The Swim Unit Update will meet the needs of every student who passes through Saline High
School. As a part of our Basic PE Unit (which all students are required to take) our students of
all ability levels will swim during this time period for at least 2 weeks. Our students learn basic
swim techniques that will teach them life long skills to keep them and others safe in the water.
This equipment will also be used for our special education department as a part of their full year
exercise and physical fitness curriculum. This equipment will meet the needs of all students at
Saline High School.
Culinary Arts – Universal Pan Racks
Speed racks were used to place prepped materials such as dough in the refrigerator for storage prior to baking, as well as to house hot pans as they came out of the oven. These were utilized for summer Career Exploration Camps (Saline Elementary and Middle School students) and for Intro to Baking and Intro to Foods (Saline High School 9-12th grade students) and for SWWC Culinary (11th and 12th grade students). With the addition of two (2) speed racks, students were able to prepare a greater quantity of product during a Career Exploration Camp or during class. There were numerous times throughout the year when there were large events and projects that required the compact storage of many items that the speed racks provided.
The project related to the core curriculum and expanded learning opportunities for students in a creative and innovative way. Students in a summer camp or class prepared products from scratch. Therefore, students participated in the cooking/baking process by reading the list of ingredients (reading), learning about the why and how things occur (science), measuring each ingredient within the recipe (mathematics), documenting their progress (writing), and articulating steps and progress to the instructor and with their peers (communication).
Inclusive Designs: Share the Love
Inclusive Designs was a radically inclusive opportunity for the SHS Life Skills Program to collaborate and create special edition t-shirts, with additional opportunities for stickers, ornaments, etc., supported by the Cricut Software. Phases were implemented for students to create and share with the SAS district and community.
Inclusive Designs supported the students’ functional academic learning by providing opportunities to apply their functional math skills in selling t-shirts, handling transactions, and making change. It also gave them access to writing strategies and tools to design shirts with words, while utilizing the differentiation of technology supports through Cricut Designs. The use of Cricut tools in the preparation phase of the product supported and enhanced student fine and gross motor skills with bilateral movement, which allowed students from all ranges of motor skills to increase their occupational therapy skill sets. Social Thinking concepts were practiced as students worked collaboratively with peers and connected as a team through the following phases of design: Brainstorm, Design, Prep, Sell, Create, Finance/Final Sell.
3D Printing Expansion
The grant money was used to expand the 3D printing program with the addition of 2 new resin 3D printers. These printers allowed for faster and more detailed prints, aiding in the education of students for many years to come, thereby better preparing them for the workforce and/or college. The project impacted both current and future students, as well as staff who required 3D printing services for their classrooms.
The new technology helped to expand the 3D printing curriculum, enabling students to be more creative with their designs. The printers exposed them to new materials and printing processes, furthering their knowledge through creative thinking and problem-solving.
SHS Service-Learning Experiences
The grant was requested to obtain financial assistance from the FSAS for two international service-learning trips to Mexico and Ecuador organized by SHS. The need for support arose due to increased travel expenses, which were attributed to higher costs of building materials and inflation affecting both nonprofit trip organizers. The service-learning activities were highlighted for their educational benefits, including enhanced academic knowledge and engagement, connections to broader global issues and communities, and a deeper comprehension of the students’ roles in the world. These trips were designed to extend students’ learning experiences beyond the classroom and into international settings.
FSAS Grant for SSWCA
Funding was provided to support the travel and training of 8-12 SHS Writing Center consultants who attended the National Conference of the Secondary Schools Writing Centers Association. After participating in the conference, these students returned to SHS with the intention of implementing and disseminating the ideas, practices, tools, and activities they learned to the full consultant staff and all students through the SHS Writing Center.
In November 2018, four student consultants and two teachers had previously joined 475 other attendees at the 7th Annual Secondary Schools Writing Center Association (SSWCA) National Conference, themed “Process and Progress.” The grant enabled a new group of student leaders to attend the conference once again on March 17-18 at the Arlington campus of George Mason University, marking the first opportunity since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Writing Center consultants were considering presenting a proposal at the conference titled “Writing at the Center.” The funding also aimed to extend the opportunity to 11th-grade student leaders from the Center to foster a leadership pathway that would sustain their initiative.
