Elementary School Chosen for Grant

COLTON>> Cooley Ranch Elementary School in Colton has been chosen as the recipient of Colton Joint Unified School District’s first $30,000 21st Century Library Media Center Grant. Cooley Ranch was chosen from among 12 district elementary schools that submitted proposals for the grant. A committee made up of representatives from the Association of Colton Educators (ACE), the California School Employees Association (CSEA) as well as Superintendent Jerry Almendarez and members of his Executive Cabinet selected the winning proposal. “We are proud of Cooley Ranch and all of the outstanding CJUSD educators who worked so hard to prepare grant proposals,” Almendarez said. “All of the submissions showed thoughtfulness, creativity, and, more importantly, a genuine passion for teaching and ensuring that our students have the very best 21st Century learning environments possible. We are excited to see this dream become a reality.” The grant will help Cooley to fund its vision for a new library that will serve student needs now and into the future. Improvements should be completed in time for the beginning of the 2017-18 school year. The Cooley plan includes an “Inspired Learning Commons” with flexible seating and a technology-rich environment; digital literacy resources such as Chrome Books, desktop computers, printers and a large-screen monitor; and Destiny Quest, a digital library catalog that will allow for 24/7 research and learning. There will also be an app available that will allow families to access digital library resources from home. The library will also include opportunities for students to learn about the library at their middle school – Terrace Hills – and to communicate with the middle school librarian via video chat using Google Hangout, so that students will be comfortable and familiar with the Terrace Hills library once they move forward to middle school. The new library will also include opportunities for students to explore career pathways, and there will be a “mobile makerspace” where students can explore creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills and broaden their knowledge in the areas of science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM).