Teachers Rewarded with Lisa Ritinski Grant

Below are the teachers we have provided grants to in order for them to fulfill their creative problem solving lessons. 

Teacher:
Ms. Deidre Friloux,
3rd Grade Teacher

School:
Mire Elementary
Rayne, LA

Grant amount:
$400

Ms. Friloux teaches all subjects at Mire Elementary, but is a trailblazer in bringing creative problem solving to the forefront in the classroom. This year she started Super STEM Fridays.  Her class engaged in activities that involved STEM activities to support the creative aspects of promoting higher order thinking in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. These activities help her students gain the skills to think critically, solve complex problems as a team, and drive advancements in science and technology. 

Ms. Friloux uses fun challenges such as the Egg Tower Engineering Challenge, the Peppermint Racer Great Race, Spaghetti Tower Challenge, and many more. These activities actively promote problem solving and create an environment of creative curiosity.

We issued the grant to Ms. Friloux so she can continue this important program for the 2014-2015 school year.  Grant money is used for the activity supplies.


Teacher:
Mr. Brian Smith,
Kindergarten Teacher

School:
Lyle Creek Elementary
Conover, NC

Grant amount:
$400

Mr. Smith uses the morning routine to kick start his students' creative problem solving skills for the day.  He challenges his students 3 days a week with "Minute to Win It" activities.  Although it is based on a game show and is fun for the students, they are actually using 21st century problem solving skills. It is good to nurture this skill as early as kindergarten to train them early to use both the left and the right side of the brain when solving any problem.   

We issued $400 to Mr. Smith to supply his and other classrooms with enough supplies for a year's worth of "Minute to Win It" challenges as well as a storage device for the materials. 


Teacher:
Mrs. Crystal DeMoura
Middle School Science Teacher

School:
Mire Elementary 
Rayne, LA

Grant amount:
$700

Mrs. DeMoura encourages her students to be creative problem solvers through the use of robotics. She uses a Lego Mindstorm with her 6-8th grade students during an after school robotics program to show them how to use technology in a creative, problem solving environment. 

The students are asked to design a robot to fit the purpose requested, and with that, the door to creative problem solving is opened. With this exercise, Mrs. DeMoura has found her students better grasping the concept of engineering design and innovation.  

We issued $700 to Mrs. DeMoura to purchase 2 Lego Mindstorms.