2015 Elementary School Winners

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Agassiz
Performing Arts
Taking Back the Swamp!
Agassiz Crew Club students will produce the musical "Shrek the Musical Jr". Students will create sets, costumes and props and be trained in sound and light design and operation.
Nicholas Hall - Jan Heyn-Cubacub

Armstrong, G
Performing Arts
Nigerian Talking Rhythms
Armstrong students will be studying Nigeria across grades and curriculum. Because drumming is an important part of the Nigerian culture we will have our students build and study the varying pitches of the dundun or talking drum and create their own compositions.
Denise Pellikan - Patrick Rodden

Ashburn
Science
Bloomin' in the Garden
Students will learn to explore the garden via their senses. Through multisensory experiences, profoundly disabled students will learn about gardens and plant seedlings in the community garden.
Mary Prendergast

Belding
Social Studies
Viva Italia!
Students will study the customs, artistic expression and culinary flair of Italy. They will acquire the skills to perform a dance, experiment with painting techniques and cook in the Italian style.
Mary Coriglione

Belmont Cragin
Performing Arts
BCS Steel Drum Band
Students will start a steel drum band that will perform for the school community at events. Students will learn songs with positive messages that promote Social Emotional Learning.
Albert Cordero

Belmont Cragin
Physical Education
Be Healthy, Stay Active
Students and their families will learn about the benefits of exercise, healthy eating and a variety of exercises and sports. Through a color band assessment, we can gauge the growth of the student. Lessons will be shared at home through a newsletter. Students will create a video to encourage other kids to exercise and eat well.
Yesenia Garcia - Elsie Cardenas, Lena Carrillo

Bond
Fine Arts
Fundamentals of Painting
Interested students in grades 3 through 8 will be introduced to the fundamentals of acrylic painting in an after school program which will culminate in an art exhibition and MCA field trip.
Steven Green

Boone
Fine Arts
Welcome Canvases
To welcome new students and families to Boone, our students will collaborate with parents to create canvases illustrating the word "Welcome" in their native languages as they celebrate our rich diversity.
Gail Locke

Boone
Performing Arts
Heaven Help Us Now
Students will learn about the civil rights movement through the study of African American performing artists such as Alvin Ailey and Motown artists. Students will create and perform their own choreography and be quizzed on U.S. and dance history.
Gina Spears

Brighton Park
Fine Arts
The Brighton Park Museum
Art Club students will transform our school into ‘The Brighton Park Museum’. Students will plan, create, install and present an outside mosaic mural, paneled paintings and a lunchroom mural.
Lara Spyer

Cameron
Performing Arts
Keys for Kids
Keys for Kids will put keyboards in the hands of students in the classroom setting. Students will build music making skills as well as literacy skills and will experience teamwork and community as they perform throughout the school on Unity Day.
Arturo Fuerte

Carroll-Rosenwald
Fine Arts
Lyrical Dance
Students will learn fundamentals of Lyrical Dance using a variety of genres, props and acrobatics. Through a strong knowledge base, students will be empowered to collaborate effectively among peers.
Jocelyn Clayton

Carroll-Rosenwald
Performing Arts
Peace Jam
Students will study the history and significance of protest music from the time of the Revolutionary War to current time. Students will create original compositions to protest the violence they see.
Kelly McCollom - Stephanie Campbell, Tracy Dineen

Carson
Performing Arts
Orff Instrumentarium
Students will learn how to create music, play new musical instruments, develop their music literacy, learn new music vocabulary and learn to perform in an ensemble with new Orff instruments.
Stefanie Britton

Carson
Gardening
Carson's Garden
Students will help design and plant a school and community garden to foster community wellness, individualized active learning and engaging academic curriculum.
Allison Parker - Patrick Crall, Carol Rowley, Christina Pawelec, Anna Khawam

Chicago Academy - Ele
Fine Arts
Expanding the Basses
Students will be able to expand musical harmonies as we expand our Orff ensembles.
Carolyn Williams

Chicago Academy - Ele
Fine Arts
PreK Music Performance
Students in PreK learn to play tambourines, small xylophones and rhythm sticks to perform for their parents as well as in school assemblies.
Carolyn Williams - Halina Zielna

Christopher
Life Skills
Christopher Cares Cards
Students gain the opportunity to practice some introductory work skills through creating greeting cards used to thank our school supporters with packages of cards.
Margaret McNamara - Therese Panfil, Therese Burke

CICS - W Belden
Performing Arts
Imagine
Students work to create and produce an original play, “Imagine.” This is a cross curricular project between music, art, and media for students to develop their 21st century skills such as creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration.
Anna Ausmann - Holly White

Cooper Dual Language
Performing Arts
Mariachi Violin
Students in the growing and successful mariachi program come with basic music skills. In this program, among other things, they will explore the production of sound, placement of notes, counting rhythms and care for their instrument.
Phillip Olazaba - Michael Espinosa

Courtenay
Fine Arts
Courtenay Musical
Students will write a musical connecting lessons from social studies, writing, story telling, drama, dance, music and visual art. They will write the songs for the musical using the Orff method of composition.
Adrienne Henze - Bari Raab, Sabrina Severns

Dawes
Performing Arts
Collaborative Drumming
Students will be introduced to drumming to help build discipline and positive peer interactions. Students will express themselves while developing musical skills. They will learn to work as a team, assigning different parts of the rhythm to create the most effective musical experience.
Cale Piepenburg

Dawes
Gardening
Are You Hungry?
Students will plan, plant and care for a community garden so that they can learn about the environment and contribute to their community. They will work together to enhance The Dawes' community garden.
Amani Abuhabsah - Julie Fitzpatrick

Disney
Life Skills
ART FOR AARP
Fifth grade students will connect with the residents at a community nursing home by meeting with residents on monthly and bi-monthly projects. Students will create special art projects for the residents to brighten their rooms.
Yollande Gottlieb

Disney
Gardening
Sprouting Cooperation
Diverse learning students will learn cooperative learning skills through a gardening project specializing in plants native to Illinois.
Nicole Rosenthal - Christina Torres

Earle
Publications
Amazing Authors
Scholars increase their interest and skill set in reading, writing, editing, illustrating, conflict resolution and character education as they each create four different kinds of books. Parents are involved in reading with and monitoring their child's at home reading.
Donna Flanagan - Candi Webb-Jones

Edison Gifted
Science
Wearable Electronic Art
Students will use their understanding of electrical engineering to design and create their own wearable electronic art projects. These will be showcased at our school's first annual Maker Faire!
Joanna Doyle

Edwards
Fine Arts
Auditorium Icons
Students will create large grid portrait murals of icons inspiring to the community on upcycled tiles. They will transform a run-down area of the school that students and visitors frequent daily.
Emma Ott - Mary Rodriguez

Edwards
Fine Arts
Alebrijes Sculptures
Students will create large Mexican folk art sculptures that will be integrated into a student theatrical production of “The Little Prince."
Diana Betout

Erie
Performing Arts
Music and Literacy
Music and literacy skills are integrated in the music classroom by setting classic children’s literature to original and prepared orchestrations using the Orff mallet percussion instruments.
Carol Swann

Franklin Fine Arts
Performing Arts
After-School Yoga
Students will participate in an after-school yoga program which will enhance their academic and artistic endeavors. This will be particularly beneficial for dance students.
Marion Victorson

Franklin Fine Arts
Fine Arts
The Japanese Influence
Using ceramics as their medium, Franklin students will explore their connection of nature, community and each other through the visual arts tradition of Japan.
Margaret Koreman

Gunsaulus
Fine Arts
Public Art & Murals!
Students will investigate how murals and public art can convey meaningful messages and beautify school spaces by the creation of murals and a public art piece.
Kimberly Tolbert

Gunsaulus
Fine Arts
World Drum Circles
Students will study cultures where drums originate, types of music and rhythmic patterns, create original music and improvisation. Students will rehearse their compositions and perform at the Gunsaulus Fine Arts Fair. World Music Drumming will investigate how to convey emotion and ideas using a variety of percussion instruments from world cultures.
Elizabeth Wontor-Leach

Hamline
Performing Arts
Orff for Literacy
Students in Orff for Literacy will compose and improvise on Orff instruments. Taking Chinese folk stories, they will set the words to music, promoting the relationship between literacy and music.
Leah Stephens

Hawthorne
Publications
Hawthorne Press
Student writers, artists and editors will publish "The Thorne," Hawthorne's literary magazine. Fifteen students will join the editing staff. Students in grades 5-8 will receive copies.
Susanna Lang

Hernandez
Fine Arts
World Beat
Middle school music students will perform West African, Caribbean and Latin American percussion music on authentic instruments and study the origin of music being performed.
Heidi Farrand

Hernandez
Fine Arts
Spring Performance
Students will have the opportunity to learn all aspects of production and performance so that all can participate in the spring play, "The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes".
Sara Hritz - Lilian Bityou, Deb McLaughlin

Hitch
Language Arts
Rainforest Journey
Kindergarten thru second grade students will explore the climate, animals, plants, people and conservation of the Rainforest. They will create 3D habitats, books and a drama/video presentation.
Loujean Nelson - Rici Sultan

Hurley
Mathematics
VEX Robotics Program
Students will work with The VEX Robotics Program in an after school STEAM curriculum allowing students access to science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics through robotics challenges.
Jennifer Crall - Christopher Friberg, Marciel Gonzalez

Inter-American
Performing Arts
Tap Dance
Students will learn the techniques and performance qualities of tap dance. They will "tap" into their math skills to create various sequences and sounds with their tap shoes.
Amy Ahmed

Inter-American
Fine Arts
Ceramics of the Americas
Students will study pottery both as a way to create with clay and to learn about the ceremonies, traditions and daily life of various cultures from the way pre-Columbian Americas used clay.
Alex Mendez

Inter-American
Fine Arts
Street Art
Students will study ways that street art is used throughout the world to express ideas. Students will create their own works which will be displayed in the school where they will host several viewings.
Alex Mendez

Inter-American
Fine Arts
Folk Art Instruments
Students will create musical instruments out of found, re-purposed and recyclable materials. The instruments will be influenced primarily from Latin American music and folk art.
Alex Mendez

Jordan
Social Studies
Olympic Team Handball
Students will learn to play team handball to interpret world geography, understand diverse culture, taste the spirit of competition and experience the value of teamwork and physical well-being.
John Mahon

Kilmer
Performing Arts
Aloha Uke
Students will make their Hawaiian staycation come true by learning to play and perform traditional Hawaiian songs on their new ukuleles.
Andrew McGuire

Kilmer
Performing Arts
Big Top Circus!
Students will be transformed into circus stars right before your eyes! Students juggle, walk the tight wire, ride unicycles and act like clowns at the first production of the Kilmer School Circus!
Jennifer Foss - Jason Feriend, Angela Norcik

Langford
Social Studies
Culture Club
In the Culture Club program our students will explore the cultures of the United States, Mexico, Africa, China and Japan. They will also complete creative projects designed for each country.
Donna Flanagan - Clara Paul

Lawndale
Science
Equine Explosion
Through equine science, students will look at horses holistically, developing a thinking skill that will serve them well. They will study the artistic structure and historical role of horses and will create stained glass paper horse pictures, ceramic tile horses and canvas paintings. Their work will be displayed in the Equestrian Evolution Gallery Event.
Kristin Appiah-word

Lincoln
Science
Conservation Conversation
Students at Lincoln continue the "conservation conversation," as they build on last year's efforts to observe and monitor animal species in our local community, along with growing native plants.
Amy Andrews - Debbie Hayes-Miller

Lincoln
Science
8th Grade! It's Kinetic!
Eighth grade students will study the interactions of both matter and energy by conducting experiments and completing engineering design challenges.
Susan Nutter

Linne
Fine Arts
Growing With Creativity
Primary students will learn about the plant cycle by planting plants from seed and caring for plants indoors and in a garden. Middle school students will create sculptures and a mini mural in the garden.
Arthur Helbig - Christine Flynn

Lorca
Fine Arts
Claytime!
Each student will design and create two clay tile reliefs that incorporate different design motifs seen in American and Mexican folk art.
Lauren Klopack - Ivette Gonzalez

Lorca
Language Arts
Let's Make Games and Apps
Students will make digital games using Scratch and other technology tools. They will explore their interests and showcase their talents through inclusion of original scenarios, graphics and music.
Joan Mendelson - Lina Mason

Lyon
Performing Arts
Rocking in the Classroom!
Students will engage in team building and creativity, while implementing music literacy and composition strategies.
Sarah Todd

Lyon
Gardening
Flower Power
Students will research specifics on how to design, install and maintain a school perennial garden. Students will learn about the care of a flower garden and the beautification of their community.
Casey Carlock - Dena Milano, Barbar Brodsky , Migdalia Chavez, Marianne Galassini

Lyon
Fine Arts
Follow The Alphabet Road
Students learn to engage in authentic problem solving of community-based issues by using this service learning pedagogy.
Casey Carlock - Dena Milano

Marquette
Fine Arts
Ensemble Action!
Students will work in groups to arrange a folk song for a recorder and xylophone. Each group will compose an introduction and melodic accompaniment to the folk song and coda. They will perform at the annual assembly.
Colleen Cetera

McCutcheon
Gardening
We Can Grow Food Anywhere
Students will have opportunities for learning about healthy eating, horticulture and business. They will grow edible herbs, fruits and vegetables in our classrooms through Earth Box gardens.
Gerard Kovach - Elise Guerrettaz, Kim Bendig, Sarah Lincoln, Lisa Suchy, Erin Claxton

Mitchell
Performing Arts
Ya Got Treble
Students in grades 3-8 will dance, sing and act to the glorious music of "76 Trombones" in the acclaimed musical, "The Music Man!" Everyone will be left singing and clapping to the beloved musical.
Katherine Arbuckle - Valerie Betts, David Weeks

Mitchell
Fine Arts
World Drumming
Students will study West African Drumming through a partnership with Old Town School of Folk Music. They will study the people through culture, music and dance.
Valerie Betts

Monroe
Fine Arts
World Cultures
Students will learn about diverse ancient cultures, learn to draw and paint on a large scale as they participate in all aspects of creating a mural to enhance the walls at Monroe. Students' names will be placed with the mural.
Rene Arceo

Montefiore
Fine Arts
JR Sports Emporium
Students will use the art of pyrographics on wood to design various types of Jackie Robinson sport's clocks and a bench. They will present each youth of the Jackie Robinson Little League team with their own clock and the bench will be donated as a permanent art piece to the Jackie Robinson Park.
Sandra Rance - Amondo Avargas, Frank Williams, VonDietra Butler

Montessori Englewood
Social Studies
The Timeline of Life
Students participate in the creation of a script, costumes, sets and choreography and will perform in performances that cover the origins and progression of life.
Lindsay Wilps - Danielle Zablocki, Stephanie Rywak, LaTasha Bell, Mairi Pearce

Mozart
Fine Arts
The Ukulele Project III
Students will learn how to paint their ukuleles in art and then construct them and learn how to play them in music class. The students will perform on their constructed ukuleles in concert.
Rachel Atlas - Lisa Macri

Namaste
Fine Arts
3D Memories!
Kindergarten students will recall memories of field trips and demonstrate their understanding of cultural thematic units by creating 3D sculptures using clay, paint and decorations.
Veronica Acuna - Maia Golley, Joel Carlovsky

New Field
Fine Arts
Chihuly at New Field
Students will look at the works and artistic process of glass artist Dale Chihuly. Using special, malleable plastic film, students will create their own organic bowl forms and paint them in his style.
Cathleen Andes

Nightingale
Fine Arts
Beehives and Bouffants
Students will explore the many facets of live musical theater while discovering their true voice within the crowd and developing a sense of the unique talents they each have to share. They will put on the show "Hair Spray" in June.
Steven Rigik - Aisling Conroy, Mary Ann Kennedy, Mary Ella Kelm-Palacios, Ginny Caponigro

Nightingale
Fine Arts
Our Words - Our Faces
Students will interview and photograph Mexican American community members and record and retell their stories. They will create a book: "Our Journey, Our Words and Our Faces".
Christina Jennings - Jillian Swinford, Brandon Barr

Ogden
Language Arts
Chicago, Our Kind of Town
To learn Chicago history, students will create murals of major events in Chicago history with an emphasis on The Great Chicago Fire of 1871. At the unveiling of the murals, students will present a short play.
Dolly Tovar

Pasteur
Performing Arts
The World of Steel Drums
Fifth grade music students will experience a journey to Trinidad and Tobago by playing steel drums and percussion instruments and using technology.
Aldo Mazzotti - Margaret Rux, Barbara Krupa

Peirce
Fine Arts
Centennial Project
Students will help prepare for the centennial celebration of Peirce school by creating a centennial bricolage mural project which will be an artistic, multicultural and educational collaboration between students, teachers, arts professionals and community members. The mural will hang near the front entrance of the school.
Raymond Soto - Meredith Buchbinder

Peirce
Performing Arts
The Canopy: Brazilian Folktales
Fifth grade students will create plays from folktales and compose music to accompany the action. "The Canopy: Brazilian Folktales", will be written and performed by the students.
Brooke Thompson - Michael Richie, Haneefa Muhammad, Marissa Moritz, Vivian Leventis

Portage Park
Performing Arts
Music Moves Me Too
Students will enjoy exploring rhythms and melodies playing diverse percussion instruments, learning folk dances of various countries and creating their own melodies, accompaniment and movement.
Mark Britt

Powell Paideia
Science
Cosmic Cooking
Students will learn about energy conservation. Students will design a solar oven and use it to cook pizza.
Jacqueline Long

Reinberg
Social Studies
Digging the Past
Imagine traveling back in time to visit Ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt and China, then bringing back what you learn to understand life today and creating a video magazine. You just need the right tools.
Bonnie Hoffman - Alexandra Skorb

Rudolph
Gardening
Rudolph Enabling Garden
Rudolph Enabling Garden is an indoor multisensory garden that will provide children with multiple disabilities access to create, engage and explore year round gardening.
Kathryn Freely - Bridget Cibulskis, Linda Shambee, Maryann Griffin

Sawyer
Fine Arts
Bodies in Motion
Students will learn how the body moves and observe sports that are new to them. They will learn to paint and design abstract bodies in motion onto a large scale mural to be displayed in the Sawyer Gymnasium.
Anna Waywood

Sawyer
Performing Arts
Performing A Musical
Students will take an active part in acting, singing and creating sets and costumes for the musical "The Little Mermaid." This will introduce them to the world of musical theatre from auditions to encore.
Holly Wysel

Skinner North
Fine Arts
Soft Sculpted Pop Art!
Students will create fictional characters and bring them to life through pop art-inspired soft sculptures. They will be introduced to textile painting, fabric assemblage and sculpture.
Kayla Bradley

Stock
Fine Arts
In De-FENCE of Diversity
Normally developing students will buddy with students in the Ready to Learn program where they will jointly paint fences with the colors of countries' flags. This activity helps students embrace the cultural and cognitive diversity of students while learning basic preschool concepts of acceptance, imagination, cooperation and patience.
Sandra Dilla-Hammer

Stone
Performing Arts
Stone Academy Presents...
Students will explore issues of tolerance and bullying while participating in a dynamic and poignant musical theatre production of "Once On This Island, Jr".
William Marsland - Jamie Lynn Perry

Swift
Performing Arts
Wild About Seuss
Students will perform the production of “Seussical Junior”. Students will be a part of every aspect of the production including stage crew, scenic art, sound, lights and performance.
Angela Maniaci - Katie Loveland, Sara Knox, Sandi Lerner, Evelyn Pollins, Marilyn Duff, Gordon McCall, Samantha Gamble

Tonti
Fine Arts
Motivating Modules
Kindergarteners will be involved in decorating our new modulars to make them more inviting and welcoming to our students. Students will create mosaics and plant landscaping.
Jennifer O'Sullivan

Twain
Performing Arts
Rocking Music Composition
Students will learn to play and read notation for the guitar, bass, piano and drums in class. They will take skills learned and form a band to compose their own original music and lyrics.
Melisa Rutkelis

Ward J
Fine Arts
Empty Bowls
Students will create ceramic bowls to be used in a service learning project. Each student-created bowl will be sold and filled with soup to raise money for the homeless.
Hannah Weil - Laura Saunders