Enhancing Education Through Technology Grant Project

Maywood Middle School
Corning Union Elementary School District
Corning, California

Community Service Projects

April 2006

"Students in Maywood’s EAST lab are busy doing projects for the Corning community. Last week marked the fourth and final computer class for adults, taught by eighth grade students Lisandra Barajas, Paula Sainz, Brittany Miller, Azucena Barrigan, Bernice Cortez, Patricia Chavez, Olga Paz and Magali Hernandez. The class was held on Wednesday evenings between 5:30 and 7:00 at Maywood. Students (the adults) learned a how to do basic word processing, use the internet, do a PowerPoint slideshow, and use e-mail. With the help of Jeanie Stout, Jeanine Davis, and Dave Messmer, a "practice" job application was even put online, so that the students could practice completeing it. The class was given in both English and Spanish.

A different group of students offered a Soccer Basics clinic to 4-6 year old students on Saturday, April 29^th. Coaches Oscar Hernandez, Jose Santiago, Izzy Mendez, and Hector Garcia did a fine job. The parents of the young participants remarked about how impressed they were with how these young men conducted themselves, and what a great job they did

A third group of EAST students ran a Basketball Clinic at Maywood on Saturday, for 3^rd-5^th graders. These outstanding young athletes, Mattie Maloney, Rylee Verdun, Kevin Landavazo, Zane Petty, Andres Marquez, Casey Hoag, Fontaine Richardson, and Trevor Jones, did an outstanding job. Students were taught about positions, defenses, screens, and more. Student and parent feedback was overwhelming. Everyone wanted to know when the next clinic would be held!

Other EAST students, Alora Holm and Ashley Deines, have created a Welcome Committee to welcome new students, once they arrive on campus. Tabitha Bentz, Kristen Beloit, David Collins have developed an after school tutoring class, so that students can tutor other students.

The EAST lab, which stands for Environmental and Spatial Technology, was installed in room 9 at Maywood, and opened in January. All seventh and eight grade students who are taking science, rotate in and out of the EAST lab. Janice Farmer and Steve Dillon, Maywood Science teachers, are the lab facilitators. Mike Garofalo, grant writer and Administrator, and Jeannie Stout, Technology Consultant, continue to be indispensable in their support of the lab.

The lab has sixty-seven types of software, including Softimage (the software that made Shrek), GPS, Sketchup (an architectural software), film editing equipment, virtual reality equipment, and more. Although the lab is technology-rich, the focus of the lab is to encourage students to do community projects."

Article by Janice Farmer