Christine Essig

School Library Media Specialist

Chicago Middle School

Helping Hand Grant Proposal

Project Description and Needs Assessment
Chicago Middle School is a private school located in downtown Chicago, currently
educating 250 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students. While student achievement and test
scores remain above average, the faculty and administration are concerned that students are
not performing to their full potential. For students to thrive, it is crucial that they feel safe and
welcome at school. In recent years, the Chicago Middle School community has been
experiencing increasing incidents of bullying among students. The faculty and administration of
Chicago Middle School are committed to bettering the lives of their students. They are ready to
take a stand against abuse, and promote a respectful environment for everyone. The eighth
grade teachers at Chicago Middle School are implementing a bullying prevention program they
have titled, Road to Respect. This school year (2014-2015), the faculty will be introducing their
students to an ongoing unit about respect and acceptance.

Chicago Middle School would like to invite the Helping Hand Foundation to participate
in our Road to Respect program to help prevent bullying and other negative behavior. The Road
to Respect program aims to encourage students, celebrate diversity in the classroom, and
promote a safe and welcoming school environment. We believe that building strong classroom

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communities of diverse learners will promote a sense of shared goals and a mutual respect and
appreciation of one another.

The goal of this initiative is to familiarize students with their classmates and help them
to gain an understanding of one anothers diverse backgrounds, personalities, and interests.
With the assistance of the Helping Hand Foundation, we believe that we can better this unit by
incorporating technology. Currently, our school does not own any handheld recording devices,
which enhance instruction and foster student creativity. We are seeking $1,250 to purchase five
Sony handheld camcorders with accessories. Students will be able to use these camcorders to
create anti-bullying videos to share with the school community.

Program Participants
While the Road to Respect program is a school-wide initiative, the eighth grade students
will be creating the anti-bullying videos using the camcorders. The videos will be shared with
the rest of the school community during an all-school assembly. This unit will involve 80 eighth
grade students, three eighth grade teachers, and the school library media specialist.

Impact
The eighth grade students completing this project will gain an abundance of
experiences. This particular project will promote collaboration and communication between
diverse individuals. Students with different abilities, and from various cultural backgrounds,
will work together to produce their final product. While collaborating with their peers, the
students will be able to express themselves creatively. They will also be developing their

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technology skills, making them more successful 21st Century learners in the process. Finally,
the will gain social interaction and leadership skills by presenting their projects to other
students. The Road to Respect program will make a difference in the personal and academic
lives of these students.

The goal of this project is to create a safe school environment for all students, so the
entire Chicago Middle School community will benefit from this project. The eighth grade
students will benefit greatly from carrying out the assignments, but they will certainly not be
the only individuals affected by this program. The intention is that the eighth grade students
will impact the rest of the school community in respecting each other by sharing their antibullying videos and through leading by example. In doing so, students will gain knowledge and
appreciation of those who may be somewhat different from themselves.

Design
The anti-bullying video project will be conducted over the course of one month. Eighth
grade students will be divided into groups of 5 students each. They will collaborate to develop
a specific message and story to portray in their video. Groups will then use class time to film
and edit their videos. Individuals will be assessed on their final product, as well as by
evaluations completed by their fellow group members.

Common Core State Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and
expressing their own clearly.

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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.5
Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen
claims and evidence, and add interest.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.6
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English
when indicated or appropriate.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the
text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective
summary of the text.
Budget Request
Chicago Middle School is seeking monetary assistance of $1,250 from the Helping Hands
Foundation. The funds will go toward purchasing five Sony Handycam HDR-CX240 camcorders
with bundles. Each bundle includes the camcorder, carrying case, memory cards, a tripod,
battery charger, screen protector, and lighting. The camcorders plus accessories are available
from Amazon for $250 each.
$250 per camcorder X 5 camcorders = $250 total
Local Contribution and Collaboration
The students will be using computers in the school library, as well as video editing
software that is already available on the computers. The school library media specialist will
master the new equipment, and provide training for staff and students. The teachers are
willing to attend an hour of training during a professional development day.

Timeline
September 17-26, 2014: 8th grade teachers will introduce the unit on bullying. In the library
media center, eighth grade students will research bullying, and fill out a digital graphic
organizer. They will share their findings with their peers.

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October 6, 2014: In their English classes, students will begin reading the book, Wonder by R.J.
Palacio, which has themes of awareness and acceptance. Students will complete several
activities with this book.
November 10-29, 2014: In social studies classes, students will watch videos and listen to stories
of real people who have been bullied. They will complete activities and be asked how they can
relate the the stories they have heard.
December 1, 2014: The school library media specialist will receive the Sony camcorders and
become familiar with the device. She will create a presentation to share with faculty and
students, showing them how to use the camcorders and accessories.
December 9, 2014: The school library media specialist will share her presentation on how to
use the camcorders as part of a professional development day.
December 15-19, 2014: The school library media specialist will present a instructional video, as
well as a hands-on demonstration, to show students how to work the camcorder. Students will
spend the remainder of the time taking turns and getting familiar with the technology.
January 5, 2015: When students return from winter break, they will be divided into their groups
for the anti-bullying video project. They will begin to plan their videos together. Filming and
editing will take place over the month of January.
February 4, 2015: During the first week of February, students will present their videos to their
fellow eighth grade peers in the library media center. They will finalize their projects, and vote
for which 3 videos they would like the whole school to see.
February 13, 2015: Students will present the favorite 3 videos to the school community at an
all-school assembly focused on the Road to Respect program.
Promotion
Chicago Middle School will promote the Road to Respect program on the school website
and in the school newsletters throughout the year. We will acknowledge our partnership with
the Helping Hand Foundation, and share our gratitude for their generous assistance with our
program. When the videos are finished, they will be posted to the school website for the entire
community to view.

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Sustainability
The Road to Respect program was created with the intention of bettering the lives of
the students of Chicago Middle School through providing a safe and accepting place to learn
and grow. We are confident that this program will be successful, and that it will continue to be
a large aspect of the curriculum in years to follow. Each year, the eighth grade students will
learn to use the camcorders to creatively demonstrate what they have learned about respect
and community. Besides the Road to Respect program, the camcorders will be kept in the
library media center and can be used by classroom teachers and students for other projects as
well. All teachers and students will complete a training session before they can use the
equipment.

Press Release
Chicago Middle School is proud to share this update of our Road to Respect program.
The Road to Respect program is a school-wide initiative designed to celebrate student diversity,
promote a sense of community, and put an end to bullying. Thanks to a generous donation
from the Helping Hand Foundation, we were able to provide our students with handheld
camcorders in order to make videos that express our schools message of tolerance and
acceptance. The Chicago Middle School community has been working hard to make this
program a success! For more information and to check out the eighth graders anti-bullying
videos, visit our school website at www.chicagoms.com!

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