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HEF in the News: iPods inspire 4th grade learning (Radio Free Hamilton)

When the Hamilton Emerald Foundation purchased new computers for the Hamilton Central School last year, each one came with a an iPod Touch. Always on the hunt for new ways to keep learning exciting, particularly when technology can play a role in the process, the school's enrichment coordinator Eric Coriale developed a program supported by additional Emerald Foundation funding that, according to the Radio Free Hamilton article, "puts technology in the hands of kids and teaches them how to use it as a powerful learning tool." The program is being piloted with two HCS fourth grade classes and a special education class. Read the full article.

New Scholarship Program will Support Extracurriculars

The Hamilton Emerald Foundation has started an annual Scholarship Fund. Students of the Hamilton Central School District who qualify financially may apply for a scholarship award.  This scholarship funding has been designated to help pay a portion of the tuition or expenses for extracurricular or summer programs that will assist in achieving a student’s educational goals and/or will enhance and expand their educational experience.

The Hamilton Emerald Foundation Scholarship Fund is intended to support a student’s participation in these activities or programs in keeping with the mission of the Foundation; therefore, sports team related activities or programs will not be funded. Programs or activities that will be considered for funding may include anything in an art, music, dance, theatre or other academic area, or a program related trip, etc.

Students must apply and be accepted to the program or course they want to attend before being awarded a scholarship.

District administrators will determine a student’s financial need for scholarship funding. Once it is determined a student qualifies financially for scholarship assistance, a student may apply for an award of up to $500, but the award may not exceed 90% of the full tuition for the program they plan to attend. Scholarships will be awarded on a sliding scale dependent upon a student’s need.

While the Fund is managed by the Hamilton Emerald Foundation, the Superintendent, high school principal, and elementary principal at Hamilton Central School, in consultation with appropriate teachers, will determine who is eligible for funding and at what level.

To apply for funding, students must complete a brief application (available on our website or in the District Office), get endorsement of their plan from both an HCS teacher and one of their parents or a legal guardian, and send it to the Hamilton Emerald Foundation at PO Box 14, Hamilton NY 13346. The Grants Committee of the Hamilton Emerald Foundation will work with the Hamilton Central School administrators to coordinate the Scholarship awards process. Scholarship applicants will receive notice of a funding decision within four to eight weeks after submission of their application. Questions regarding the Scholarship Fund should be directed to Sally Campbell, Secretary and Grants Committee Chair, Hamilton Emerald Foundation at info@hamiltonemeraldfoundation.org.

Emerald Foundation Grant Funds New Macs for “Think Tank”

The Hamilton Emerald Foundation has granted $9,940 to the Hamilton Central School to fund the purchase of ten new Apple MacBook laptop computers for the school’s Think Tank. The computers will enable the school to upgrade resources for students and create more workstations in the Think Tank.

“This grant provided an opportunity to significantly upgrade and expand student access to technologies that will open new doors to them,” said Emerald Foundation President Andrew Coddington. “The global focus of the Think Tank is so important to today’s students as they prepare for success beyond Hamilton Central School.”

The Think Tank at Hamilton Central School aims to use technology to give students opportunities to become global learners, thinkers, and leaders through meaningful, real-life experiences. HCS Coordinator of Innovation and Enrichment and Think Tank director Eric Coriale partners with teachers using innovative technologies to help students engage in cultural exchanges around the world, create content that is reflective of their individual and collective learning and engage with issues with the goal of making a difference in their local and global communities for future generations.

“These computers will provide students with opportunities create authentic content that reflects their synthesis of learning in addition to bringing the world into the Think Tank with just a few clicks,” said Coriale. “With the support of the Hamilton Emerald Foundation, we are helping students to craft the 21st century skills to become global, life-long learners, citizens, communicators, collaborators, thinkers, and activists.”

Funding Philosophy for 2009-2010

Starting in January 2009, the first priority of the Hamilton Emerald Foundation (HEF) Board in reviewing new funding requests (or requests from Fall 2008 not yet considered) is to fund projects or items that most clearly address district needs that would otherwise go unfulfilled due to budget shortfalls.

A request must still fall within our normal funding guidelines and be supported by the appropriate principal and the superintendent to be considered. That said, the HEF Board will continue to review and fund requests from others in our school or community at large, but those that more clearly support district priorities will receive top consideration.

The HEF Board will inform the HCS community of our decision immediately as well as post this information on our website.

Global learning at HCS

Hamilton Central School students will be making several trips to Osaka Japan this year, and theyÕll do it without ever getting close to an airport.

The school's Think Tank is a newly-renovated, high-tech space designed to provide students with global perspective and learning opportunities. Enrichment and Innovation Teacher Eric Coriale is leading the school's efforts with the Think Tank and is working with a steady stream of teachers as they seek to expand their coursework beyond the borders of the classroom and go global.

"The Think Tank is really the highway that our students and teachers will be using to go anywhere in the world,Ó said Coriale. ÒWe want our students to be global learners, thinker and leaders Ð and we can make that happen through real-life experiences in the Think Tank."

Just a month after opening, the Think Tank is already earning visibility in the region as evidenced by a recent Oneida Daily Dispatch feature article, in which the facility was called a "high tech haven" at Hamilton Central School.

Over the past two years, the Hamilton Emerald Foundation has invested significantly in classroom technology at HCS and is seeking to raise funds to support further innovation in the Think Tank.

"The school has made amazing progress in terms of providing our students with the tools to go global and really expand their horizons," said Emerald Foundation President Andrew Coddington. "We will be working hard in coming months, through conversations with potential donors, to raise the funds necessary to see the Think Tank go to that next level."

Specific funding priorities include a multipoint Tandberg videoconferencing system that will allow HCS students to connect with multiple classrooms around the globe.

The emphasis on technology addresses another important educational priority by ensuring that students are using computers and the Internet not only for gaming, but also to expand their knowledge-base and understanding of important issues and other cultures. So far, it seems to be working.

As HCS Senior Coral Downsland said in the Daily Dispatch story, "It's really cool. It's a great way to help us learn because we're so used to using technology at home."

Infusing new technology into the classroom
Six SMART Boards and 3 Sympodia interactive displays have been installed at Hamilton Central School and 5 more have been purchased thanks to a $30,000 grant from the Hamilton Emerald Foundation. This is the second such grant from the Foundation.

SMART Boards are state-of-the-art whiteboards that allow teachers to present their lessons using multimedia that students can interact with in the classroom. Similarly, Sympodia are interactive panels that teachers use to present class lessons that are more interactive and make full use of new technologies.

High school math teacher, Susan Lehman is one of the teachers using the SMART Boards in all her math classes and, already, the impact is clear.

"We will finish our annual curriculum almost one month ahead of schedule with this technology," said Lehman, who is using the SMART Board in her AP Calculus class.

The SMART Boards are being used throughout the school. Pre-K teacher Althea Brooks has her students learning to recognize and form letters and numbers, as well as recognizing sound/letter correspondence. Other interesting lessons have involved organizing categories of healthy foods or hibernating vs. non-hibernating animals.

"The kids are excited about learning. Kids today are so technology savvy that the SMART Board supports their learning style," said Brooks.

The true measure of the impact of the SMART Boards is in how they enhance student learning.

"It takes much longer to do things on the blackboard than on the SMART Board because you can just move things around by touching them," said 4th grader Una Giurgea.

First grader Katrina Hale captured the excitement in the school around all of the new technology in saying "Math is fun on the SMART Board!"

Accelerating reading at HCS
Hamilton Central's Middle School Resource Room provides countless students with the books and materials they need to keep their reading skills strong. A $665 grant from the Emerald Foundation allowed the school to expand the collection for independent reading and enable students to participate in the Accelerated Reader Program -- giving students with a high interest in reading the books they need to sharpen their skills. This program is aimed at improving the learning culture at the school and providing engaged students the tools they need to succeed.

$30,000 grant allows for purchase of SmartBoards
A $30,000 Emerald Foundation grant allowed the Hamilton Central School District to get just a bit farther down the information superhighway through the purchase of smart board technology for classroom use. The new smart boards will allow teachers to present their course material in more engaging ways, drawing students into the material and truly bringing education to life.
 

Foundation receives first endowment gifts
The Hamilton Emerald Foundation has received $60,000 in gifts targeted at establishing the organizationÕs endowment. These gifts, made by Hamilton Central alumni Mary Catherine (MC) Eaton Martin Õ66 and her husband Michael, and Jeff Clarke Õ79, provide the foundation with a financial foundation to build upon for years to come.

ÒGifts made to the endowment are an investment in the future of our community,Ó said foundation board member, Megan Morris Marshall. The current $60,000 endowment fund will provide the foundation with approximately $3,000 annually for grants, foundation-directed projects, and other initiatives. Any additional investment earnings, above the five percent, will be reinvested in the endowment.

Martin and Clarke each made their generous contributions because of their belief in supporting the mission of todayÕs Hamilton Central School faculty and staff in providing the finest education they can to HamiltonÕs children.

ÒSince I am a native of Hamilton and my husband and three children all attended Colgate, we have returned often to visit my parents. During the past 40 years we have moved around the country and our children have attended many schools---none of which afforded a better education than the one I received here. I simply want to give something back.,Ó said Martin.

Since its founding in 2006, the Emerald Foundation has raised more than $110,000 and has already funded four grants for the school totaling more than $36,000 since October 2006.

Foundation supports Hamilton Central's "Touchstone"
The Hamilton Emerald Foundation's $1,000 grant for the school district's new ÒHamilton TouchstoneÓ initiative supports the school's focus on developing the social/emotional aspects of a holistic curriculum, the need for a common vernacular, and the creation of a statement pertaining to its guiding practice or ÒTouchstone.Ó The touchstone will help to guide the exchange of ideas throughout the building.