Buckeye Local teachers receive education grants

DILLONVALE -- Three Buckeye Local School District teachers have been awarded grants to advance innovative learning in their buildings.

Jenny Potts and Crysta Christian of Buckeye South Elementary School and Jeff Merrill of Buckeye Local High School each received a $660 Best Practice Grant through the Jefferson County Educational Service Center for their projects that provide true hands-on educational experiences. The awards were given during the regular Buckeye Local Board of Education meeting on Nov. 20.

Potts, a kindergarten teacher at Buckeye South, is using her money to stock "Little Libraries for Big Learners" and three small libraries inside the building. There are more than 320 pupils in grades preschool through sixth who will participate. There will be a book share program with another miniature site stationed outside for community members. The pupils can access books before and after school, during lunch or recess and at designated title times. They can take, borrow and leave a book for another person to enjoy. She noted everyone benefits from reading and the project is very sustainable.

The books will be replenished by staff and through profits from the school's annual Scholastic Book Fair.

"I am very excited to receive this grant for our students," she said. "Our school is working toward creating a more positive view of literature for every student.

Residents benefit from the program as well.

"In the community where I am from, we have at least three of these little libraries around town," Potts said. "I have noticed many community members taking advantage of sharing books. I think this will be a great resource for community members of our school area. We, as teachers, just want as many books into as many hands as possible. My students and community members will benefit from this process because it is a project that can last a lifetime."

Potts has received several Best Practice Grants during her 18 years in education and said many have focused on literacy, while the funding has been helpful in making her pursuits a reality.

Christian, a fourth-grade science and social studies teacher at South, plans to create a "Fourth-Grade MakersSpace" to indulge her students in some high-tech learning opportunities. The project will benefit roughly 40 pupils for now but will be able to be used by future students.

"I was very excited to learn that I received a Best Practice Grant from the JCESC. I believe a MakerSpace will greatly benefit my students. They will have opportunities to participate in hands-on experiences to enhance understanding and learning. They will develop 21st century skills like flexibility, collaboration, communication, leadership and resiliency," she commented. "My hope is that allowing students opportunities to safely take academic risks and independently meet challenges will boost motivation and increase social-emotional health, leading to greater overall achievement. I am looking forward to watching them grow as learners in the MakerSpace."

Christian is a first-time grant recipient.

Merrill, a math teacher at BLHS, is implementing artificial intelligence into his STEM lessons with his "AI HexPod Robot" project.

"My project is an AI-capable robot that supports Python coding. It will give my STEM class the opportunity to learn Python programming as well as many other skills including learning about AI."

Students will learn to program the robot and about vision recognition and tracking, software control and line following, sorting and transferring. Three students will benefit this year and the project will serve future STEM classes.

Merrill is a past grant recipient and said it has greatly helped him with his instructional endeavors.

"I am grateful to the JCESC for selecting my project for their grant. I am very appreciative that my STEM class can benefit from this."

JCESC Superintendent Chuck Kokiko applauded the educators for their ingenuity and said the Best Practice Grants were intended to support ideas and enhance student learning activities.

"Our schools have many great teachers with innovative lesson plans and instructional strategies, and we at JCESC are happy to be able to fund many of those ideas so they may become reality for the students in the classroom," Kokiko said.

JCESC has disbursed more than two-dozen Best Practice Grants this year with other recipients at Edison Local, Harrison Hills City, Indian Creek Local, Steubenville City, Toronto City and Southern Local School Districts and the Utica Shale Academy.