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Venture Grant Program
Venture Grant applications for the 2010-2011 school year are now being accepted. Additional information is available at the following link: 2010-2011 Venture Grant Application.
Click
here for a complete list
The Ephrata Area Education Foundation Venture Grant Program is designed to enhance and enrich the educational experiences for our students through the provision of grants to individual teachers, groups of teachers, departments, and other professional employees. The grants, worth up to $1,000 each, support creative and innovative programs that typically are not funded through the regular school budget. A minimum of ten grants are awarded annually through the program, given the availability of funds.
The application process for the 2010-2011 school year is open to all Ephrata Area School District teachers and staff, and we are seeking many eager applicants who have ideas for innovative and meaningful educational projects. As your minds begin to ponder ideas, please try to address the following three criteria for any projects:
- Projects that are innovative beyond the current curriculum
- Projects that encourage advanced and enriched learning
- Projects that add value to the curriculum
AMOUNT:
Maximum award of $1,000 per program project. A minimum of 10 awards will be awarded per year (based on funding).
ELIGIBLE
PROJECTS: Items not normally provided through the budgetary
process (Money not intended for payments to district employees for
time spent on projects or for the purchase of computer hardware.)
TIMELINE: Applications are sent to Ephrata Area School District staff in January annually, with a due in late February or early March.
Final decisions will be announced in June annually for the
following school year.
SELECTION
PROCESS: A committee will review the applications in a blind
selection process. The Foundation Board will offer final
approval. Guidelines
and criteria for the grants will be posted on the
website.
For
a Venture Grant application
-
Click
Here
Ephrata High School Alumni Directory
The Ephrata Area Education Foundation and Alumni
Research, Inc. are working to compile the most comprehensive
directory of Ephrata High School graduates ever published.
Alumni Research, Inc. will soon be contacting graduates to
verify biographical information. Please help us make this a
successful project.
You can update your contact information by
calling toll free to 1-800-299-1230
or by visiting the Ephrata High School website "Online
Alumni Community" on the Alumni Research website.
There is no cost for you to be included in the directory, AND
there is no cost to the District to produce the directory. The
completed directory will be a hardbound, library-quality volume
and will be available for purchase in early 2010. This limited
edition directory is only available for graduates to purchase. A
subscription to an online directory will also be available.
The directory will include a history of
Ephrata High School since the formation of the District in 1892.
The book will divide graduates by graduation year and current
state of residence and will include current contact and
biographical information for graduates who wish to participate.
Outdoor Learning Center
The Outdoor Learning
Center was launched in the spring of 2003 to provide
innovative, real life experiences to learners in collaboration
with community and industry. The Center helps prepare students
for successful careers and a lifetime of informed choices in
agriculture, science, food, fiber, and natural resource systems. Situated within more than sixty acres of farmland on
Hummer Street in Ephrata Township, the Outdoor Learning Center was
designed to offer hands-on educational experience for students in Kindergarten through 12th Grade. The program demonstrates a commitment to the agricultural, natural, and
environmental sciences. The Outdoor Learning Center provides lessons to students of all ages in chemistry, biology,
environmental sciences, genetics, agriculture, mathematics, and
much more.
Some current projects at the District Farm include a greenhouse, experimental
land plots, and Supervised Agricultural Experiences. There are plans to expand our
curriculum efforts across the entire school district,
particularly in agriculture. We hope to look at these future Outdoor Learning Center projects that include:
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Turf
science study
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Animal
science
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An
astronomy site with telescope
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Plots
for science fair projects
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Succession
plots
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Plots
for wetland and watershed use
Alternative Education
Alternative
education means providing students opportunities to learn
outside of the traditional classroom atmosphere.
EASD currently operates the Washington Educational Center
(WEC), which allows students the option of attending school for
fewer hours a day via computer classes monitored by a qualified
teaching staff. This no-frills education allows students to finish their
required credits at their own pace. The Foundation will support the efforts of the Ephrata Area School District to continue
to research and explore new and beneficial ways to support
student learning through alternative methods. One new option is Blended Schools, which offers a
complete K-12 online core curriculum created by Pennsylvania teachers and
aligned to national and state academic standards. |