PSEA’s Innovative Teaching Grants program is designed to support educators in creating groundbreaking classroom projects. Jeff and Rachael chat with Amy Lightner, Chair of the program, and Anthony DeRosa, a grant recipient from the Lawrence County Career & Technical Center. Tune in to hear how DeRosa’s “Art Mart” is equipping economically disadvantaged students with entrepreneurial skills through a unique STEAM-based curriculum and learn about the opportunities and tips for applying to this prestigious grant to your own program.
PSEA’s Innovative Teaching Grants program is designed to support educators in creating groundbreaking classroom projects. Jeff and Rachael chat with Amy Lightner, Chair of the program, and Anthony DeRosa, a grant recipient from the Lawrence County Career & Technical Center. Tune in to hear how DeRosa’s “Art Mart” is equipping economically disadvantaged students with entrepreneurial skills through a unique STEAM-based curriculum and learn about the opportunities and tips for applying to this prestigious grant to your own program.
Do you have some feedback for us? Send an email to podcast@psea.org.
Learn more and watch for upcoming episodes at psea.org/podcast.
Voiceover:
Welcome to Duty Free Lunch, the official podcast of the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Join us as we unpack the issues that matter most to you, from cutting edge classroom strategies to thought-provoking policy discussions. If it impacts PSEA members, it's on the menu.
Jeff Ney:
Hello. Welcome to Duty Free Lunch. I am your PSEA vice president, Jeff Ney, and I am starting this podcast off with our treasurer, Rachael West. Rachael, how we doing today?
Rachael West:
I'm great. How are you, Jeff?
Jeff Ney:
I'm doing fantastic. To our listeners out there, unfortunately, President Chapin got pulled away to another meeting, so he couldn't be in town today, but Rachael and I found the keys to the podcast studio, so we're going to take it out for a spin ourselves. What do you think, Rach?
Rachael West:
I'm excited. I'm interested to see if we get in trouble or if we're allowed to do this again.
Jeff Ney:
Well, I think we should just make this a regular occurrence. I don't know about you guys because, today, we have some exciting guests on our podcast today because we're going to be exploring PSEA's Innovative Teaching Grant program. It's a fantastic innovation that supports educators across Pennsylvania in bringing creative, impactful projects to life inside our own classrooms. And we have two great guests here today to speak with us, Amy Lightner, the chair of the Innovative Teaching Grant programs and plays a key role in selecting the projects that receive funding each year. Hello, Amy. Welcome.
Amy Lightner:
Hello, Vice President Ney and Treasurer West. How are we doing?
Jeff Ney:
Oh, we are doing fantastic. And also joining us, we have Anthony DeRosa, one of this year's grant recipients. He is a teacher in the Lawrence County VoTech, and his project, the Art Mart, empowers economically disadvantaged students with entrepreneurial skills and a STEAM-based curriculum. So, welcome to you, Anthony. Thanks for joining us.
Anthony DeRosa:
Thank you, Jeff. Okay. We are the Lawrence County Career & Technical Center. We went under some new branding, and so, I'm sure it's all the same to some listeners, but we are the CTC now.
Jeff Ney:
Well, I am so glad that you corrected me because, yes, it is very important to make sure that those names are right. We will make sure that we make that correction in the future, but thank you so much for joining us here today.
Anthony DeRosa:
Oh, no worries. I'm glad to be here. Thank you for all you do.
Jeff Ney:
All right. So, hey, Rach, let's dive right in because we have a lot to cover as far as the Innovative Teaching Grants.
Rachael West:
So, I'm going to start with a question for Amy. Amy, can you start by giving our listeners an overview of the Innovative Teaching Grant program? What types of projects are eligible for these grants and who can apply?
Amy Lightner:
Well, any type of project is eligible to be considered. The most important thing is that you completely describe your program and complete all the application processes. Anyone who is a member of PSEA can apply. If you are a student PSEA member or a retired member, we ask that you work in conjunction with a school building or other member so that it is working towards our public schools, but anyone is eligible, and we are welcome to ... We want to consider any program that you have out there. Just you want to be on innovation, but innovation is different in every school district, and we know that across the state and from our conversations when reviewing these grants.
Jeff Ney:
And it's always great to know that any one of these projects could be eligible to win, just like we have. Anthony, again, congratulations on your win this year for your Innovative Teaching Grants, the Art Mart. So, why don't you tell us a little bit about the Art Mart and how the grant from the Innovative Teaching program has helped you out to make this thing a reality for your students?
Anthony DeRosa:
Sure. What the Art Mart is is it is a student run store that the products that we sell are all designed, original artworks from the students, and there's a variety of commercial art products that they make with their original designs, things like T-shirts, ceramic mug graphics, stickers, pins, hats. You name it. Pretty much anything you can put a graphic on, we make, and the teaching grant really helped us be able to afford the consumables because what we wanted to do with this initiative was really expand the possibilities of our existing ecosystem.
And we've been fortunate, as a school, to receive some other fundings to buy modern, state-of-the-art equipment for the commercial graphics industry, but every year, those pieces of equipment require the materials for the students to learn on them. And so, really, what the grant ... Part of what we used the money for was to purchase consumable materials for the students to make their products with, and then also some materials for them to be able to display and market their materials when they take it to the community for sale.
Rachael West:
Wow. That's really neat. I love the idea that your students are getting a chance to take their art and market that in a way. What inspired you to create the Art Mart? How did you come up with the idea of integrating the entrepreneurial skills with the STEAM education?
Anthony DeRosa:
Yeah. Well, originally, one thing that led me to kind of think of this was, in class, I think a lot of the times, we're simulating the real world. And it just seemed odd to me that I'm making these projects, and I'm theoretically saying, "You're designing for an apparel company, and we're going to make a T-shirt to be sold in this demographic." I said, "Why not just do it for real? Instead of making these projects theoretical, let's actually make these things."
And I was really inspired by ... Our school's about an hour north of Pittsburgh, and I'm not sure if any of you are familiar of the work by Bill Strickland, but he is a MacArthur Genius Award winner, and he has a great book, Making the Impossible Possible, that I read a lot and reference a lot in my teaching. And his whole philosophy is, if we provide world-class environments, we will produce world-class citizens.
Jeff Ney:
Oh, that's fantastic.
Anthony DeRosa:
And he's very big on giving students, even poor students, the very best of everything because he believes that we are all products of our environment, and beautiful environments produce beautiful citizens, and I couldn't agree more with him.
And so, what I really wanted to do was not only have this opportunity where students could sell work, but provide them a very professional and realistic experience. And what we found is, through doing that, it's really motivated the students to perform at a very professional level, and the entrepreneurial skills really come natural in that.
Another thing that I pulled from Bill is his neighborhood in Pittsburgh, where he started his original initiative, was impoverished, and different economic things took place that were unfortunate. And our area, our local area, was impacted the last 40 years by economic downturn. And so, it was very important to me as well that we inspire these students to understand that it doesn't matter where you come from. If you have the drive and the skills, anything is possible.
And so, everything we do through this store also is labeled on the packaging or on the back of our uniforms that we wear. Says, "Made in Lawrence County," because that's the other component is-
Jeff Ney:
Oh, that's great.
Anthony DeRosa:
... we want to build pride in our area. And so, the entrepreneurial skills come from the students managing all of the business aspects of this, from managing their inventory to reviewing their cost of goods versus their cost of materials and all of the accounting that takes place after the sales.
And then they are the ones making the decisions on how we reinvest the money that we've raised. We appoint from our seniors and our more advanced students ... I appoint a art director and several general managers, and, of course, I oversee everything in the end, but those students really take the ball and lead with the other students. So, it's 100% student-managed and run.
And as far as the STEAM component, I think the artistic process really has a lot of overlap in the scientific process and the engineering process. And what's happening is the products we're producing require certain equipment to be used, certain materials to be worked with, and a whole lot of consideration for these products to turn out in good enough quality to be sold at market. And so, the students have to do a ton of problem solving. An example of that that I can give you just off producing silk screen T-shirts is any multiple color silk screen T-shirt requires a different screen for each color.
Jeff Ney:
Right.
Anthony DeRosa:
That graphically presents challenges to the student in our design softwares that they then have to solve. Different materials, whether it be a hoodie or something that has a thicker material versus a thinner T-shirt material, that requires different considerations for how they set up their equipment on the press and, of course, how we finish some of the products.
So, no matter what the product is, there's a ton of problem solving that goes into it, and I think there's so much overlap between the artistic process and the engineering process and the scientific process. And what we really are trying to do is teach students how to think that way because I think if students are able to think like an artist, regardless of whether they go into an art career, that skill set that an artist needs, it serves them no matter what discipline they enter as an adult.
Jeff Ney:
That's great. Amy, I'll tell you what. Just listening to Anthony and that explanation, I mean, no wonder why he is one of our grant winners, but how about ... So, our, PSEA's Instructional & Professional Development group, IPD, if you guys go to your meetings, oftentimes, it's referred to as IPD. It does play a key role in selecting great people like Anthony and his Art Mart, but can you walk us through the ... how does your group select and how they choose which projects are given the rewards? Because I would assume there's so many out there that you have to choose from.
Amy Lightner:
Well, and anytime that we get grants, we get anywhere from seven to ... We've had as high as 20 grants to grade and score, and we've made it very methodical that we came up with a rubric for the different categories of things. And so, we score it by a rubric, and we go by the numbers, so the data tells us which it is. Some of the things that we look at is did they complete the application? Do they have support from their school district and their building that they're working in? We look at is it innovative? But, like I said before, innovative can look different depending on where you are in the state and what type of school you're in. We look at that description of the activities, and how is it going to impact our students? So, we look at all those. The rubric is available on the website. So, check the rubric out, and then fill out the application, and make sure you hit all those pieces on the rubric.
Jeff Ney:
And it's always important to understand. I mean, Rachael, Aaron, and I have traveled around the state. We've been so lucky to get into a lot of schools. We see some great things that are happening in all of our schools, and I know a lot of our listeners are out there saying, "Ah, what I do is just normal. It's just ordinary." No, it's not. I'm telling you guys. You have wonderful things that are ... you're putting on for your students.
Rachael West:
And that kind of leads into a question I wanted to ask, Amy. When you say "innovative instruction", what does "innovative" mean? Not specifically, but what makes something innovative, if you could even give us a couple examples of different things, maybe?
Amy Lightner:
Something that's a little bit different, or maybe we could say "cutting edge", something that's new and upcoming, a lot of our applications right now are STEAM or STEM-based, or the makerspace or Ozzybots or the technological side. A few years ago, a lot of our applications came from the flexible seating and ways to help students focus, so there's a great range. When you think about the special ed realm, there's a lot that could be included into those innovative grants that we look at. So, again, innovative is different based on what tools you have because a school that doesn't have the technology resources, innovative could be getting technology resources.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah. Great.
Rachael West:
Great. Apparently we're on the same wavelength.
Jeff Ney:
Yeah. Absolutely.
Rachael West:
We both said "great" at the same time. All right. Anthony, what advice would you give to other teachers or educators working in schools who are considering applying for the grant or launching their own initiative? And what would your suggestion be?
Anthony DeRosa:
Well, first, I would say, "Just go for it," for sure. The next bit of advice I would have would be the same advice I give my students, and that is, "Don't discount yourself." When I first started this job, there was a lot of need for funding and extra support. Our school's been very supportive of our program, but like most schools, we don't have all the resources that we need year to year. And so, when pursuing grants, just be ready to get rejected, and that's okay. Most of the grants that I've pursued, the questions that are asked are really similar. So, if you apply to something and get rejected, it's not like you wasted your time because whatever resources you've compiled, whatever notes you've taken, those could be recycled in future applications. And you just apply to everything you can, and whatever funding you get, you capitalize on as best you can. So, again, I would say, "Don't discount yourself, and just go for it."
Jeff Ney:
We are absolutely very proud of all of these grants, simply because they are for educators. They're given the awards by educators and going through that whole grant process. So, Amy, we actually have a deadline for our Innovative Teaching Grants coming up relatively soon, February 1st, right?
Amy Lightner:
February 1st, every year.
Jeff Ney:
February 1st, every year. So, what advice, other than what Anthony said, "Hey, give it a shot. What's the worst that could happen?" What would you offer for those looking to apply? And are there any common mistakes or pitfalls that some applications have fallen into in the past that you can try to cut that off right now?
Amy Lightner:
Sure thing. So, apply now. You can send that application in any time. It doesn't have to be close to the February deadline. If you've got an idea, write it now because I know if you're like me, you put it off, and then it goes to the bottom of the pile. Do it now. So, if you've got an idea, and it can be anything, please just put it in writing, and follow the directions on the application. I think educators are sometimes the worst at following all those directions. Make sure that you include a timeline of when do you plan to implement it. If you've already implemented, we need to be aware of that. If you have other funding sources, please include that. Also, make sure that you give us an itemized list of the things that you need to purchase. And if you can just screenshot it and add it to your application, the best way to apply is scan that whole document in neatly and send it to Katie Lewis at PSEA.
Jeff Ney:
So, they could also email Katie Lewis at klewis@psea to get the application, but could they find it also online?
Amy Lightner:
The application is online, and the whole thing is there that you can fill it out electronically and then just scan your supplemental information that you have to add. And Katie Lewis, as Jeff already said, is the recipient. And she puts it in a folder for us as IPD so that we can take a look at it, and then we meet together and score them all and then submit our names to the board.
Jeff Ney:
And shame on me for not having the website written down here, but I'm assuming it's psea.org/innovativeteachinggrants.
Amy Lightner:
I think it's ITG.
Jeff Ney:
ITG, so psea.org/itg.
Rachael West:
Okay. So, Anthony, we have a question for you about what your hopes are for the future of Art Mart. How do you see this program evolving and in continuing to impact your students moving forward?
Anthony DeRosa:
Yeah. So, one thing that's been really great, we're in the second year now of this initiative, is the new students, the younger students are witnessing everything happen. So, that is motivating them to really dig into our curriculum and learn and get involved and submit their designs for approval in the hopes that their designs might become products. And what I'd really like to see as we continue to build this initiative is I'd like to work with our business office to figure out the logistics of, "Can we take this thing beyond our local area and beyond our local county?"
A long-term goal I have for this is to eventually have our own page on our school's website, where anyone in the continental US could order my students' products so that we could essentially start every Monday morning, just like any other commercial company, where we go in. We look at our orders. We fulfill those orders, and we get those products to the customer. So, again, just taking that real world experience that we're doing on a small scale in the shop and really branching out and scaling it as big as we can take it.
Jeff Ney:
Wow. That sounds great, and I want to go back real quick. So, for the Lawrence County Career & Technical Center, what school districts feed into the Lawrence County CTC?
Anthony DeRosa:
Sure. There's eight school districts in our county. We have New Castle, Laurel, Ellwood City, Neshannock, Shenango, New Wilmington, Union, and Mohawk.
Jeff Ney:
Wow. Fantastic.
Anthony DeRosa:
I believe I named all eight.
Jeff Ney:
Wow. That is a great diversity. And so, for those listeners out there, that is our Midwestern region group of school districts that are out there as far as that goes, and that is absolutely fantastic that you have all of those students able to come there all together and be able to create these projects.
Rachael West:
Okay.
Anthony DeRosa:
It is really wonderful. It's a great melting pot of our area at our school. And then that also helps our initiative, too, because these products are ... Each student's bringing their own experience from where they are. There's a lot of similarities in Lawrence County, but there's also a lot of differences, and we celebrate those too.
Jeff Ney:
That's fantastic.
Rachael West:
So, our grant winners are invited to the PSEA House of Delegates in May to receive their awards officially. Amy, can you tell us a little bit about what that event is like and why it's significant for the winners?
Amy Lightner:
Oh, it's so exciting. I love meeting the grant recipients because we've only read about them and kind of learned a little bit, but meeting Anthony brought a whole nother picture to our ... the grant that we're donating this money to. So, they get to come to the House of Delegates and experience the House of Delegates, and many of our grant winners have never been there to the big house and seen the business of the association. And they can bring family, and some of them bring their children, so they all get to experience and come up on stage and receive their award and meet our executive officers.
Jeff Ney:
Well, and, obviously, that's the best part of the whole thing, meeting the executive officers. The grant award is not just a plaque. I mean, obviously, Anthony's already talked about the funding that comes along with it. What could potential winners of these innovative grants receive?
Amy Lightner:
They can win up to $1,500 towards their projects. Yeah.
Jeff Ney:
Is there a limit for how many entries year after year? Can they submit a different entry year after year?
Amy Lightner:
We have never put a limit, and we've had multiple folks apply year after year, and we've had a couple who have won multiple years because they've remembered to complete the entire application and submitted innovative ideas.
Jeff Ney:
Oh, wow.
Rachael West:
That's awesome.
Jeff Ney:
That's fantastic. Hey, Rachael, I know, again, Aaron's not here, but we can't do a podcast without a pop quiz.
Rachael West:
Yes. Do I get to do the pop quiz this time?
Jeff Ney:
You get to do the pop quiz today.
Rachael West:
Excellent. All right. This pop quiz is for Amy. Can you tell us one or a few of your most interesting or surprising Innovative Teaching Grant awards?
Amy Lightner:
Well, that's hard because I've been on the council for quite a long time and have been with Innovative Teaching Grant for many, many years, but I do have to say the most interesting that we've had over the past few years was ... It was a special ed IU classroom that wanted to set up a functioning kitchen. So, they wanted to get the pots, the pans, the dish drainer, everything so they could simulate the home to give students the experience of caring for their kitchen at home.
Jeff Ney:
Oh, wow.
Rachael West:
That's awesome.
Jeff Ney:
Fantastic.
Rachael West:
Like you said about the difference between some places having ... it being innovation in one place and maybe not in another, we had an apartment in our ... in the high school where I worked where it ... We had a kitchen, living room, even a bed where they could practice making beds. So, that's something that was already happening in my high school, but in someplace else, they needed the Innovative Teaching Grant to support that, and I'm so glad that PSEA could offer that.
Amy Lightner:
Exactly.
Jeff Ney:
Wow. I would love to be able to keep going on this podcast, but, unfortunately, that does it. I guess the bell rang in Anthony's school. So, that pretty much does it for our time here. Our today's guests have been the Innovative Teaching Grants Chair Amy Lightner and ITG winner from Lawrence County Career & Technical Center, Teacher Anthony DeRosa. Thank you both for joining us here today.
Amy Lightner:
Thanks for having us.
Anthony DeRosa:
Thank you. It was a pleasure.
Jeff Ney:
And thanks to all our listeners for tuning in. Hey, do you have some feedback for us? Please share it by sending us an email to podcast@psea.org. Maybe you want some advice from Aaron since he's not here. You want to do a little bit.
Rachael West:
Maybe Aaron has some good advice.
Jeff Ney:
Oh, maybe he does. Maybe he could send in while he's on the road. Well, no, don't use your cell phone while you're on the road, Aaron. So, I am Jeff Ney.
Rachael West:
And I'm Rachael West.
Jeff Ney:
And you have been listening to Duty Free Lunch. Bye for now.
Voiceover:
You've been listening to Duty Free Lunch with the Pennsylvania State Education Association. Visit psea.org/podcast to learn more, and don't forget to subscribe and share. Paid for by the Pennsylvania State Education Association.