Grants for aspiring artists, scientists, musicians, and, yes, even gamers have been awarded through the Ridgefield Education Foundation for the 2014-15 school year.
The grants, which were approved by the Board of Education Monday night, total $8,289 — including a $3,800 gift to the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum to kick-start a partner program called Common Ground that will have Scotts Ridge students work with an artist outside of school.
“This is a completely collaborative approach with an outside resource who can help provide a unique perspective,” said Avery Costigan, the education foundation’s president, in her presentation to the board.
She explained that the curriculum is driven by the school, the museum and the artist in a partnership, and that the money was being distributed to the Aldrich on behalf of Scotts Ridge.
Other approved gifts include:
• A $1,658 set of motion probes to be used with graphing calculators at both middle schools as part of Project MoGo.
• A $1,540 subscription for an interactive app, SmartMusic, for band classes at Barlow Mountain Elementary School to use at both school and home.
• A $600 classroom Skype camera for the high school’s science research program.
• A $450 flip camera to help high school students improve social abilities.
• A $240 subscription to a gamification website, Gamestar Mechanic, for Scotland Elementary School.
“Gaming is a fun, easy and engaging way for students to learn and develop new skills,” Ms. Costigan said of the gaming grant that will also be used by another, unnamed elementary school.
“What better fit for students of this generation?” she asked the board.
With the SmartMusic app, students can record, evaluate and submit a recording to the teacher online while simultaneously creating a portfolio of their work and tracking their practice time and progress.
The motion probes will be used by eighth grade math and science students to measure position, velocity and acceleration of moving objects. The school district will collaborate with this grant and provide students with graphing calculators.
The flip camera will be used to record both structured and unstructured conversations between high school students to increase their communication skills.
All six grants are pilot programs.
“We will seek immediate feedback,” Ms. Costigan said. “The pilot’s success depends on how it’s evaluated by students.”