The Junior League of Dallas (JLD), along with presenting sponsor Texas Instruments (TI), recently honored 43 Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD) teachers and educators, as a part of its 2015-2016 Grants for Innovative Teaching (GFIT) program. GFIT is a signature project of the JLD designed to encourage and support excellence in education by awarding grants of up to $2,000 per selected Dallas ISD teacher and educator to fund a special and unique project. Sponsors this year include: Texas Instruments (presenting sponsor); MoneyGram Foundation; BBVA Compass Bank; and The Agnes Cluthe Oliver Foundation.
Each funded grant addresses one or more of the following: reading and literacy enrichment; diversity; special education; science, technology, engineering and math (STEM); or arts and cultural enrichment, across one or more grade levels. Recognized Dallas ISD teachers and educators submitted written grant proposals for their original projects to the JLD last spring.
A few of the grants selected include: Creating a Sustainable Garden Using Aquaponics IV: Effective Germination; Bookworms in the Garden; Cloning, Over-Expression, Purification and Crystallization of Master Regulators Involved in the Developmental Cascade of Pancreas Development; and Act Your Page!
Creating a Sustainable Garden Using Aquaponics IV: Effective Germination is a multidisciplinary project created by Teacher Donielle Edwards-Tyeskie, that combines aquaculture with mathematical application, zoology, advanced plant science, hydroponics, biotechnology, chemical analysis, as well as compares the amount of crop yield produced by using two different germination strategies. This project allows the students of Trinidad Garza Early College High School to see the biogeochemical cycles in real time and encourages them to think critically beyond the scope of high school biology.
Teacher Catherine Southwick of Arthur Kramer Elementary designed a unique program where students are invited to attend a garden class during their specials rotation. Bookworms in the Garden engages the students in a fun, educational, hands-on investigation of nutritious foods and vegetables. The activities include matching games, scavenger hunts, as well as elaborate planning and cooking projects.
Hillcrest High School students will work in conjunction with Dr. Raymond MacDonald at UT Southwestern to obtain crystals for X-ray crystallographic analysis of a novel heterotrimeric transcription factor complex, PTF1, which is a key regulator of embryonic pancreatic development. Cloning, Over-Expression, Purification and Crystallization of Master Regulators Involved in the Developmental Cascade of Pancreas Development, created by Teacher Dr. Ward Coats, gives students the opportunity to understand the magnitude and scope of basic and applied research that is being conducted at universities across the U.S. and identify possible areas of study and career paths.
Teacher Rachel Harrah’s Act Your Page! is a project carried out at Thomas Jefferson High School allowing students to act out Shakespearean plays, as well as write plays and scenes based on Shakespearean literature assigned in English classes. By acting out the plays, the students will have a better understanding of the story, while differentiating instruction for visual learners. A reading area will be created for students to come together for this process before and after school.
“We could not be more excited about the 43 grants chosen through our Grants for Innnovative Teaching program this year. These grants allow each deserving school and dedicated teacher the opportunity to further their ingenious projects, as well as continue the education of our youth. We look forward to seeing each project come to fruition and the impact it will have on these students’ lives,” said Sarah Hefton, 2015-2016 GFIT Chair. “This program would not be possible without the wonderful and continued support of many businesses and foundations, including our presenting sponsor, Texas Instruments.”