HUMBOLDT — Kansas Department of Transportation awarded USD 258 a $200,000 grant to help ensure students walking to school are safe.
The Safe Routes to School grant was announced at Monday evening’s board of education meeting.
Middle school students did the leg work for the grant under direction of Mary Durand, a math instructor, and found that persistence and patience pays off.
They first applied for the grant two years ago. When it didn’t come Humboldt’s way, the students, with blessings of the city council and school board members, tried again and found success.
The students surveyed routes connecting elementary and secondary schools, produced videos showing problem areas and talked to residents in preparation for the grant application.
The grant will be used to construct crosswalks and sidewalks and erect reflective signs along the routes.
Kay Bolt, elementary and middle schools principal, said two other grants were coming the district’s way.
One is for rural schools of $34,061 from the federal government and will pay for professional development and purchase of classroom supplies. The other, $1,158 from the Kansas Department of Education, will fund an eight-week health education program for elementary students. Called Power Panther Pals, the program encourages students to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, more low-fat and calcium-rich foods and to be physically active.
SUPERINTENDENT of Schools K.B. Criss said the digital curriculum, which replaced textbooks with laptop computers, was settling into place after some predictable start-up glitches.
“The last two months we’ve eliminated a lot of problems,” Criss said. “After our last professional development session, the teachers came away with their arms around it. It has really taken off and they’re excited.”
In addition to teaching digitally, teachers also are embracing the new Common Core curriculum.
Common Core state standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be relevant to the real world, reflecting knowledge and skills necessary for students to succeed in college and careers.
Saturday night, Criss told former graduates gathered for their biennial reunion that the technology room, formerly the high school library, was home to students from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. each day.
“It’s a hot spot,” he said Monday evening. “Students like it because it’s a safe place to learn and a place where they can collaborate.
It also offers wireless Internet access for the students’ laptops; a few lack Internet at home. However, he noted that programs for the district’s digital approach to learning were loaded onto laptops, meaning students have access to what is required off-line.
He pointed out that students taking advantage of the technology room also tutor each other and complete assignments together.
