Unity Foundation of La Porte County has announced the latest grant winners from the Teacher Innovation Fund for Michigan City Area Schools.

This is the fourth time the grants have been awarded. The permanent endowment fund was started by former Michigan City Mayor Chuck Oberlie and Michigan City Area Schools Superintendent Barbara Eason-Watkins, Ed. D. It provides grants to teachers and professionals at
Michigan City High School and the La Porte County Career and Technical Education – A.K. Smith Center.

Now those teachers have new and ongoing support for innovation and reaching students in new and exciting ways. Contributions to the fund may be sent to Unity Foundation, PO Box 527, Michigan City IN 46361.

A total of $2,525.82 was awarded to projects for the current school year, benefiting 18 teachers and 3,323 students. The maximum request amount is $350.

All 10 applicants were fully funded. The recipients of the 2013-14 and 2014-15 Teacher Innovation Fund grants will be recognized during a staff meeting on November 10 at the high school. The grantees and their projects include:

Michigan City High School
Kristen Freitag, Game Buzzers for Interactive Games in the Classroom, $350: “Buzzers maintain fair competition and promote interaction in students.”

Aaron Garrett, Counseling Department Computers, $350. “Computers in the waiting area of the counseling department will allow students and family members to access college information including applications, financial aide and college websites. In addition students can apply for jobs and research them.”

Adam Goebel, My Future Tourbook,$325: “Students will create a journal of different places they learn about throughout the year in geography that they may want to visit.”

Mary LaLuna & Andrew Eubank, Operation Participate to Graduate, $339.83: “Operation Participate to Graduate is the motto given to our current Credit Recovery program. Through this individuated program, students are able to recover lost credits.”

Amy Wojasinski-Labis, On the Path to College/Career Readiness, $241.77: “This resource gives students with disabilities the opportunity to receive extra help, learn organizational tips and be motivated/engaged learners. This project monitors students with disabilities who will graduate college/career ready in the near future.”

Michael Livovich, The “Thrown to the Wolves” Digital Platform Project, $187.95: “Creation of a unique teacher website called “Thrown to the Wolves” which acts as a platform for all digital and net-based learning activities in class and at home. Also, further utilization of net-based testing resources.”

Megan Schroeder, Bat House, $227.28: “When students make a bat house of their very own, they see how easy it is to take simple steps to become good stewards of the earth. They can take the bat house home and educate their family and neighbors on bats and how they naturally destroy harmful insects (mosquitoes); requiring no insecticide.”

Bruce Stahl, Game of 41, $35.99: Replacement of a mini-basket for the test review game called Game of 41.

Benjamin Volheim, Apple TV, $118: “Apple TV, a way to display anything on an iPad directly to a TV for the entire class, will serve as an engaging and entertaining way to present material, as well as, foster student participation and collaboration through the visual depiction of a verity of educational applications and sources.” This award is supported by the Michigan City Chamber of Commerce in memory of AK Smith graduate and long time Horizon Bank employee, Joe Mellen.

La Porte County Career and Technical Education/A.K. Smith Career Center
Jennifer Goss, Read it Once Again, $350: A.K. Smith Early Childhood Education classes will use the Read It Once Again early childhood comprehensive curriculum as students work with younger children in the MCAS system.