Richard Elementary School
Auburn, AL

To engage students in a variety of activities and experiments to construct their own knowledge of science concepts through questioning, experimenting, observing and journaling, Johnson proposed the creation of a science lab at Richard Elementary. Rather than simply read about butterflies, balls and ramps, magnets and sound waves in a textbook, Johnson's "Science Quest" project will provide an in-school science lab that allows approximately 120 first and second-grade students to become scientists by encouraging them to use their five senses to explore and experience science. This lab will include a sand and water table, a light table, Digital Blue microscopes, computer, Smart Board, Science books and magazines, tables for Science notebooking, magnifying glasses, test tubes and more. The goal of the lab is to provide a place where children can conduct inquiry-based explorations of scientific concepts and construct their knowledge through child-led and teacher-facilitated activities and experiments. Professors from Auburn University and other local science experts will be invited to visit the lab and extend lessons for Richard Elementary students. Johnson lives in Auburn.

Section High School
Section, AL

"The Xtreme Vehicle Challenge" is a county-wide program developed by Saint to help at-risk high school physics and physical science students rev up their comprehension of the connection between science and everyday life. Scientific principles such as Newton's Laws of Motion: pressure, force, velocity and acceleration are brought to life through the hands-on designing, building and racing of CO2 dragsters, 4-wheel drive monster trucks, solid fuel model rockets and mouse-trap powered cars. Each year, 400 students from eight high schools are taken out of everyday classroom settings and placed in a more creative environment where they are encouraged to apply ingenuity and learn problem-solving skills through this real world, project-based learning program. Saint resides in Section.

Mt. Iliamna Elementary School
Eagle River, AK

Because salmon plays a vital role in the Alaskan economy and lifestyle, Cornwell-George has partnered with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game to launch a "Salmon Incubation Project" to provide 20 students with a hands-on education of the life cycle of these fish. Students will research the Alaskan salmon, prepare the appropriate tank environment for salmon eggs, and take a trip to Campbell Creek to catch a spawning pair of salmon, collect 500 eggs and fertilize them. They will be expected to care for the tank, take/record temperature, learn about water quality, and nurture the salmon once they hatch. The project includes a trip to the creek in the fall to collect bugs and plants. Students will determine the health of a river by the type of bugs and plants living there. The project culminates with a trip back to Campbell Creek to release the salmon where they'll someday return to spawn and complete the cycle once again. The students will ultimately be able to explain the life cycle of the Alaskan salmon and how it affects Alaska and their community. Cornwell-George lives in Eagle River.

Western Valley Elementary School
Phoenix, AZ

"So You Want to be an Urban Ecologist?" was created by Brotherton for the more than 120 fourth-grade students at Western Valley Elementary School to incorporate technology into the areas of science, social studies and mathematics. Over the years, students have conducted bird protocols on the school's campus and traveled to five different locations in the Phoenix metropolitan area to observe birds that have adapted to living in the Sonoran Desert. Throughout the project, students update their class Web page with observations, anecdotal records, graphic representations and photos from their bird expeditions. With assistance from the ING Unsung Heroes Award, Brotherton plans on empowering students to use the latest in digital technology to create multimedia presentations. By utilizing technology, "So You Want to be an Urban Ecologist?" will provide students with an opportunity to improve their fine motor skills, enhance mathematical thinking, increase creativity and score higher on critical thinking and problem-solving tests. Brotherton lives in Laveen.

Copper Trails Elementary School
Goodyear, AZ

The goal of "A World of Difference" is to give first-grade students at Copper Trails Elementary School a historical look at how heritage and ethnicity has helped shape society and the world around us. Through a study of nationalities, Pederson will teach students to recognize and celebrate the different languages, art, dress, food, music, events and literature that gives each of us pride and cause for celebration. Students will be immersed in project-based learning activities integrating subjects across the curriculum, including social studies, reading and writing. Hands-on explorations, presentations from guest speakers, performances by dance groups, works of artists, and research will help them gain an understanding of diversity. Using the Internet, students will also build relationships with other first-grade students in the countries being studied. Through this year-long study, students will learn to understand the world around them by creating maps and learning economic principles such as money, commerce and trade. Pederson lives in Goodyear.

Norman Junior High School
Crossett, AR

As a way to emphasize the interconnectedness of math and science concepts in real-world situations, Todd has proposed the development of the "Science and Math: GO Figure!" program. Math and science teachers will plan projects integrating math, science and data collection technology. Students will use data gathered from temperature, motion and light probes to analyze in both math and science classes. Math students will use the data to construct meaning for math concepts and science students will use the same data to form scientific conclusions. The Science and Math: GO Figure!" program will use real-world examples to provide students an opportunity to practice the math and science knowledge they've acquired in class. The program will also foster greater collaboration between math and science teachers at Norman Junior High School. Todd lives in Crossett.

Crossroads Alternative School
Rogers, AR

"Pack It & Cache It 4 Life" is an innovative high school outdoor adventure fitness youth mentoring program for at-risk teens. Walter provides students with positive opportunities to work through barriers in supportive environments; she hopes they can then transfer those acquired skills to challenging situations in their lives. These adventure activities build confidence in at-risk students who have low self-esteem, motivation issues and false perceptions that "failure is their only option." The program improves student learning by providing immediate and concrete consequences through personal outdoor challenges that are experimental and exciting. Students develop a basic level of competency utilizing outdoor recreational equipment such as setting up tents, searching for hidden items using a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) handheld unit and abiding by the cooking "leave no trace" camping principles. Additional objectives for this project will be to establish social, emotional and physical competencies included in the National Association of Sport and Physical Education standards for high school physical education. The skills learned by students during this project will promote and enhance responsible personal behavior and stimulate options for recreational engagement out of school. Walter is a resident of Bella Vista.

Laurel High School
Los Alamitos, CA

Over the years, Robert Ostmann has worked relentlessly to keep Laurel High School students in school. His latest creative business ideas just might have what it takes to keep at-risk students in class, as well as preparing them for productive adult lives. His "LifeWorks Studio" program consists of two components: 1) a student-operated small business that contracts with parent groups at other district schools to videotape plays, concerts and other events to produce professional-quality DVDs for the schools to sell as fundraisers and 2) a public-service partnership between students and a regional hospice organization to film and produce "LifeStory" video memoirs of men and women nearing the end of their lives. LifeWorks Studios moves learning outside the conventional classroom model. Running a community-based business gives students a chance to move beyond their limited world of school and friends to connect with the larger community. Interacting across generations and immersing themselves in the life stories of others will give students a unique perspective on the possibilities and challenges that life can throw their way. Over the school year, about 40 students will directly benefit by working in both the small business and the public service components of LifeWorks Studio. The project reinforces the Laurel High staff's commitment to keep their students in school and equip them to become productive citizens and lifelong learners in a technology-driven world. Ostmann resides in Los Alamitos.

Almondale Middle School
Littlerock, CA

Nelson and his five colleagues at Almondale Middle School are looking to foster college-going interest in students who are members of underrepresented populations at institutions of higher learning. Heightened exposure to career choices and universities, especially those that focus on the sciences, technological, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, will be the focus of their 'AVID UnSung Heroes: "The Future is Yours"' program. Students will take a scientifically validated career/personality survey, research careers that match and interest them and be mentored in reaching those educational and professional preferences. Throughout the process, seventh and eight grade students will be exposed to speakers from various local and regional businesses and universities whose career and educational choices match theirs. This real-world exposure will culminate with an eighth-grade research project that focuses primarily on college selection.

Ridgeview Elementary School
Craig, CO

Samuelson hopes 150 students in kindergarten through second grade to benefit from being part of a structured literacy environment through a program titled, "The Daily Five Alive! Strategies for Literacy Independence". Utilizing the concepts shared on the DVD by authors Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, Samuelson and Ridgeview Elementary School's team of kindergarten through second grade teachers are eager to implement the structured set of tasks designed to help students learn to work independently as readers and writers. The program includes: Read for Self, Read to Someone, Work on Writing, Listening to Reading, and Word Work. According to Samuelson, this program will help students develop the daily habits of reading, writing and working with peers and will lead to a lifetime of independent literacy. It will also result in an improvement in student achievement, both with the district and state assessment tests. Samuelson is a resident of Craig.

Frontier Academy
Greeley, CO

Schreiber's program, "Seeds for Change" is the latest addition to his ongoing effort to engage students in deep and meaningful learning experiences through community projects that use powerful documentaries as a catalyst for social change. The goal of this program is twofold: 1) beautify the facilities of local charitable organizations with landscaping plants raised at Frontier Academy and 2) create a powerful documentary film of all stages of the project. Approximately 85 ninth-grade students and 20 members of Schreiber's Documentary for a Difference (D4D) class will learn the value of community service in a real, hands-on way. While doing so, students will film interviews of participants, fellow students, staff and community members to help show the powerful impact that service work can have on the life of a community. Schreiber lives in Ft. Collins.

Rangeview High School
Aurora, CO

Helping students prepare for the academic rigors of college is what the "Rangeview History Day" project is all about. Willis modeled his Rangeview High School history project after the National History Day program that helps teachers meet educational standards, disseminates high-quality curriculum materials and sponsors challenging contests that teach students the critical skills they need to be effective citizens in the 21st century. Current research on "best practices" in social studies classrooms specifies that students gain more knowledge through "doing" history. This project will provide more than 250 tenth and eleventh-grade students with a curriculum whose objectives are to 1) increase CSAP and ACT scores in reading and writing, 2) provide an opportunity for students to conduct college level research, 3) provide an authentic means of assessment and 4) find opportunities for students to attend college without the need for remediation. The monies awarded by ING will go toward assisting students with research opportunities, travel materials and computers. Willis resides in Aurora.

Riverside School
Riverside, CT

The pilot "Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Lab Classroom" will employ teaching concepts designed to reach and teach all students in a manner that works for them. Berlinski and Daniels agree that if lessons are designed with the notion of reaching all students, there will not be a need for adaptations and modifications after the fact. "Universal Design for Learning" does that. This research-based framework for developing curricula includes: educational goals, methods, materials and assessments that allow students to gain skills and enthusiasm for learning. This is done by providing support for learning and reducing barriers to the curriculum. An example of this is providing text in a digital format. This allows for many learners to access the text. Students with dyslexia, English as a Second Language (ESL) and vision impairments could have the text read to them. Students with comprehension difficulties could have "thinking prompts" imbedded in the text to stop while they are reading. This upfront planning enhances learning for many. At Riverside School, Berlinski and Daniels will start with a fifth grade class of 25 and begin to spread the concept to the remaining fifth graders.

Lewis Mills High School
Burlington, CT

Jones, a K-12 physical education teacher/health coordinator at Lewis Mills High School, seeks to expand the winter physical education curriculum to include outdoor activities that students can engage in from December to February. The goal of her "Catch the Winter Wellness Bug" program is to improve cardiorespiratory fitness for all students and to promote year-round physical activities that contribute to personal wellness. Students will get their heart rate into the target zone and maintain it while participating in outdoor activities during their physical education classes. They will also learn proper technique for using cross country skis and snowshoes. By providing these activities in an ongoing instructional capacity, students will understand that health and physical activity are continuous throughout the year in warm and cold weather. Jones lives in Burlington.

Springer Middle School
Wilmington, DE

Gliniak developed the "Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids (HFHK)" project to teach eighth-grade students how to grow a vegetable garden and how to cook what they've grown. With 800 square feet of raised bed vegetable gardens at Springer Middle School, more than 350 students plant, harvest and taste a variety of vegetables. This hands-on gardening experience not only makes learning more meaningful to students, but it also enhances achievement and comprehension, promoting integration of knowledge across subjects. Gliniak's green thumb program encourages students to eat more vegetables, try new ones, improve their diets and health awareness and become more aware of agricultural and environmental issues. Gliniak plans to also engage his students in expanding the school's composting area and increasing HFHK's ecological emphasis. Students have already demonstrated they will eat vegetables they have grown themselves, including chard, beets, radishes, turnips and arugula. Gliniak resides in New Castle.

Eau Gallie High School
Melbourne, FL

Frey plans to offer a more constructive alternative to handling student discipline cases at Eau Gallie High School. Through her volunteer efforts and those of a group of concerned teachers, the "Learning Alternative Appropriate Behaviors for Life (LAAB)" program will add a social skills learning component to the school's In School Suspension (ISS) program. The LAAB for Life program will enhance student learning by teaching the social skills needed to be successful in a school setting. Life lessons in positive communication, understanding diversity, exemplifying cultural and gender sensitivity, developing positive coping skills and handling conflict resolution will be shared with in school suspension students. Students will learn these much needed life skills through exposure to literature, lectures, role-play, and visual and performing arts. Frey's goal is to create a more positive school environment for students and staff, which is more conducive to overall student learning. Frey lives in Palm Bay.

Giunta Middle School
Riverview, FL

Hosick's "21st Century Literacy" project will provide students and teachers with computer technology to bring them together to create an innovative and exciting new way to approach the Language Arts Curriculum. With "21st Century Literacy", the objective is to create an educational atmosphere in which students use technology to aid in academic advancement. Motivation provided by this project will work to increase reading/academic abilities, student creativity/productivity and excitement to learn while simultaneously enhancing their technological knowledge, which is essential to reach their future goals. Hosick hopes that this 'language arts meets technology' program will excite students and enhance their learning experience. Hosick resides in Riverview.

Forest Hill Elementary
West Palm Beach, FL

Small believes that most students would succeed if they knew how to examine themselves in terms of their habits, self-perception and beliefs. "Character Circle", a program that brings groups of kindergarten through sixth-grade students together, along with their guides, to discuss techniques that will help them to achieve academic success from the inside out. Small's program empowers students to discover the keys to unlocking their greatest academic potential. A guide states the objective and engages the students in discussion that entails vital coping skills that build self-confidence and boost enthusiasm toward learning, culture and life. Guest speakers help students discover that they hold the power to shape their destiny in spite of difficulties. Students will learn that they control whether they get all A's or F's, succeed or fail, or fall victim to being bullied. During each session, students learn to successfully reprogram their habits, self-perception and beliefs and uncover the secrets to becoming a better student and a better person. Small lives in West Palm Beach.

Lakemont Elementary
Winter Park, FL

Webster's "Lakemont Outdoor Classroom Initiative" incorporates "Hands-on–Mind-on" learning activities while promoting responsibility, understanding and respect for natural resources and living things in an outdoor interactive setting. Her project will allow kindergarten through fifth- grade students to develop an awareness of how concepts learned in science, math, language arts and fine arts relate to the real world. The outdoor initiative will partner and collaborate with such organizations as the Eagle Scouts, Whole Foods, Beautify Winter Park, Beautify Orlando and the Lakemont Elementary PTA to create an authentic nature-filled experience for students. Among other stations slated for implementation, students will enjoy a habitat consisting of plants, tress, bat houses and a pond. This project also addresses state and district benchmarks, as well as National and World Standards. Webster lives in Altamonte Springs.

Heard County Elementary School
Franklin, GA

To be successful in all academic areas, a student must be able to read in order to truly learn. 'Language and Literacy: "Sounds" Like Fun!' provides a solid basis of language and literacy to ensure students will be well equipped to excel in all academic subjects. Teachers, speech pathologist, and paraprofessionals, armed with a wealth of instructional strategies from various disciplines, will work together and use their knowledge about articulation (speech sounds) and language (vocabulary, grammar, phonological awareness, and pragmatics) to make a difference in early intervention for reading. The team's project focuses on National Reading Panel's five essential elements for reading: 1) phonemic awareness, 2) phonics, 3) comprehension, 4) vocabulary and 5) fluency. The program is implemented in six general education kindergarten classrooms. The collaboration effort will benefit everyone, including those students at-risk for academic difficulties.

Woodland Elementary Charter
Sanmdy Springs, GA

"Telling Our Story - A New Renaissance" is a fourth and fifth-grade program being led by Hodges that "re-imagines" and "re-images" moments from the Harlem Renaissance. Students research art, photography and music from this period and examine its influence on their own lives and the changes taking place today. This collaborative effort between the school's art teacher, band director and students is a totally new approach to teaching social studies and history. Students research the works and lives of photographer James Van Der Zee and composer Duke Ellington who lived in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s. Like these great artists, students are active participants in telling their stories through art. The project provides students with an opportunity to create both photographs and digital musical compositions that depict the time period and upload them to the Web for the world to see. Hedges is a resident of Roswell.

Hilo Intermediate School
Hilo, HI

Fong is on a mission to help all feeder schools to Hilo Intermediate School develop their own ROV Robotics club and to provide regional competitions for students to showcase their new-found knowledge. Her hands-on project, "ROVing the Way to the Future", is the next step in implementing what she learned at a ROV (Remote Ocean Vehicle) workshop. After implementing the program, she discovered that many female and ethnic minority students really enjoyed designing, building and operating ROVs. To accommodate their interest, Fong has offered the program on an after-school basis to become a volunteer Lead Coordinator for the Regional Marine Advanced Technology Education - Big Island Regional ROV (MATE-BIRR) competition. Fong also introduced a Scout Class comprised of students from two of Hilo's feeder schools. Fong now aspires to do more for more students. After watching students become motivated, produce high quality products and develop leadership skills, she has decided to launch the "ROVing the Way to the Future" program to get students interested in Science, Technology, Education, and Math (STEM) areas by creating a fun, learning environment. Fong resides in Hilo.

Vision Charter School
Caldwell, ID

Students at Vision Charter School will be introduced to something new when they return to school this fall. "The Eagle's Eye", a bimonthly, digital student news magazine will feature school happenings, individual classroom and student spotlights, student versions of "man-on-the-street" sound bites and 30-second-spot commercials about character traits such as honesty, integrity and respect. Wafwa's multimedia project will also capture scientific experiments, reenacted pieces of literature, social studies projects, field trips and dignitary visits. Students will work in cooperative groups so that each member can assume a production role. They will update the content and apprise the student body for school-related news twice a month. The goal of "The Eagle's Eye" is to promote creativity, news reporting, collaboration and the use of multimedia technology. Wafwa resides in Nampa.

Washington School
Evanston, IL

"Digital Literacy" is a project-based program developed by Erf that will integrate reading ability and familiarity with technology into the teaching curriculum to advance the reading fluency and comprehension of fourth-grade Washington School students identified as performing below grade level expectations. During a daily reader's workshop, students will rehearse appropriately challenging theater scripts, discuss the material to ensure understanding and clarify the author's intent. Final performances will be recorded using digital video cameras, and burned to DVD by the students. The technology used in "Digital Literacy" will heighten students' motivation to improve their reading ability in preparation for their performances. Erf's program will target and benefit at-risk students who read slowly or inefficiently or are experiencing frustrations with learning. By using mixed-ability groupings, students are not made to feel singled out and all who participate will find it to be a fun, learning environment. Erf resides in Skokie.

Saugnash Elementary
Chicago, IL

"Digital Storytelling" is a program being led by Lundak and his six colleagues. They have created a cross-curricular Language Arts and Media Technology experience for 150 middle school students at Sauganash Elementary school in Chicago. Their program provides students with an opportunity to write narrative stories full of symbolism and imagery that is brought to life by combining images downloaded from digital, video and Web site photos with narration, music and sound bytes to create digital stories. Although the project will address several Illinois Language Arts and Technology standards, it will also appeal to the "digital generation" and will help them develop writing skills using tone, mood and voice with verbal, visual and auditory features. The high-engagement factor of this program will ensure improvement in writing skills for these sixth through eighth-grade students.

Columbia Central School
Steger, IL

Through Melnyczenko's "Reality Store" program, eighth-grade students at Columbia Central School will learn basic skills in financial and career planning, goal setting and decision-making. By simulating real-world experiences such as exploring occupational opportunities, receiving a monthly income and keeping a checkbook register, students will examine their attitudes about their financial future and their career expectations. To support this hands-on initiative, MeInyczenko will create a Reality Store staffed with volunteer students, parents, community members and local business owners to sell everything from insurance to real estate. From time to time the students will also spring the occasional unexpected event on participants. They will then write a first-person narrative essay describing their consumer and career decisions. MeInyczenko hopes to someday be able to offer scholarships to students who demonstrate exemplary learning through the project. MeInyczenko resides in Cedar Lake.

NorthWood Middle School
Wakarosa, IN

The "Aim High with Rocketry" project involves sixth-grade astronomy students at NorthWood Middle School designing, assembling, testing and launching rockets. Bennett's project provides students with hands-on learning activities that teach the inspection, disassembling and reassembling of mechanical devices, including technology essential to reaching outer space. Students will use models to illustrate processes that happen too slowly, too quickly, too small a scale to observe directly or are potentially dangerous. They will also explore the differences and similarities in sizes, compositions and surface features of planets in the solar system as well as objects orbiting them. Students are encouraged to work on various aspects of the project at home with parents. Bennet is a resident of Goshen.

Barker Middle School
Michigan, IN

Hamann plans to use the ING grant funds to purchase laptops to help teach eighth-grade students the value of energy conservation. Her program, "Conservation Smarts Using Technology" will facilitate online research to gather information on energy conservation, including strategies and solutions for daily life. Hamann hopes that the discovery of eye-opening findings about different energy sources and uses, and ways of conserving energy and available natural resources will help students become stewards of their communities and the Earth. After researching this valuable information, students will make others aware of energy conservation issues and Earth-friendly strategies through school and community presentations that cover the importance of energy conservation. This project will give students the positive tools needed to help them make better decisions about energy conservation each day. Hamann is a resident of Michigan City.

Kesling Middle School
La Porte, IN

Dearing and his four colleagues developed the 13-week problem-based curriculum "Mysteries of Kesling Middle School" program to increase science, math, social studies and language arts achievement as students search for answers in a treasure hunt. Each lesson will take place in one of Epcot Center's 11 accurately-depicted countries, where teachers will act as virtual tour guides by filming stories to be shown to students each week on interactive whiteboards. After viewing each story, students will work in teams to conduct science labs, decipher codes and solve mathematical equations in order to solve clues that open a treasure box. By creating this hands-on treasure hunt, the team hopes to facilitate the development of critical thinking skills and student reasoning.

Dowling Catholic High School
West Des Moines, IA

Lensing wants to develop an "Outdoor Classroom" equipped with a prairie to enhance the research opportunities of his environmental science classes where students can conduct ecological comparative studies between the prairie and the forest thereby creating a human altered landscape. Students would use field techniques, global positioning system (GPS) and satellite map data to create a Geographic Information System (GIS) for the research area. The main objective of the project is to restore a prairie on school grounds and continually increase its diversity each year by having students grow an assortment of plants. Students will also use cutting-edge environmental technology to monitor the progress of the prairie. Lensing believes an outdoor classroom will increase local biodiversity and provide a beautiful, natural space for students, teachers and the community to enjoy. This classroom will also raise awareness of conservation issues and help educate the public about conservation and restoration projects in Iowa. Lensing lives in West Des Moines.

Gardner Edgerton High School
Gardner, KS

Through Abromeit's "Creating the Perfect Candidate; Political Parties and Elections" program, twelfth-grade students at Gardner Edgerton High School will work together in groups of five to create their own unique and original political party, party platform and fictional presidential candidate. Students with similar beliefs will form new political parties, conduct opinion polls within the community, determine important issues to be included in their platform and then construct their "perfect candidate" Wiki site, including background information on their presidential and vice presidential candidates. Selected members from the community and school faculty will join parents in viewing the completed student Web pages. Then, they'll vote for their preferred presidential candidate using an online survey program. This program will improve student learning by requiring them to apply knowledge of the U.S. political process. Students will gather information from a variety of sources, synthesize the information and develop an original product. Abromeit resides in Lawrence.

Gardner Elementary School
Gardner, KS

The "21st Century Reading: Everyone Exceeding Expectations" project will involve students in kindergarten through fourth grade at Gardner Elementary School. Utilizing a MP3 player and a Language Audio Card Reader, Thies will help students improve their reading comprehension and fluency. Through this program, students will read stories, record them on the computer and download them onto a MP3 player to take home so they can work on their reading skills with a parent. The Language Audio Card Reader, which benefits the growing population of English learning students, allows students to "scan" cards that, in turn, repeats their words. Thies plans to have a card reader at each student's home to help them learn new sight words and vocabulary. With its focus on improving reading comprehension and reading fluency, this access to technology will create a more educated school population which then extends to the whole community.

Derby High School
Derby, KS

Woods' "Cadet Teaching" program dispatches a 15-member Cadet Corp of third and fourth-year high school French students to as many as nine elementary schools to teach elementary conversational French to elementary school students in their district. This research-based process provides real-life practice to advanced language high school students to utilize their knowledge of foreign language. Cadet students create and organize flash cards, posters, games, songs, nursery rhymes and other elementary realia to aid in their teaching process. Students also plan lessons and schedule class time as part of their own language learning process. The "Cadet Teaching" project is not merely a "program" with an ending, but it is an intense teaching process with academic excellence in foreign language as its goal. For the elementary student, the Cadet Program is both exciting and motivational. For the high school participant, the program helps them strive for accuracy in their French communication skills. Woods is a resident of Mulvane.

Beau Chene High School
Breaux Bridge, LA

Loreauville High School
Loreauville, LA

The goal of Lavergne's project is to educate students on the daily food recommendations to become healthy teens, teach healthy cooking methods and portions and provide an opportunity for students to showcase local culinary arts of the Louisiana region. Her program "Tasty Treats for Teens" helps students evaluate favorite desserts, side dishes and snack foods to decide how to make "healthier" versions of them. Healthier recipes for these munchies will be presented to the student body in a taste test. The approved food will be compiled in a cookbook for distribution to other students and high schools in the area. Lavergne notes that there are "a lot of health programs out there for the obese child or unfit adult, but teens seem to fall through the cracks." Her project, which will use the USDA's Food Pyramid Web site to calculate the daily requirements that teens need to keep their bodies healthy will address this issue. Lavergne is a resident of Lafayette.

Slidell High
Slidell, LA

The "Tradition Touching Today" project is an idea that Wiebelt, a broadcasting teacher at Slidell High, developed to document the commemoration of 100 years of the school's history. The ING award will allow the communications academy students to acquire video and digital cameras, computer equipment and production resources needed to capture the happenings that will be part of media press kits, yearbook content and marketing projects. Students will conduct in-depth research to show how life has changed over the years. It will be conveyed through pictures, interviews and written stories. Oral histories dating back to the 1930s will be captured in documentaries for students and community members to view. Highlights will include clothing, cars, entertainment, major events and life at Slidell High from each period. The goal for Wielbelt's project is to inform the student body of changes that have occurred over the past 100 years within the school and the community. Wiebelt lives in Slidell.

Cheverus High School
Portland, ME

"Haiti Solidarity Club: Sustainable Giving Project" is a program developed by Lee, a theology teacher at Cheverus High School, to promote learning about the economies of developing countries and ways for students to contribute to the easing of global poverty. Lee's project provides student/club members with one feasible, self-sustaining solution - micro loans. Students research and learn about lending small sums of money to aspiring entrepreneurs in the Dominican Republic and Haiti to help individuals break the cycle of dependency. Participants develop compassion and solidarity for the developing world and become future investors in ways that are self-sustaining. Information about micro-loaning institutions is presented as well as success stories and simple concrete ideas about how to get involved. This program also teaches the club's 65 members and the 200 students affected by the project about the challenges of starting a small business in the developing world, while creating solidarity with the loan recipients. Thus, students in the Cheverus "Haiti Solidarity Club Micro-Loan Project" will learn the importance of sustainable giving for the rest of their lives. Lee resides in Portland.

Sanford Junior High
Sanford, ME

After learning about the consequences of food waste, Sanford Junior High students created a fictional company called "Waste-Busters LLC". The company's goals are to observe practices, record findings, analyze data and take action regarding school cafeteria food waste. Seventh and eight grade students discuss the consequences of food waste and its impact on the school, the local community and globally. They are learning about the science of composting and the replication of nature's natural system of breaking down materials. They've designed and built compost bins for their school and will use compost to plant vegetables, flowering plants, bushes and trees in the school and the community. Students will design and build a Full Circle "Green Foot-Print Walking Path" with informational signs on how food waste can come "full circle" by being recycled into compost and helping in the growth of plants and vegetables. This project not only raises students' level of awareness, but it also prepares them to become "Waste-Buster Activists" for life.

Southern Garrett High School
Oakland, MD

If Bender has her way, "Making Students Future Ready" will turn her classroom into a business center for students. A typical day will include students attending financial literacy lectures then heading over to the Traders Desk to check stock portfolios in real time and stopping in the Apprentice Area to engage in online business simulation scenarios. The following day, students will work in the Podcast Center to maintain weekly business journals as they tune into podcasts about business financials. Finally, they will enter the Mini-Production Studio to create video public service announcements to share over the school television network so their peers can learn about money management. By creating this financial literacy suite, Bender hopes to educate and excite students about financial literacy and create an atmosphere that focuses on "Making Students Future Ready" for tomorrow's workforce.

Harlem Park Elementary School
Harlem Park Middle School
Baltimore, MD

Exploring cultures and teaching tolerance is at the heart of Bradford and Keith's visual arts program, "Worldview". In this cross-curricular program, students learn about global societies with particular attention paid to the visual and performing arts, including the legacies of famous individuals and governing principles. Following last year's pilot program, "Worldview: France," kindergarten through eighth-grade students at Harlem Park Elementary and Middle Schools will focus on India for the 2008-2009 school year. "Worldview: India" will consider the country's visual and performing arts, the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and the principles of non-violence, with connections made to the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Students will participate in a letter exchange program, study dance and music, practice yoga to enhance self-awareness and focus, fundraise for selected charities and host a cultural fair in the community. Worldview's comprehensive program will establish the concept that art and culture are integral aspects of politics, history and character development. The resulting change in students' world views will enhance their abilities to see similarities in certain circumstances facing people around the world, encourage empathy for different people and increase understanding of beliefs that may not be their own.

Harlem Park Elementary School
Claremont High School
Baltimore, MD

Through Vikestad's innovative program, "Switch on the Music / Adoptive Music", Claremont High School students with severe and profound disabilities are actively and independently creating music on their own. The program brings together a music therapist/teacher, speech pathologist and occupational therapist to work with students who are often viewed as dependent on others. Thanks to this collaboration, students are provided with materials that they can independently manipulate to create music. Instruments and musical toys activated by headtilt, wobble, oversize switches, and/or finger, hand, head, foot or torso motor movements, allow these students to successfully operate music equipment. This project shows staff and family members that these students are capable of doing more than was previously believed or expected of them. Vikestad resides in Essex.

Center Technical Education
Ashland, MA

Klonsky plans to increase student understanding of the relationships between variables in complex equations with his "Simply Complex" program. According to Klonsky, students tend to memorize equations and solve them with minimal understanding of the relationships between the variables involved. Klonsky's program will group students together, emulating real world experiences to construct 4 to 8 capacitors each. Each team's capacitors, often used in electric and electronic circuits as energy-storage devices, will have one varying variable and all others constant. Students will gather and record data in an organized and meaningful format and share their findings with the class. Klonsky believes his "Simply Complex" program will foster a thorough understanding of complex equations and improve students' ability to investigate the relationship of a single factor (variable). Through the program, Klonsky hopes students will find that this methodology may be used on a wide range of practical problems with proper equipment, supplies and data to enhance their understanding of complex equations. Klonsky is a resident of Ashland.

Washington School
Lowell, MA

Students participating in Washington School's "Photo Voice" program are strengthening the connection between the school and community, while giving students a powerful voice through the art of photography. The program, founded by Leslie McPhail, a resident artist in Lowell, helps foster relationships with the local elderly home and veteran's associations by partnering student photographers/interviewers with gray-haired models/interviewees. While powerful portraits speak volumes themselves, written biographies of the subjects show the connection that these students have made with members of the community. This program helps students discover their own voice and improve their descriptive writing skills. Photos from the "Photo Voice" program are shown all over the city, and several have been sold to local elderly homes,