Add as a preferred source on Google

Pittsburg Unified School District Receives Prestigious Golden Bell Award

  • 12/04/17

Pittsburg, Calif. – Pittsburg Unified School District (PUSD) takes home its first Golden Bell Award for “Garden to Classroom STEAM Instructional Strategies,” at the 2017 California School Boards Association (CSBA) conference in San Diego on Thursday, November 30, 2017. The prestigious Golden Bell Award is recognition for the District’s Garden to Classroom program that provides STEAM strategies in instruction at thirteen schools throughout Pittsburg Unified School District. PUSD is extremely proud of its garden program and how school gardens are transforming into outdoor classrooms where students can see first-hand how plants are grown, what they are used for, and the process of creating a healthy dish from garden produce.

“We are thrilled to have received this recognition from the California School Boards Association,” said Dr. Janet Schulze, Superintendent, Pittsburg Unified School District. “The garden program aligns with our Board’s commitment to develop our students to be good stewards of the environment. Seeing the students’ enthusiasm in the gardens is a wonderful example of hands-on, engaging learning.”

Throughout the hands-on activities within the Pre-K through 12th grade garden program, teachers are provided unique professional development; students receive innovative educational opportunities, and the program promotes community involvement. Not only are students learning about healthy recipes, they are seeing first-hand how ingredients are grown and utilizing math and science skills to explore and understand all parts of the farm to table process. During each garden lesson, students also have a chance to taste test recipes they helped prepare. When creating this STEAM program, PUSD applied an uncommon strategy for curriculum. Classified staff members helped write curriculum for teachers in the classroom, developing a collaborative effort not seen in many school districts.

“This award represents a horizontal and vertical alignment of PUSD staff to support our core business of education for academic achievement,” said Enrique Palacios, Deputy Superintendent, Pittsburg Unified School District.

According to the CSBA website, the CSBA Golden Bell Awards promotes excellence in education and school board governance by recognizing outstanding programs and governance of school boards in school districts and county offices of education. A 17-member panel of judges reviewed 250 entries for nineteen award categories. CSBA staff reviewed applications, judges scored entry programs, and an on-site validation visit of the program was conducted. PUSD is extremely honored to receive the 2017 Golden Bell Award, highlighting its Child Nutrition efforts in the Garden to Classroom program.

Featured

  • South Texas K–12 District Debuts Region’s First Electric Bus Fleet

    The Valley View Independent School District in Pharr, Texas, recently announced a partnership with Highland Electric Fleets to launch the district’s—and the region’s—first fleet of all-electric school buses, according to a news release.

  • KI Launches K–12 Classroom Furniture Giveaway

    Contract furniture company KI recently announced the launch of its fourth-annual Classroom Furniture Giveaway, which awards $50,000 each to four K–12 educators across the U.S., according to a news release. The goal is to address decreasing student engagement and increasing teacher burnout numbers by updating learning spaces to accommodate modern needs.

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.

  • UCNJ Launches $30M Modernization of Physical Education Center

    The Union College of Union County (UCNJ) in Cranford, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $30-million modernization project for its Physical Education Center (PECK), according to a news release. The college partnered with DIGroup Architecture for the project’s design, transitioning the existing 42,000-square-foot structure into a campus hub for student athletics and campus life.

Digital Edition