WASHINGTON, D.C., January 29, 2021 – Internet2 today announced the winners of the Community Anchor Program (CAP) Distance Learning Scholarship program to give K-12 teachers free, one-on-one distance learning programs for their class through the Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration (CILC). A total of 38 recipients teaching K-12 across Connecticut, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, New York, Ohio and Oklahoma are being awarded CILC scholarships that will directly benefit more than 1,600 students.
“We are thrilled to be able help teachers provide their students with a unique interactive classroom experience for their students during the pandemic, regardless of whether their students are attending school in-person or online,” said Internet2 Community Anchor Program Director Stephanie Stenberg. “Research and education networks provide schools a robust internet connection for education and an unparalleled level of service, and we are proud to serve them. Congratulations to all the scholarship recipients!”
The scholarship program was open to K-12 teachers from a school that connects to the national Internet2 network through their state or regional research and education network. Teachers could choose from any of the over 1,900 professionally-delivered programs offered through CILC, all of which have been evaluated by teachers and can be sorted by topic or by recommendation.
Live, interactive learning experiences
Kirstina Frazier teaches first to third grade students at Andover Elementary, a small, rural school in Connecticut that is a member of the Connecticut Education Network. Frazier selected the Exploring the Continents with Story and Song program to allow students the opportunity to gain an appreciation and understanding for the world around them. “I want my students to gain a greater appreciation for the people and cultures from around the world through traditional storytelling and instruments,” said Frazier.
For Michelle Hundt, a fifth grade teacher at Wharton Elementary in Illinois, and whose school is a member of the Iowa Communications Network, the What’s the Matter? program offered the perfect opportunity to supplement what students have been learning about the subject this year. “My students are currently studying how the particles that make up undergo phase changes due to temperature and heat changes. I am looking for some really neat ways to get them excited about this topic, and this seems like a great learning opportunity for them,” said Hundt.
For Taggart Fox from New Carlisle Elementary School in Ohio, whose school is a member of OARnet, offering the Kids Rock On – Chipping Away at the Rock Cycle! program for third-grade students is an opportunity to introduce geology with the hope that the role of geologists would spark interest and begin to develop the roots of future career path options. “The rock cycle and rock classification is pertinent to our standards. Weathering is a tough concept to grasp because of its dependance on lengths of time, and I am hopeful this course will show some real-life examples that the students can identify with,” said Fox.
Distance learning scholarship winners
The 38 scholarship recipients connect to the Internet2 network via one of the following seven state or regional research and education network: Connecticut Education Network, Iowa Communications Network, Illinois Communications Network, KanREN in Kansas, NYSERNet in New York, OARnet in Ohio, and OneNet in Oklahoma.
Scholarship winners are listed below, along with the state or regional research and education network that connects their school to Internet2.
| # | Teacher Name | School Name | City & State | Grade(s) | Connecting Research & Education Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Debra Allard | Integrated Day Charter School | Norwich, CT | 6th grade | Connecticut Education Network |
| 2 | Kristy Cook | Strong Elementary School | Plantsville, CT | 5th grade | Connecticut Education Network |
| 3 | Lori Crocker-Lincoln | Eastford Elementary School | Eastford, CT | 2nd and 3rd grade | Connecticut Education Network |
| 4 | Melanie Drinkwater | Canton Middle School | Collinsville, CT | 7th grade | Connecticut Education Network |
| 5 | Lynn Erickson | Stafford Elementary School | Stafford Springs, CT | 2nd grade | Connecticut Education Network |
| 6 | Kirstina Frazier | Andover Elementary School | Andover, CT | 1st-3rd grade | Connecticut Education Network |
| 7 | Kimberly Hollenbach | Birch Grove Primary | Tolland, CT | Kindergarten | Connecticut Education Network |
| 8 | Marissa Krayeski | Chaplin Elementary School | Chaplin, CT | 5th and 6th grade | Connecticut Education Network |
| 9 | Louise Morrison | Thompson Middle School | Grosvenordale, CT | 6th grade | Connecticut Education Network |
| 10 | Sarah Moynihan | Birch Grove Primary School | Tolland, CT | Kindergarten | Connecticut Education Network |
| 11 | Julie Prescott | Chippens Hill Middle School | Bristol, CT | 8th grade | Connecticut Education Network |
| 12 | Ashleeann Traner | South Side School | Bristol, CT | Kindergarten | Connecticut Education Network |
| 13 | Ashleeann Traner | South Side School | Bristol, CT | Kindergarten- 5th grade | Connecticut Education Network |
| 14 | Nancy Wasserman | John F Kennedy Middle School | Plantsville, CT | 8th grade | Connecticut Education Network |
| 15 | Lisa Seaba | Jefferson Elementary | Muscatine, IA | Kindergarten | Iowa Communications Network |
| 16 | Laurel Adams | Palestine High School | Franklin, IL | 6-12th grade | Illinois Communications Network |
| 17 | Alexis Billick | Franklin Jr/Sr. High School | Franklin, IL | 9th grade | Illinois Communications Network |
| 18 | Vanessa Courts | Alain Locke Charter School | Chicago, IL | Kindergarten | Illinois Communications Network |
| 19 | Morgan Dillman | Geff Grade School | Geff, IL | 1st grade | Illinois Communications Network |
| 20 | Margaret Figura | CICS West Belden — Distinctive Schools | Chicago, IL | 4th grade | Illinois Communications Network |
| 21 | Susan Hagan | Meridian Elementary School | Blue Mound, IL | 4-5th grade | Illinois Communications Network |
| 22 | Susanne Hokkanen | Heritage Middle School | Summit, IL | 6, 7, and 8th grade | Illinois Communications Network |
| 23 | Michelle Hundt | Wharton Elementary | Summit, IL | 5th grade | Illinois Communications Network |
| 24 | Michele Irlacher | Riverdahl Elementary | Rockford, IL | 1st grade | Illinois Communications Network |
| 25 | Ashley Mays | CICS Bucktown — Distinctive Schools | Chicago, IL | 2nd grade | Illinois Communications Network |
| 26 | Kelly Pollack | Chicago International Charter School: West Belden | Chicago, IL | 3rd grade | Illinois Communications Network |
| 27 | Melisa Shepard | Webster Elementary | Collinsville, IL | 2nd grade | Illinois Communications Network |
| 28 | Jeanine Shumaker | Riverdahl Elementary | Rockford, IL | 1st grade | Illinois Communications Network |
| 29 | Angie Tapley | Rich Township High School FAC Campus | Richton Park, IL | 11th grade | Illinois Communications Network |
| 30 | Jim Cera | Riverside High School | Wathena, KS | 9-12th grade | KanREN |
| 31 | Annette Bahun | Eden Central School District | Eden, NY | 6th grade | NYSERNet |
| 32 | Kelly Grimaldi! | Eden Elementary School | Eden, NY | 3rd grade | NYSERNet |
| 33 | Rebecca Bowman | West Muskingum Elementary | Zanesville, OH | 1st grade | OARnet |
| 34 | Taggart Fox | New Carlisle Elementary School | New Carlisle, OH | 3rd grade | OARnet |
| 35 | Michelle Smith | Eastern Elementary | Lexington, OH | 6th grade | OARnet |
| 36 | Ronna Dunigan | Leflore Public Schools | Le Flore, OK | 1-2nd grade | OneNet |
| 37 | Melissa Newport | White Rock Public School | McLoud, OK | 2nd grade | OneNet |
| 38 | Tiffany Robinson | LeFlore Public School | Le Flore, OK | 1st grade | OneNet |
| 39 | Mallory Tully | White Rock Public School | McLoud, OK | PK-8th grade Music, 5th-8th grade Science | OneNet |
About Internet2
Internet2® is a non-profit, member-driven advanced technology community founded by the nation’s leading higher education institutions in 1996. Internet2 serves 320 U.S. universities, 58 government agencies, 45 regional and state education networks and through them supports more than 100,000 community anchor institutions, over 1,000 InCommon participants, and 58 leading corporations working with our community, and 70 national research and education network partners that represent more than 100 countries.
Internet2 delivers a diverse portfolio of technology solutions that leverages, integrates, and amplifies the strengths of its members and helps support their educational, research and community service missions. Internet2’s core infrastructure components include the nation’s largest and fastest research and education network that was built to deliver advanced, customized services that are accessed and secured by the community-developed trust and identity framework.
Internet2 offices are located in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Denver, Colo.; Washington, D.C.; and West Hartford, Conn. For more information, visit www.internet2.edu or follow @Internet2 on Twitter.
Media Contact:
Sara Aly
Communications Manager, Internet2
saly@internet2.edu