Mini-Grant Application for School Year 2016-2017

Submitted by: Kenny Coogan Email: kenneth.coogan@sdhc.k12.fl.us Grade Level: 7-8 Subject: Science
Co-Applicant: Email: Grade level: Subject:

School: Orange Grove Middle Magnet School of the Arts Type: Public Grade Levels:6-8 County:Hillsborough

Approx. Enrollment: 600 Number of teachers:40 % of Free and Reduced Lunch:50%

School Address:

3415 16th Street Tampa, FL 33605

Phone: 813-276-5717 Principal:Shannon Butler Email: Shannon.Butler@sdhc.k12.fl.us

Project Title: Sustainable Community Garden
Project Dates: 9/2015-sustainabl Grade Levels:

Focus Area(s) :technology- garden supplies- -

Abstract:
This grant opportunity will provide an interface and sensors to scientifically monitor our year old sustainable garden that our students are charged with. The garden allows our students to give back to the community by coordinating with a local soup kitchen and provide supplemental vegetables to those in need. With this new technology the garden will teach our students state standards including but not limited to genetics, heredity, human impact of the earth, the important part plants play in food chains and webs, and stress ecological principles. The sensors will teach students how to measure photosynthesis and respiration.

Proposal:
Our community garden currently consists of four raised beds with each dimension being 4 feet wide by 16 feet long. Our project is innovative because, although we are not in a technical food desert, many of our magnet students, who come from all over the district are not familiar with farming practices or understand where their food is coming from. Farming, with our community garden as an example, is no longer confined to rural America; food is now being cultivated in dense urban areas anywhere there is space. Our project easily fits into the 7th and 8th grade science curriculum. In 7th grade students learn about state standards including but not limited to Mendelian genetics (pea plants), heredity (sexual vs asexual reproduction – with plants representing both), human impact of the earth (agricultural practices), the important part plants play in food chains and webs, and ecological principles (niches, consumers etc.). The sensors we are interested in will help out our 8th grade students who learn photosynthesis and cellular respiration. The interface and sensors will encourage long lasting change in our classrooms by allowing students to measure data in real time and see the multi-faceted variables that effect plants. The garden itself, is a long-lasting project which is helping fed our students and the community. Our students are becoming stewards of the planet by practicing in safe agricultural practices. The technology we are requesting will be used monitor and assist in the growing of the vegetables. Examples include the pH Sensor, Stainless Steel Temperature Probe, Light Sensor, Hand-Grip Heart Rate Monitor, soil moisture and CO2 and O2 gas sensor. Students are given a pre-assessment at the beginning of both semester. Students are then given a post assessment and semester exam. Benchmarks and state standards will be compared with these assessments. Formative assessments such as group projects, monitoring student work and having students self-monitor will provide timely student gains. In addition to sharing the harvest with the community (soup kitchen down the road) and with student families. This project will be advertised to the local media and in our monthly student made science and school newsletters. These newsletters are sent to all of our stakeholders in the community (administration, parents, families).

Budget:

I, Kenny Coogan, certify that the application is complete and final, AND I verify that I have received permission to apply for these funds from Shannon Butler,the Principal of Orange Grove Middle Magnet School of the Arts and any other individuals required by my school district.