Featured Grants

Bullying, CyberBullying and Youth Depression

By: Pamela Burke
For the Hingham Journal

John Halligan, the father of cyber bulling victim Ryan Halligan visited the Hingham Schools and community on September 29th and 30th to share his son’s story. Ryan was a 13 year old who committed suicide after being bullied by classmates at school and online.

The Hingham Education Foundation provided a grant to the Hingham School District in support of this proactive, community-based solution to school violence. The grant allowed Mr. Halligan to give separate presentations to 7th and 8th graders at the Middle School and grades 9-12 at the High School as well as an evening session which was open to the public.

The idea came from students within the Hingham High School community. Peer mediators viewed a DVD about Ryan’s story which made such an impact on the students that they worked with their Advisor to bring Mr. Halligan to Hingham. Their foresight allowed Mr. Halligan to personally tell his story to approximately 1420 students, or 40% of the students in the Hingham School District.

The emotional presentation and genuine concern that John Halligan was able to convey is an important component to the success that was experienced throughout the school system. From a parental perspective, it was difficult to hear his story, but incredibly important to listen to his reality! We’d all like to think that “it will never happen to us,” or that “my child would never do anything like that,” but the reality is that it CAN, and they sometimes DO!

From a student perspective it hit home. In talking with my daughter about their presentation, she said that it made an impression on all of the students. The usual talking and fooling around didn’t go on during the presentation and the kids were talking about their personal experiences and identifying possible behaviors they’ve used that could have hurt other students.

Jennifer Henriksen, Assistant Principal of Hingham High School and co-writer of the grant application said that there was a buzz around the school and students were using words from the presentation like “bully” or “bystander.” There were students talking about what they’ve kept silent and there were apologies for past infractions.

Mrs. Henriksen knows that this is the first step in bringing awareness to an issue that has been around forever. The difference in bullying today is the use of computers, cell phones, and the internet. As stated in an interview with John Halligan on Frontline, “the computer and internet were not the cause of my son’s suicide, but I believe they helped amplify . . . the hurt and pain he was trying to deal with that started at school and in person in the real world.”

Mrs. Henriksen said that one of the goals of the HHS Improvement Plan is to conduct a series of programs that allow the school to continue to focus on this issue and other challenges our students face in their every day lives. There is a parent workshop being offered on November 3rd regarding Adolescent Psychology – The Parent Version by Joani Geltman, a book discussion will be held on January 13th on the Negotiation Generation; Take Back Your Parental Authority Without Punishment by Lynne Reeves Griffin, and on March 10th, the climate committee will be discussing the Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness: Five Steps to Help Kids Create and Sustain Lifelong Joy by Edward Hallowell.

What does this mean for parents? Become involved in your child’s cyberspace. Halligan suggests that you sit at the computer and let them teach you how they use the internet. Please go to www.hinghamschools.com and visit the high school site where a link entitled “Tips for safe computer use” will bring you to Halligan’s handout regarding technology. These are practical steps you can take to protect your children.

What does this mean for our children? Hopefully this is another lesson that reinforces the concepts of respecting other people, that all people have worth and dignity, and that it’s important to stand up for what is right and not what your friends think is funny at the expense of another human being.

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

HEF Gets SMART!

Smart Board at work at HMS

HMS teacher Amy Corriveau and students use her "Smart Board" to make Geography come to life.

By Kathleen McKenna
April 8, 2008

In Amy Corriveau's seventh grade world geography class at Hingham Middle School, kids actually have fun while they learn where on Earth the countries of the world are located. That's thanks, in large part, to the SMART Board at the front of Corriveau's classroom, which was bought by the Hingham Education Foundation (HEF) last year. A modern-day, high-tech version of the overhead projector, the SMART Board allows Corriveau to share educational map websites with her students, who take turns trying to identify countries, capitals, and cities, onscreen with their fingers, or the SMART Board stylus. And that's just one of many things the SMART Board can do.

A SMART Board is a large, touch-controlled screen that connects to a projector and a computer to throw the computer’s image onto the screen. Teachers write on the screen in digital ink, or simply use their fingers to point, click, and drag – just like a computer mouse. They are such an asset that the HEF has launched an ambitious campaign – called “Get SMART” -- to convince businesses, organizations, and individuals to help put SMART Boards into at least 50 Hingham classrooms this year.

“HEF is dedicated to enriching the quality of public education, and SMART Boards fit squarely into that mission,” said Judy Graham, chairperson of the SMART Board initiative. “It is a technology that top school systems are implementing to keep their students competitive.”

Teachers and students agree that SMART Boards make classroom learning more collaborative and much more fun. With a SMART Board, teachers bring anything they find on a computer screen to the front of a classroom -- with all the accompanying sounds, colors, moving images and interactivity of today’s technology.

“It’s allowed me to be more spontaneous with my teaching,” said Corriveau, whose Smart Board was purchased by the HEF in 2007. “If a student asks a great question, we can investigate the answer together as a class. It naturally gets the students more involved.”

The town’s technology budget covers the cost of computers, but there is no money left in the budget to buy SMART Boards, which cost about $3,500 each. The administration is delighted that the HEF is bringing the latest technology into Hingham classrooms. “The Hingham Public Schools administration supports the SMART Board initiative with great enthusiasm,” said Ellen Keane, assistant superintendent. “As ‘digital natives,’ our students have grown up using technology and are energized by the experience of having these interactive whiteboards in their classes.”

Businesses owned by Hingham parents are jumping on the SMART Board bandwagon. Bill Burke of Burke Distributing said he was inspired to donate by his four daughters – as well as many nieces and nephews – who are currently enrolled in Hingham schools.“I am extremely impressed with the level of education we have here in Hingham,” he said. “The dedication and commitment of our teachers is sincerely appreciated, and anything I can do to support their work in the classroom is money that I feel is extremely well spent.”

Civic organizations including the Hingham Middle School PTO, and The Hingham Mothers Club, have also purchased SMART Boards. Mary Power, Mothers Club president, said that members of her board were inspired to join the effort after two teenagers who attend private school explained at a meeting how much SMART Boards enhanced their classroom learning experiences.

“We realize that the school department is facing a lot of budget pressure,” she said. “So we were delighted to be able to do it. We think it a really nice complement to our scholarship program – a way to help all the students in town.” She said the Mothers Club is “laying down the gauntlet” to other civic organizations who might also contribute SMART Boards.“Our board voted unanimously to do it,” she said. “We really want Hingham schools to maintain their standards of excellence.”

For more information on SMART Boards and the HEF “Get Smart” Campaign, please visit www.hinghameducation.org/GETSMART or call Judy Graham at 781-749-5865.

HMS Celebrates "Pi Day"

Pi Day

HMS math teacher Eric Gill hands out pies on Pi Day .

By Susan Willison
March 14 , 2008

Unlike in Social Studies or English classes, there are not many opportunities to celebrate special days in the Math department. So, when the teachers at Hingham Middle School realized that “Pi Day” (3/14) was falling on not only a weekday but a Friday this year, they took the opportunity to celebrate with their students. Thirty-one 7th and 8th grade math classes took part in the day’s activities, creating a deeper understanding of the meaning of pi and providing concrete experiences in working with the irrational number.

For those of you who haven’t thought of pi since your last college math class, it is the most famous irrational number. It begins with 3.14 but goes on infinitely. Regardless of whether the focus is on defining pi as the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter or the interpretation in Algebra of the use of pi as an irrational number, all 7th and 8th grade math students are expected to be able to manipulate the approximate value of pi as 3.14 or 22/7. Among the many facts about pi posted on the walls of the math classrooms at HMS, one learns that the double helix of DNA revolves around pi.

Thanks to the generosity of so many Hingham citizens, the Hingham Education Foundation (HEF) was able to fund a grant submitted by seven 7th and 8th grade math teachers at the Middle School to make this day happen. Ann Levin, Barbara Buckley, Eric Gill, Paula McQuaid, Dolores Green, Marie Bowman, Gretchen Amonte and Doug Holley applied for a grant of $1415 from the Foundation to buy materials such a “pi” t-shirts and beads. Each of the teachers wore a different pi shirt and the students made necklaces where each bead in the necklace represented a digit of pi. Mrs. Levin was also able to get individual pies donated from Table Talk Pies, Inc. located in Worcester for each of the students to enjoy.

Pi was on the brain on 3/14 at HMS. In Mrs. Bowman’s Pre-Algebra class Emma Whelan and Veronica McGurrin made cookies in the shape of pi. Several students made up songs about pi, one to the tune of “Glamorous” by Fergie. There were signs and t-shirts in the classrooms reading “I love Pi” and “Pi Rules.” One girl pointed to her spherical earrings and explained how they relate to pi. Even the Science classes got in on the fun by measuring each other’s heads and calculating hat sizes. And English classes read aloud funny stories such as “Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi” by Cindy Neuschwander and wrote Haiku poems on the subject. Spanish teacher Senora Canney put it best when she said with a smile, “It’s an irrational day around here!” referring both to the irrationality of pi itself as well as the energy and excitement palpable in the hallways of the Middle School.

One of the most impressive aspects of this celebration was an activity that took place the day before Pi Day. Fifteen students in grades 6, 7 and 8 participated in a contest to see who could memorize and recite the most digits after the decimal point in pi. Mr. Gill was amazed at the students’ confidence in standing up in front of their peers and reciting what they had committed to memory. Winners by grade were 6th grader Zach Awtry (100 places), 7th grader Elizabeth Durand (136 places), and 8th grader Steven Lemonde (216 places).

Getting kids excited about learning math can be a challenge, but the enthusiastic and dedicated teachers at Hingham Middle School found time in their extraordinarily busy math curriculum to celebrate… and the students clearly enjoyed it. Thank you for your contributions to HEF to make wonderful programs like this one possible in Hingham public schools.

Class Amplification System

Amplification System

Gail Marshalka in her class at Foster School.

By Kim Juric
November 1, 2007

With space in the Hingham schools at a premium every classroom space is in use. The increased classroom use of multi-media technology and hands-on learning bring on a new challenge –background noise. Gail Marshalka, a teacher at Foster school, knew that this essential noise may impact the flow of the teacher’s voice to some students. She looked to the Hingham Education Foundation for help.

Common sounds contributing to classroom noise may come from a variety of sources such as fans, ventilation systems, student activity and the playground. Combined, these factors add to the overall noise level of a classroom and may affect learning.

So when Time ran an article “Now Hear This, Research suggests that kids absorb lessons better when their classroom is wired for sound.” Mrs. Marshalka looked into it. What she found was an audio enhancement system that allows the teacher to wear a wireless microphone that transmits his or her voice to speakers located in the classroom. In effect, it puts every child in the “front row” during group instruction. Regardless of factors such as seating arrangement or distracting background noise every child has an equal opportunity to hear the speaker’s voice with clarity. There is also a second transmitter available that students can use for individual speaking or presentations. In addition it has ports to which a TV, Smart Board, CD player etc can be attached to allow audio enhancement of classroom media.

Studies done through Brigham Young University and the University of Akron have shown significant improvement in standardized test scores of children whose classrooms were equipped with this type of amplification system. The state of Ohio, as a result of the research, has insisted, since 2003, that all new schools built with state funds have sound amplification in their construction plans. Ohio is ahead of the sound curve but Nevada and Florida have recently begun placing the systems in their classrooms as well. The Hingham Education Foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of public education and instruction in Hingham. Mrs. Marshalka’s research and subsequent grant request demonstrated exactly the kind of creative solution the Foundation is thrilled to fund.

Hingham Education Foundation provided funding for a portable system designed for the space and sound needs of the classroom. It was installed over the summer and has been in use since the school year began. Mrs. Marshalka has been pleased with the results. It’s been easy to use and incorporate into her teaching. It was in use curriculum night and a parent commented on how it made the speaker’s voice clearer not louder, the way a microphone would. A student in Mrs. Marshalka’s class said he notices the difference when he goes to a class with out audio enhancement. “It sounds better in Mrs. Marshalka’s Class.”

Robotics in the Classroom

Robotics

Students at work with the LEGO Mindstorm robotics kits.

By Pamela Burke
October 24, 2007

It’s a good day when your high school son and daughter come home excited about a class. Even more thrilling is they’re looking forward to the class because of a new program purchased through a grant given by the Hingham Education Foundation called Robotics in the Classroom.

The NXT Robotics Engineering Pack is the second in the new series of LEGO Mindstorms Education curriculum. This more advanced CD-based curriculum provides 12 weeks of guided research and applied engineering robotics projects to be used after the Robotics Engineering I Curriculum. The program focuses on applied inquiry, motivated design, communications technology, scanning, mapping, and more. The CD curriculum can be loaded onto every computer in a single classroom and the students can get tutorials, building instructions, programming assistance, and much, much more!

Mr. Clune, a science teacher at Hingham High wants to provide his students with the intellectual skills and background to appreciate and continue learning in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. The LEGO Mindstorm Kits provide a project-based-learning or “learning by doing” environment designed to teach students how to build autonomous robots. Such a learning context is highly student-centered as opposed to teacher-centered. Designing a robot to do even a simple task can place extensive demands on students’ creativity and problem-solving abilities. At the same time, the learning context allows students to work in a collaborative learning environment that promotes the sharing of ideas. This type of learning is well suited to learning in a real world environment because it requires the learner to produce a product, in this case a robot, which can be shared with a larger audience.