2018/2019 Annual Report

Vevay Switzerland County Foundation and the Community Foundation of Switzerland County, Inc both generously granted our high school media center with the funds to by an 86" Promethean Board. VSCF granted us $5,000 and CFSCI granted $2,000. The board has been instrumental in our Project-Based Learning class as well as for students using the library to work on projects and presentations.

The board was also used for staff meetings and guest speakers like the one pictured above (employee retirement planning).

The media center will also make a great venue for movies - both educational and fun.

Before we named our club The Rosie Book Club< after the Eliot Rosewater YA Book Award List< we read a familiar dystopian novel, The Scourge and Frankenstein. We were able to participate in our public library's Frankenstein Escape Room after school in December and then walked to the Vevay Swiss Inn for our Inaugural Christmas Party.

After being introduced to the Rosewater Book List our members decided to read individually the 25 books on the list and share about what we've read at each meeting (Wednesdays during Homeroom). We also attended the Inaugural RosieCon held at Ben Davis High School which hosted 28 Rosewater Award Winning Authors. We took 10 club members and everyone had an excellent experience hearing from their favorite authors.

This was my first Donor's Choose grant request. I was able to purchase this chair through funds raised using social media. I think individual teachers could have success with classroom grants using their own social networks. The ideal amount to request on Donor's Choose is $800. They give you four months and you can post to as many platforms as often as you like. I used Facebook and Twitter and didn't post more than twice. I would have had more success if I'd had better pictures of the environment I was trying to create.

If teachers are interested in using Donor's Choose to get something specific for the classroom I could definitely help them through the process.

Our Poetry Club met every Thursday during Club Time. We read, wrote and performed various types of poetry including Black Out, Button & Performance Poetry. We also took a field trip to Hanover College to hear the the US Poet Laureate, Tracy K. Smith talk about and read some of her poetry. What we learned From Tracy K. Smith.

Several dozen students also participated in the Vevay Eggleston Club Poetry Competition. Leighla Day's poem also won at the state level and is now being judged at the national level of the GFWC (General Federation of Women's Clubs)

We were also treated to a local guest speaker, Jessica Mullins, who has published a book of Poetry.

Project Based Learning (aka Genius Hour) was offered as a class second semester this year. The class was managed online and can be offered as independent study any period in the future.

Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to an authentic, engaging, and complex question, problem, or challenge. Students chose their own projects and learned how to learn more about their chosen subject.

One students focused the entire semester on producing a school news video which will be offered as a class next year. Other students worked on multiple projects ranging from learning to draw or crochet to using MOOC's to learn medical skills or photography.