Special to The SUN
The Foundation for Archuleta County Education (FACE) is pleased to announce grants totaling $3,598 to four teachers for the 2014-2015 school year.
The teachers and their projects are: Debbie Moore, a first-grade teacher, who will receive Chromebooks to help bring her early learners into the 21st century. The technology she is presently using is slow and out of date, making it difficult for the children to work independently. The Chromebooks will enable the children to work on math and reading skills at their own speed, building their confidence in their own self-reliance.
Andrew Guinn and the eighth-grade team also requested money to purchase Chromebooks in order to help them implement projects under the Literacy Design Collaborative, which incorporates material from each core class. The team recognizes that many students are socially aware of how to use this technology, but how this technology applies to academics is still a skill that needs hands-on practice.
JD Kurz, a science teacher at the high school, requested funds to purchase two monitors for his global science class. The goal is to establish a long-term monitoring database to characterize the water quality of the San Juan River. The dissolved oxygen probe and the nitrate ion-selective electrode will help them create this database.
Sally Capistrant and Sean Downing, high school English teachers, requested Chromebooks in order to move closer to the goal of using technology in every step of the educational process. As Downing told the board, “It is difficult to teach 21st century skills when there are not enough computers for the students to use in a timely manner.”
The FACE mission is to enhance the education of students in the county. FACE believes these projects will reach a large number of students. It hopes the community will see the value of this mission and will support the foundation so it can support additional projects that enhance and enrich our students’ education.
If you are interested in supporting the foundation, donations can be sent to FACE, P.O. Box 2051, Pagosa Springs, CO 81147.
We are also looking for more board members and would love to talk to anyone interested in supporting a specific area of education that they would be interested in funding. Our present board members are Lynne McCrudden (president), Bob Lynch, Jessie Formwalt, Jason Peterson, Marcie Lewis and Myron Stretton.
