The Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI) has awarded $14,900 in 25 new grants to Ithaca City School District (ICSD) teachers, staff, students and community partners this winter. In its second  grant cycle of the 2011-12 school year, IPEI is funding 20 Red and Gold Grants totaling $9,500, and $5,400 in five new Community Collaboration Grants.

“Connecting students and teachers with the world beyond their school building is our mission,” said IPEI Vice President Jennifer Engel. “These grant requests are exceptional examples of bringing community resources into the classroom.”

2011-12 grants include several categories: Teacher Grants, Red and Gold Grants, Community Collaboration Grants, and Fine Arts Booster Group Mini-Grants.  Teachers, administrators, students and community members apply for Red and Gold Grants, one-time awards that assist with projects that strengthen and enrich the schools.

Recipients this cycle include: Stephanie Swearingen, speech and hearing teacher at DeWitt Middle School, who will use an iPad to enhance speech and language skills; Beth Wixson, South Hill Elementary School teacher, who will bring a play into the kindergarten classroom; Sarah Locke-Mountain, art teacher at Belle Sherman Elementary School, who will introduce Chinese Paper Cutting and Legends; and Andy Mullen, Ithaca High School senior, who is designing and converting a Volkswagen engine to run on propane for an Engineering Design and Development (EDD) course project. The maximum award amount is $500.  March 5 is the next deadline for application submissions, and grant awards are announced within two weeks.

Community Collaboration Grants are providing $5,400 for five new proposals from local community members working with ICSD teachers and staff: local teaching artist Lisa Tsetse with guest artists Helen Frost and Keu Oladuwa; community artist Jorge Cuevas; Cyndie Schiebe and Project Look Sharp, visiting film director Nico Celik and the Cornell Theater Arts Department; and community garden educator Liz Falk and the Cornell Cooperative Extension.  Applications for Community Collaboration Grants are accepted at anytime throughout the school year.

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