FOUNTAIN VALLEY : High School Wins Technology Grant

Fountain Valley High School has won a $63,000 technology grant from the state Department of Education. The money will be used to buy new equipment, such as computers, and for teacher training.

The project that won the award involves making “changes in our curriculum and the way we deliver instruction to students,” Assistant Principal Carol Osbrink said. She said that a specific goal will be to link the teaching of English and social studies using computers and other technology.

Osbrink said a common teaching theme would be selected for the two classes. “An example might be the theme of ethics,” she said. “We’d make a thematic instruction project out of ethics, and students in English classes would read literature on the subject while students in social studies would research historical cases involving ethics.”

Computers and laser disks would enable both students and teachers to gather vast amounts of information on theme subjects, Osbrink said.

“Teaching this will not only make connections between two subjects but also connect to real things students can relate to and understand,” Osbrink said.

David Hagen, superintendent of the Huntington Beach Union High School District, which includes Fountain Valley High, praised Principal Gary Ernst and Fountain Valley High for winning the grant. “It is very significant because competition is intense for these grants,” Hagen said.