Connie Strehle, principal of Murlin Heights Elementary School, and her team were awarded up to $5,000 to participate in the Muse Machine Artist in Residency Elementary Program.  A Muse Machine artist  will work closely with the second graders of Murlin Heights to produce a theatrical production that might include song writing, dance choreography, works of visual art, and theatre acting.  The program will culminate with a public presentation of the creation by the students to the school district and community.  “It will be a true celebration of the arts and education working together to make connections across the curriculum,” stated Strehle.

Teaching staff at Demmitt Elementary received $5,000.00 to build “windows of the world” technology stations.  Each mobile station includes a wireless PC, VCR, DVD player, webcam, document camera, projector, and LCD TV.  Cross curricular applications are wide and numerous. Mobility allows teachers of all grade levels and disciplines the ability to use the stations. Students can be connected to locations and other schools worldwide.

Butler High School teachers and counselors collaborated to write a grant to VISIONS in support of their new mentoring program called “Flight Crew”.  Trustees awarded $1,500.00 for this program, which provides incoming freshmen with student and teacher mentors to assist them with the transition to high school. Not only is the program important for the new students, but it also builds leadership skills for those senior participants.

Heather Combs, art teacher at Murlin Heights Elementary School, requested funds from the VISIONS trustees in support of the VANDALIA CHISELED project.  Three hundred dollars ($300.00) from the Orville Cotterman Fund provided support for elementary students to take a field trip to the local venue where sculpture was carved.  Students observed artists at work as well as trying their hand at “sculpting” on site.

$1500 awarded to Kelly Thomas and her committee at Butler High School for a new Freshman Transition and Mentoring program for new students entering the high school

$500 to Nancy Wilson at Smith Middle School to partially fund her request for a transition program, the WEB (Where Everyone Belongs), for incoming fifth grade students.  Involves using seventh and eighth graders as "student leaders."  Training of the coordinator requires an intense three-day training session for a cost of $2,095.  $500 each had been previously pledged by Optimists and PTA.  The committee recommended that VISIONS contribute $500 to the cause.

$300 to Heather Combs, art instructor at Murlin Heights Elementary, to transport the third graders at Murlin Heights to the Dayton Art Institute in April 2009

$150 to Beth Green at Demmitt Elementary to purchase books for Pre-K students to assist in their transition to Kindergarten.  The books would be distributed in conjunction with a four-session orientation program given over the summer prior to start of school.

$200 to Beth Green at Demmitt Elementary to start a Book Talk Club that will meet twice a week during lunch, targeting the more reluctant readers, as identified by their teachers.

$300 to Kelly Mahoney at the high school to purchase 50 new and/or replacement novels for the classroom library.

Up to $600 to Heather Combs, second grade art instructor at Murlin Heights Elementary, to transport the second graders at Murlin Heights to the Dayton Art Institute on April 14, 2009.  Admittance to the museum and Experience Center is free; the funds are needed for the bus.

$850 to Butler High School, Andrew Amlin, for ADOBE Premiere Pro CS3 - Video Editing software

$1,448 to Butler High School, John Gorretta, for a new keyboard for jazz band and jazz class

$2,000 to Butler High School, Mike Brockert, to purchase a special curriculum to explore Geospatial Technology for Mechanical Drawing 3 & 4

Accelerated readers are purchased for students at Smith Middle School with funds received from VISIONS

Sheila Dean and Katie Mansfield receive $900 to purchase a digital camera and materials to reinforce language and sequencing skills with their students involved in speech therapy

Melinda Wissell, music teacher at Demmitt Elementary, receives funds to bring the Dayton Philharmonic to the school.  She was also encouraged to take the students to the downtown theatre venue as a culmination to the unit.

Jennifer Cornell, family life science teacher at Butler High School, received funds totaling $1,700 for the "computerized dolls" used in family living class

Seventh grade language arts teachers at Smith Middle School received $1,000 to begin the Accelerated Reading Program with their students

Teachers at Murlin Heights Elementary School received $1,000 to develop a literacy center in the school media center

Another $1,000 was awarded to Dan Mecoli at Helke Elementary to better equip the students involved in the Marie Carbo (Ohio Reads) program

Dan Mecoli receives $1,000 to fund the Ohio Reads project at Helke Elementary School.  Tape recorders and other materials are purchased to enhance the program.

Connie Strehle receives $200 to provide books as an exit gift to the outgoing fourth graders at Murlin Heights Elementary School

There are funds available for two more grants of approximately $300 each for this year, as no grants were awarded in 2005 or 2006.

In September, 2008, $386.46 was awarded to Maria Smiley, Special Needs Aid at Morton Middle School, to purchase an exercise mat for the Murlin Heights Transition class located at Morton.

Noreen Atkins and Jane W. Fagan, eighth grade teachers at Morton and Smith Middle Schools, received $300 to purchase literature for their Holocaust unit.  These titles were purchased in order to provide more trade books on the topic.  The books will be shared between the two schools.

Emily Feeser, fourth grade teacher at Helke Elementary, received funds to purchase accelerated reader books for her students.  The amount was approximately $300.

Kate Annello, art teacher at Demmitt Elementary, received funds for a sewing machine and materials for a quilting project/unit.  The total grant was approximately $300.