St. Monica School recently received a $20,000 grant from local non-profit, the Garneau-Nicon Family Foundation.

The grant was used to fund a week-long intensive STEM/project-based learning training for all St. Monica teachers and staff. In partnership with the University of Washington, UW trainers worked with teachers while making curriculum recommendations.

As part of the first phase of the STEM integration in which the school is adopting, St. Monica teachers will begin to gradually implement a project-based learning approach across grades Pre-K through eighth in the 2014-15 school year. It will focus on increased teacher collaboration to plan and support instruction, as well as student collaboration to participate in concrete, hands-on experiences.

The goal is to teach students how to solve real-life problems through collaboration with their peers, learning through hands-on projects, conducting research and engaging various forms of technology to support their work.

By having a solid understanding of math, science, engineering and technology, students will be better equipped to handle high school and college-level curriculums.

The Garneau-Nicon Family Foundation, also known as the Gar-Nic Foundation, was established in 2011 and makes grants available in March and August of each year. According to its website, grants for religious, literary, scientific, educational, medical and artistic purposes, as well as other self-improvement efforts, are considered.

Classes at St. Monica School begin Sept. 3. For more, go to www.stmonicasea.org.

MI Graduates

Eight Islanders have graduated from Western Washington University, Spring Quarter, 2014:

• Roxanne Noelle Ewing earned a BA in English-Creative Writing.

• Garrett Roberts Goldstein earned a BA degree in Business Administration.

• Mariko Cynthia Hamp earned a BA in Psychology

• Timothy C. Hemker earned a MED in School Counseling

• Brady Patrick Regan earned a BS degree in Plastics Engineering Technology

• Alexandra Elias Sharman earned a BA in Political Science

• Helen Kelley Strausz received a MA Speech- Language Pathology

• Mindon Saw-Paul Win earned a BA in Journalism – with a Visual Journalism emphasis.