Berne-Knox-Westerlo Central School District

BERNE - KNOX- WESTERLO
WINTER/SPRING 2013
CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
BKW awarded for its ‘community connections’
On Thursday, Sept. 27,
a group of young BKW
elementary students stood
proud as their school received
a $5,000 check for its
“Community Connections”
program as part of the
first Be the Change for
Kids Innovation Awards at
the University of Albany’s
College of Nanoscale Science
and Engineering (CNSE).
Designed to award districts
that are sparking student
interest in math, science
and technology, BKW was
also named an innovator
for operating the program
on a limited budget. BKW’s Community
Connections program was implemented with
less than $1,000, was one of three winners
among 38 entries and the only elementary
school winner.
“We called on districts to marshal their
resources, collaborate and look for new ways
to deliver educational services,” said Thomas
Nespeca, the president of the New York State
School Boards Association (NYSSBA), the
organization that co-developed the awards.
“We asked them to show us innovative
programs that can be replicated by other
districts throughout the state at little cost to
the taxpayer.”
While BKW’s Community Connections
program does this, it stands apart in one vital
way: it relies on members of the community,
harnessing their expertise to create a truly
interdisciplinary and interactive learning
environment.
Throughout last year, the BKW second-grade
teachers welcomed community volunteers into
their classrooms, often requiring the teacher
to plan their visits ahead of time and sync the
volunteer’s demonstrations with the current
lesson plan. For example, visitors from the
local Emma Treadwell Thacher Nature Center
BKW students, faculty and BOE members during the Innovation Awards
event at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in Albany.
came to BKW to talk about birds and trees
during the second grade’s life cycle unit, and
about fossils during their rock unit. Kathy
Brown, a local hobbyist, came in to teach
students how to make maple syrup in conjunction
with a science lesson.
“It’s so encouraging to use the resources
in your own community,” said second-grade
teacher Molly Tiffany. “It provides opportunities
for students to connect to lessons in ways
only your unique environment can supply.”
“Providing these extension pieces to our
lessons enrich the curriculum and really helps
the material sink in,” said Michelle Pahl,
another BKW second-grade teacher. “They also
help us align our lessons to the common
core standards.”
While the award from CNSE and
NYSSBA focused on curriculum geared
toward math and science, the Community
Connections program operates on an
even wider scale, providing community
volunteer connections in the arts and
humanities as well. Last year, Mrs. Tiffany
called on a former student, who travels
to Tanzania to teach about music and
conservation, to come back to BKW and
help teach about geography and the arts.
Ms. Pahl involved a close friend and fellow
6
educator who recently moved to Alaska
to pair up pen pals for their students
and connect the classrooms via video
conferencing. Many local volunteers
have also come through the classroom
doors, showing students how to sew,
act, and create online storybooks.
The $5,000 award will be used to
develop more programming opportunities
like these throughout the entire
elementary school and also increase
field trips to more local places and
continue immersing students in the
community. The BKW PTA has also
been an integral part in supporting
the initial funding of Community
Connections and will continue to be
involved.
Helen Lounsbury, a BKW Board of
Education member, worked with the
second-grade teachers and administration
to write the submission for this
award.
“Over the years, BKW teachers have
offered many innovative programs and
received much recognition for doing
so,” said Mrs. Lounsbury. “Recently, Mr.
Tidd, Mrs. Tiffany and Ms. Pahl brought
further honor and recognition to our
District by becoming the first New
York elementary school awardees for
the prestigious Be the Change award.
It was my pleasure to submit this
nomination on their behalf.”