ExxonMobil Partnership and Grant

The Lebanon Township School District and ExxonMobil Corporation are in the fourth year of an education-business partnership which continues to benefit both organizations. 

 ExxonMobil scientists have brought their expertise into the classroom in the form of both resources and hands-on labs. Students from grades 3 to 8 have participated in a wide range of experiences.   Electricity and electromagnetism, genetics, environmental science, geology, patents and inventions, chromatography, renewable resources, energy and weather are a sampling of some of the programs.

ExxonMobil has made their facilities and experts available to the district to foster professional development and growth in specific content areas and increase teachers’ abilities to engage students in science and math learning. 

In addition to the personal commitment to the students of Lebanon Township School District, the ExxonMobil Corporation has contributed financially to the support of district science programs.  Previous grants of $15, 000 have been used to purchase a weather station for Woodglen School, computer microscopes, electrical equipment, software and molecular models, a Smart Board, computer laptops, chemical and water monitoring equipment and supplies, and teacher support materials for earth, physical and life sciences. 

 Most recently, another $5,500 donation for the 2007-2008 school year allowed us to purchase materials for a new hydroponics unit and to add a gravity/ orbital motion unit to our curricula, materials to upgrade and enhance our electricity curriculum, additional student microscopes, Vernier laboratory probes for our physical science program, and teacher resource materials for our life science syllabus.

Lastly, but certainly not of any less importance, was our invitation through the efforts of Jeffrey Morrison, Business Advisor of the ExxonMobil Corporation to the week long summer Mickelson/ExxonMobil Teacher Academy in Fairfax, Virginia. All expenses, transportation, lodging, food, workshops, lectures, classes, and materials for 10 staff members were funded by the academy.   This rates at the top of professional development experiences for everyone involved from our curriculum coordinator, our middle school principal and our teaching staff which included not only classroom teachers, but enrichment teachers, special education teachers and media specialists.  Everyone acknowledged the invaluable resources they brought back to the classroom with them.  We are enthusiastically sharing them with the rest of our staff.  All will ardently attest to the quality of the exemplary workshops, keynote speakers and the first-rate treatment of us as individuals.  This is an experience we will value well into the future. 

Bristol-Myers Squibb – Rider University

Grant for the Enhancement of Science Teaching

This program provides grant money to support professional development projects that enhance teachers’ knowledge of science and their pedagogical skills in inquiry-based teaching.  The maximum amount of any grant to support a district’s teacher enhancement initiative is $7,500.  The grant is for one year only and a district may not reapply for 2 years. 

The grant application must include a statement of the district’s history of support for science education, goals and key accomplishments to date, purpose and rational for project and how it fits into the district’s professional development plan and district’s priorities.  A description of how it will be implemented, timeline and identification of person responsible for implementation must also be delineated.  After reviewing our proposal for monies for professional development to sustain our “Problem-Based Learner Active Technology Infused Classroom Initiative,” our district received the maximum amount of $7,500. 

Twelve staff members from both Valley View and Woodglen are participating in a year-long professional development opportunity which will result in the development of problem-based learning units in science.  Problem-based learning engages all learners in authentic, complex, open-ended activities and tasks.  It provides a context for achieving instructional differentiation, scaffolding of learning, and technology infusion by presenting students with a task that will motivate them to take responsibility for their own learning. 

These units have four key characteristics:

-          They are Authentic:  there is an essential question and realistic context that allows students to bridge the gap between existing and new knowledge, thus improving retention. The tasks give students a purpose for learning and applying facts and skills. 

-         They are Open-Ended:  while some content is finite, the task requires students to use facts and clearly defined criteria to develop plausible solutions to a scenario/problem.

-         They are Complex and Content Driven:  addressing a variety of skills, concepts and facts.

-         They are used with Rubrics: providing students with a clear set of expectations.  Rubrics drive instruction and provide a tool for assessment.

-         They Utilize a “Scaffold of Learning”:  creating a unit plan with the components of benchmark lessons, mini-lessons, How-to-Sheets, learning centers, group and individual tasks, technology assignments, and peer tutoring.

Staff has already participated in 4 full workshop days, and individual mentoring sessions which will continue throughout the entire 2007 – 2008 school year.  Bristol-Meyers Squibb in conjunction with Rider University has been monitoring our progress in implementing our plan. Visitations to our district have been part of this process.  All feedback has been extremely positive.  We will submit a final report to the grant committee in July.