Instructor Stephanie Marple’s concern for the well-being of her college students at Antioch’s Deer Valley Excessive Faculty throughout distance studying gave her the thought to place collectively wellness/self-care packing containers that she might ship to their properties. Her thought was such successful that she obtained a grant from Pittsburg’s Corteva Agriscience to assist purchase objects to fill the packing containers. Sadly, whereas the $2,000 she obtained helped construct a few of the packing containers, she remains to be hoping for extra donations to finish sufficient for all her college students.
“Distance studying has been difficult for college kids who want in-person help, to not point out the social connection college students want and are missing and the truth that plenty of college students use college as a respite from a chaotic residence life,” Marple mentioned. “Declining psychological well being is an actual concern proper now, and we now have college students who are usually not coping properly with the pandemic and the ensuing life adjustments which have occurred.”
At present, Marple teaches Profession Technical Training/Regional Occupational Program (CTE/ROP) developmental youngsters’s psychology to Tenth- via Twelfth-graders and CTE/ROP Careers with Youngsters for eleventh and Twelfth grades. The grant finances allowed for her to incorporate within the packing containers sensory fidget toys; acupressure mats; meditation cushions; mindfulness journals, playing cards and dialog starters for teenagers; time-management and mood-tracking planners; desktop boxing units; mini zen gardens; stretchy stress balls; coping expertise playing cards; foot curler massagers; sleep masks; coloring books for leisure; weighted blankets; remedy dough and comparable objects.
The grant solely allowed her to finish about 13 of the 50 packing containers she initially sought to make. She mentioned she ideally want to make one for each Deer Valley Excessive scholar, which is about 2,000 this 12 months. In her seek for extra funds, the Antioch Training Affiliation additionally donated $200 for this system.
“What’s actually fascinating about this challenge is that I plan on monitoring information associated to scholar engagement previous to pickup of the packing containers and after they drop them off,” Marple mentioned. “I need to see whether or not their engagement will increase on account of having used the packing containers. It will be actually fascinating to see if they assist, even when only a bit.”
This isn’t the primary grant that Marple has obtained for her class packages at Deer Valley. One of many extra vital current grants was $250,000 over 4 years awarded in January from the California Training Division for specialised secondary packages. This grant is for Marple to analysis and write curricula for a brand new two-course sequence at Deer Valley within the area of household and human companies.
Marple can also be ready to listen to if she is chosen for a “flipped classroom grant,” which is issued by the McCarthey Dressman Training Basis. Throughout distance studying, she discovered that a few of her college students have thrived on the probability to study in a self-paced course of. She is hoping to have the chance to make use of the $30,000 supplied in that grant to develop a mannequin that will work for these college students. A choice for this grant is anticipated in June. Marple has put collectively a listing for the wellness/self-care packing containers on the Amazon Want Checklist discussion board at bayareane.ws/2OSWlqL.
Crab feed: The Brentwood Rotary Membership will host its annual Crab Feed Fundraiser from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 27 to help native literacy packages. Attributable to COVID-19, it is a drive-through occasion at which ticket purchasers can decide up their meals and take them residence to take pleasure in.
Tickets can solely be bought prematurely and shall be bought till March 20 or after they promote out. Ticket costs for a full crab dinner value $60 every. For individuals who would love an additional bag of crab, the fee is a further $45. The membership can also be promoting a 32-ounce clam chowder for $25. Tickets are nonrefundable and may be bought via Eventbrite at bayareane.ws/3qNgb3X.
Roni Gehlke may be reached at oakleynow@comcast.net.
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