Oregon ACEI.

In the Fall of 2008, Oregon ACEI (OACEI) announced the establishment of the OACEI Beginning Teacher Classroom Enhancement Grant. Each year, minigrants of $250 are awarded to four beginning teachers (Pre-K-8th Grade) to help enhance the classroom and encourage optimal learning. This year, they had a number of excellent proposals. This year's recipients are:

* Rod Heiser, Gordon Russell Middle School, Portland. In his application, he stated, "I need books ... wonderful, challenging, eye-catching, mind-tingling books that will leap off my shelves and into the arms of my 7th-grade students."

* Kelly Herr, Clarkes Elementary, Mulino.

* Alicia Nicholl, Clark K-8 @ Binnsmead, Portland. She needed to purchase a classroom map because her students "have family on four continents." Alicia plans to use the map daily to engage her students in "lively, literate discussion in an interconnected world."

* Scott Ryan, Banks Elementary School, Banks. "The only ELL teacher in the Banks School District, Scott works with ELL children from K-12 grade. He requested funding to supply much-needed puzzles and manipulatives for his students."

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Another exciting OACEI project is the Freedom Camp (see photo above). Once again, OACEI joined with the Oregon Diversity Network to sponsor this one-day camp, held on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This educational event, open to children ages 5 through high school, teaches about the people, events, and music of the Civil Rights Movement, and about the efforts for social justice that continue today. This year the event took on a special meaning, as it occurred one day before the inauguration of Barack Obama. The focus of the day was on celebration, change, and challenge.