meeting. Visitors included members of
the CREATELab at CMU as well as several
local educators who were part of Cohort 1
of the Fluency Project. High school
English teachers Kristen Fischer and
Wendy Steiner, both members of The
Fluency Project, served as hosts for the
day. Topics discussed included designing
instruction that provides opportunities
for agency and advocacy and reviewing
Glen Singleton’s book, Courageous
Conversations, an award winning protocol
for effectively engaging and sustaining
interracial dialogue.
MAKEY MAKEY
Senior
Catalina
Gleason up-
cycled plastic
drinking bottles
to create a self-
portrait in
sculpture as an
assignment for a
STEAM Innovation
class. Catalina used all parts of the bottle
to create the artwork. The bottles were
cut and shaped to form the face, head,
and neck, and bottle wrappers were
painted, cut in strips, and used as hair. The
sculpture was designed to represent five
attributes about her life. Recently
accepted to the Maryland Institute
College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore,
Catalina is excited to further her studies in
the arts.
A recent field trip to the Carnegie
Science Center was a big hit for
high school English Language Learners
(ELL). High school English as a Second
Language teacher Jessica Bartholomew
and art teacher Marlynn Vayanos took
members of the Cultural Club and a
group of ELL students to the science
38
CARLYNTON
Students across the district are using Makey Makey to explore
and learn. The electronic invention kits are transforming
everyday objects into touchpads, empowering students to
interact with computers as creative tools. Students are designing
Makey Makey boards to create a story simply by attaching
alligator clips to a conductive material on the board, and controlling sound and
movement with the click of a computer keyboard. Using the space bar, arrow keys,
or left clicking a mouse, students can map sound and movement. In a high school
STEAM Innovation class, high school seniors Alex Kalimon and Matthew Runk
created a board titled “Blast from the Past,” replicating the sound and movement
of video games of the past. Others in the class prepared a story about dinosaurs,
bringing the animals “to life” while another board with musical instruments became
a symphony. The assistive technology is causing students of all ages to invent a wide
array of ingenious electronic projects, fostering imagination, problem-solving, and
discovery.
After a tour of the submarine, students gathered on the deck
of the USS Requin for a memorable photo.
center for a day of discovery. For many, it
was their first visit to the facility. The
excursion included a tour of the
submarine, a 3-D movie, exploring all
floors of the science center, and daring
stunts in the Sports Works.
Carlynton High School English
teachers Kristen Fischer and
Wendy Steiner along with Bethel Park
High School physics teacher, Lee
Cristofano traveled to New Jersey to
present two sessions on personalized