SHS Drama Department continues to increase in numbers.  This grant allows more students to participate in the One Act competition either on stage acting, backstage tech or directing.  Theater advisors interview student directors and assistants to produce student directed productions this winter.  Due to the COVID pandemic, they plan to decrease the productions to two to allow more space for the actors.  One student production will be chosen to attend the State One Act Play Festival in February.  Prior to the state competition, students will present a home performance either live or virtually on 1/25/2021. This project will involve 30+ students who will actively participate in one aspect of the production.

Music Theatre International, the company who owns the rights of this year’s musical and with whom we contract out script and music rentals, now offers animated and still Broadway-quality scenic projections.   These are used to enhance the background of performances.   This will employ an animated scenic backdrop for this year’s spring musical April 4-5^th, 2019.   The scenic animations will be projected during the course of the production.   It will cut down on the time needed for building the backdrop and allow the crew to focus on smaller statement pieces rather than filling the stage with a backdrop.

With the help of this grant, Spearfish 8^th grade English students will participate in an online learning platform that encourages student engagement in language art skills.  Through this platform students will develop deeper connections to the text they read allowing them to expand their thinking and explain their answers in more detail. Articles and short stories can be uploaded using this program and teachers can embed questions within the text allowing students to read smaller portions at a time to answer questions. Teachers can review their answers and provide feedback so students can redo their answers immediately helping them achieve at a proficient level or above.  This impacts 200 students.

Creekside, Title 1 – Barton Reading System is designed to explicitly and systematically teach dyslexic students to read. Many students, even those who have not yet been diagnosed as dyslexic, will benefit from this Orton-Gillingham based approach to reading.

This is a SMS student council project idea to decorate the bathrooms with artful pictures and sayings.    Understanding that the bathroom is sometimes a place a student seeks quiet solitude from the hectic pace of middle school they thought this would be a great place to cheer it up with art.   All students from the art classes have been actively designing ideas for the bathrooms.  The funding for this project is for paint, rollers, and brushes.

Mountain View Elementary. Kindergarteners at Mountain View will receive at one book through this grant as well as meet storybook/non-fiction characters who “come alive” from the books they receive to create excitement about reading.   Supplies include the books and costumes.

BreakoutEDU boxes are used to facilitate inquiry, critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication.  They promote interaction and social learning in the classroom by utilizing the provided platforms in areas of math, science, social studies, ELA, world languages and more. There are physical games, digital games and game builders which offer students and teachers access to build their own content-aligned games for classroom sharing.   Due to the increased interest and demand from students and teachers utilizing their current box, they would like to invest in 7 more boxes.

Mountain View Elementary.  This class project promotes a rich opportunity to examine how our lives are transformed, and the beauty and uniqueness of us all, with the overall message that a child is like a butterfly.  Some can fly higher than others, but each does the best it can.  Each butterfly is different.  Each is special.  Each is beautiful.  The children listen to a guest speaker and learn a song about being different.  Students break into small groups and travel to various areas in the school to see what is like to have various abilities and disabilities.  This will take place at Mt. View Elementary for Kindergarten students.

There are more than 500,000 current openings in computing, and this field represents the #1 source of new wages in the US. These jobs grow at twice the rate of all other jobs. In the US we do not have enough graduates in computing, STEM or Computer Science to fill this demand. The goal of this project is to increase the exposure our students have to coding. Next year our Middle School will have a laptop for every student. My hope is that our students will have the opportunity to integrate computer science and coding into their core content classes AND have another way to show their learning through the power of coding. The more exposure a student has to coding the more likely they are to pursue a path through high school and college that leads to the profession of Computer Science. Tynker is an easy to use platform that ANY teacher can integrate into their classes, with or without a background in Computer Science. It is a benefit to our students and community if we have more teachers who are comfortable and familiar with Computer Science and coding. The Tynker platform teaches coding and is used to program our drones and robots. Tynker is currently developing lessons for augmented and virtual reality, they will be one of the first platforms of computer science curriculum to have these lessons developed for students. If we are approved and able to purchase the license immediately we can start exploring Tynker at the end of the school year AND offer staff professional development during our end of year PD. SMS staff will go into the summer having ideas of how to incorporate cross-curricular coding projects with their students next year. Next school year my goal is that we use Tynker lessons during FLEX and study hall for all students to have exposure to another platform and medium of coding. Tynker is fun and students love using it. As students and staff become comfortable and familiar with the platform we can create cross-curricular projects. There are STEM specific lessons that integrate into Science and Math courses. Our middle school ELA teachers do book projects, students could easily use Tynker to code their presentation on their book. The full access of a site license would also be used in our Makerspace with our drones, robots, and iPads.

SMS.  This is a daylong event at the Ft. Meade in Sturgis sponsored by the SD National Guard.   Students are divided into teams with the Guard soldiers and teachers to experience learning about that the training and life is like as an Army soldier.   Some of the hands-on experiences include land navigation, marching, hazardous materials care, medical and fire safety, experiencing MREs, using night vision tools, packing and exploring military clothing for survival, American flag etiquette, etc.   This is scheduled around the middle school’s yearly Veteran’s Day assembly which draws over 80 veterans each year in our middle school.    Funds are to help over the bussing of the students to Sturgis.

Spearfish Middle School. EmWave2 information page: https://store.heartmath.com/emwave2
– Two EmWave2 device will be used with students by the counselors in their offices at the Middle School.
– Three EmWave2 devices will be available for independent use by students.
– Students that frequently access school-counseling services will be trained in the EmWave2 Quick Coherence Technique by the counselors (with help from the computerized training protocol).
– Students that frequent the counseling office will be allowed to use the EmWave2 device and the Quick Coherence Technique (guided by the computer) with the counselors or on their own after they are comfortable with the process when they arrive at the counseling office.
– Students that have been trained in the use of the EmWave2 and the Quick Coherence Technique will be allowed to use the devices to facilitate social/emotional breaks in the counseling office (with counselor permission) throughout the day.
– Students that show interest and benefits from the use of the EmWave2 and the Quick Coherence Technique will be allowed to check out an EmWave2 device for use on their own with parent permission.
– Up to 30 students that frequent the school counselors’ services will be impacted by the project. Additional students will be impacted moving forward as this project will be ongoing year-after-year if deemed successful.

Strength through Swimming. In collaboration with BHSU and the Young Center Pool, 20 APE students will have an opportunity twice a month during the Spring semester (8 trips total) to utilize the facilities.   This program would introduce swimming as a lifetime fitness activity for individuals with varying physical abilities, a mental exercise to help promote mental health and well-being and allow their bodies to be less effected by the force of gravity, which allows them to move without pain or be uncomfortable in space.   The pool allows individuals to experience a sense of autonomy and they are in control of their movements.   This program funds equipment used in the pool.

Spearfish Middle School. Because her classroom will become the Library classroom, this grant would be used to purchase materials to provide students with flexible seating opportunities. Her goal is to create a classroom space that is welcoming and safe to students. In her STEM and computer Science courses students do work that is independent, partnered, or in groups. Students need to be able to move around in a variety of ways. Her classroom next year will have regular height tables with some standard chairs.  Stability ball chairs will help students who need to move more.  They are great for posture and strengthening core muscles.  The bottoms are smooth and curved so students can rock if needed.  The bean bag chairs, cushions and reading pillows will be for student to work on the floor independently or with partners. They can use the foldable tabletop stands to hold laptops or paperwork while sitting on the floor or floor seating.  Giving students a choice provides increased student engagement. This will be utilized in Makerspace and Spartan Tech Squad groups as well.

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) learning is experiences are an exciting opportunity for students to explore science of the future and help expand and enrich the content and skills being learned in the classroom.   By incorporating Edision Robots, Makey Makey Stem Kits, and Think Boards, the students will have more STEAM options to choose from while working on small group and independent choice activities.   This is for one classroom but she hopes to share this with the other 4^th grade teacher if interested.   The funding requested is for the three items listed above along with clip boards and markers.

SHS.  Libraries are places where students not only read, study, and collaborate, but create and innovate as well.   They are becoming a learning commons area available for all students.   Makerspace within libraries are spaces where students have access to supplies and materials that are meant to spark their creativity, allow them to innovate, and help them experience the benefits of trying and learning something new.   Each item provides opportunities for active and participatory learning while challenging them to activate their brains in a different way.   This grant is for a 3D printer $2,000 and the film cartridges $1,000.

Spearfish High School. SHS Game Club is a weekly student group that meets for card, strategy, board and role-playing games.  This grant would supply the Game Club with our own school sponsored materials, rather than depending upon borrowed materials; these games will remain SHS property and provide a sense of legitimacy to the Game Club members.  Game club provides a positive outlet for students who normally do not engage in school activities and focuses on social interaction during games.  Attendance ranges from 12-25 SHS students.

Mt. View Elementary plans to build three raised garden beds for students to participate in gardening activities as part of their science instruction.  Students will prepare ground, plant, weed and harvest throughout the seasons. This project not only teacher about the life cycle, but also real-life application of learning – nutritional information, weather components and sensory activities.  Students learn to work together, tend to living things and contribute to their community.

Creekside Elementary.  Genius Hour will offer a 60-minute session once per week for students to dive in and explore a topic of their choice.  Class time will take place in Mrs. Garcia’s classroom October-December with projects culminating before Christmas break.  Upon completion there will be a Genius Hour Showcase in the Creekside Elementary Commons area.  Twenty-seven students will be directly impacted through driven research and guided inquiry.  Funding will allow students to gather sufficient materials and supplies needed to make their Genius Hour project successful.

These programs are after school led by volunteers within the community, in addition to parents and teachers from Creekside.  Our Volunteers are key to the successful implementation of the lessons, games, activities, and workouts from the nationally researched curriculum that is provided for them.

The mission of the girls’ program is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running.   This is noncompetitive running and training to achieve a goal of participation in a 5K run event in addition to teaching life lessons that encourage positive emotional, physical, social and mental development. Funding is used to off-set any registration fees for any girl to participate.

The mission of the boys’ program is to inspire boys through the power of running, to be courageous enough to be themselves, to build healthy relationships, and to live an active lifestyle.   Also, noncompetitive running with the goal of participation in a 5K run to finish the season.

Harvard Business School is conducting a nation-wide project on case studies in American History.   Spearfish High School has been offered a chance to participate in this project.   Chosen school will present a selected number of case studies involved in American History to measure the effectiveness of this curriculum.   Mr. Gainey.    Students impacted would be 11^th and 12^th grades.

This project allows Spearfish High School’s technical theater class to experience hands-on, practical learning.  The grant will allow the purchase of practice paint supplies including different colors and sheens of paint, specialized painting tools including stipple brushes, wood grain tools and extra materials to practice painting on.  Students will also have the opportunity to learn how to use pyrotechnic supplies such as flash paper and cotton, igniters and flash pots.  Safely measures will also be taught. This will impact 25 students.

To Prepare and Inspire Young People to Succeed in a Global Economy. JA is the world’s largest organization dedicated to economic education for young people in the United States and over 122 countries. History ‑ Founded nationally in 1919, operating in South Dakota since 1968. Annually, Junior Achievement of South Dakota is serving over 54,000
South Dakota students. Over 2,000 South Dakota classroom volunteers support JA annually. Volunteers come from all walks of life and include business people, community leaders, and retirees. JA volunteers receive necessary materials and training. Interactive, hands‑on 45‑minute activities for K‑12 curriculum. Visits range from 5‑13 visits. Independent studies prove Junior Achievement’s effectiveness and its tie to content standards. JA programs are provided at no cost to schools and are requested by teachers. In South Dakota, funding is secured through businesses, individuals, foundations, and special events. Junior Achievement of South Dakota does not receive financial support from United Way or government agencies.

This grant is for KEVA Planks for the middle school library. These would be available to students and staff throughout the school day.  KEVA planks are durable maple planks that help spark interest in building and design.   They also help students learn STEM basics such as balance and proportion.  This project has the ability to impact every student and staff member in the middle school, should they wish to visit the library to explore.  Building challenges would also be available at specific time of the school year for students to participate in.

The high school journalism class is tasked with the job to capture the school year through photos and create the yearbook.   This brings life to their school year.   Pictures are an essential part of this project and high-quality cameras are a necessity.   Cameras and accessories purchased will be used this year and in years to come to tell the story of their school year, while affording students the opportunity to learn photojournalistic and photography skills.

Automation and Robotics is currently offered as a course taught by Mrs. Bauerly at the Middle School. Due to the increase in interest of students enrolling in the course, combined with increasing enrollment, we would like to offer additional sections of Automation and Robotics. During the 2018-2019 school year, one additional section will be offered by Mr. Dagit. The course will continue to be offered as an elective to eighth-grade students in subsequent school years. VEX Robotics kits for student use in the course have already been purchased through a curriculum buy cycle. Approximate Number of Students Impacted During the first year of implementation, approximately 25 students will take the Automation and Robotics course taught by Mr. Dagit. The course will continue to be offered at the Middle School for as long as it is supported by Project Lead the Way.

Through a creative medium of art students at the Middle School in Mrs. Farley’s flex time would create mosaic pictures on plywood using natural items such as beans, rice and corn.

As the human population of our planet continues to grow and quantity and quality of our sustain resources continue to diminish, new ways of doing things must be tried and developed to sustain life on the planet.  The students at the Black Hills Academy believe that including insects in our diet as a source of protein and nutrition may be a positive action.    Students at the Academy grades 7-12 will be making cookies with insect-based goodies and introducing it to at least 100 people.   This program funds the supplies to make the cookies and T-shirts as rewards for outstanding efforts.

This is for students grades 4-8 (30 students) to compete in the GeoBee locally with hopes to qualify for State and Nationals.   Part of the group would include mentors from the high school, 10-15 students.  This program is to inspire our students in the knowledge of World Geography through the fun of competition.

Analyzing and responding to world events in the 8th grade classroom. The 8th grade teachers’ quest: how do they improve reading skills using leveled content that is aligned to standards and connects instruction to real world experiences? They found it in Newsela! Newsela is an online news-as-literacy platform that features current, high-interest articles on current events in everything from literature to science. Content is updated daily, with stories from a wide range of sources. All articles are Common Core-aligned and available in five Lexile levels. Each leveled text features a quiz tailored to that particular article plus a writing prompt that asks students to write and respond to what they’ve read. Each student will have access to Newsela on their school laptop and this will allow teachers to use the reading and writing features of the program in an unlimited capacity. Newsela has the capability to be incorporate into Google Classroom, which is the learning platform used by 8th grade ELA teachers.

SHS.  This creates the opportunities for students to direct plays at SHS and, thus, increase the number of students who can participate on and off stage in our one act show.   Under the supervision of Mrs. Meyer, and building off the success of last year’s performances, this year would increase to three shows.   One of the student productions will be chosen to attend the State One Act Play Festival in Aberdeen.    Grades are 9-12 and impact 30+ students.    Program funds the cost of supplies and scripts.

Approximately, 60-75 students will be able to use the iPads to build skills accommodate their areas of disabilities.  Apps specialize in skill building, memory, basic reading, reading fluency and comprehension and others. This grant is for ten iPads and headphones.

This program will create fun and exciting inspirational as well as educational quotes to display on the bathroom stalls at Mt. View.  It would incorporate the new PBIS matrix and incorporate those words and expectations into the design.  Funding would cover the costs of a Cricuit machine to print wall vinyl, the vinyl needed for the project and tools required to get the vinyl on the walls.  The Cricuit machine could be used for other projects to improve the learning environment at the school.

Science Day Camp offers students a field opportunity to learn about lessons studied in life science during the school year in a natural setting.  Presenters are science professionals in the life science areas.  Setting is Spearfish City Park.  250 seventh grade students.

Members of the HS Band (30-40 students 10^th-12^th grade) will travel to Los Angeles, CA from June 10-16, 2019.   The band will have the opportunity to participate in the Disney Soundtrack Session and work with professional clinicians and recording artists.   During the Soundtrack Session the band will test their sight reading and ensemble abilities by reading, rehearsing, and recording music from Disney films.   This workshop will provide a new opportunity for the students to learn what it’s like to work in the music industry as a professional.

SMS students will read age appropriate books and will meet to discuss the books.  Some books will be teacher selected and some will be student selected.  Book discussion questions will be guided by instructors.  Many students have mentioned that they love to read but they don’t have anyone to talk to about their books.  This book club would allow them to do just that and foster their love of reading and encourage them to continue to explore literacy concepts.  This is a newly created group so the number of students impacted or the number of books needed is not known at this time.  It is estimated that approximately 30-40 students will be impacted.  Students will meet during lunch or after school.

Spartan Robotics was established at SHS during the 2017-2018 school year and is coached by Ben Sayler.  The team utilizes the VEX robotics program, focusing on hands-on STEM learning.  The team was highly successful during its first three years.  They have qualified for the state tournament each year, they’ve won a Design Award and and Excellence Award at Regional competitions and have qualified for nationals the last two years.  The team typically meets after school two or three times each week for 90 minutes per session.  In the weeks leading up to competition, they work considerably more hours.  The team had 11 members last year and will likely grow with the addition of incoming 9th graders who have shown interest in middle school.  The team has made presentations to area youth groups and have showcased their robots at SFPE’s “Three Cheers” Event for the past two years.  Funding would cover the costs of robot kits, parts & supplies, team registration fees for local, regional, state and possibly national competitions.

This project hopes to generate kindness throughout the school district and spread it into the community by placing vinyl banners that read BE KIND outside of Mt. View, West, Creekside and SMS/SHS.  The banners will be placed in highly visible locations for World Kindness Day and Random Acts of Kindness Week to bring awareness for the community and others.  During these banner display times, school counselors and community team members (local retired teachers) will visit each school to share a specific book about kindness and complete an activity with each class. This grant will fund 4 banners for the Spearfish schools and impacts all students.

The mission of TeamMates Mentoring is to positively impact the world by inspiring youth to reach their full potential through mentoring.   It was established in 1991 and has been actively successful in Nebraska, Iowa, Wyoming and Kansas in providing more than 8,400 youth with support and encouragement.   The idea is to team up community members with students who need extra support or encouragement.   There will be formal training, background checks, and follow-ups.   This will be an in-school, on-campus mentoring.   Benefits include encouragement, support, positive decision making, develop communication, study and personal skills, develop strategies for dealing with personal and academic problems, identify goals and a sense of direction, etc.

We want students to have the expanded experience of reading as a collective group with both their peers and their community.   Students will engage in a higher level of reading with classroom work, book club discussions, and an author visit.   They will think about writing differently after engaging with a professional.   The goal is for students to learn how to read for pleasure rather as an assignment.   The project will provide an enriching experience that is school-wide. .At our English department meetings, we have discussed how some of our students do not own a book that is their very own.  We also continually talk about the love of reading and how we want our students to develop that as it will serve them their entire lives.   We will purchase books that can be given as gifts to our students.   Students will have the opportunities to engage in an expanded experience beyond independent reading through classroom work, book clubs, library involvement and a possibility of an author visit.   The title of the book is coordinated with the Spearfish Big Read, so not only will this experience be school-wide it will be community-wide as well.

Imagining will allow us to take an abstract concept for our students and make it concrete. The thermal camera will be used in all 6th grade science classes and Flight and Space. The camera will allow students to capture images on convection currents, radiation, and conduction. These types of transfer of thermal energy are hard for the students to comprehend. By allowing the students to use the thermal camera to capture the world around them we will be helping them connect the concepts in the classroom to their everyday lives. Right now our data shows us that our students struggle with connecting thermal energy, kinetic energy and density. This is an essential learning outcome in 6th grade. The camera will be utilized throughout the school year in order to let our students create connections between these concepts easier. Approximate Number of Students Impacted There will be over 200 hundred 6th grade students impacted along with 120-150 8th grade students. The students will be able to use the thermal camera to investigate the effects of thermal energy around them. The classes will utilize the camera continuously throughout the school year in order to increase their depth of understanding. Students will use the thermal camera to take pictures of different experiments and projects to see how the changes in thermal energy occur. Flight and Space students will be utilizing the camera to see how the temperature of air affects the flight of fixed wing aircraft along with hot air balloons.

Imagine Learning Facts, previously known as Timez Attack, is a proven educational computer program that mimics many modern-day video gaming experiences; therefore, it engages students at the same level as those games yet still provides educational value for all learners.

SHS.  Steve Gabriel.  This project takes place at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (Surface, 2000, 4100 and 4850-foot levels).  Funds have been previously provided by SFPE.  The first flow meter was installed at the 4850 level in the fall of 2012.  With the help of three SFPE grants, a South Dakota Earth and Space Science Grant and two rounds of science curriculum purchases the flow meter network now has six networked flow meters with data being consolidated and graphed on a laptop located on the surface of the lab.  The flow meter network is being utilized by scientists and engineers at the lab to help design the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) for the Long Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE).  The flow meter network data has been analyzed by freshman in physical science and seniors in physics for the past five years.  This year’s students will do the analysis with a few highly involved students to monitor, maintain, configure, upgrade and travel underground with me to perform maintenance on the underground flow meter network.  130 students impacted, grades 9 and 12.

SMS – Paula Farley. This project incorporates creating a clay pot and writing a story using the voice of the pot.  This is a FLEX class at the middle school with funds supplies for the class including clay, paints and brushes.