By:John Patten
An evening program combining family hour and lessons in science at Roosevelt School will likely be repeated next year, based on the response school board members gave a presentation by teachers Maureen Brown and Kelly Barton.
The "Family Tools and Technology" program ran four weeks in March and April, bringing 10 families of fourth-grade students to the school from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to face a series of quizzes and challenges requiring a variety of scientific skills and teamwork to solve.
At the Board of Education’s Tuesday night work session, the board members heard a review of the programs’ successes and goals from the two teachers, who had attended a series of workshops at Cook College to learn how to design a program to offer Manville students.
Each session included a warm-up activity, an opportunity to experiment with principles related to the night’s topic, and a challenge requiring application of those principles.
Topics included structures, water transportation, a "Lego derby," and sound. Participants in the program were randomly drawn from registrations turned in before the start of the program.
"We’re hoping next year to expand the fifth grade to six sessions and for the fourth grade, add two sessions to get them started," Ms. Brown said.
Next week, the board will consider approving $500 stipends for the teachers for their work on the program. Funds for the stipends will come from federal Department of Education grants.
The students’ completed projects from the sessions are currently on display at the Manville Public Library.

