Congratulations to Edna Maguire teacher Lindsay Caruso and her team of second grade teachers, as well as fifth grade teachers Teresa Shern and Aubrey Bowen for winning Kiddo! Mini-Grants! Thanks to your generous donations, Kiddo! is able to offer annual grants to our teachers to foster innovative teaching programs in their classrooms. This year, Kiddo! and a team of district teachers reviewed 22 proposals and awarded over $15,000 for 13 different programs across the district's six schools.

The second-grade team's winning program is an in-depth look at change and stability through art in the garden. "Thanks to the money from our Kiddo! grant and the PTA's Innovative Teaching Fund, the second graders will be able to create a garden scrapbook using different art mediums: water color, oil pastels, chalk pastels, and collage. We combine the curricular areas of poetry, thanks to our visiting poetry teacher Sasha Sanchez; art, thanks to Jackie LaLanne and our visiting teacher Catherine Heagerty; and science to create a product that documents the change of seasons in the garden from September to May," explained Lindsay Caruso.

Fifth-grade teachers Teresa Shern and Aubrey Bowen were once again awarded a grant to put on the ever-popular America Sings performance. "We are so thankful for the Kiddo! mini-grant," said Shern. "America Sings has become not only a 5th-grade tradition but an integral part of our curriculum, bringing social studies to life. The communication, cooperation, and performance skills our students gain through the process are invaluable. We couldn't imagine a school year without it!"

Kiddo! also awarded grants to the elementary schools' libraries to purchase a series of pop-up books and KIDDO! music teacher, Nora Thomas, will use her grant to bring the EOS Ensemble to the elementary schools for two classical music concerts.

"We are extremely fortunate to be able to enhance our children's already rich curricula with these creative programs," said Trisha Garlock, Kiddo!'s executive director. "But none of it would be possible without the incredible support of our parents and community at large," she added.

For more information on the Kiddo! Mini-Grant program and this year's recipients, please visit www. Kiddo.org or call the Kiddo! office at 389-7789.