Grant Pictures

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WEF paid for the equipment and entry fee for WHS to enter the New England Botball tournament. Shown are 2 of the students with their 2 robots which try to knock the cups off the table and sort the red and green balls into designated areas. Click to see a panoramic view of the tournament (same 2 students at far left corner) or pic3 or pic4.

WEF purchased a Weather Bug for the WHS earth science department. Shown here on the roof of the science wing the weather station records dozens of weather parameters and the data is displayed both in a classroom below and on the web. Click here to see how much rain we got so far today at WHS (and more) or check the weather archives.

WEF purchased musical instruments for PAWS (Public Schools Preschool Program). More pics here and here.

WEF purchased rekenreks for every K-2 teacher. Rekenreks (which look like abacuses) help students learn different strategies for adding, subtracting and counting. Here a student tries to demonstrate the number 31 which was the number of days of school at the time.

Fiske school received a WEF grant for Geomotion Fitness Mats which combines dance, music, games, and a good workout. This is a pilot to see if it makes sense to do this at all elementary schools. In the above picture the students are doing 'twister'. (Other pics: dance picture     picture with teacher ).

Elementary School teachers using colored blocks with base 6 math under the direction of Susan Smith (not shown). Using an unfamiliar number base reminds teachers which concepts in our standard number system are difficult and why. Susan Smith is co-leading the Math Professional Development Program which is funded by WEF and the PTOs.

These darkroom timers for WHS were purchased through a WEF grant (here displayed by a student who uses them). Many of the old timers were broken resulting in prints that were too dark or too light.

Three new pottery wheels (one shown) for WHS were purchased through a WEF grant. This class is popular and the extra wheels were needed so that the classes could be enlarged.

WHS Trigonometry students are using a Transit and measuring rod which were purchased through a WEF grant.

WEF funded a grant to buy 6 Digital SLR cameras for the "Digital Art and Design" class at WHS. Here is a student using one of the recently purchased cameras. Click here to see artwork on the WHS cafeteria wall some of which used digital pictures from the purchased cameras.

WEF funded a grant to buy a seismograph at the High School for use with earth science classes. The seismograph can be operated through the glass using a wireless mouse or it can be accessed using the High School's network. Here is a closeup of the seismograph, here is a closeup of the display.

WEF funded a pilot program at the Middle School where each 6th grade student in House "S" gets their own laptop. House "S" has about 60 students and 3 principal teachers. 9 ibooks can be seen in this picture. The students are looking at "A Virtual Tour of a Synagogue" with a diagram of a Synagogue and clickable links explaining the major things found in a Synagogue such as a Menorah. Next to the laptop can be seen a paper worksheet with questions about Synagogues. More pics here and here.

WEF funded a grant to purchase (along with money from POPS) movable mirrors. The mirrors can be moved onto the WHS auditorium stage to quickly create a dance studio.

WEF paid to have Phillip Hoose speak to 7th and 8th graders at WMS December 2 about the no-longer-extinct Ivory Billed Woodpecker (background). The students earlier read his book "The Race to Save the Lord God Bird" as part of the English, History, and Science curriculum. The Ivory Billed Woodpecker was re-discovered last spring in Louisianna after careful documentation of its supposed extinction.

WEF paid to have Dr. Daniel Rosen speak about Asperger's syndrome on September 13. The WHS students read a book over the summer about a teenager with Asperger's called "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time". Students learned about understanding and appreciation of diversity in the realm of special needs.

WEF purchased a Polymerase Chain Reaction kit (PCR) for Dr. Doug Brown at WHS to amplify a gene that might be linked to risk taking. Here is a student with cheek cells in a test tube separated into dna and other cellular matter several steps before the PCR phase. Click here for another picture

WEF purchased a Xylophone for WHS music department. Steve Scott from the music department says, "Our new xylophone has been in constant use since the day it arrived and it sounds just glorious!"

Rita Chang, a 9th grade Earth Science teacher, was awarded a grant to professionally videotape several world class scientists who came to WHS which was paid for by another grant (see next picture below). The students edited the raw footage into various videos about the environment. Rita is also having the footage professionally edited for future students. Click here to see another picture with one of the scientists.

Rita Chang, a 9th grade Earth Science teacher, was awarded a grant to have 4 world class scientists come into her classes to discuss current climate research and other issues related to global climate. Later, she was awarded a second grant to professionally videotape the scientists (shown above). Left to right are Dr. Paul Hoffman (geologist who proposed "snowball earth" theory; picture taken from WHS video), Dr. William Moomaw (energy policy guru, climate change expert; picture taken from WHS video), Dr. Greg Stone (VP for Conservation at the NEAQ, scuba diving in Antarctica), Dr. Andy Knoll (with concretion). Also the Museum of Science made several visits to interview students and study if having a visiting scientist stimulates extra learning and enthusiasm.

Teacher Brian Allieri received a grant to purchase a High Power Digital Microscope for Upham school. The student is pointing out various visible parts of onion skin cells on a television monitor that is connected to the digital microscope. A previous microscope with camera had too low of a magnification and couldn't be compared with the views the students saw through their own microscopes at their desks. See more pictures here!

Campaign 2004 - WEF awarded a WHS grant to purchase items intended to pique student interest and awareness of the presidential election. The top picture shows students watching the taped debate on the following day. The lower photo shows a whiteboard (purchased with this grant) showing poll data. A mock presidential election is included in the activities.

Books purchased with a WEF grant at WHS. These books were selected by WHS librarians for the "Social Studies Ready Reference" grant.

3D Scanner. WEF funded a 3D scanner which was used to create the artwork shown above. Part of this grant included video instructional materials to help students learn how to create art with computers. Click picture for more student artwork and for pictures of the 3D scanner itself. Click here for more student artwork.

Black History Quilt - Funded with a WEF grant, the quilt was unveiled on February 27, 2004. The quilt will be hung as soon as it is coated with a fire protective chemical. Click here for more quilt pictures.

Students at the Middle School are shown here using keyboards purchased with a WEF grant.

A WEF grant helped to make possible the Masterwork performance at the Middle School on Saturday, February 7, 2004 to a full audience. The orchestra and chorus were made up of Wellesley High School students. The performance was very powerful -- powerful composition, powerful performance. Having 150 choral singers didn't hurt either! Click here for more Masterwork Performance pictures.

Here are a few pictures showing some results from some recent WEF grants. These pictures only show a portion of the 30 grants that were funded during the 2002/2003 school year (20 "small" grants, 5 special January grants, and 5 science grants).

The WEF Science Committee funded a grant to pay for 2 classes of WHS students to go on a boat in Boston Harbor with an educational group from UMass Boston called "Harbor Explorations". Here a student is holding a Pipefish.

Here a student and a researcher sort through and log the haul from an Otter Trawl which caught Skates, Pipefish, Flounder, Crabs, Lobster, a Sea Cucumber, and of course some trash. The students practiced navigation. They sampled and tested: sediment for age and composition, water at different depths for temperature, salinity, Oxygen content, ph.

WEF purchased some climbing wall obstacles for several elementary schools including this pyramid shaped one shown here.

WEF paid for art supplies to create a "Diversity Mural" for WHS. Shown are a few of the students who helped create it and their teacher, Jill Goldman-Callahan. Behind them is how the Mural looked on May 13 when it was still in progress. Below is the finished mural outside the main office.

WEF, along with individual PTOs funded a trip to have Patricia Polacco, author, speak to elementary students at all 7 elementary schools. Patricia wasn't able to read until age 14 due to learning disabilities which makes her career as a successful writer all the more impressive.

Here Patricia Polacco holds up the actual quilt she slept with as a child made from her own clothing and her relatives' clothing that was brought from Russia. This quilt is featured in her book "The Keeping Quilt". More about Patricia's history and interesting experiences are at patriciapolacco.com.

The WEF Science Committee funded a grant to purchase flow meters for 9th grade earth science students. Shown is a student holding a pole with a flow meter on the end in the water. The part in the water looks like a little propeller.

Here is the rest of a flow meter. The number displayed can be converted through a formula to water velocity.

WEF funded a grant to hire a Wellesley College student to create an impressive amount of visual materials to be used in the elementary Spanish program in all grades and all elementary schools. Here is Spanish teacher Ellen Becker teaching a 5th grade class and using some of those materials.

Here is another example of some Spanish visual materials that was created.

WEF paid for art software (Painter 7 by Procreate) used by teacher Lynne Johnson at the Middle School. Depicted is a screen shot of the software. The artwork is one of a series of Bill Gates abstract pictures done by a student at WMS. Lynne has 4 licenses for the 4 computers in her classroom.

Ronna Frick (right) was awarded a grant so she could have Michael Patrick MacDonald speak to the students at WHS. All the students and teachers read his book, All Souls: A Family Story from Southie. His book is visible on the stage while he signs autographed copies and talks to the students.

WEF paid for Lacrosse equipment for all the elementary schools. Here students practice cradling while running. These special sticks are designed to be safer for use without pads or helments.

Here students practice passing and catching. Note that there are 2 very different types of sticks.

The WEF Science Committee funded a grant for some science books shown here in a case at the library at WHS. These books are for independent research for Biology and Earth Science classes.