The final week of January was a busy one, but I am only going to mention one item on the agenda back then: finalizing and submitting the Johnston County Education Foundation Grant.
Mrs. Pinkowski ("Mrs. Pink") and I had been working for over a year on trying to find a way to have a set of desk cycles in the media center for a great project we had collaborated on creating. Our first attempt at a grant last school year did not come to fruition We did receive great feedback from the TLC about our grant. Unfortunately, only a few recipients get the grants, and we weren't in the fortunate group.
Fast forward to this year.
After much thought, we decided to scale back on parts of the project and change the needs of the project. We switched the bikes to a lower model without bells and whistles (hope we don't miss those!). Then, the Tour de World Literature project was submitted! (It was due by Februrary 1.)
The project is based on the studies completed by Clemson University, among others, showing that studying and reading while performing light exercise improves retention and comprehension. Our goal is to connect the use of the bikes to the required book units in the English II - World Literature - course. The desk cycles will also be available for other students to use during lunch so long as they are reading or studying.
Today we discovered we had been awarded full funding for the grant! This is thrilling, although so close to spring break and then exams, we began brainstorming how to implement since aspects like the community involvement bike-a-thon fundraiser connected to one book just can't happen with so little time left. So we're creating stations involving Julius Caesar, which will be read when students return from spring break.
Once the initial euphoria had passed, I began preparing for the purchase of the desk cycles. That's when tragedy seemed to befall us...the price had increased by $35 per cycle in the past two months. Naturally, this late in the school year, all library funds from the state are spent. What to do when in need of an extra $147.12?
Through the wonderful help of our bookkeeper, funds were located, cycles will be purchased next week, they should arrive and be assemble before spring break, and let the Tour de World Literature begin!
