Spangler Elementary Receives Outstanding MESA Program of the Year Award!
Spangler was recently awarded the 2008-2009 Outstanding Program of the Year by Colorado MESA at the 2009 MESA Annual Retreat and Kick-off.
Under the expert guidance of Nina Amabile, Megan Brookhart, and Christina Smith, Spangler's enrollment has increased by leaps and bounds. MESA's popularity inspired the addition of a third grade program this year and Julie Potter will be added as a second grade MESA advisor next year. Michelle Johnstone, Spangler's principal and one of Spangler MESA's greatest fans, encourages students to join the MESA team.
Spangler's year was packed a multitude of exciting programs that took them from outer space to the African savanna. Education outreach partners including CU Space Grant, the Denver Zoo, Denver Botanic Gardens, Physics Project, Thorne Ecological Institute, Science from CU, Science Explorers, and the JILA NSF Physics Frontier Center guided them on their journey. It takes great skill and planning to identify and schedule programs and accompanying field experiences, but Spangler's MESA advisors are pros!
Satellites, living in space, and spectroscopy were just a few of the topics explored during CU's Space Grant MESA program. A field trip to CU gave students a taste of university life. They were able to picture themselves as future CU students! Seven parents who accompanied the group had the same vision for their children.
4th and 5th grade students used new technologies such as stop action motion movies as part of their physics program studying circuits and electricity with the JILA NSF Physics Frontier Center. Students completed a series of predictions and experiments culminating with a final project making a documentary about their work. Groups of students worked together to plan a storyboard and create a video. A field trip to the Joint Institute Laboratory for Astrophysics gave students the opportunity to meet scientists as they conducted research.
Ecology, zoology, and botany provided opportunities to study natural history. The Denver Zoo's programs, Bird Basics, African Safari, Marvelous Mammals, and Revealing Raptors, and a trip to the zoo were highlights. Science from CU also provided programs on mammals of Colorado. Project BEAR from the Thorne Ecological Institute helped students understand more about Colorado ecology. Student created E-books helped them reflect on their experiences. The Denver Botanic Garden's prairie ecosystem program completed life science studies.
With all of the exciting activities planned and expertly guided by Nina, Megan, and Christina, MESA at Spangler skyrocketed. If taking advantage of quality education outreach opportunities, loving to learn about math and science, and spreading enthusiasm for MESA mark an outstanding MESA program, then Spangler Elementary MESA deserves to be named one of Colorado MESA's Outstanding Programs of the Year!