As they walked into the classroom and saw the makeover for the first time Thursday afternoon, the Madison Elementary School students were excited.
But what really drew the students’ attention were the 15 new iPads purchased as part of the $10,000 makeover.
In May, Honeywell and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children announced the winners of the Got 2B Safe! classroom makeovers. Five grand prize winners were chosen for a $10,000 classroom makeover. One of those teachers was Madison’s Nicole Cervone-Gish.
The program recognizes teachers committed to keeping children safe from abduction and sexual exploitation. In 2005, Honeywell and NCMEC partnered together to launch Got 2B Safe! to arm teachers, parents and children with vital safety skills.
To participate in the contest, according to a press release provided, teachers submit an innovative lesson plan or essay demonstrating how they incorporate the essential Got 2B Safe! rules into their teaching. The four simple rules are check first, go with a friend, it’s my body and tell a trusted adult.
During the 2011-12 school year, Cervone-Gish’s English Learners students voluntarily stayed after school, came in at recess to decorate posters, talked to other students about the Got 2B Safe! program and more.
Students taught other students about the four safety rules. Through the “Be the Teachers Safety Scholar Talk,” students were encouraged to be scholars in all that they do.
The three-month program incorporated the English language proficiency standards for English learners.
For the finale, a student came up with the final presentation. The fifth- and sixth-graders went to the kindergarten classroom and had a birthday party – “Eduardo’s Bilingual Got 2B Safe! Themed Birthday Party.” During their presentation, the fifth-grade EL students spoke in English, then the sixth-graders would translate into Spanish.
During the makeover reveal at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Madison Principal Tom Kline told the students and event attendees, “What you have here is a group of students and a teacher who earned the Got 2B Safe! grant, sponsored by Honeywell and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.”
Many people were responsible for the event, coming from across the country including San Francisco, Calif., and New York City. He recognized everyone in attendance, including seventh-graders who came back to Madison from Edgewood Middle School to see the makeover result.
Sophy Yem, program manager for Honeywell, via Skype, thanked everyone and said the event was something very special. She said Cervone-Gish worked very hard with all the students to make it happen, and Honeywell and NCMEC were happy to award the $10,000 grant.
Cervone-Gish then spoke about how her students were true scholars and helped make it all happen. She said she felt “very blessed” to work at Madison.
She thanked Honeywell and NCMEC for their recognition of her students’ hard work.
“I just can’t say enough,” she said. “It’s been a blessing.”
The lessons learned through the Got 2B Safe! program by the students will impact their lives and others, she said.
“I am so thankful for this makeover,” she concluded. “It’s so beautiful in more ways than one.”
Allison McSherry, a representative from Congressman Marlin Stutzman’s office, then read a letter of congratulations to Cervone-Gish and her students for receiving the makeover. It also stated that students of Madison were blessed to have a teacher like Cervone-Gish.
Warsaw City Councilwoman Diane Quance then read a proclamation from Mayor Joe Thallemer declaring Aug. 16 in Warsaw as Got 2B Safe! Child Safety Day.
Dr. Craig Hintz, Warsaw Community Schools superintendent, spoke about how it didn’t take the administration long to realize what a special teacher they had in Cervone-Gish.
“On behalf of the school corporation, I would like to express my sincere appreciation for what you’ve done for this school,” Hintz said.
Kline then noted how in the short two years Cervone-Gish has been with WCS, she earned three different grants totaling $18,000, including the one from Got 2B Safe!
“I didn’t do this alone,” Cervone-Gish said about the grant. She recognized Warsaw Police Department DARE officer Doug Light, WCS technology specialist Patty Perkins and Madison counselor Christa Grabill as being instrumental in the process.
After the unveiling, Cervone-Gish highlighted parts of the makeover. The changes included wall murals, bulletin boards, a matted Atlas, a literacy center and, of course, the iPads. Her friend, Rachel Beery, assisted Cervone-Gish and designer Roberta Stone with the makeover design. The makeover emphasizes that no matter what country or culture students come from, they can come together as a family.
Stone, of RA Stone Designs, Rome City, was chosen by Honeywell to be the designer for the makeover.
To get the makeover started, Stone said she and Cervone-Gish talked about what her goals were and what she wanted to see happen.
The room is full of bright colors, and incorporates Madison’s school colors.
“One of the goals with Nicole’s program was diversity, so we used an atlas to show diversity,” Stone said.
She said they also incorporated the idea of family.
“I’m very happy with the outcome. Nicole was very good to work with,” Stone said. “It was definitely an honor to be selected for this project.”
Darlene Bender, Off the Wall Custom Designs, Wolcottville, designed the murals for the classroom.
“They gave me the rules and I designed the cells that describe each rule,” Bender said.
She said she came up with the mural based on meetings and discussions she had with Stone and Cervone-Gish.
In a telephone interview later, Yem said what led Cervone-Gish and her students to win the makeover was the uniqueness of their project and that she involved the entire school. Adding to that was that it was English Learners that taught the four Got 2B Safe! rules. Even the way Cervone-Gish presented their project was very creative, Yem said.
For more information about Got 2B Safe!, visit the website at www.Got2BSafe.com
