FHS Human Biology Lab Supplies

High School Science teacher, Ms. Christine Groff has been awarded a grant through the Fairview School Foundation to purchase sensors and probes for her Human Biology course. These cutting edge tools bring the science material to life. And when the students can experience these unique labs first hand, a better understanding of the material is achieved. The Foundation funded this project through EITC donations.

FES Grade 4 Space Camp Kickoff

The fourth grade began the 2019-20 school year with a Space Camp theme kickoff.  The Foundation provided a grant to fund engaging learning activities that focused on the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing, July 20, 1969.  Students completed nonfiction comprehension activities using the books, “Who was Neil Armstrong”, purchased locally at Pressed, and participated in a presentation from Penn State Behrend Professor, Jim Gavio, about constellations, the moon, and recent discoveries in space.  Also, as part of this grant, students visited the mobile planetarium, provided by Yahn Planetarium, and they constructed the phases of the moon using Oreo cookies, charts, and a PowerPoint presentation.  What a fun way to learn about space!  Congratulations to the fourth grade team!

FHS Corner Cafe

The High School library is now home to the “Corner Café”, a coffee café run by Mrs. Yatsko’s special needs students.  The Foundation provided the start-up items needed to create and initially supply the café.  Mrs. Yatsko’s students will be the main employees of the Corner Café.  With this opportunity, her students will have many authentic experiences which will provide them with the skills they need to have an independent future and basic job readiness such as: social skills, money skills, advertising, dependability and responsibility, hygiene, and working as a team.  Congratulations to Mrs. Yatsko and her students – have a great school year!

FMS Strumming and Singing with the Ukulele

Strumming and Singing with the Ukulele is an opportunity for students to learn and explore an instrument that has a gentle learning curve. This beginner program teaches students how to play the Ukulele in a fun manner; learning popular songs as well as traditional tunes. The program will be offered in exploratory for up to 10 students each 6 week session.  The Ukulele can be used to play many types of music  from around the world: blues, rock, jazz, and even classical.  It is an instrument in which students can learn to play songs they are familiar with in ways they can connect to everyday experiences and motivate them outside the classroom.

As an exploratory class, the students will not be evaluated but they will have the opportunity to take quizzes and label worksheets electronically at their discretion, and individual opportunities to test playing the songs the class has learned.

The Foundation funded this project through EITC donations.

FES Sensory Wall


The following mini grant is for a new sensory wall station set to be integrated within the primary autistic support classroom (K-2) at Fairview Elementary School.  This sensory wall set will include six separate panels that focus on the following skills:

Panel 1:  Tactile numbers and light switch
Panel 2:  Buckles, mazes, and velcro/tying practice
Panel 3:  Movement, sound, visual hourglass
Panel 4:  Season maze
Panel 5:  Four different fasteners, shape manipulation
Panel 6:  Xylophone, Clock, Letter recognition

Through interactive play and instruction, there are a number of benefits for students with autism in a multi-sensory environment. The staff will be looking closely to see if overtime there are improvements in focus, socialization, cognitive development, and motor skills.

FMS Silk Screen Printing

Middle school teacher, Mr. Stephen Blose, was awarded a mini-grant from the Foundation for his silk screen printing program. Students will be silk screening their creative designs on fabric, wood or paper to develop their artistic and creative skills. Students will be taught the steps to create their unique designs digitally and then transfer those designs to their screens. Once developed, the students will be able to screen print their designs onto textiles, crafts, or paper. The goal of the project is to inspire students to create their own unique designs and inspire young minds to become more creative and unique. Students may develop the skills to create a design that could be mass produced for the student body to wear for a unified purpose.

Students will be evaluated on their ability to take an idea and successfully transfer that idea into a unique, real-life artifact. Students will also be self-evaluated to determine whether their design matched their initial idea.

The Foundation funded this project through EITC donations.

FMS FHS Wazer Water Jet for Manufacturing and Design Curriculum

The Foundation has partnered with the School District to bring a Wazer Water Jet to our Middle School's Manufacturing Lab. The objective of this project is to provide students the opportunity to use real world automated machinery that will help them develop the skills and understanding necessary for future careers in the manufacturing industry. This will be the first machine to allow students to precision cut metals, composites, and plastics.

The Fairview School District is excited about the potential of offering student learning in the following areas:

1. Manufacturing

a. G-code programming and application

b. Pattern cutting

c. Precision manufacturing of custom tools

d. Cutting/shaping various materials (Metals, Plastics, Marble, Glass)

2. Engineering and Robotics

a. Constructing test rigs for engineering projects

b. Building scale models of CADD projects

c. Prototyping complex gears for mechanical advantage analysis

d. Prototyping robotics parts

Students at the middle school and high school will be benefiting from the new equipment through curriculum and implementation in class projects. This hands-on opportunity will greatly enhance the experience of understanding manufacturing, develop student problem solving skills, and incorporate safety procedures and proper machining practices.

The Foundation funded this project through EITC donations.

FES - Kindergarten Readiness Kits

The Foundation is proud once again to be able to purchase Kindergarten readiness kits for all of our new “Tigers” that will starting school in the fall. These kits have great information and skill building tools that students and parents can work on together to ensure a successful start to their career at Fairview.  The kits include a usable draw-string bag, magnetic numbers and letters, scissors, a book about Kindergarten, crayons, book of construction paper, and useful information about the Kindergarten teachers and other staff, as well as policies, procedures and expectations at Fairview Elementary School.

The Foundation funded this project through EITC donations.

FHS - Virtual Reality Oculus Quest

This grant was approved to bring Virtual Reality into the art classes of Barbara Wegner and Nicole Daley.  Students now have the ability to create their art in a 3D world. This new emergent technology is another innovative tool the Foundation has brought to the District to inspire our students and to help them explore new platforms.  The integration of virtual reality tools into Art, Media, and Technology-based courses will expand the STEAM/STEM programs at the Fairview School District.  Click here if you would like to see a demonstration.

The Foundation funded this project through EITC donations.