Thank you to all who submitted a proposal for the first-ever Ken-Ton School District Innovation Contest! Congratulations also to our winner, runner-up and finalists:

Winner:

• Technology Coach for Parents by David Rogalski

Runner-Up:

• Mental Health and Ethics Class by Sriya Natarajan

Finalists:

• Mindful Minutes by Michele Melligan
• Tolerance Building WEB Extension by Antara Satchidanand
• Organization of a Debating Club/Society by Yashodhara Satchidanand

The Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda School District is hosting its first-ever Innovation Contest. Anyone with an idea for an innovative new program in Ken-Ton Schools was invited to submit an abstract description (no more than two pages) by October 1, 2018.

Submissions could propose any new program or approach to addressing the needs of students as long as it was not specific to one individual school and in alignment with one of the three goals of “Ken-Ton Forward,” the Ken-Ton School District’s new strategic plan. The goals are:

• Instruction for All Students: By 2022-23, all district schools in Ken-Ton will provide comprehensive academic opportunities that support and extend learning, in the critical areas of core instruction, academic intervention and accelerated programming, so that all K-12 students may achieve their highest potential.
• Social-Emotional Health & Wellness: By 2022-2023, Ken-Ton will provide the necessary staff, support, and structures so 85% of Ken-Ton students will display improvement in social-emotional wellness, as compared to our baseline measures.
• Technology: By 2022-23, Ken-Ton will embody a culture of innovation by providing all district schools increased access to technology-rich resources to enhance every aspect of our learning community.

The purpose of the contest is to generate new ideas on programs and opportunities for students from the district’s most valuable resource: its stakeholders. All stakeholders of the Ken-Ton School District including parents, teachers, staff, students, residents, alumni, business owners and other community members were eligible to participate.

Entries were reviewed and a select number of entrants were invited back for the next phase of the contest which will allow them to more fully develop their proposals and present their idea to a panel on November 1 from 4 to 6 p.m. Ultimately, one proposal will be selected for implementation. Depending on the nature of the proposal, this might consist of a pilot program or smaller-scale implementation to evaluate effectiveness.