Writing a grant to buy a Stocker for our HS

12-13-2011, 09:03 AM

The high school where I teach at just received a 4.5 million dollar grant. The intent is to create after-school extracurricular academic programs to interest students in school and show them how our curriculum is incorporated in real-world applications. I think having a racing program is a perfect way! Below is part of the grant that I wrote; did I miss any benefits? My goal is to buy a turn-key late-model stocker and teach the students how to maintain/tune it and take them to the track to race. Of course, for insurance reasons, I'll drive the car. Any advice would be appreciated and thanks in advance for reading.

Many of our students at PHS have challenges and face obstacles keeping them from being successful in school. Coursework is not relevant to them. They do not see a link between what they are learning in the classroom and how this can be used in the real world. The lack of relevance causes them to be unsuccessful keeping them from graduating. Also, many of them have skills and interests outside of our curriculum that they never get to explore or find guidance on how to pursue as career fields. Finally, many come to high school lacking fundamental math, science, and computer skills which would allow them to be successful in their classes if we could find a way to motivate them and make it relevant to their interests.
Throughout my life I have had a passion for racing. Racing incorporates math, science, and computer skills into real world applications. It can also be a motivation tool for any student, particularly young at-risk males, who have an interest in cars. Racing promotes the value of hard work, discipline, working together as a team, the need for a sound education, and competition and sportsmanship.
I am proposing that we begin an after-school racing program with the following benefits. I truly the believe the sky is the limit on how we can incorporate this into our school culture as we link academics and CTE programs. This would be a long term venture that would touch many students for years to come. It is by no means an all-inclusive list of the benefits as the program would be very open to reaching out in different directions as the grant coordinator, school administration, racing director, and other faculty members see opportunities.
Motivation tool:
Many of our students have no interest in coming to school, completing homework, and see no relevance in the curriculum that we offer them. I believe EVERY student would like to be successful and graduate but many lack the support and encouragement from home. Having an extra-curricular activity that they are involved in gives them “buy-in” into the school and a goal that they must work towards. Students would have to keep satisfactory passing grades in order to be a part of the program after school or attend races on the weekends. Also, to be around and encouraged and motivated by a faculty member who understands and realizes the importance of a high school education (and beyond) would be invaluable and something that many of them lack.
Tutoring assistance after school:
After school I would offer tutoring to students in any math class that they are currently taking. Prior to going to the garage to work on the car students would be required to have all of their homework done for the day. My room would be a place that they would work on all of their homework but if they needed tutoring in addition to mathematics they would go to their respective teachers prior to coming to the shop. Again, having an incentive of working on the race car after their homework was done would be motivation daily to complete all of their assignment. I would check grades regularly, as does a coach with athletes, and make parents aware of their student’s academic progress.
An understanding of how our curriculum has real world relevance:
My intent is to purchase a turn-key, race ready, late-model computer controlled car. Long gone are the days when an automobile is tuned by a screwdriver. Today’s race cars are very high tech and require extensive mathematical and computer knowledge. Students would receive hands-on training in how math, science, and computers are necessary to maintain a successful racing operation and compete on a high level. Setting up, dialing in, and adjusting suspensions, controlling engine and transmission functions, and competing in bracket-race style programs are just some of the major ways that math and especially computer knowledge is necessary to operate a race car.
Post-graduation opportunities:
Not having an automotive program limits many of our students in post-graduation options as we have MANY students (especially those at-risk) who have an interest in automobiles but don’t know where to begin or how to pursue their passion as a career. Allowing these students to be exposed to the racing community and giving them an opportunity to network with professionals in this field will open many doors that would have otherwise been unavailable. As a subsidiary part of our program I would like to have students investigate such post-graduation options such as UTI, the NASCAR Technical Institute, and other trade schools where they could continue their pursuit of an automotive related field. Also, the relationship with engineering in today’s racing world is extensive so students with a strong mathematical background who also have an interest in motorsports could now have an outlet for their passion and be provided with college/career direction.
Basic automotive knowledge:
Again, not having an automotive program, our students graduate with no knowledge of basic automobile maintenance/operation and are at the mercy of garages and overpriced dealerships for the rest of their life to perform simple money saving tasks that they can do on their own. Although our goal isn’t to build a complete race car from the ground-up (which would be an expensive and time-consuming endeavor and not meet the goals of our program) students will learn basic routine maintenance such as oil/filter changes, transmission fluid changes, differential fluid changes, spark plug and ignition maintenance, and tire rotation and inspection. We will also handle more in-depth topics such as engine and transmission removal, engine management system programming, valve spring removal and installation, suspension tuning, and diagnostic work. Many of these skills will provide life-long lessons that will save our students money and provide safe and reliable transportation for them and their families.
Interaction with the business world:
Another aspect of our racing program would require students to contact businesses across the country as we seek to get donations for maintenance items. Since we are purchasing a complete car we will not necessarily need to provide many hard parts initially but over time it will require such small items as oil, filters, spark plugs, valve springs, suspension bushings, and tires. To keep costs down we would solicit donations from companies. I would ask the students to draft letters, emails, and make phone calls to corporations with the racing industry for these items. This will be an excellent opportunity for our students to interact with professionals in situations that they would not have otherwise had the chance to do. This will provide excellent job and communication skills that will be required in the workforce following graduation.
Positive publicity for our school and district:
Our intent is to join the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) as both sanctioning bodies have races within an hour of the school. Both of these organizations are long-time established professional racing sanctioning entities with national publications, web sites, and world-wide media exposure. Having articles written about our program, mission, and goals would bring positive attention to our school, and most importantly students, that they may never have experienced before. Also, we would construct a web page chronicling our racing program, advancements, and accomplishments. The students would be responsible for photography, articles, and maintaining the web page.
Outcome/goals:
Many of our goals and outcomes are listed within the body of this proposal however to summarize and list them we would:
1. Provide at-risk students a motivational tool to interest them in school.
2. Offer academic assistance to students on a daily basis before they would be allowed to participate.
3. Show students real-life applications for math, science, computer skills.
4. Open the doors to post-graduation opportunities that are now unavailable to students with an interest in this field.
5. Provide students with basic automotive maintenance knowledge.
6. Allow students to interact with the business world and professional community.
7. Bring positive publicity to our school, district, and most importantly students who normally don’t receive recognition or praise.
Budget:

Thoughts?

BlueOval Ralph · 12-13-2011, 09:24 AM

Sounds like a good idea for the students, but troubling part to me is I'll drive it is this or could it be seen as conflict of interest?? Have been involved in some of the DARE programs and a lot of the time it turns out to be away for a free race car!
JMPO
Ralph

12-13-2011, 09:41 AM

That's a good point and one I've considered and talked about with the principal, grant coordinator, etc. I don't have any intention of taking the car out without students. To be honest with you, after racing more than 20 years, the racing part doesn't interest me as much as teaching young people about a world of motorsports that they've never been exposed to or even know about.

Mickey Whaley · 12-13-2011, 10:50 AM

If you got that in grant money call me i have a nice 69 camaro convertable will sale to you.

Eddies66 · 12-13-2011, 11:03 AM

Here is a program that worked for my high school.

http://www.kusd.org/cte/reports/arch.../April2004.pdf

david ring · 12-13-2011, 11:05 AM

You might want to give some examples of how math and computer skills would be utilized, such as recording and maintaining a database which can then be used to study the relationship between variables which impact the car's performance such as weather conditions, air-fuel ratios, etc., or how the computer will be used to change the tune-up of the car. These are all things that are obvious to a racer, but which would be less clear to someone who is not a racer. I know when I explain to the professors I work with just how highly sophisiticated drag racing is that they are quite impressed with the skills and knowledge that are required to do well in the sport.

BlueOval Ralph · 12-13-2011, 11:16 AM

Knowing how School Board Members and City Council Members think, be carefull on that one.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tar Heel

That's a good point and one I've considered and talked about with the principal, grant coordinator, etc. I don't have any intention of taking the car out without students. To be honest with you, after racing more than 20 years, the racing part doesn't interest me as much as teaching young people about a world of motorsports that they've never been exposed to or even know about.

12-13-2011, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by david ring

You might want to give some examples of how math and computer skills would be utilized, such as recording and maintaining a database which can then be used to study the relationship between variables which impact the car's performance such as weather conditions, air-fuel ratios, etc., or how the computer will be used to change the tune-up of the car. These are all things that are obvious to a racer, but which would be less clear to someone who is not a racer. I know when I explain to the professors I work with just how highly sophisiticated drag racing is that they are quite impressed with the skills and knowledge that are required to do well in the sport.

Great points!t I included a little of that in my proposal and have talked with "higher-ups" who were also surprised to hear abou the technology and math involved.

12-13-2011, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueOval Ralph

Knowing how School Board Members and City Council Members think, be carefull on that one.

Good thought as well. My hope is to dispel some of the preconceived notions that drag racers and racing is bad but has become very high-tech and is family-oriented. I'm trying to makes feel part of a team that normally wouldn't be involved in anything extra-curricular and show them how important math, science, and computers are to the motorsports community.

goinbroke2 · 12-13-2011, 12:35 PM

The only thing that caught my eye was " Setting up, dialing in, and adjusting suspensions, controlling engine and transmission functions, and competing in bracket-race style programs "
Setting up is too generic and I don't think most would know what a dial in is. Not only will people read and hear about what you are proposing (which is excellent I might add) with you there to answer questions, but people will be reading it without you around. I prefer to break things into simple bites for people not familiar with what I'm talking.
An example would be;
Computors-
1) blah blah blah
2) yada yada yada

Math-
1) yada yada yada
2) blah blah blah

That would give a direct answer to the direct question of WHAT are they going to learn.

Overall, excellent! Wish you good luck with it.

12-13-2011, 09:03 AM	#1
Tar Heel Guest Posts: n/a	Writing a grant to buy a Stocker for our HS The high school where I teach at just received a 4.5 million dollar grant. The intent is to create after-school extracurricular academic programs to interest students in school and show them how our curriculum is incorporated in real-world applications. I think having a racing program is a perfect way! Below is part of the grant that I wrote; did I miss any benefits? My goal is to buy a turn-key late-model stocker and teach the students how to maintain/tune it and take them to the track to race. Of course, for insurance reasons, I'll drive the car. Any advice would be appreciated and thanks in advance for reading. Many of our students at PHS have challenges and face obstacles keeping them from being successful in school. Coursework is not relevant to them. They do not see a link between what they are learning in the classroom and how this can be used in the real world. The lack of relevance causes them to be unsuccessful keeping them from graduating. Also, many of them have skills and interests outside of our curriculum that they never get to explore or find guidance on how to pursue as career fields. Finally, many come to high school lacking fundamental math, science, and computer skills which would allow them to be successful in their classes if we could find a way to motivate them and make it relevant to their interests. Throughout my life I have had a passion for racing. Racing incorporates math, science, and computer skills into real world applications. It can also be a motivation tool for any student, particularly young at-risk males, who have an interest in cars. Racing promotes the value of hard work, discipline, working together as a team, the need for a sound education, and competition and sportsmanship. I am proposing that we begin an after-school racing program with the following benefits. I truly the believe the sky is the limit on how we can incorporate this into our school culture as we link academics and CTE programs. This would be a long term venture that would touch many students for years to come. It is by no means an all-inclusive list of the benefits as the program would be very open to reaching out in different directions as the grant coordinator, school administration, racing director, and other faculty members see opportunities. Motivation tool: Many of our students have no interest in coming to school, completing homework, and see no relevance in the curriculum that we offer them. I believe EVERY student would like to be successful and graduate but many lack the support and encouragement from home. Having an extra-curricular activity that they are involved in gives them “buy-in” into the school and a goal that they must work towards. Students would have to keep satisfactory passing grades in order to be a part of the program after school or attend races on the weekends. Also, to be around and encouraged and motivated by a faculty member who understands and realizes the importance of a high school education (and beyond) would be invaluable and something that many of them lack. Tutoring assistance after school: After school I would offer tutoring to students in any math class that they are currently taking. Prior to going to the garage to work on the car students would be required to have all of their homework done for the day. My room would be a place that they would work on all of their homework but if they needed tutoring in addition to mathematics they would go to their respective teachers prior to coming to the shop. Again, having an incentive of working on the race car after their homework was done would be motivation daily to complete all of their assignment. I would check grades regularly, as does a coach with athletes, and make parents aware of their student’s academic progress. An understanding of how our curriculum has real world relevance: My intent is to purchase a turn-key, race ready, late-model computer controlled car. Long gone are the days when an automobile is tuned by a screwdriver. Today’s race cars are very high tech and require extensive mathematical and computer knowledge. Students would receive hands-on training in how math, science, and computers are necessary to maintain a successful racing operation and compete on a high level. Setting up, dialing in, and adjusting suspensions, controlling engine and transmission functions, and competing in bracket-race style programs are just some of the major ways that math and especially computer knowledge is necessary to operate a race car. Post-graduation opportunities: Not having an automotive program limits many of our students in post-graduation options as we have MANY students (especially those at-risk) who have an interest in automobiles but don’t know where to begin or how to pursue their passion as a career. Allowing these students to be exposed to the racing community and giving them an opportunity to network with professionals in this field will open many doors that would have otherwise been unavailable. As a subsidiary part of our program I would like to have students investigate such post-graduation options such as UTI, the NASCAR Technical Institute, and other trade schools where they could continue their pursuit of an automotive related field. Also, the relationship with engineering in today’s racing world is extensive so students with a strong mathematical background who also have an interest in motorsports could now have an outlet for their passion and be provided with college/career direction. Basic automotive knowledge: Again, not having an automotive program, our students graduate with no knowledge of basic automobile maintenance/operation and are at the mercy of garages and overpriced dealerships for the rest of their life to perform simple money saving tasks that they can do on their own. Although our goal isn’t to build a complete race car from the ground-up (which would be an expensive and time-consuming endeavor and not meet the goals of our program) students will learn basic routine maintenance such as oil/filter changes, transmission fluid changes, differential fluid changes, spark plug and ignition maintenance, and tire rotation and inspection. We will also handle more in-depth topics such as engine and transmission removal, engine management system programming, valve spring removal and installation, suspension tuning, and diagnostic work. Many of these skills will provide life-long lessons that will save our students money and provide safe and reliable transportation for them and their families. Interaction with the business world: Another aspect of our racing program would require students to contact businesses across the country as we seek to get donations for maintenance items. Since we are purchasing a complete car we will not necessarily need to provide many hard parts initially but over time it will require such small items as oil, filters, spark plugs, valve springs, suspension bushings, and tires. To keep costs down we would solicit donations from companies. I would ask the students to draft letters, emails, and make phone calls to corporations with the racing industry for these items. This will be an excellent opportunity for our students to interact with professionals in situations that they would not have otherwise had the chance to do. This will provide excellent job and communication skills that will be required in the workforce following graduation. Positive publicity for our school and district: Our intent is to join the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) as both sanctioning bodies have races within an hour of the school. Both of these organizations are long-time established professional racing sanctioning entities with national publications, web sites, and world-wide media exposure. Having articles written about our program, mission, and goals would bring positive attention to our school, and most importantly students, that they may never have experienced before. Also, we would construct a web page chronicling our racing program, advancements, and accomplishments. The students would be responsible for photography, articles, and maintaining the web page. Outcome/goals: Many of our goals and outcomes are listed within the body of this proposal however to summarize and list them we would: 1. Provide at-risk students a motivational tool to interest them in school. 2. Offer academic assistance to students on a daily basis before they would be allowed to participate. 3. Show students real-life applications for math, science, computer skills. 4. Open the doors to post-graduation opportunities that are now unavailable to students with an interest in this field. 5. Provide students with basic automotive maintenance knowledge. 6. Allow students to interact with the business world and professional community. 7. Bring positive publicity to our school, district, and most importantly students who normally don’t receive recognition or praise. Budget: Thoughts?

12-13-2011, 09:24 AM	#2
BlueOval Ralph Banned Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 852 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Writing a grant to buy a Stocker for our HS Sounds like a good idea for the students, but troubling part to me is I'll drive it is this or could it be seen as conflict of interest?? Have been involved in some of the DARE programs and a lot of the time it turns out to be away for a free race car! JMPO Ralph

12-13-2011, 09:41 AM	#3
Tar Heel Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Writing a grant to buy a Stocker for our HS That's a good point and one I've considered and talked about with the principal, grant coordinator, etc. I don't have any intention of taking the car out without students. To be honest with you, after racing more than 20 years, the racing part doesn't interest me as much as teaching young people about a world of motorsports that they've never been exposed to or even know about.

12-13-2011, 10:50 AM	#4
Mickey Whaley VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,220 Likes: 0 Liked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Writing a grant to buy a Stocker for our HS If you got that in grant money call me i have a nice 69 camaro convertable will sale to you.

12-13-2011, 11:03 AM	#5
Eddies66 VIP Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Rancho Mirage, CA Posts: 1,308 Likes: 300 Liked 881 Times in 452 Posts	Re: Writing a grant to buy a Stocker for our HS Here is a program that worked for my high school. http://www.kusd.org/cte/reports/arch.../April2004.pdf

12-13-2011, 11:05 AM	#6
david ring Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Oneonta.,NY Posts: 889 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Writing a grant to buy a Stocker for our HS You might want to give some examples of how math and computer skills would be utilized, such as recording and maintaining a database which can then be used to study the relationship between variables which impact the car's performance such as weather conditions, air-fuel ratios, etc., or how the computer will be used to change the tune-up of the car. These are all things that are obvious to a racer, but which would be less clear to someone who is not a racer. I know when I explain to the professors I work with just how highly sophisiticated drag racing is that they are quite impressed with the skills and knowledge that are required to do well in the sport.

12-13-2011, 12:35 PM	#10
goinbroke2 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: NS CANADA Posts: 888 Likes: 1,604 Liked 387 Times in 151 Posts	Re: Writing a grant to buy a Stocker for our HS The only thing that caught my eye was " Setting up, dialing in, and adjusting suspensions, controlling engine and transmission functions, and competing in bracket-race style programs " Setting up is too generic and I don't think most would know what a dial in is. Not only will people read and hear about what you are proposing (which is excellent I might add) with you there to answer questions, but people will be reading it without you around. I prefer to break things into simple bites for people not familiar with what I'm talking. An example would be; Computors- 1) blah blah blah 2) yada yada yada Math- 1) yada yada yada 2) blah blah blah That would give a direct answer to the direct question of WHAT are they going to learn. Overall, excellent! Wish you good luck with it.