March 20, 2017—Today, Superintendent Barbara Deane-Williams presented Caroline Howe and Caroline Stubbe’s students at Virgil I. Grissom School No. 7 with Certificates of Recognition for their Extreme Classroom Makeover. Ms. Howe is a CIT Lead Teacher-Mentor, who teaches half-time at Abraham Lincoln School No. 22 and spends the other half of her time supporting first-year “Intern” teachers, providing professional support to art teachers across the District. To promote student engagement, Ms. Howe worked with the 10 students in Ms. Stubbe’s class to create designated classroom space to call their own. The space contains a fun reading area, complete with books, a cozy rug of the USA map and bean bag chairs. They even added some fish as a class pet. Each student also had the opportunity to paint their own individual wall space—and choose the color—where their About Me sheets proudly hang. A big “thank you” goes to Ms. Howe for her collaboration with Ms. Stubbe and the District’s ELA and Science Directors. Engaging students in designing and painting their own space is a powerful way to provide each child a sense of belonging.