Century Club

CSI FRIENDSWOOD: INVESTIGATING AUTHENTIC LEARNING IN FORENSIC SCIENCE AND CRIME DETECTION
Submitted by: Amanda Davies & Jon Hall
Campus: Friendswood High School
Amount:  $11,154.64
Description:  Forensic Science, Criminal Investigations, Law Enforcement, and Principles of Law are Career and Technical Education courses in the Law and Public Service endorsement. Forensic Science is also part of the STEM endorsement. The students are preparing for further education or immediate employment in these career fields. They should have access to industry-standard equipment as they learn and apply essential career skills. This grant will provide students with real world knowledge and skills using professional tools and equipment. They will learn terminology and procedures related to the search for physical evidence at a typical crime scene, and the examination of that evidence in a typical crime laboratory. Using scientific methods, students will find, collect and analyze evidence such as fingerprints, DNA, bodily fluids, hairs, fibers, paint, glass, cartridge cases, bullet trajectories, and blood spatter patterns, just as professionals in the field would. 

SENSORY ROOM REFRESH
Submitted by: Alexis Young
Campus: Bales Intermediate
Amount:  $15,768.20
Description:  You may have heard of the term ‘sensory input’ before, but do you truly know what it means? Sensory input is defined as any response to a sensory organ; eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin; thus, processing any input from our external environment. However, special education students struggle with regulating their sensory needs which results in them being under or over-stimulated. So, what happens when a student becomes under or over- stimulated? These students require a ‘sensory break’! During a sensory break, students are encouraged to de-escalate from the sensory stimulation of the classroom setting. Currently, students have the options to visit the Zen Zone or the Motor Lab. However, these rooms do not present many opportunities or choices for students to receive the proper sensory input they may require. This grant would bridge the gap between our current equipment (which has been purchased from previous grants) and our new ideas and innovations! This grant was created to support ALL special education students at Bales Intermediate, in ALL settings.

STALLION SCIENCE LAB - WHERE CURIOSITY MEETS DISCOVERY
Submitted by: Sarah Pike
Campus: Windsong Elementary
Amount:  $14,023.80
Description:  In the 2024-2025 school year, new science and engineering learning standards will be implemented in the state of Texas for kindergarten through high school. Last spring, in preparation for this change, fourth and fifth grade science teachers across our district collaborated to define our district’s beliefs about science and engineering. Teachers agreed that in Friendswood ISD, we believe students learn science and engineering best when they are engaged in hands-on learning, student-centered investigations. Additionally, we believe students need time to discover, experience, process and reflect upon their learning. Defining our beliefs was the first step in reinvesting in our students as scientists and engineers. The next step in this process is providing science tools and equipment to our teachers and students. This grant will bring hands-on science experiences to all students of Windsong Elementary to allow them to discover through investigation. Two classrooms on our campus will become dedicated science labs, one for grades Kindergarten through second grade and one for third through fifth grade. By having a dedicated space for science and engineering, teachers will be better equipped to lead their students through hands-on investigations. We are called to respond to our students’ curiosity by allowing them to discover the answers to their questions through controlled investigations. The Stallion Science Lab will be a space where curiosity meets discovery.