GRANTS
Glowforge Maker for Physics Classroom (2024)
Glowforge, a cutting edge laser and engraver, will be utilized to enhance hands-on learning experiences, foster creativity, and develop critical thinking skills among students. The GlowForge laser will address the current gap between traditional physics education and industry requirements, emphasizing the need to prepare students with practical skills. The ultimate goal is to equip students with relevant skills for an evolving job market, promoting a dynamic and engaging approach to physics education.
Braiding Sweetgrass (2024)
Students will study and incorporate the principles of the book Braiding Sweetgrass by Robyn Wall Kimmerer, into their academic, creative, and community lives. Students will interact personally with the author to learn more about the Native American heritage, which will offer a new and exciting perspective on humanity's relationship with nature. Students will create artwork & writings connected to indigenous knowledge, work with local garden programs, and develop articulation between students, school, and community on the role of plant knowledge and stewardship.
NY MET Museum AP Chinese "Nature of the Art Nature" Tour (2024)
Students learning chinese culture and art at RFH will experience a guided educational tour called "Nature in the Art of Asia" at the MET. The tour lets our students encounter visions of the natural world in art from Asian countries, especially Chinese art and artifacts that portray flowing water, lush trees, and scurrying wildlife in ancient and contemporary China.
Math Classroom (2023)
Grant money was used to create a math classroom that would serve as a pilot to test a classroom environment that nurtures a collaborative, student centered mathematics classroom. Various furniture was purchased for the classroom, including 18 flexible gem shaped desks that can be grouped in a variety of ways. Also four high top rectangular tables were purchased and used to create stadium seating. Other furniture accommodates various math groupings and the ability to write on white board surfaces.
Vex Robotics (2021 & 2023)
The classroom starter bundle of Vex V5 Robots includes 6 kits that are aligned to Computer Science (CSTA), Technology (ISTE) and Common Core State Standards. The use of the Vex V5 will be implemented into the Engineering curriculum, incorporating a hands-on STEM experience with an introduction into computer science. The Vex V5 Classroom Starter Bundle comes with a scalable software suite (VEXcode) and a series of labs to help develop a students ability to think critically and problem solve. Students will follow a sequence of learning experiences that will require students to build an artifact and speculate the artifacts’ application to the real world.
Peter Pugger Clay Recycling Machine (2022)
Funded in part by the George Giffin Fund, the Peter Pugger Vacuum Power Wedger will save thousands of dollars annually by enabling the re-use of approximately 1,000+ pounds of scrap clay each school year. It will have a significant positive environmental impact by recycling large quantities of scrap clay for re-use, reducing waste, improving air quality in the classroom by eliminating clay dust, and expanding class time for project work. RFH's ceramics classes are a very unique high school class offering that 125 RFH students take part in each school year. The Peter Pugger is a college-level recycling machine that the RFH students will be graded on in their use of it.
Chat & Learn Social Skills Development (2022)
Fully funded by the George Giffin Fund, the Chat & Learn social skills development materials and games will be utilized by students with developmental language, cognitive and social impairments that require systematic, ongoing authentic daily instruction to learn critical social skills. The Chat & Learn grant will help students increase communication and language skills during their 9th Period learning hour. The RFH students who will benefit from this grant assisted with the grant request by selecting the materials and games in the grant application
MakerBot 3D Printer (2021)
Two MakerBot 3D printers will provide 2100 hours of printing and access to 600 hours of curriculum. The cloud-based platform allows students to individually design and print. The printers will be integrated into the newly redesigned Graphics, Engineering and Computer Science classes. The grant will create new and dynamic ways to enhance students STEM problem solving and engineering design models by physically producing their own computer generated designs.
El Barrio Art & Mercado Little Spain Tours, NYC (2020)
AP Spanish students examined how El Barrio’s identity is defined and reflected through its public art, murals, and gardens. Film Club students documented the events of the day, taking video of student presentations at each of the street art stops. They then compiled and edited the videos to share with RFH Spanish classes, the RFH Education Foundation, and parents. AP students were then able use the final video as a review for the cultural comparison component on the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam.
STEAM Lab (2020)
The RFH Education Foundation is thrilled to announce the opening of the newly constructed STEAM LAB. The renovations were generously funded by many parent benefactors including a $100,000 donation by a private family foundation dedicated to fostering the expansion of the Computer Science and Engineering curriculums. The number of Computer Science students has increased from 24 to 100 in only one year! Ms. Gulick says the increased interest is "space inspired!"
iPads for the Fine Arts Classroom (2020)
iPads were purchased for the art room as an additional fine arts tool. With the new technology, students will be able to make fine art compositions, graphic images, illustrations, animations, short films, and so much more.
STEAM Lab (2020)
The RFH Education Foundation is thrilled to announce the opening of the newly constructed STEAM LAB. The renovations were generously funded by many parent benefactors including a $100,000 donation by a private family foundation dedicated to fostering the expansion of the Computer Science and Engineering curriculums. The number of Computer Science students has increased from 24 to 100 in only one year! Ms. Gulick says the increased interest is "space inspired!"
Display Technolgy: Announcements (2020)
The new technology provides a more up to date and digital way of correlating and displaying pertinent information to our students, staff, administration and guests. New monitors were strategically placed throughout the building. The monitors are hooked up to Raspberry Pi computers which run the RiseVision program to display announcements, information and events throughout RFH. Students gain hands on experience by helping to format the Raspberry Pi computers / monitors as well as prepare the software.
AP with WE Service: InsideOut (2019)
RFH High School windows as well as popular businesses around town, hosted these dynamic photos. The RFH Foundation funded an AP Art History and AP French dual project entitled CHANGEMAKING: FROM CLASSROOM TO COMMUNITY. Students and teachers demonstrate the correlation between what we feel inside and what we show on the outside.
Genetics & Genomics Biolab (2018)
The world of genetics and genomics is evolving at the fastest pace we have seen in any period of scientific discovery. RFH's genetics and genomics curriculum were updated with a new mobile genLab and additional state-of-the-art technology. By supplementing the school's current electrophoresis equipment with PCR technology for DNA amplification and digital genome sequencing equipment, students are now able to experience and participate in a real world scientific endeavor for enhanced college readiness in the STEM subject areas.