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Oh, what a night! – 2025 Innovation Showcase Recap

February 4, 2025

Thank you to all who attended and supported the Arlington Education Foundation 2025 Innovation Showcase on January 27. It was an inspiring night of collaboration between Arlington Public Schools and AEF.

See the list of awardees represented below or check out a recap of the night on our Facebook page!

District Investment Grant

Strategic Initiatives Working Groups
Dr. Elizabeth Homan, Superintendent
2023 – Grant Amount $42,000

This grant provided the Arlington Public Schools with funding for stipends, texts, and resources for Working Groups that each focus on one or two initiatives of the Five-Year Strategic Plan. The groups 

  • Gather input related to their initiative(s)
  • Analyze data from the school district related to their initiative(s)
  • Consider, test, and refine ideas for implementation
  • Recommend and lead actions

Groups include building leaders, curriculum directors, teachers, families, and students.

Performing Arts Innovation & Expansion Grants

Multicultural Concert Series iPads for Performance
Jing-Huey Wei, Performing Arts Director
2023 Grant Amounts Totaling $19,000

In the last few years AEF has sponsored several grants for the APS Performing Arts Department.  Today, we are showcasing two grants brought by Jing-Huey Wei (Performing Arts Director and Chelsea Austin (Grants Administrator and Performing Arts Facilitator). 

These grants aim to make the performing arts more informed by multiple cultures and more agile in their ability to perform in various venues.  Students will demonstrate how they use the iPads for String and Band performance.

Innovations Grant 

The Pondercast
Brenda Mahoney, AHS – Library Assistant 
Fall 2023 – Grant Amount $4,000

Students of the Pondercast Club aim to inform and engage the Arlington High School community through a weekly broadcast announcements/news program. The club gathers, records, and presents various happenings and issues involving Spy Ponders to the AHS student body and staff.

Funding from AEF allowed the Pondercast Club to purchase the video and audio equipment as well as peripherals needed to reliably produce a program that aims to bring the entire Spy Ponder community together.

Development & Expansion Grant

Building a 21st Century Visual Arts Program
Leo Muellner, Director of Visual Arts
Fall 2023 – Grant Amount $15,000

In the last two years, AEF has sponsored several grants from the Visual Arts Department.  Today, we are showcasing this Development and Expansion Grant which established new Visual Arts programming at AHS in Animation and Filmmaking, which expanded access to the Digital Photography programming.  The new entry level classes have been popular with students and very successful and the department has recently launched new advanced classes in these subjects.

Development & Expansion Grant

Books to Enhance Literacy
Christina Cooney, English Language Arts Director
Gretchen Vice, Brackett Elementary School Principal
Karen Donato, Thompson Elementary School Principal
Winter 2024 – Grant Amount $15,000

This grant was submitted by Dr. Mona Ford Walker, Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, and Chelsea Austin, APS Grants Administrator to support Reading Curriculum for Arlington’s K-6 students across seven Arlington Schools.  

The grant allowed APS to purchase decodable texts to support struggling readers, and audiobooks to support over 1000 students learn pronunciation.

Interdisciplinary Problem Solving Robotics

Rashmi Pimprikar, Director of Digital Learning
2023 – Grant Amount $24,000

This grant expands on a grant from the AEF in 2022 which created a robotics curriculum for grades K-2. This 2023 grant funded the creation of a robotics curriculum for grades 3-5, introducing Microbits and Finch robots at all seven elementary schools.   

This goal of using these robotics education tools in the classroom is to provide a starting point for developing basic programming skills, and practicing the directional language, measurement, problem-solving, and collaboration, with an interdisciplinary approach.

Innovations Grant

Reading Across America
Karen Donato, Thompson Elementary School Principal
Jennifer Mansfield, Thompson School – Diversity and Inclusion Group (DIG) Member & Parent
Fall 2023 – Grant Amount $4,000

The scope of this project is to provide Thompson grade K-3 classrooms with a picture book each month, and grade 4-5 classrooms a chapter book each month, “that explore a topic related to diversity and inclusion”, for the 2024 calendar year.

Innovations Grant

National Academy of Science Transportation Design Competition

Talia Askenazi, AHS Student Class of 2025
Petru Sofio, AHS Student Class of 2024 & Northeastern University Class of 2028
Fall 2022 – Grant Amount $2,255

This grant allowed two AHS students (a sophomore and junior at the time) and their guardians to travel to Washington, DC to present their CADD design solution to the National Academy of Science Transportation Design Competition.

Innovations Grant & Continuing Scholar Award 

STEAM Circuits in Art 
Maker Project Teaching Program
Stacey Greenland, Dallin Elementary School Art Teacher
Spring 2023 – Grants Totaling $1,451

Ms. Greenland’s grants allowed her to work with students across all grade levels to incorporate simple circuits, LED lights and whirring motors into their 2D and 3D art projects, incorporating the Science of circuits into the Art Curriculum and building the foundation for a Makerspace at the Dallin School.  

Continuing Scholar Award

Massachusetts Foreign Language 
Teacher of the Year
Na Lu-Hogan, World Language/Mandarin Teacher – Ottoson Middle School
Fall 2024 – Grant Amount $2,300

Na Lu-Hogan was selected as the Massachusetts Foreign Language Teacher of the Year and will represent Massachusetts in the Regional Teacher of the Year Program in late February 2025.  AEF was pleased to support her participation in the Massachusetts Foreign Language Association Conference (October 2024) and Regional Foreign Language Association Conference in New York City later this year.

Continuing Scholar Award

Esquela Playa Spanish Teacher Training, Malaga, Spain
Sarah Franford, Ottoson Spanish Teacher
Spring 2024 – Grant Amount $2,500

This grant sponsored travel to a language learning program in Spain which allowed Ms. Franford to build conversation skills in day-to-day activities with both children and adults.  She was able to bring back videos, artifacts and other inspirations for her work teaching Spanish to middle school students in Arlington.

Arlington Public School Staff Trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid

October 28, 2019

The Challenge: Keeping our Students Mentally Healthy

In 2017, Arlington Public Schools (APS) identified youth mental health as a challenge it needed to tackle. According to mentalhealth.gov, “half of all mental health disorders show first signs before a person turns 14” (i.e. anxiety and eating disorders), and three quarters of mental health disorders begin before age 24 (i.e. substance abuse).

The most recent Youth Risk Behavior Surveys at Arlington High School and the Ottoson Middle School show that mental health issues such as stress, low self-esteem, self-harm, sexual abuse and suicide contemplation/attempts are on the rise in our youth community, as is the case in many communities across the country.

How AEF Helped: Staff Training and School Plans to Support our Youth

Arlington Public Schools strive to educate students holistically so that every child has the opportunity to achieve academic, emotional, social and vocational success. Attention to students’ mental health is one of the key elements to achieving this mission.

That is why AEF is committed to awarding the district $200,000 between 2017 and 2020 to support the district’s Safe & Supportive Schools Initiative (SASS). 

As a first step, in 2017 a $100,485 AEF grant brought the Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) program to the district, allowing for over 325 Arlington Public School staff to be trained and certified. Grant funds were also used to support each school as they implemented further SASS initiatives.

The Impact: Empowering Staff and a Common Approach for Supporting Students

As of August 2019, over 325 staff – representing every school and every role from social workers to administrators – have been trained on Youth Mental Health First Aid.  Schools have also implemented plans that directly support youth behavioral health and ensure that every student has the best environment in which to learn.

“When we create a common vision, language and understanding of how to promote the mental health and well-being of our youth, support services are more focused and effective.” Sara Burd, Arlington Public Schools Director of Social & Emotional Health and Guidance

Youth Mental Health First Aid Training
During the training, which provides a basic understanding of what adolescent mental health looks like, participants learned how to:

  • intervene early and guide a student toward treatment (grades 3-12) 
  • respond to student needs through role play
  • assess risk of suicide or harm
  • help an adolescent who is experiencing a mental health or addiction challenge or who is in crisis 
  • identify mental health signs and symptoms of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders

Future plans are being made to accommodate more groups, such as transportation and lunch staff.

School-specific Initiatives
Schools across the district have implemented their own plans to support SASS. For example: 

  • Dallin Elementary focused on restorative discipline and Mindfulness in the curriculum.
  • Ottoson Middle School studied Jessica Minahan’s The Behavior Code.  
  • Thompson Elementary engaged Vinsion, Inc. for training.  
  • Arlington High School used grant funding to support Wellness and Inclusion Days.
  • Dallin and Ottoson consulted with Carlos Hoyt.

With AEF’s support, Arlington’s teachers and staff have the tools they need to identify and support all students’ social, emotional health and well-being.

Thermal Imaging

October 2, 2018

Through the use of thermal imaging adapters, 8th graders at Ottoson Middle School visualize heat as well as observe the flow of thermal energy in a fun and engaging way.

“The thermal imaging cameras are a big hit with the students and really bring the curriculum to life. The technology is so fun and visually compelling that sometimes students have a hard time sharing with their science partners.”

Susan Stewart, Ottoson Middle School, 8th Grade Science

The Challenge:  Visualizing Intangible Scientific Concepts

How do you teach students intangible scientific concepts?  Though many scientific concepts can be taught through hands-on experimentation, the topics of thermal imaging and heat transfer are more challenging.  Historically, this has been a challenging unit for students, as the flow of thermal energy is not directly visible, but rather must be evaluated by indirect means with a slow and limited technology (primarily measuring with thermometers). The concepts are not as tangible as in other units, making it difficult for students to explore and observe the processes independently.

How AEF Helped:  Bringing Thermal Imaging to Life

What if students could observe and experiment with heat transfer through hands-on experimentation just like electricity or physics?  What if students were so engaged that they forgot they were learning? Through an Innovations in Education grant, 8th graders at Ottoson Middle School turn daily technology devices like iPads and cell phones into thermal imaging observation tools.  With the purchase of a set of thermal imaging adapters, the devices display thermal images using a free, manufacturer-developed app.

Students are now able to visualize heat sinks, heat sources and observe the flow of thermal energy in real time in a medium that is compelling and accessible.

Impact:  Engaging, Hands-On Learning

This technology allows the 8th grade Science teachers to expand and enrich the current curriculum and allow more independent, inquiry-based activities to complement traditional instruction. Students are able to observe and experiment with heat transfer through conduction, convection and radiation, and are able to observe good conductors and good insulators during lab activities.

Students get first-hand knowledge of thermal energy by observing every-day classroom objects such as lights (radiation), handprints (heat transfer), metal wires (conduction), hands under fabric (insulation) and even heating pipes through a wall.

The cameras are also used during the insulator device design challenge to identify whether the student devices are working as good insulators as well as whether heat leakage is occurring.

Safe & Supportive Schools

June 28, 2018

This district-wide grant will train over 300 Arlington Public Schools staff on Youth Mental Health First Aid, a program designed to teach anyone interfacing with youth how to help an adolescent who is experiencing a mental health or addiction challenge or who is in crisis.

“When we create a common vision, language and understanding of how to promote the mental health and well-being of our youth, support services are more focused and effective.”

Sara Burd, Arlington Public Schools Director of Social & Emotional Health and Guidance

The Challenge: Keeping our Students Mentally Healthy

Our students’ mental health is critically important because it helps determine how they handle stress, relate to others and make choices. According to mentalhealth.gov, “half of all mental health disorders show first signs before a person turns 14” (i.e. anxiety and eating disorders), and three quarters of mental health disorders begin before age 24 (i.e. substance abuse).

Recent Youth Risk Behavior Surveys at Arlington High School and the Ottoson Middle School show that mental health issues such as stress, low self-esteem, self-harm, sexual abuse and suicide contemplation/attempts are on the rise in our youth community.

How AEF Helped: Staff Training to Support our Youth

The Arlington Public Schools’ mission is to educate students holistically so that every child has the opportunity to achieve academic, emotional, social and vocational success. Attention to students’ mental health is one of the key elements to achieving this mission and is part of the district’s Safe & Supportive Schools Initiative.

AEF understands the relationship between behavioral health and school success, and committed to awarding the district $200,000 between 2017 and 2020 to support the district’s initiative.

As a first step, in 2017 a $100,485 AEF grant brought the Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) program to the district.

The Impact: Supporting Students, Reducing Referrals, Keeping Students in Class

By January 2019, over 300 staff – representing every school and every role from social workers to administrators – will have been trained on Youth Mental Health First Aid.

Youth Mental Health First Aid demystifies and de-stigmatizes youth mental health challenges and provides a basic understanding of what adolescent mental health looks like. During the training, participants gain confidence through role-play; responding to student needs by offering appropriate reassurance and guidance and obtaining skills in assessing risk of suicide or harm.

The program teaches how to help an adolescent who is experiencing a mental health or addiction challenge or who is in crisis. Discussion includes mental health signs and symptoms of anxiety, depression, substance abuse, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders.

For staff working with grades three through twelve, the training covers types of support from early intervention to guiding a student toward treatment. With AEF’s support, Arlington’s teachers have the tools they need to support all students, reduce referrals and keep more students in the classroom.