LINCOLN STUDENTS
ARE DEVELOPING A
MAKER MINDSET
T
hroughout the school year, Lincoln students will be
participating in four Maker Mindset events.
During these events, the students are grouped across
grade levels and placed with a variety of teachers who lead the
students in a several fun, hands-on STEAM-based activities, with
a focus on developing a growth mindset.
The activities help the students to develop the four qualities of
a growth mindset: integrity, grit, creativity and confidence.
Each activity begins with the reading of a story, which
exemplifies the trait associated with the activity. Then the
students work
in pairs or small
groups, depending
on the activity.
For example,
in the confidence
activity, students
learned about
the importance
of standing tall
and they were
First Grader Abigail Miller (left) and Second
challenged to
Grader Shelby Lingle (right) worked together to
Third Grader Isabelle Love had fun transforming 2D shapes into 3D objects in
the Creativity Activity.
work together to make as tall of a structure as possible using
pennies, paper and plastic cups. They also created a spin toy
using pennies, sticks and paper plates that could spin as long as
possible.
In the grit activity, students played with tangrams, blocks with
patterns painted on them, and Jenga.
In the integrity activity, the students learned about fulcrums,
and in the creativity activity, the students transformed 2D shapes
into 3D forms.
By grouping the students across grade levels, they are able
to build relationships with one another as well as with different
members of the Lincoln staff.
arrange blocks in a pattern in the Grit Activity.
SOLDIER COMES BACK TO
THANK NAMS STUDENTS
FOR THEIR GENEROSITY
E
very year around the holidays,
NAMS staff and students raise
funds, and the sixth graders
use that money to go shopping
to purchase presents for a worthy
charity.
For the past two years, the students
have been supporting Operation Santa
Claus, which provides toys and gifts for
the children of American servicemen and
women.
Students had fun working together as they
shopped for presents to be donated to Operation
Santa.
58
BETHEL PARK
This year, NAMS students sponsored
150 children. Each student was given $25
and could use that money to purchase
as many gifts as they could with those
funds. Students shopped in small groups
of four to five, and were able to pool their
funds and use their math skills to get the
most impact for their money.
The gifts were given to the Bridges
Kids Club, which sponsored an Operation
Santa Claus Holiday Carnival for the
children, and each gift was affixed with a
tag stating who donated it.
This year’s Holiday Carnival had a real
Bethel Park connection to it as one of
the gifts was given to Chase Pagano, the
son of National Guard Staff Sgt. Elizabeth
Coffield Pagano, who graduated from
Bethel Park High School.
Staff Sgt. Pagano was so touched by
the generosity of the NAMS students that
she and Chase visited the students on
Team Odyssey before Christmas to thank
them for their efforts to make Christmas
special for so many children, and to meet
Staff Sgt. Pagano and Chase (center) were
pleased to be able to personally thank (left
to right): Jack Harrie, Blaise Roberto, Adam
Lackey and Matthew Ricciuti for the tractor
they purchased for Chase. Absent: Jonathan
Campagna.
the students who specifically purchased
the tractor for her son.
Students Jack Harrie, Adam Lackey,
Matthew Ricciuti and Blaise Roberto were
excited to meet Staff Sgt. Pagano and
Chase, and have their picture taken with
them. Jonathan Campagna was also a
part of the shopping group, but was not
in school the day of the visit.
The students said that participating in
this project was a rewarding experience,
but to meet the child who received the
gift they selected made this “the best
Christmas ever!”