Middle School Clicks Its Way To $25,000 Technology Grant
BY KAREN BERGER— MIRROR REPORTER
Thanks to diligent clicking by the community, Springfield Middle School garnered a $25,000 Pepsi Co. grant that will enable sixth- through eighth-graders to travel back in time.
Technology teachers Jillian Baker and Amy Merrill-Wyatt launched the grant-securing drive during the month of February, seeking funds to purchase Smart Boards, ceiling-mounted projectors and historical costumes and props for a Time Travel project.
It’s the largest such grant that principal Matt Geha can recall the school obtaining, but he wouldn’t be surprised if the school gets another one.
“They do not quit. They find any way to fund technology that gets into the students’ hands,” he said of Baker and Merrill-Wyatt.
Because Pepsi awards from $5,000 to $250,000 each month, with winners based on which projects receive the most online votes, the teachers have launched another clicking campaign.
Their Time Travel proposal was posted at www.refresheverything.com, and when voting ended on February 28, Springfield Middle School came in ninth place, with the top 10 receiving funds. Winners are determined solely on the number of votes.
Just as they did with the travel project, students and teachers have worked together to post information about their March grant-seeking project: programming robots.
With $25,000 to purchase software, digital cameras, a Smart Board and robotics packs, students would be trained on robot programming, then given the challenge of completing an Alien Encounter or Race Against Time activity. Students would document their success with digital cameras and create a presentation to share with the class.
Baker and Merrill-Wyatt have other proposals lined up for the April and May voting as well – with a goal of getting a ceiling-mounted projector and a Smart Board in every core subject teacher’s classroom.
“We have just enough technology to tease the teachers and kids. Each kid has one or two classes with technology. We have 15 Smart Boards out of 68 classes,” Geha said.
Technology engages students in a way textbooks cannot, Geha added.
With the Time Travel project, students will choose an important event in history to research and describe in first person, adding themselves into history through several programs. Their descriptions will be made into movies that can play at the press of a button on the Smart Board. These will be displayed during Time Travel Night, at which time the youth will be dressed in period attire.
“Kids want to be engaged with something they care about. The No. 1 teaching strategy is showing them the similarities and differences to that time period. The program goes well beyond what a textbook has to offer,” Geha said.
Anyone age 13 or older can vote for Springfield Middle School’s March proposal at www.refresheverything.com.

The Dwelling Place Opens Harvestland Children’s Area
BY KAREN BERGER — MIRROR REPORTER
The rollers, brushes and rainbow of paints still block the roadway, but by Sunday, March 14, Harvestland – The Dwelling Place’s indoor cityscape – will be open for youth.
Featuring a toy store, post office, fire station, aquarium, theater with a stage, city hall, shake shop and a chocolate store, the refurbished area is just one step in the church’s renewed focus on youth- and family-oriented ministries, said lead pastor Josh Plaisance.
In addition to bringing back its summer outdoor movie nights, the church, located at the corner of Albon and Angola roads, will start a free monthly date night.
On the first Friday night of the month, parents – whether married or single – can get a few hours to go out to dinner or run errands, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Children will be given a healthy dinner and enjoy songs, games and movies.
“This is open to the community,” Plaisance said. “As a parent of three children, I know how hard it is to get out on a date with your wife or, if you’re single, even to just go shopping. It’s nice to have someone watch your kids and know they’re getting something of value, not sitting in front of the TV with a babysitter.”
For those donating their time to work with the kids on those first Fridays, they’ll hire babysitters for the third Friday to give volunteers their own date night, Plaisance said.
For a church with a membership of 100, The Dwelling Place has a large turnout of volunteers to lead in pastoral care, creative and youth activities, and special events.
“We don’t just have people sitting in the pews. They’re out in the community,” Plaisance said.
Church leaders include new community pastor Steve Callajas, children’s ministry director Jenny Thompson, pastoral care directors John and Ila Heils and creative arts directors Curt and Latonia Miller.
As a member of the Holland-Springfield Cham-ber of Commerce, the church has run children’s activities at events such as the February 27 business showcase and at the tree lighting ceremony.
The Dwelling Place also partners with other churches to organize events, such as the chili cook-off on March 20 at 6:00 p.m. at Holland Free Methodist Church.
“We’re not competing. It’s like Baskin Robbins. There are 31 flavors and we’re each a different flavor. We want to help people find the right one for them,” Plaisance said, noting that The Dwelling Place’s more exuberant worship style may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
The church was originally built on two acres in the 1950s by a group of Mennonites from Bryan. Crissey United Brethren and Monclova United Brethren merged with Springfield Mennonite in 1972. An education wing was added in 1986 and a new sanctuary in 1999. In 2003 the building was purchased by Glass City Christian Fellowship. In 2007, the Assemblies of God purchased the building, renamed it and brought in Plaisance in 2008.
The former sanctuary was transformed into a fellowship hall that serves as a poll location for two precincts, a meeting place for Cub Scouts from Dorr Elementary and hosts exercise classes with the Wolf Creek YMCA.
“We’re in a prime location in our community, and we want to focus on the community,” he said.
Services include Sunday school at 9:00 a.m., fellowship at 9:30 a.m. and a service at 10:00 a.m. After the opening, children may head into classes so parents can relax during the service, Plaisance said. All volunteers and teachers have background checks.
For more information about The Dwelling Place, visit www.aplacetomeetgod.org or call (419) 867-7794.