NSU Horizons Fall 2007

around campus 6 horizons University School Spreads Its Wings with Dauer Middle School Expansion U niversity School of NSU celebrated a piece of history in January with the opening of the new wing of the Dauer Middle School. The $3 million project gives staff mem- bers and students an additional 12,341 square feet in which to learn. The project is a critical step in the reconfiguring of the University School campus. “Today is about moving forward and keeping up that momentum,” said Steven Blinder, division director of the middle school. “The new expansion to the school presents major opportunities for our students and faculty members.” The new addition is composed of an 880- square-foot expansion of the cafeteria and a new east wing of five classrooms, including two science labs. All classrooms are equipped with wireless sys- tems and video capability and have state-of-the-art computers and printers, plus multimedia projectors and retractable screens. The centerpiece is a 4,715- square-foot multipurpose room and theater that can accommodate more than 500 people. It serves as the official site for theatrical productions, assemblies, and guest speaker appearances. The official ribbon cutting took place in the year- round courtyard, which will be an awning-covered area upon completion. In the next two to three years, administrators are planning a major renovation of the school’s campus and facilities, which sit primarily in the southwestern part of NSU. n RIBBON CUTTING: School administrators, parents, and students gathered on January 4 to cut the ribbon on the $3 million wing at the Dauer Middle School. Jerome Chermak, school headmaster, wields the scissors as students and school administrators look on. (Front row, from left: David Roberts, Zachary Sturman, Brian Oldak, and Robert Menconi; back row: Steven Blinder, Steven Blattner, Rick Bell, Aaron Churba, Rori Kotch, and Hayley Jackowitz) NSU Awarded $2 Million Grant to Train Florida Science Teachers, Boost FCAT Scores N ova Southeastern University joined the Manatee County School District in a statewide effort to train 2,500 science teachers in low-performing schools to help students improve FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) scores. About two-thirds of the 5th, 8th, and 11th graders who took the 2006 FCAT Statewide Science Test received the equivalent of D and F grades, according to the ScienceMaster grant application. The school district received a $2 million grant late this summer from the U.S. Department of Education for the train- ing. NSU is partnering with the Department of Education, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Florida Independent College Fund, and the Florida Learning Alliance to provide the ScienceMaster Program to teachers in Manatee County, in 25 rural counties, and at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. The ScienceMaster program will develop five online tools for science teachers that will be tested in the 71 Manatee schools, with a secondary demonstration in the rural districts and the School for the Deaf and Blind. “I think, when you get teachers excited about content knowledge, they will ultimately translate that knowledge to their students. And that translates into higher FCAT scores,” said Shelley Green, Ed.D., dean of human development and family services at NSU’s Fischler School of Education and Human Services. n