Auburn School District No. 408
915 4th Street Northeast, Auburn, WA  98002

3/22/07

NEWS RELEASE
Hazelwood Elementary School Teacher Wins
National Best Buy Grant

Karianne Stinson, a third grade teacher at Hazelwood Elementary School, won a $2,500 Best Buy Teach Award to integrate interactive technology in her classroom curricula.

Ms. Stinson will use the funds to enhance her reading and writing programs. She has purchased digital cameras for her storytelling unit. Students will take photos and then use them to tell a story. She has also purchased photo editing software for students and the yearbook club to use so that products, like the yearbook, can be designed digitally.

Ms. Stinson has also purchased an iPod and microphone piece for her reading fluency unit. The students can listen and record themselves while they read. This helps students better gauge their progress and identify areas they need more practice.

Finally Ms. Stinson was able to purchase a notebook computer to provide a central location where students can use all of the new technology. The students can download their recordings, edit photos and so on.

Ms. Stinson is always looking for ways to better engage her students. “Anything I can do to improve their skills while making the work fun and exciting is going to be successful in my book!”

Best Buy started the Teach Award Program in October 2003 to reward schools that creatively integrate interactive technology into their curricula. All accredited, public and private nonprofit elementary, middle and secondary schools located within 50 miles of a Best Buy store are eligible to apply. Awards of $2,500 were given to 1,300 schools to sustain or enhance existing educational programs.

For more information contact Amy Spence, public information officer, at (253) 931-4713.