Grants Approved by LDFF during 2020-2021, Benefiting Students of the Lower Dauphin School District
STEM Greenhouse and Gardening Club (HS)—Craig Cassel's STEM Greenhouse and Gardening Club is going green . . . or growing green shall we say? Thanks to a grant from LDFF, this group of 25 students has planted plants to use in science experiments on air quality and distributes plants to teachers and students throughout the school for beautification and improved wellness. In the next year, the group plans to establish irrigation for and maintain planters around the outside of the school. Furthermore, they hope to take their lesson for plant development and growth to the elementary schools. The STEM Greenhouse and Gardening Club's goal is to teach science, technology, engineering and math skills to elementary students through school lessons and improve the club to make it more self-sustaining through plant sales with community support. Thank you for letting the LDFF help you "grow" your Club and provide students with a hands-on learning experience!
Bringing Colors of the World to LD—Thanks to Erin Kelly for bringing "Colors of the World" to Lower Dauphin elementary schools! Each classroom in our district now has skin tone crayons that help students to be more inclusive in their creativity all year long . . . a thoughtful way to celebrate our differences in day to day projects. Mrs. Brooks' kindergarten class at Conewago recently took part in a project using the new materials!
This colorful grant was funded by Lower Dauphin Falcon Foundation . . . thank you Erin for giving us the opportunity to help bring your project to life!
Price Building Clothing Bank—Kid2Kid Clothing Bank is up and running thanks to Kevin Deibler and his team of volunteers and students at the Price School! This project was funded in part by a grant from the LDFF and is already helping LD students and families in need.
Membean Vocabulary Program (MS)—LDFF grant funds are helping students at the MS! Shannon Engle, MS Reading and 21st Century Skills teacher, is using Membean, an online vocabulary program, to help her students improve their reading and vocabulary skills. The students find the program to be engaging and the data/analytics Mrs. Engle is provided helps her streamline their learning.
Finch Robot 2.0 (Londonderry)—Londonderry 4th grade used Finch Robots from Birdbrain Technologies to incorporate coding and STEM into their curriculum. The 4th grade students also created projects of their own such as guiding the Finch Robot through a maze using geometry and measurement as well as using the distance sensors to keep it “socially distant” from objects.
Falcon Packs Eagle Scout Project—The Falcon Packs Program sends home six to ten food items each week during the school year to more than 180 students across the district. Adding distribution boxes and improving the previous ones will allow for the Falcon Packs Program to provide students additional access to much needed nourishment and support. The student plans to build and improve two to three Falcon Packs distribution boxes, find locations within the community to display the distribution boxes and create a more detailed ‘how-to’ guide on building the boxes.
SNHS Pavilion Eagle Scout Project (High School)—A 24' x 30' pavilion is being constructed in the Science National Honors Society (SNHS) rain garden at the high school. The pavilion was designed to have enough space to fit 4 picnic tables and comply with ADA requirements. This new structure will allow students In the SNHS and the high school to enjoy a roofed outdoor classroom space to learn in, safe from elements such as sun and rain.
Traverse Rock Wall (Londonderry)—Not all children enjoy participating in team sports. Climbing provides an opportunity to build physical, cognitive, social and emotional skills. The Traverse Rock Wall System being installed at Londonderry will be used during Physical Education on a regular basis for all students. The goal is to increase student engagement and enjoyment in physical activity as well as overall fitness. Students will get a brain work out in addition to their physical one as they use problem solving and critical thinking to overcome challenges and, at times, work as a team.