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2012 Elementary School Winners

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Agassiz
Performing Arts
Agassiz Magic Carpet Crew
As part of the Agassiz Crew Club, students will produce the musical "Aladdin Jr." Students will create sets, costumes and props and be trained in sound and light design and operation.
Nicholas Hall - Jan Heyn-Cubacub
Aldridge
Physical Education
Cardio Kids
Students in grades kindergarten to eight will use fitness apparatus to learn nutrition concepts and to achieve a high level of physical fitness and a greater positive self outlook.
Matt Barrett
Aldridge
Fine Arts
Fundamentals of Painting
Interested students in grades 5 through 8 will be introduced to the fundamentals of acrylic painting in an after school program which will culminate in an art exhibition at the end of the school year.
Steven Green - Ms. Mingo, Mr. Cain, Ms. Khan
Armstrong, G
Fine Arts
Rhythms of Brazil
Students will develop an understanding of the Rhythms of Brazil, learn about how and why rhythm is used and learn how to make and play specific instruments from Brazil.
Denise Pellikan - Ms. A. Mays, Mr. M. Portugal, Ms. C. DeLaRosa
Armstrong, G
Fine Arts
Brazil: Inside to Outside
Students, faculty and community will embark on a journey through Brazil, from the beauty of the Rainforest to the fantastic art and performance of Carnival. It will be a multi-media International Studies Art Experience.
Patricia Rain McNichols - Amy Bernstein, Elyese Fabisoff
Armstrong, G
Performing Arts
The Show Must Go On!
Dance students will have a permanent space on our auditorium stage where we will lay a permanent dance floor for performance based programs as well as portable ballet barres for strengthening technique.
Rebecca Locks - Maggie Degand
Ashburn
Fine Arts
School Enhancements
Students will work collaboratively to create murals and mosaics to enhance the outdoor landscape and interior lobby of our school.
Suzanne Drake - Yolanda Lewis
Belmont Cragin
Service Learning
BCS Garden
Students will create a garden on the school grounds. They will use math, science, language arts and team-building skills. The garden will provide the community with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Tabatha Kraft - Marianne Lang, Arlene Garcia, Jorge Barrral
Belmont Cragin
Science
Water, Water Everywhere!
Students will test samples of water, graph and report the results. They will investigate water sources, uses, purification and conservation. The water barrels will then water our garden.
Cynthia Wolski - Dawn Grandsart, Katie Tomal
Belmont Cragin
Performing Arts
Broadway Melody
Over half of the students will work on or perform in a selection of musical medleys from four different musicals. Collaborators include the music and art teachers, staff and parents.
Nancy Recchia - Chelsea Dolinar-Hukawa
Boone
Performing Arts
Collaborate/Create
Students will be immersed in an interdisciplinary study of works of art: DeMille's Rodeo, Graham's Appalachian Spring and Ailey's Revelations. They will learn about the dances, each other and they will perform a dance.
Gina Spears
Cardenas
Science
From Trash to Treasure
Students, teachers and parents will use recycled materials and paints to create unique mosaic murals depicting various themes: conservation/preservation, community, dinosaurs and the solar system.
Denise Benbrook - Angelina Zubia
Chicago Academy - Ele
Performing Arts
Perform Music with Tubes
Students will use the orchestral type of percussion tubes called Joia Tubes and incorporate the sounds in percussion ensembles, choir, handbells and recorder ensembles to play chords and melodies.
Carolyn Williams
Chicago Academy - Ele
Fine Arts
Artists Tea Party
Each student will design and decorate their his/her own tea cup. After making the cups,students will participate in whole class tea parties celebrating their creations. The cups will also be in a big art show!
Heather Walters
Christopher
Gardening
Let the Plants Grow
Students will select plants for purchase, design the pots and boxes and maintain the garden. The project will enhance their knowledge of plants, biodiversity, habitats and garden care.
Theresa Benande - Mary Meade
Christopher
Life Skills
Scented Soaps and Salts
General Education and Special Education students will create a business and marketing plan and work together to make and sell scented soaps and bath salts.
Arlene Stark - Kathy Ecklund
Dawes
Gardening
Going Native
Students will create a native garden in the back of our school as they study how to plan, plant and care for native habitat.
Amani Abuhabsah
Dawes
Science
Science Is All Around You
Students will learn all aspects of the scientific method and experiment design. Students will practice making observations, identifying a problem, researching this problem and making a good hypothesis.
Amani Abuhabsah
De Diego
Fine Arts
Kaleidoscope Beauty
Students will build a kaleidoscope and keep record of what they experience in journals. Students will share their experience and knowledge of kaleidoscopes with younger students.
Christiana Lee - Sarah Joy Mikolajczyk, Sarah Ehlich, Veronica Perez, Lisa Clemente, Jennifer Wolf
De Diego
Fine Arts
Artistic Dinosaurs
Students will work in research teams and with math partners to measure and estimate aspects of their dinosaurs, record their learning in their journals, and paint textured dinosaurs, resulting in a mural.
Ruth Evermann - Marilyn Baez, Mallory Burke, Nathalie Fett, Alicia Levy
Disney
Mathematics
LOGIC FAIR
Students often participate in a yearly science fair, history fair or health fair. In a new Logic Fair everyone has a chance to exercise the brain.
Yollande Gottlieb
Disney
Gardening
Sprouting Cooperation
Third grade bilingual students, along with seventh and eighth grade Special Education students will research plants grown in Illinois and create a garden while developing social emotional learning skills.
Arelys Villeda - Nicole Rosenthal
Earle
Publications
Great Expectations
Eighth grade students will be preparing for life beyond middle school such as high school, explore careers, resume writing and write essays for the 2012 yearbook.
Donna Flanagan - Cherre George
Edison Gifted
Performing Arts
Literature Comes to Life
The students will read the Roald Dahl classic, "The BFG". They will produce a play of the story where they will act, direct, create puppets, costumes, sets, props and run lights and sound.
Deni Drinkwater
Edwards
Science
Building a Coral Reef
Students will learn about the importance of preserving the world’s coral reef eco-systems by constructing one in the classroom.
Richard Boyle
Edwards
Performing Arts
Hope Rising
Students will present "Esperanza Rising”, learn the valuable skill of collaboration, acquire the techniques of theater and have an opportunity to join the Thespian club.
Diana Betout - Alicia Rivera Laboy, Kate Salisbury, Laura Amador, Danielle Rocco
Evers
Fine Arts
"Return to Oz"
Students will learn all phases of stage production including stage sets & design, costuming, props, musical scores, theatrical performance and lighting as they recreate the novel "The Wizard of Oz".
Barbara J Peck - Christopher Davis
Franklin Fine Arts
Fine Arts
Haroun & Sea of Stories
Students will bring storytelling to life by creating a production of "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" through set design, puppetry, projection, Middle Eastern culture, dance and theater.
Rachel Jamieson - Margaret Koreman
Funston
Fine Arts
Exploring Sculpture
K through eight students will study various forms of sculpture, artists and techniques in art class and will create individual art pieces that are reflective of an artist or culture being studied.
Carrie Giesler
Grimes
Language Arts
Proud to Publish!
Students will write and illustrate graphic stories emphasizing a positive social moral. The books will be shared with other students and at the local library.
Jennie Smith - Noel McNally
Gunsaulus
Publications
Gunsaulus Press
Gunsaulus will publish its first literary magazine, with student writers, artists and editors. All students in grades 5 through 8 will receive copies.
Susanna Lang
Hale
Gardening
Planting Rainbow Garden
Students will learn that gardening with flowers can include all of the colors of the rainbow and have patterns by using their senses to observe, explore and draw for data collection and analysis.
Patricia Oconnor - Yesenia Rodriquez
Hedges
Fine Arts
Tengo Corazon
Fifth graders will create large 3-D anatomical personalized hearts, complimented by designing journals exploring self, culture, morals, goals, family and emotion.
Jequeline Salinas - Guadalupe Tinoco
Henry
Performing Arts
Shadow Puppet Folktales
Students will construct and create Chinese shadow puppets which will later be used to perform both modern spins on traditional folktales and educational shows behind a lit fabric screen.
Laura Nunn
Henry
Fine Arts
Folk Art & Crafts
Students will learn the history and an appreciation of the many forms of folk art. They will use their knowledge to develop their own style and create original works of art using different media.
Sandra Wojtas - Kathleen Magno
Herbert
Performing Arts
Music Keyboard Lab
Students in grades K through 8 will perform their compositional projects on the keyboard with integration of dance, storytelling and other art forms that connect music to history, diverse cultures and life.
Octavia Lord - Essie Jones, Linta Carter
Inter-American
Fine Arts
Power of protest
By studying the power of protest through propaganda and political art, students will make woodblock and linoleum prints to express their learning of the current political protests coming out of Egypt.
Alex Mendez
Lincoln
Science
Name is Bond, Ionic Bond
Seventh and eighth grade students will explore the fascinating field of chemistry through hands-on experiments and demonstrations.
Susan Nutter
Lincoln
Science
Room 202 is Still a Zoo!
Room 202 is getting wilder by the minute! Third graders will continue to explore the concepts of energy transfer, life cycles and physical/behavioral adaptations, as they work with live animals.
Amy Andrews - Karen Pippen, Ariana Moulton
Lloyd
Science
Butterfly Metamorphosis
Students will analyze the life cycle of a butterfly to hone their observation skills and learn more about living things in the natural world.
Ramona Richards
Lorca
Fine Arts
Lorca Mosaic
Students will design and create a 4' x 8' mosaic artwork that will be a permanent part of the school. It will illustrate school pride and the school's importance in the community.
Lauren Klopack
Lyon
Fine Arts
Vision Garden
Students will create a sculpture garden inspired by the Folk Artist Howard Finster and his "Paradise Gardens." Our garden will be a place to explore gardening, science and art.
Casey Carlock - Marianne Galassini
May
Performing Arts
A Taste of Africa
Students will study the people, culture and music of West Africa through drumming, in partnership with the Old Town School of Music.
Valerie Betts
May
Performing Arts
I Got The Blues
Students will study the blues then create and perform their original blues pieces using iPad technology combined with classroom instruments.
Valerie Betts
Mitchell
Social Studies
Changing Minds
Students will study propaganda used during the Holocaust. They will create their own multimedia advertising campaigns dealing with current issues that are important to them.
Cory Schiffern
Mitchell
Performing Arts
Alice in Wonderland
Students will build theatrical skills, music concepts and teamwork in a production of “Alice in Wonderland." It will highlight the talents of our students and inspire curiosity and imagination.
Lorabel Araos - Becky Benkiser, Katherine Arbuckle, John Carroll
Mitchell
Life Skills
Chinese Market
Students will be entrepreneurs who produce, market and sell authentic Chinese products at a Chinese Market. They will interact in Chinese, use Chinese currency and do business the Chinese way.
Mary Ann Durso
Mitchell
Performing Arts
Math, Music, and Memory
By writing and performing songs about mathematical content and processes, students will engage with mathematics in an entertaining, educational, memorable and creative way.
Robert Wood - Jessica McLennon
Mitchell
Fine Arts
Multicultural Muralists
English Language Learner (ELL) students will create an exterior mural reflecting the cultures that make our small school so unique.
Sabria Harris - Griselda Salgado, Lucero Sanchez
Mitchell
Publications
Thirteen Reasons Why
Middle School students will collaboratively write and publish a bullying prevention novel as they create a documentary film and digital comic book related to their bullying experiences as teenagers.
Luis Soria
Morrill
Science
Morrill Metamorphosis
Primary students will observe the butterfly life cycle through a classroom butterfly sanctuary. The students will plant a butterfly garden at their school where the butterflies will be released.
Kiah Nolan - Tamika Hutchinson, Yvonne Marlow, Maria Morales, Eileen Durkin
Mozart
Fine Arts
Talking Walls
Using inquiry, fifth grade students will study various cultures and create an indoor mosaic mural.
Lisa Macri - Shereen Hussain, Debra Faletti, Pilar Fernandez, Roberta Covington, Liza Illuzi, Erika Calvillo
Namaste
Fine Arts
Nous aimons l'art!
Second graders will engage in guided inquiry and learn communication and collaboration skills as they research French artists and use various media to recreate their masterpieces.
Sara Urben
Nettelhorst
Performing Arts
Singing Our Heritage
Students will create a music and dance program including playground chants, work songs, spirituals, dixieland, soul, blues and more to celebrate Black History Month.
Michelle Gunderson - Chad Kimmel
Nightingale
Fine Arts
Diamonds In The Rough
Through this project, students will explore the many facets of live musical theater while discovering their true voice within the crowd and developing a better sense of who they each are as a person.
Steven Rigik - Mary Ella Palacios, Mary Ann Kennedy, Emily Cozzie, Jan Murphy, Donna Kos
Orozco Fine Arts
Fine Arts
The Back Nine
Students will choose a painting or mural by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, or Jose Clemente Orozco from which to fashion a mixed media installation that will be a mini-golf course.
Edward Pino
Peck
Science
Journey of a Tadpole
Students take a hands on approach to observing and documenting the transformation of a tadpole into a frog, while simultaneously observing the changes in habitat and co-existence in nature.
Kelly Sloan
Peck
Fine Arts
Math/Science Mosaic
Students will work alongside Chicago mosaic artist Mirtes Zwierzynsk to create a math/science/art integration mosaic piece.
Amanda Scampini - Kathe Myers
Peirce
Performing Arts
Circus!
Sixth through eighth grade students will develop performance skills by learning circus arts such as juggling and clowning. The student circus will perform for the school in May.
Jennifer Foss
Peirce
Performing Arts
Tales to Tell from India
Students will create three original mini-musicals based upon folk tales of India. They will write scripts, compose music and learn traditional songs and dances.
Brooke Thompson - Vivian Leventis, Haneefa Muhammad, Suzanne Schaefer
Pershing Magnet
Science
Which Biome's My Home?
First graders will study Illinois ecosystems and turtle behavior by creating terrariums and visiting museums to research animal habits and habitats culminating in a multimedia art performance.
Catherine Tanner - Tracy Carter, D'Andrea Mosely
Portage Park
Performing Arts
West African Drum Circle
Students will take a journey using music, rhythm and movement to study the history of West Africa and experience the social-emotional benefits of the Drum Circle.
Mark Britt
Reinberg
Publications
We Have the Write Stuff
Students will write and publish their own writings and be able to experience seeing their names in print. They will read their stories aloud.
Bonnie Hoffman
Salazar
Gardening
We-R-Seedfolks!
Students in each classroom will read, write, present, calculate, create, cook and eat food grown in our school garden.
Gerard Kovach - Jamie Olcese, Samantha Ashbaker, Raul Torres
Sawyer
Fine Arts
Dreams (Suenos)
Students will join with the school community to create a mural, "Suenos." This mural will be created by parents and students reflecting the dreams we all have for our future.
Anna Waywood - Carmen Vazquez
Seward
Social Studies
Home to my Heart
Students will develop an awareness and appreciation of their rich cultural heritage by studying Latin America's traditional dances, music, dress and history.
Rosa Ramirez - Kristen Enders
Shoop
Fine Arts
Music Keyboard Lab
Students in grades K through 8 will perform their compositional projects on the keyboard with integration of dance, storytelling and other art forms that connect music to history, diverse cultures and life.
Octavia Lord
Stock
Gardening
No Barrier Sensory Garden
All students will be able to garden together, regardless of ability, in our barrier free outdoor sensory garden. Students will be able to engage through all their senses.
Julia Joehl - Maureen, Gemma Samuel, Irene Cable, Ray Vlach, Kelly Hinds, Frank Shuminas
Stone
Science
Confounded
Turn a bucket full of water upside down over your head and not get wet? The outcome is unexpected. Students will observe, investigate and perform many strange events and use science to explain them.
Anna Kong - Karen Gibbons
Stone
Fine Arts
Out of this World!
Students will learn how people over time have related to the universe through a fusion of math, science, art, sports and language study projects. A Galactic Tournament will be the culminating event.
Mark Nelson - George Melanis, Mirta Alfonso, Justin Pele, Shirley King, Patrice Johnson, Sandy Hagy, Barbara Turkin
Stone
Performing Arts
Once Upon A Middle School
Students will grow as confident performers, develop their own voices and imaginations and engage in a supportive, creative community as they prepare to present "Once Upon A Mattress".
William Marsland - Jamie Perry
Swift
Performing Arts
A Whole New World
Students will perform the production of Disney’s “Aladdin Junior.” Students will be a part of every aspect of the production including stage crew, scenic art, sound, lights and performance.
Renee Holman - Ben Rogers, Sandi Lerner, Allison Brock, Samantha Gamble, Gordan McCall, Sara Knox, Angela Maniaci, Katie Loveland
Tarkington
Publications
Publications
Sixth through eighth grade students will collaborate with middle school teachers to design and publish a middle school literary magazine.
Leslie Rector - Stephanie Tsakeris
Waters
Fine Arts
Strings Around The World
Students will explore strings (via songs and stitches) in Morocco, Spain, India, Indonesia and Chile. They will celebrate the rich cultural history of stringed instruments and fabric arts across the globe.
Amy Vecchioni - Nadine Zelle
Whittier
Gardening
Growing Health
Middle school students will learn how to take an active part in their health as they learn how plants can positively impact their current & future health.
Claudia Greene
Woodson South
Science
The River Wild
Students, teachers and parents work together in teams to assess the water quality and overall health of the Chicago River in order to raise awareness in the community about caring for the environment.
Michelle Redmond - Pamela Henning, Sir Love
Zapata
Fine Arts
Thunder Flan
Students will increase their ability to perceive diversity through language arts, social studies and art. They will learn strategies for constructing meaning through connecting, inferring and visualization.
Patricia Barrera
Zapata
Fine Arts
Poetree Garden Mosaic
Sixth and seventh grade art students will create mosaics to decorate cement planters in our school courtyard. They will create a permanent work of art that will last for years.
Nancy Wieting - Sean Callaghan, Susie Tapia
Zapata
Mathematics
Quadratics & Catapults
Students will collaborate and construct a catapult to learn and discover quadratic motion. In line with the mathematics portion, they will create a business plan to sell their product to the staff.
Christopher McCabe
Zapata
Science
From Egg to Chick
Kindergartners will explore the world of chicks- where they come from, how they hatch and how to care for them. Students will read, write and learn about the cycle of life in this hands-on experience.
Meghan Burke - Yesenia Hinojosa, Carla Zavala
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