IN Keystone Oaks Spring 2018 | Page 32

Nominate a Keystone Oaks graduate for the 2018 Alumni Achievement Award through April 6, 2018 service to the Keystone Oaks community. The Alumni Achievement Award Committee may select a maximum of four individuals to receive the award. The committee will also accept nominations for individuals who did not attend Keystone Oaks or Dormont High Schools but have made significant contributions to the District, as well as past employees. Please visit www.kosd.org/KOAlumni. aspx to submit an electronic or paper application. Please submit a photo of the nominee with your form. For more information, contact Mrs. Sarah Welch, at 412-571-6020 or via email [email protected]. Keystone Oaks’ Elementary STEAM Program Featured During Ignite Talk at 2017 STEAM Showcase Keystone Oaks Elementary STEAM teachers Jennifer Martin and Aaron Colf highlighted the success of the District’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) program as part of the 2017 STEAM Showcase on Oct. 24. The Center for Creativity at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit hosted the showcase, a regional celebration of STEAM education that featured how students and teachers have integrated STEAM concepts into school curriculums to redefine student learning. This year’s STEAM Showcase also included a series of three-minute Ignite Talks, where six school districts shared the components of their STEAM programs that make them successful. Ms. Martin and Mr. Colf shared the story of how Keystone Oaks’ STEAM program utilizes a number of low-tech, hands-on projects to teach students about the design process. In addition to the Ignite Talk, the teachers also displayed projects from the 2017 Fifth Grade Invention Convention, where students were challenged to redesign and make The Keystone Oaks School District is accepting applications for the 2018 Alumni Achievement Award through April 6, 2018. The recipients will be recognized during the annual Senior Awards Banquet in May. To qualify, nominees must be alumni of Keystone Oaks High School or the former Dormont High School who have graduated at least 10 years ago. Additionally, the committee may select an individual each year who has graduated in the past decade and has met the other requirements. Alumni Achievement Award nominations will be evaluated based upon extraordinary achievement in academia and/ or the arts; professional accomplishments; and/or 30 KEYSTONE OAKS improvements to their desk, chair or locker. As part of the project, students interviewed their peers to gather ideas, built a rapid prototype and then redefined their design to include two working elements. Ideas ranged from cup holders and pencil sharpeners for their desks, to foot and head rests for their chairs, and extra shelves and lighting in their lockers, which students built using cardboard, duct tape, glue and other low-tech materials. The project was funded by a STEAM grant through the Center for Creativity at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and funded by Chevron and the Benedum and Grable Foundations. Now in its 10th consecutive year, more than 200 STEAM grants have been distributed to school districts throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.