoolMiddleSchool’sdeanofstudents,tohelpstudentsfromhighlyraciallyandsocioeconomicallysegregatedlivingandlearningenvironmentsgainexposuretoworldspreviouslyunfamiliartothem.Studentslefttheirday-to-day"bubbles"tointeract,learnandconnectwithamorediversecommunity.Twenty-fivestudentsfromBruns Academyand40studentsfromProvidenceDayparticipatedintheproject,goingthrough7theme-basedlearningandcommunity-buildingsessions.Theexperience,whichstudentsdescribedaslife-changing,wasdocumentedthroughphotos,videosandothervisualartmediums.

BonusPoints:Basedontheimpactofthisproject,BarryandMichaelhavecontinuedthisinitiativewithanewcohortofstudents.

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ToniHall|RockyRiverHighSchool$5,000|STEM

Howshechangedthegame:Leda4-week,afterschoolITbootcamptopreparestudentsforcareersincomputerscience

Twenty-fourcomputerprogrammingstudentsingrades9-12participatedintheITbootcamp,stayingafterschooltocomplete8MicrosoftITAcademytrainingsessions.Eachstudentgainedexposuretoadvancedprogrammingandsoftwaredevelopment,learningandapplyingconceptsbeyondthescopeofNorthCarolina'sstandardHonorsProgrammingIIcurriculum.StudentswerealsoabletotaketheMicrosoftTechnologyAssociatecertificationexamattheendofthebootcamp.

BonusPoints:Throughthisprocess,TonireceivedcertificationinSoftwareDevelopmentFundamentalsthroughMicrosoftandisnowaCareer&TechnicalEducationcoordinatorforCMS.

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ElijahWatson|Ranson IBMiddleSchool$5,000|Entrepreneurship

Howhechangedthegame:Usinga“SharkTank”styleexperience,taughtstudentsbusinessstartupandentrepreneurshipfundamentals

Usingacompetitionmodel,Elijahworkedwith120studentsingrades6-8todevelopbusinessplansandpitchtheirideasfortheopportunitytodesignandmanageanewschoolstore.SeventeenstudentswereselectedaswinnersoftheRanson “SharkTank”competitionandgainedevendeeperbusinessskillsthroughlaunchingthenewmobileschoolstore.

BonusPoints:Ranson studentshaveraisedmorethan$10,000throughthemobilestoretosupportschoolinitiatives.

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ABOUT US

About the CMS FoundationTheCMSFoundationraisesmoneytosupportCharlotte-MecklenburgSchools’higheststrategicpriorities.Harnessingthepowerofprivateinvestmentsineducation,weseedinnovativeideasandhelpexpandprogramstoacceleratesystem-widetransformation.

TheCMSFoundationplaysauniqueroleinourcommunity,servingasatrustedbridgethatconnectsdonorstothedistrict’smostcriticalwork.Inthisposition,wehelpensureinvestmentsinourschoolsystemhaveameaningful,sustainableimpactonourstudentsandeducators.

Agreatcommunitymusthaveagreatpublicschoolsystem.Webelievethatbyworkingtogether,wecanmakeCharlotte-Mecklenburganationalleaderinpubliceducation,whereteachingisaniconicprofessionandopportunityaboundsforeverychild.

4421 Stuart Andrew Boulevard, Suite 100 | Charlotte, NC 28217 980-343-0399 | cms-foundation.org

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