Seventh and eighth grade teachers at Maranatha Academy would like to take their classes to the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul to expand their science curriculum. The Science Museum is known worldwide for its interactive exhibits, dynamic traveling exhibitions and internationally distributed large format films. The museum was an early innovator in the use of live theater as a humanizing interpretive tool and provides innovative staff development programs for teachers throughout the region as well as science education outreach programs for K–12 classrooms. The Science Museum's programs combine research and collection facilities, a public science education center, extensive teacher education and school outreach programs, and an Imax Convertible Dome Omnitheater to provide science education. A grant from Class Acts! will help pay for admission costs to the museum and Omnitheater, helping to make this exciting learning experience possible.

Amy Hockenbrock understands the importance of visual learning and occasionally changing the environment in which children are taught. Slim Goodbody — a pioneer in the field of health and body education, teaching kids about everything from their vertebrae to their ventricles — will be presenting at St. Scholastica and she would like her second grade students from Cathedral School to attend. The presentation will include teaching the kids about organs and how the body works. Thanks to the help of a Class Acts! grant, her students will be able to participate in this unique learning experience.

George Lehman, physics teacher at Superior High School, would like his students to see first hand scientists working in laboratory researching some of the topics they are studying by visiting the leading deep underground science and engineering laboratory in the United States. The Soudan Underground Laboratory is a general-purpose science facility, which provides the deep underground environment required by a variety of sensitive experiments. Soudan's two large laboratory rooms, both located about 2,400 feet underground, currently house two world-leading experiments. Scientists from around the world have been working at Soudan for 25 years trying to answer basic questions about the Universe in which we live. Students would learn about the methods used to detect Muons and Neutrinos, and if time permits students may also get a geological tour of the mine. As with any field trip, there are several costs associated with traveling and transportation. Thanks to the help of Class Acts!, enough of these costs will be covered for students to be able to visit this cutting-edge facility and experience science at work.

The Superior School District is looking to expand use of the school forest and promote environmental education at all grade levels. In order to take advantage of this unique educational tool, the second grade classes from Cooper Elementary School would like to go to the school forest during early June. This trip would introduce the students to the forest and provide a unique learning environment. Currently, the second grade curriculum includes learning about plants, their life cycles and how they respond to changes in the environment. A grant from Class Acts! will make this hands-on outdoor opportunity possible, giving the children a chance to explore nature first hand.

Wisconsin History is part of the fourth grade curriculum at Northwestern Elementary School and each year teachers try to take students on field trips to historical locations in Wisconsin. For several years in a row a favorite place to visit has been Madeline Island. Here students ride a ferry across the island to experience a historic part of Wisconsin's past and learn about Native American history and culture. Another field trip fourth grade teachers would like to save for is to the Bong Memorial in Superior. Richard I. Bong was a Poplar native, and many students, from the Northwestern School District only know his name, not the great accomplishments he did in World War II. Both of these field trips would be beneficial to the students' learning, but also have high expenses for transportation. Thanks to the help of a Class Acts! grant, students will be able to experience these educational locations in rich in Wisconsin history.

Northern Lights Elementary and Superior High School are involved in a Big Buddy and Little Buddy program with high school students and second graders. This is the fourth year of the Buddy Program and it has been extremely beneficial to students from both schools who participate. Teachers Melissa Isabella and Phil Roe who manage the program would like to celebrate another successful year by taking all of the students on a field trip that everyone can enjoy. A grant from Class Acts! will allow those in the Buddy Program to take an end of the year trip to the Lake Superior Zoo, tying the entire year together and allowing students to say goodbye to their Buddies for another year.

Melissa Isabella would like to expand the second and third grade science curriculum at Northern Lights Elementary School by taking some of her students to the Brule River Ranger Station in Brule, WI. Students would have a chance to experience the vast amount of nature in the area and the Naturalist Guide at the station would provide hands on experience learning about the dichotomous key. Thanks to Class Acts!, transportation for students to participate in this educational and exciting adventure will be possible.

Susan Pfau's 8th grade class of students with cognitive disabilities is getting ready for their move to Superior High School in the fall. This transition is much smoother if students can visit the high school in the spring and have the chance to meet some of their future teachers. After a tour and an introductory talk with staff, the students will be participating in a cumulative social skills activity that tests their social behavior and money skills, which were taught during the year. The final project is going out to eat, where students will need to order their own lunch, figure tax, pay and then count their change back to an adult. In order to transport all 12 students to the high school for this important experience, the class needs to rent a bus with a wheelchair lift. Thanks to a grant from Class Acts!, the entire class will be able to visit their new school and learn valuable lessons together.

Second grade teachers at Four Corners Elementary would like to combine their science and social studies units with an old fashioned family picnic at neighboring Pattison Park. Pattison Park has a deep history for the community as well as rich plant life, allowing teachers to expand their social studies lessons, enhance the studies of nature and celebrate a great year of learning. In addition, the trip serves as a great opportunity for families to share in a celebration of tradition. Students and parents will be able to go on this educational and fun-filled field trip thanks to the gift of a Class Acts! grant.

Third grade teachers at Bryant Elementary believe it is important for students to gain skills in the area of written communication, and one standard skill incorporated in the language arts curriculum is the ability to write a friendly letter. In order to meet this goal, the third grade teachers at Bryant paired up with the third grade teachers from Great Lakes Elementary to have their students write friendly letters back and forth with a pen pal from the other school. They have been able to work on writing questions, and managing paragraphs, as well as meeting a new friend. In two years, all of these students will meet as classmates at Superior Middle School, and all the teachers feel that it would be a phenomenal opportunity for these students to enter the middle school already knowing children from different schools within our community. Thanks to the help of a grant from Class Acts!, students from both schools plan to meet at Billings Park to spend the day with their new friends, fostering a connection between these students that will last well into their educational future.

Some of the most cherished memories of a student's high school experience are captured in the annual yearbook. Gretchen Hexum's yearbook class would like to improve the quality of their yearbook, the Lacedaemon with the use of upgraded computers and software. Thanks to a grant from Class Acts!, they will be able to purchase new technology for the class to not only enrich the content of the yearbook, but to continue to provide a historical and memorable piece for students. In addition, this new technology will benefit several future classes, ensuring their memories are preserved in a quality document.

Eighth grade teacher Susan Enright all too often sees the poor self image several of her female students' have and the serious emotional issues that accompany those insecurities. She has dedicated part of her time to help work on improving their self esteems and helping them to feel better about themselves. Addressing the self esteem issue at this stage in their life would go a long way toward making them happier individuals and allow them to concentrate more on academics. With the help of a grant from Class Acts!, Susan will be able to provide education in hygiene, healthy eating, appropriate dress, hair styles and other topics to improve female students' self image. In addition, she plans to conclude their study with a trip to the WITC cosmetology program where students will have their hair styled and receive lessons in applying make up and hair and nail care appropriate for their age.

Solon Springs School District personnel have been working hard to make sure that their school is a safe nurturing place for all students. Specifically, parents, students, local law enforcement and staff have been working diligently through the Solon Springs Harassment and Bullying Task Force. The group is looking at ways to get the message to students and parents that bullying and harassment will not be tolerated at school and has identified several groups that will come into the school and provide skits and workshops to elementary, middle school and high school students. Thanks to a Principal Award from Class Acts!, Solon Springs School District will be able to offer an anti-bullying workshop at their schools aimed specifically at teaching students and staff exactly what bullying behaviors are, what they can do if they are being bullied, and how to maintain a positive climate in the school. In addition, they hope to share the workshops with students in the Northwood School District.

Administrator Keith Russell sees how much students at Maranatha Academy enjoy playing outdoor soccer and the benefit the sport has on the student's health and development. Unfortunately, the soccer goals and nets are in need of replacement and are unsafe for students to use at this time. New goals and nets would help provide students with a wonderful area to exercise and develop their skills. In addition, soccer is a sport enjoyed through out the world and unites people in healthy physical activity. Thanks to a Principal Award from Class Acts!, the school will be able to purchase new equipment for the field, providing students with a safe place to play as well as serving the community as a place for city and recreational leagues to hold matches.

According to Pricipal Jenna Stevens, the children at Bryant Elementary set a goal in May of 2007 to purchase several new pieces of equipment for their playground. Currently, the school only has a set of swings and one group apparatus with two slides. Both the teachers and students recognize that this is not enough equipment for all 350 students. The PTO and student council have supported the goal set by the students through donating money earned to the project. The school only earned enough money to buy two small pieces of equipment, which is still a small amount of equipment for the school's student population. Thanks to a Principal Award from Class Acts!, the PTO and student council will be able to purchase several new pieces of equipment for the students, allowing them to meet their goal and enjoy a new playground.

Winter in Northern Wisconsin can be brisk and beautiful, or bitter and severe. Either way, teachers and playground supervisors at Northwestern Elementary School are challenged with the uncertainty winter weather can bring, especially when determining if children are safe to go outside for recess. Special Education teacher, Karen Koehler, proposed an idea for her fourth and fifth grade students to participate in a weather project to benefit everyone at the school. Thanks to a Class Acts! grant, Karen's students are predicting the weather daily with an Oregon Scientific WMR968 Weather Station installed in their classroom. This weather station gives her students the responsibility of reading and interpreting weather data and reporting to the playground supervisors and teachers on a daily basis. In addition, this project will enable students to learn job skills as well as communication and social skills as they relay the weather report to individuals and groups.

Jori Walt, music teacher at Great Lakes Elementary, understands the importance of teaching her students about diversity, and would like to raise cultural awareness in her school through music. A grant from Class Acts! enabled Jori to purchase music and musical instruments from various cultures. Students will be exposed to a broad range of cultures, including Native American, African American and Hispanic. Her goal is to educate her students through music to accept the growing diversity of our culture and promote understanding of one another's differences. All of the students at Great Lakes will benefit from this grant not only this year, but will for years to come.

First grade classrooms at Northern Lights Elementary implemented a new reading series this year for their science curriculum to focus on different scientific topics each month. First grade teacher Jenni Wolfe, was excited about the new series, but was concerned that she did not have enough materials or tools to accompany the topics. In order for Jenni's students to understand the concepts better, Class Acts! enabled her to purchase hands-on materials for use during their reading workshop. Some of these materials include GeoSafari Microscopes, Big Screen Microscopes, human body charts, x-rays and floor puzzles, along with life-sized models of the heart, eye and brain. These new materials will make a positive difference in Jenni's classroom because instead of just reading about the science and math concepts in books, the learning will come alive for her students.

Teachers at Northwestern Elementary understand the importance of technology when educating their students, but many schools, including Northwestern face the challenge of sharing equipment throughout the school that is only accessible to one classroom at a time. Shawn Leith teaches one out of 24 classes that share the schools video projector and often is not able to use it because it is in another classroom. Thanks to a grant from Class Acts!, Shawn purchased a new projector specifically for the fifth grade classrooms. This addition in technology will allow students to create PowerPoint and Excel presentations, along with other projects while enhancing the overall lessons taught to all 89 fifth graders.

This year, eighth grade teachers at Superior Middle School have been striving to get their students more involved in the local community. Volunteering in their community gives the students a positive experience while learning that their contributions can help make a difference. This May, teachers will be taking the eighth grade class (Blue Team) into the community to help out with several different projects. Volunteer activities will include assisting at Catlin Greens in garden clean-up and preparation, cleaning up trash along the highway and Wisconsin point, and assisting the veterans in their major task of placing more than 2,500 flags in our cemeteries. Thanks to the help of Class Acts!, all bussing expenses will be covered and the students will be able to purchase any needed materials for the activities.

Art teacher Kerri Gordon would like her ceramic students to learn and experience throwing clay on a pottery wheel. It is an important technique for ceramists to learn, and it teaches students how to focus and be patient, while being creative. Thanks to a grant from Class Acts!, Kerri is able to replace their old dilapidated pottery wheel with a new, fully-functioning one. With the new wheel, Kerri’s students will be able to learn this essential technique and utilize these skills for a good cause, by participating in the annual Empty Bowl charity event. The mission of Empty Bowl is to raise hunger awareness and promote the appreciation of art by collaboratively gathering area artists, students, and volunteers to create handcrafted bowls. Area restaurants, bakeries and suppliers provide food and supplies for the fundraising event, the proceeds of which benefit Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank. In all, more than 140 non-profit agencies and the hungry families they serve benefit from Empty Bowl.

Rachael Holden, a teacher at Superior High School, would like her students to be able to share their work more easily with each other by using technology. Unfortunately, the high school as a limited supply of equipment for the students to use and classrooms do not always have access to the technology when they would like it. Through experience, Rachael believes that students will become more comfortable in front of an audience of peers and be able to have more pride in ownership if they have an easy and reliable venue through which to share their work. This year, Class Acts! enabled Rachael to purchase a multi-media projector for her classroom. With this new equipment, students can share Web sites, slide shows (using PowerPoint or Movie Maker), movies and anything else with the class on a regular basis. This opportunity will help students now and in the future with the rise in technology, and it will also allow students to become teachers of their peers, giving them yet another moment to shine and show off their talents.