Fickett Elementary recently held STEM Day on May 3, 2013. The event was sponsored by the UPS Foundation. During STEM Day, falculty and staff engaged the students at Fickett in a variety of STEM activities to allow them to preview some of the programs for the school’s pilot year. Students in grades 3-5 participated in engineering design projects, and K-2 students attended an in-house field trip that allowed them to understand and learn more about Fickett’s robotics program. Students were also able to view technology and science district fair projects, learn about WeDo robotics and engineering in the elementary curriculum, tour STEM labs, and work with the upper grade students on engineering projects.
In an effort to help students improve their math skills through a fun and enjoyable approach, the students at Fickett Elementary participated in a March Math Madness event hosted by the Math & Science Coach, Mrs. Adero Carter.
“Math is fun,” Mrs. Carter explained. “I wanted the students to see this, as well, with this entertaining and engaging activity.”
Each grade level assembled in the school cafeteria where they were challenged to answer math problems in a competitive game of jeopardy. Each student received a ticket for every correct answer. Students were closely monitored by grade level teachers who cheered them on throughout the game. At the end of 2 full rounds, students redeemed their tickets for educational prizes.
Fickett Elementary School received a $25,000 grant from The UPS Foundation, the charitable arm of UPS. The grant will be used toward the implementation of a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program that will help expose students to career paths such as engineering, robotics, computer science, and medicine.
“We are extremely grateful for the support that the UPS Foundation has provided to our students,” said Dr. Raquel Rimpola, Principal of Fickett Elementary School. “This generous donation will allow us to implement programs that will help support our goal of becoming a STEM Certified School.”
Fickett’s STEM program includes several components. These components provide exposure to project-based learning activities in daily science and mathematics classes, develop innovation through a school-wide Lego Robotics program, and allow students to engage in engineering design experiences using the Engineering is Elementary (EiE) program. The STEM grant will allow students to incorporate art and technology through their creation of science videos, podcasts, and clay animation. Students at Fickett will be able to qualify for scholarships to participate in robotics camps at GA Tech this school year and in the summer because of this STEM grant. 
Before students and teachers depart for the holiday break, many schools in the district are raising money and spreading holiday cheer through various fundraisers.
This year, on behalf of Beecher Hills Elementary, the Beecher Hills Foundation, Inc. sold trees in Southwest Atlanta. The newly formed Beecher Hills Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit fundraising organization supporting the school’s commitment of providing teaching and learning that is authentic and differentiated, through a rigorous global curriculum.
“The foundation also encourages learning in an environment that fosters self-respect, respect for others, a love of learning and a commitment to serve society,” explained Melody Blount, President of the foundation.
With help from the community, the tree sale will help Beecher Hills continue to be one of two International Baccalaureate schools in Southwest Atlanta. Funds from the sale will also help implement a S.T.E.A.M program at Beecher Hills that will include interactive technology, a science lab, robotics team resources and environmental/ecology science initiatives. 
The PTA at Fickett Elementary is participating in the Reindeer Lane Gift Shop this year. Students can shop on www.reindeerland.com for gifts for their friends and family. Through this initiative, in addition to the school receiving a portion of the proceeds, students also learn to budget money and make financially sound purchase decisions. Gift items range from $0.25 to $15.00.
Inman Middle School and E. Rivers Elementary also held tree sales this season. E. Rivers has participated in the tree sale fundraiser for 12 years. All proceeds benefit the students by helping fund technological and other curricular enhancements, as well as valuable cultural arts programs.
Inman Middle, in conjunction with Barefoot Mountain Farms, also held a tree sell to help benefit the school. Hal & Tina Hollcroft, owners of Barefoot Mountain Farms, have been an Inman fundraising partner for 14 years. Their love of farming and support of children in education has been the driving force behind the business.
“Their Fraser Fir trees are grown with care in Laurel Springs, NC in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains,” explained Mary Stouffer, Inman’s PTA VP/Fundraising. ”This season will be in honor of Hal who lost his battle with cancer on February 2, 2012.”
Junior Achievement volunteer, Norma Brown, explains the lesson to students at Fickett Elementary.
Students at Fickett Elementary recently celebrated Junior Achievement Day.
Throughout the day volunteers from UPS taught the students innovative and creative life lessons, applicable to school and their communities.
Junior Achievement’s volunteer-delivered, K-12 programs foster work-readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills, and use experiential learning to inspire kids to dream big and reach their potential.
Volunteers positively impacted students with lessons to inspire and prepare them to own their own economic success. The Kindergarten classes learned about “Ourselves” and developed personal economics concepts through the use of stories and activities.
Norma Brown, a JA volunteer, says she is teaching students that communities are a place where we live, work, play, and go to school.
Fickett students hard at work during JA Day!
“I think it’s important to have volunteers come and work with the students because it allows the students to see people that work at different business and expose them to other teaching styles and opportunities,” she explained. “It also exposes the children to volunteering.”
First grade students learned about “Families” as volunteers discussed the role of families in the local economy. Additionally, second grade students learned about their communities, third grade examined their city, and fifth grade classes discussed our nation as while as they studied national business operations, job skills and economic issues.
“The volunteers help us learn new things, and they taught us about the different regions,” said Mariah Butler, a fourth grader at Fickett Elementary. “I’ve learned about the regions of the United States, and I learned different facts about Georgia.”
In 2011-2012, Junior Achievement of Georgia impacted over 155,000 students throughout the state with the help from over 5,000 community and corporate volunteers.
