BUSINESSES HONOR WORK OF VENTURA COUNTY TEACHERS.

Byline: Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

Teachers across Ventura County are developing innovative strategies for kindergarten through high school classrooms and gaining recognition in the process from business sponsors.

The fourth annual Impact program recognized 54 teachers with 37 individual and team-teaching grants totaling $17,600 at an awards dinner in Oxnard on Wednesday.

Those classroom strategies are published in a catalog made available at public schools across the county to encourage other teachers to share ideas, said Phil Palbaum, the retired school administrator who coordinates the recognition program.

``We only give out based on quality. Those were the ones that passed the screening,'' he said.

Impact is a national program that relies entirely on business and corporate sponsors to support grants for the best and brightest teachers. Individual teachers receive $400 grants and teaching teams receive $600 grants.

The program is organized locally by the Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Office and the Ventura County Economic Development Association under a contract with Palbaum.

Teachers appreciate the recognition, said one of the Moorpark elementary school teachers awarded grants this year.

``I think teachers have a lot of innovative ideas, but we don't get recognized,'' said Michele Endres, who received a team-teaching grant with Rick Yancey for their work at Flory School. ``The purpose is to spread the ideas.''

The team was recognized for a physical fitness program linking a regular class with a class of severely handicapped students each month. The program helps students learn to work cooperatively with handicapped schoolmates.

A panel of teachers, business partners and PTA representatives select the winning entries based on creativity, adaptability to other classrooms, and whether they fit within established curriculum.

The program has grown each year. During the program's first three years, 79 teachers received a total of $62,000.

More business and corporate sponsors are needed to meet the increasing number of innovative classroom strategies rewarded with grants. Two dozen business and corporate sponsors supported this year's grants.

Palbaum said the program has an important selling point: ``All of the money collected for teacher grants goes right to the teachers. So the money stays in Ventura County.''

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IMPACT II AWARD WINNERS

The following is a listing of the East Ventura County teachers who received grants in the fourth annual Impact II program recognizing innovative classroom strategies. Individual teachers received $400 grants and teaching teams received $600 grants. The program is coordinated by the Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Office and the Ventura Economic Development Association and supported by funding from 24 business partners.

Debbie Moore, Camarillo Heights School, Camarillo: ``A Cloak for a Dreamer.'' Weaving mathematics, literature, art and social studies, students learn to think critically and work together to solve math problems.

Ingrid Berman, Sycamore Elementary School, Simi Valley: ``Ferris Wheels and Merry-Go-Rounds.'' The geometry project has students work in teams and use art skills.

Denise Grap/Deni Lopez, Park View Center, Simi Valley: ``Camping With Your Class for Less Than $15.'' Inspired by the Coastal Wetlands Project, students work in motivating and diverse curricular activities in school and while camping.

Frank Phillips, Moorpark High School, Moorpark: ``Flight - Getting Off the Ground.'' The nine-week science course gives ninth graders experience with physics, aerodynamics and biology of flight in living organisms and machines.

Kathy West, Chaparral Middle School, Moorpark: ``Students in Stitches.''Students design, cut and sew symbols chosen after a study of the Civil War and form quilts.

Debi Miller, Las Colinas School, Camarillo: ``Drum Taps - The Civil War Through Its Music.'' Students research the Civil War to learn about people and events and demonstrate what they have learned.

Rebecca Coger, Red Oak Elementary School, Oak Park: ``Dinosaurs: We Dig 'Em.'' Using literature and writing, students correspond with a paleontologist to develop critical thinking skills as they prepare for a fossil dig.

Darilyn DeMaria/Alice Quiros, Flory School, Moorpark: ``Quality Is a Hamburger.'' Students of all ages learn importance of quality control through lessons involving the familiar hamburger.

Deborah Kolodney, Moorpark High School, Moorpark: ``The Strain that Strained to Survive.'' Integrating English and science, students are challenged to think critically and use charts, sonnets and other innovative aids.

Ginger Brandenburg/Donna Fulgham, Moorpark High School, Moorpark: ``Literary Hall of Fame.'' Students critically evaluate positive and negative impacts of characters from literature read during the school year with achievements recognized at the end of the year.

Donna Fulgham, Moorpark High School, Moorpark: ``Build Your Own City.'' Working in groups, students create cities including specific types of government, commerce, arts and cultural information, and predict how characters from a piece of literature would survive.

Judith Harrington, Las Colinas School, Camarillo: ``Poem in Your Pocket Week.'' Students carry their favorite poems with them at all times to heighten their interest in poetry.

Maureen Carey, Las Colinas School, Camarillo: ``Alakazam - It's a Museum.'' Students transform their classroom into a museum of ancient cultures as a culminating activity for a history unit.

Rick Yancey/Michele Endres, Flory School, Moorpark: ``Physical Fitness Carnival.'' Students in regular classrooms develop games adapted for severely handicapped students in a carnival setting to promote mutual respect and friendships.

Kathleen Broder, Las Colinas School, Camarillo: ``I Love Your Outfit

Students learn to speak Spanish through progressively difficult lessons based on clothing.

Bonnie Wascher, Mesa School, Somis: ``Walking Many Moons in Their Moccasins.'' Journeying through early American history, students learn to appreciate American-Indian culture through group research and a schoolwide presentation.

Sharon Jordan, Las Colinas School, Camarillo: ``Biome, Biome, It's Off to . . .'' Working in cooperative groups, students become experts of major land and aquatic regions of the world using computer databases and multi-media presentations.

Sue Walden, Red Oak Elementary School, Oak Park: ``Ethnic Garden of the Chumash Native Americans.'' Combining literature and environmental studies, students touch, smell and discuss plants used by American Indians, including grinding, cutting and using the plants.

Robin Byrne/Patricia McLoughlin, Los Primeros Structured School, Camarillo: ``Radishes and Rutabagas Deserve Respect, Too.'' Students develop an understanding of fruits and vegetables produced in Ventura County, as well as dwindling natural resources.

John Kohlmeier/Mary Schultz/Karl Thieme, Sinaloa Junior High School, Simi Valley: ``Saving Planet Earth.'' Students study environmental problems by creating newsletters and a public service video commercial.

Sharon Harada/Jean Stahl, Tierra Linda School, Camarillo: ``Pumpkins - Much More Than a Jack-o-Lantern.'' By growing pumpkins from seeds, students learn about science, earth and the life cycle.

Mary Schultz, Sinaloa Junior High School, Simi Valley: ``M&M's, A Mini-Model Museum and Magazine or the `Schultzonian.' '' Students construct a museum, decorate it, and publish a magazine from a period of history.

Carol Brummett, Big Springs School, Simi Valley: ``Happy Birthday Ice Cream Cone.'' Students develop sills in a variety of subject areas in comparing today's world with past centuries.

Joan Issari/Lauren Hartford, El Rancho Structured School, Camarillo: ``The First Americans.'' Students gain appreciation for American-Indian cultures by examining customs, values, likenesses and differences.

JoAnn Tennyson, Los Primeros Structured School, Camarillo: ``Reading, 'Riting and Rock and Roll.'' To promote reading, students complete two book reports dealing with music and either sing about the book or create a compact disc case relating to the books.

Jane Sweetland, Las Colinas School, Camarillo: ``Just the Facts, Please.'' Combining language arts and social studies, students learn differences between facts and inferences, points of view and bias.

Rita Neumeister/Jane Sweetland, Las Colinas School, Camarillo: ``X Marks the Spot.'' Students develop creative problem-solving skills in learning about plot development, sentence structure and content.

Sandra Hayes, Las Colinas School, Camarillo: ``Poetry in Motion.'' Students demonstrate knowledge of poetry using multimedia technology in cooperative learning groups.

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Box: IMPACT II AWARD WINNERS (see text)