2012 Spelling Bee
At Needham High School on April 4, 2012, the winning team, The Wordniks, made up of Lindsey Kiser, Liza Kobzik, and Lester Kobzik, beat the Needham Finance Committee in the final round with the Russian word “samizdat,” which means disseminating censored materials. The word was commonly used in former Soviet bloc countries to describe a dissident act against the government.
Read more in the Needham Times coverage.
Yo-Yo Dancer Spins a Positive Message for Kids
Thanks to an NEF small grant, life coach and yo-yo dancer Brett Outchcunis (aka DJ Ooch) brought his upbeat SuperPOWER antibullying program to Needham for third- through fifth-graders. His program, which supports the NPS mission to address bullying, uses an entertaining mix of storytelling, dance, and yo-yo tricks to empower students to draw on their unique SuperPOWERs and to be a part of the antibullying solution. A self-proclaimed former bullying victim, Outchcunis shared his own personal experiences to connect with students and give his message credibility. During his presentation, Outchcunis emphasized the value of self-confidence and showing respect for others. He gave tips on how to recognize bullying situations and report bullying incidents to adults.
Outchcunis’s energy and positive message got enthusiastic reviews from his elementary school audience:
What teachers are saying…
“Ooch was both entertaining and educational. My students are still doing the Ooch cheer. The program really supported what we do in the classroom.”
“This type of program is just what elementary school students need. It is hip, upbeat, engaging, and entertaining. DJ Ooch was enthusiastic and talented.”
What students are saying…
“My favorite part was learning that everyone has a SuperPOWER!”
“If I see someone get bullied, I would tell a grown-up.”
“Bullying is when one more powerful person tries to take the confidence of another less powerful person.”
International Dance Educator Leads Hands-On Workshops and Performance
Indian culture came alive this winter for more than 300 Broadmeadow Elementary School students during an Indian classical dance residency from international dance educator and performance artist, Tara Ahmed. Ahmed has performed and taught in India, Colombia, Brazil, Turkey, and the United States. Her television appearances include WGBH’s DanceFest and Greater Boston Arts programs.
A complement to social studies, geography, music, and PE curricula, Ahmed’s residency promoted fine arts and cultural awareness.
This dance residency supported Broadmeadow’s vision of traveling around the world through dance as a means of teaching students about different cultures. The second-grade students participated in four weekly hands-on Indian dance workshops and completed the program with a performance of their new techniques for the kindergarten through third-grade classes.
NEF Announces Recipients of Fall 2011 Small Grant Awards
The Needham Education Foundation (NEF) announced the recipients of its 2011 fall small grants cycle at a recent meeting of the Needham School Committee. Nineteen grants totaling almost $60,000 were awarded to all Needham public schools supporting physical and social wellness, academics, the arts, service learning, bullying prevention and the environment.
The NEF funds programs that promote innovation and excellence in students from pre-kindergarten through high school and fall outside normal funding. Since 1990, the NEF has supported more than 400 grants totaling more than $1.4 million.
- Super POWER (Overcoming Bullying) – All Elementary Schools
Super POWER is a motivational performance program that helps children overcome bullying. More engaging than traditional role-playing programs, it impacts 1,000 third through fifth grade students across the district. - Halau o Keikiali’i: Dancing With the Past – All Elementary Schools
This creative arts performance introduces elementary school students to ancient and modern forms of Hawaiian dance and the culture from which it originates. - Reading and Drumming for Africa – Eliot
Artist in residence, Tom Foote, conducts a teacher workshop and classroom lessons on African rhythms. A unique service-learning opportunity, the grant engages students in fundraising for the Room to Read Africa program by participating in a Read-A-Thon, while learning about the African countries they support. - Island Moving Company Dance Movement Residency – Eliot
Students in grades K-2 learn dance from professional dance educators who incorporate physical education (PE) standards into lessons. The Eliot PE teacher is an active participant, learning how to apply materials and ideas from the program into the school’s ongoing dance education program. - Eliot Mandala: A Community Art Project – Eliot
Developed by artist Sarah Haskell, Mandala Community Weaving creates an artistic and symbolic expression of community. She shares her ideas and skill with Eliot students and faculty by directing the creation of community artwork for permanent display at the school. - Great Blue Hill Weather Day – Hillside
This grant funds a trip to the Blue Hill observatory for 1st and 5th grade classes including an observatory presentation, kite building and hiking. The students review weather concepts, observe forecasting equipment at work and experiment with designing, building and flying their own kites. - Indian Classical Dance Residency – Broadmeadow
A fine arts and cultural awareness program, the grant funds teaching each 2nd grade class a different Indian dance, which the students perform at an assembly for grades K-3. The dance residency is the second part of an anticipated four part series that began with China last year and continues over the next two years with Africa and South America. - Raised Beds for Vegetable Garden – Mitchell
The grant pays for 12 raised bed kits to simplify planting and increase garden output. It extends a 2008 NEF grant, funding the initial planting of the garden. - I Was Here! – Mitchell
Artist in residence Caleb Neelon teaches students about graffiti art and its evolution as an art form at art classes and workshops on simple graffiti style lettering. The project culminates in a work of art to be displayed as a collage. - The Geography Game Show – Mitchell
Neal Nicholas brings his Interactive Geography Learning Experience to all Mitchell students by engaging them in a geography game show. Mr. Nicholas tailors his the program to tie in with grade-level curriculum. - Mitchell Poetry Slam – Mitchell
This poetry residency funds four poets to lead workshops for students spanning 2nd grade through 5th. Open mike opportunities during lunch period encourage students to practice reading their own poetry. The program culminates in a poetry-reading classroom event to which students’ parents are invited. - Math in Motion – Newman
Third grade students learn math in a physical way through a program that integrates movement and the reinforcement of math facts. The program offers a variety of academic and physical benefits and is sustainable year after year. - Robotics, Anyone? – Pollard
Robotics, Anyone extends the successful High School Robotics program to middle school students. - Game Day – Pollard
This grant funds word games for middle school teachers to use in the classroom. - The Dangers of Intoxication Learning Center- Pollard
Middle school students experience the altering effects of alcohol use with special goggles funded by the NEF. The goggles are one component of a detailed lesson plan that uses hands-on methods to engage students in alcohol education. - Refurbishing Computers for Education and Community Building – NHS
A student-sponsored grant for the NHS Linux Club, the program funds materials that enable the club to refurbish old computers and donate them to families in Needham Public Housing. - Independent Student Theater Project – NHS
This grant funds seed money for an annual, student-run production. Students use proceeds from ticket sales to fund the next year’s production. The program is an expansion of a successful student production funded last year by the NEF. - Steps to Success Program Development – NHS
For the growing HS mentoring program, this grant funds a project developer to conduct research and provide recommendations for materials, activities, assessment, training and expansion. Other responsibilities include developing a best practices handbook and coordinating trainer sessions. The program enjoys significant community support and is sustained through an annual fundraiser. - Social Skills Curriculum Enhancement – All Schools
This grant helps fund the enhancement of existing social skills programming for students with autism and other social skills deficits. It includes district-wide, in-service training on video modeling research and techniques; as well as the purchase of DVDs and iPods for recording and viewing.
Expanding the Dialogue: What Do Kids Need to Succeed in the 21st Century?
As college drop-out rates rise and young adult unemployment reaches levels unseen since the Great Depression, a growing consensus of business and academic leaders are asking whether a traditional four-year college education is always the best path to a successful career. The mission of the Pathways to Prosperity Project at Harvard Graduate School of Education is to get this question out in the open—and encourage Americans to explore new approaches to education reform that offer multiple paths to career fulfillment.
This question was explored at the October 11th NEF symposium, “Expanding the Dialogue: What Do Kids Need to Succeed in the 21st Century?,” the first in the 2011–2012 NEF Community Education Series.
Featuring a panel discussion including Needham Public Schools superintendent Dr. Daniel Gutekanst and keynote address by Pathways to Prosperity director William Symonds, “Expanding the Dialogue” encourages discussion of why our existing education model fails to prepare many young adults for the workforce. In a more promising vein, it invites the audience to consider alternative ways to better prepare our kids to make a smooth transition from adolescence to adulthood.
Says Symonds: “Going to college for four years is not the best answer for all young people. We need to provide other pathways for them to succeed. I’ve spoken with parents a few years after their children graduated from college, and many of those students are struggling. These parents have a growing sense that going to a four year college doesn’t necessarily guarantee success in today’s economy.”
In addition to Dr. Gutekanst, symposium panelists include Dr. Edward A. Bouquillon, Superintendent, Minuteman Career and Technical High School and Patricia Eagan, Senior Staff Consultant, Verizon State Government Relations and Board Member, Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education.
Flame Rocks Needham Schools
In October 2011, FLAME rocked the town in a musical kick-off of Disabilities Awareness at Broadmeadow, Eliot, Mitchell and Newman elementary schools. An international touring success that has released four CDs and been featured in PEOPLE and on Good Morning America, FLAME is a band of musicians with disabilities spanning autism, blindness, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy. To advocates of disabilities awareness in Needham, FLAME is a living example of the program’s message: That people with disabilities can live rich and productive lives doing what they love to do.
Says Martha Cohen Barrett, a coordinator of the disabilities awareness program at Eliot School: “Our goal is to demystify disabilities and show children that people with disabilities can do many of the same things that people without disabilities can do.”
“We call these programs ‘disability awareness,’” says Jacquie Sherman, who with Barrett, helped bring the program to Eliot, “but they are really about ‘diversity awareness’.”
Funded by a $5,000 grant from the Needham Education Foundation (NEF), the Needham Commission on Disabilities and the PTCs of the schools on the tour, the FLAME performance both energized and inspired Needham students:
“They taught us that if you want to do something, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t!”
“When they were young, they were told they could never play an instrument or sing and now they are in an amazing band!”
“They put us into a “dancy” mood and it was one of the best bands I’ve ever seen!”
“I forgot they had any disabilities… they were just great musicians.”
“I loved hearing how they overcame such difficult things in their life.”
“It felt awesome to dance…it felt like we were celebrating with them!”
“At 10:45 it had to end. The band had to board the bus, the students and teachers returned to class. However, in a mere 45 minutes, four hundred of the Mitchell family made the journey from curious to anxious to amazed to appreciative to inspired. We saw wheelchairs and crutches. We saw people who looked different. We saw people who couldn’t see us. But, we also heard from the experts – people who persevered against odds, people in the know – who knew that fears can be overcome, courage is there for the taking, hope is free, and dreams are meant to be real. We also heard a whole lot of great music.”
–Excerpted from Letter from Michael Schwinden, Principal, Mitchell Elementary School
NEF Announces 2011 Spring Grant Recipients
The Needham Education (NEF) has awarded $26,550 in grant funding for eight enrichment programs that will be implemented across the Needham Public School district starting in fall 2011. Collectively, the grants benefit Needham public school students from kindergarten through high school and enrich learning, social/emotional growth and cultural awareness in a variety of innovative ways.
“Innovation is at the core of the NEF mission,” says NEF co-president, Pamela Rosin. “It’s what makes our programs so effective, because they support educators in their efforts to achieve district learning objectives in ways that make a lasting impact on students.”
Grants Support School District Values
Two of the grants awarded this spring address the district’s focus on science and technology. The first provides funding for an experiential outdoor science and discovery center that Newman Elementary School KASE and Early Childhood Center students will use while at their temporary space at Pollard Middle School. Approximately 225 students will benefit from the program, which includes a plan to transfer the materials to Newman after it’s renovated.
Another science-focused grant funds the building of greenhouses by Eliot Elementary School fifth graders, who will draw on their knowledge of simple machines. The greenhouses will be used by Eliot first graders to plant seedlings, reinforcing their education in plant growth and scientific observation. To support district-wide objectives in social responsibility, the students will donate the crops they harvest to the Needham Food Pantry and offer them for use in the Eliot cafeteria.
Other grants tie into the schools’ efforts to promote disability awareness including a grant funding performances at four elementary schools of a band of musicians with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities. A second provides funding to help students with disabilities in the undergraduate STRIVE program and post-graduate Transition program use technology to aid their transition from high school to the broader community. Piloted during the 2010-2011 academic year with 5 students, the program will be extended to 15 students during the 2011-2012 school year.
In addition, art as a form of self-expression will all be explored at Mitchell Elementary School with funds to support art instructors from the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Another grant funds a digital document camera at Hillside School, giving teachers the flexibility to simultaneously display work from different students in real time such as multiple approaches to a math program or varying writing techniques.
Making Community Connections
As Needham continues its 300th anniversary celebrations, a grant targeting all Needham third graders takes students through the history of Needham with a book written from the perspective of a 10-year-old. Funds for professional development and teacher guides are included, in addition to an author event at the Needham Public Library for all third grade students. Following the huge success of a fall 2010 pilot to help youth behave safely and more responsibly, the “Fifth Quarter” grant will fund social opportunities that enable Needham High School students to have fun in a safe, positive environment. A community-wide partnership driven by concerned adults, the program will provide free food, music and games at post-athletic-event gatherings.
Hundreds of Grants Awarded Since 1990
During the 2010-2011 academic year, the NEF has awarded 28 grants totaling $115,253. The NEF funds programs that fall outside expected public funding and promote innovation and excellence for Needham public school students from pre-kindergarten through high school. Since 1990, the NEF has funded more than 385 grants worth more than $1.34 million.
2011 Spelling Bee
The champion team, the Wordniks, Les Kobzik, Christine Bezreh, and Lindsey Kiser celebrate victory at the 20th Annual Needham Education Foundation Spelling Bee Fundraiser, held at Newman Elementary School, April 7, 2011 with the word: f-l-a-g-i-t-i-o-u-s-l-y.
Read more in the coverage by The Needham Times.
NEF Brings Month-Long Chinese Cultural Celebration to Broadmeadow School
Close to 400 Broadmeadow elementary school students will participate in a Chinese Cultural celebration lead by award-winning teacher and professional dancer, Chiao Bin Huang of Carlisle. The dynamic program for kindergarteners up to third graders enriches social studies, geography and physical education through a series of workshops in January. It culminates on February 2 with a hands-on, student-performed Chinese New Year performance.
By engaging students directly in Asian customs, the Chinese Cultural Celebration explores similarities and differences between Asian and other cultures. Huang uses kinesthetic, music, drama, discussion and other mind/body experiences to teach students about the Chinese New Year and common Asian practices.
Hands-On Workshops and Performance Immerse Students in Asian Culture
Through collaboration with Broadmeadow’s second grade teachers, Huang will conduct four, 30-minute workshops in each of the four second grade classrooms on January 5, 12, 19 and 26 from 12:30 to 2:30pm. One classroom will learn the lion and gold ring dance; a second, traditional ribbon dancing; and a third, martial arts. The fourth classroom will perform a play about the Chinese New Year. All second graders will learn to sing a song in Mandarin.
The lessons taught during the workshops will come together in a 45-minute Chinese New Year Celebration performed by second graders for kindergarteners, first, and third graders on February 2 at 1:30pm. The grand finale is an audience sing-along of a Chinese New Year tune sung in Mandarin and using hand gestures.
NEF Grants Support Fine Arts and Cultural Awareness
Funded by a grant from the Needham Education Foundation (NEF), Huang’s fine arts and cultural awareness program complements two previous NEF grants awarded to Broadmeadow. The first, in 2004, funded “diversity book bags” containing multicultural books, games and music. A 2006 grant brought content from China’s Silk Road to fourth graders.
About the Artist, Chiao Bin Huang
Chiao Bin Huang is a professional dancer, choreographer and fine artist with over 20 years of experiences teaching dance, paper arts and Chinese in schools, theaters and professional venues throughout Massachusetts. Her Chinese New Year Celebration for the town of Carlisle earned the Gold Star Project award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in 2006. She is a graduate of the dance department at the Chinese Cultural University in Taiwan and holds a Masters of Arts in Theater Education from Emerson College. Huang has performed with Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road project residency as a Chinese paper-cutting artist and dancer.
Wellesley Bank Donates $2,000
In honor of its 100th birthday, Wellesley Bank gave the Needham Education Foundation (NEF) a gift of $2,000 to support its mission of encouraging innovation in public schools. Pictured from left to right: John W. Wescott, Vice President of Information Technology, Wellesley Bank, Steve Mock, NEF Co-President; Pamela Rosin, NEF Co-President; Alice C. Lee, Assistant Vice President & Branch Manager, Wellesley Bank.
