All students going into 3rd – 6th grade who are enrolled at Baden Academy Charter School may apply to become to the Research Fellows Program.  Research Fellows have robust opportunities to solve a problem they fill passionately about. Their year-long project will require their imagination, their unique talents and a willingness to work hard. They will make valuable contributions to the entire Baden Academy learning community by pursuing real-world study projects that will be shared and disseminated throughout the school.

The Fellows at Baden Academy Charter School engage in research projects that instill and strengthen a 21st-Century skill set for students and teachers alike. Working within the framework of Baden Academy’s arts-integrated and infused learning environment, the Fellows Program identifies and applies skills and insights cultivated from the arts (music, theater, dance, visual arts, creative writing) in diverse projects that touch upon multiple fields of study (e.g. engineering, science, math, medicine, education, energy, technology) while pursuing their individual interests. Research Fellows will come together as a team for group discovery and collaboration. Along with creativity and collaboration, Research Fellows will be challenged appropriately to develop their critical thinking and communication skills.

The application process involves submitting:

• A completed application
• A letter from the student requesting admittance to the Research Fellows Program
• A project proposal that features the research question or problem the applicant wants to explore and the project
• 4th-6th grade: book, website, film, video game, mobile app, software program, robotic device, CAD design, or STEM Competition Team they plan to create to respond to that problem. (If the proposal is a continuation of a past project, include an evaluation form based on last year’s learning agreement).
• 3rd grade: book or website they plan to create to respond to that problem.
• A signed Statement of Commitment and Photographic Release
• One letter of recommendation from a teacher

Applications are accepted once a year. The deadline for admittance to the 2015–2016 Research Fellows program is August 28, 2015. Students will receive notification via email no later than one week following the submission deadline. We will accept up to 21 projects for the 2014–2015 program. If a student’s research proposal is not accepted, they may be offered a chance to work as a team member or research assistant to another project. Those accepted into the research fellow program will be scheduled into the Media Lab once a week for assistance in finding a mentor, developing a research plan and learning agreement, and receiving support to achieve their goals. They will miss instructional time in another classroom (it will vary with depending on your child’s scheduling) and will be responsible to make-up any instructional time or work due.

Visit the application HERE!

Applications to the Research Fellows Program are available in the main office or can be printed from the website.

The application and all attachments should be addressed to:
Baden Academy Charter School
Media Lab
1016 State Street
Baden, PA 15005
Attention: Dr. Ellen Cavanaugh, Director
medialab@badenacademy.org

Letter requesting admittance to the Research Fellows Program
Research Fellows are expected to communicate with mentors and the media in a professional and respectful manner. Please help them construct a letter requesting admittance to the Research Fellow Program. The letter should include their commitment to keeping up good grades, be a team player, preserve to finish the project outside of school time, present their project to others, and share their discoveries for the benefit of the greater Baden Academy Charter School community.

Youtube on how to write a letter.

Project Proposal
A project proposal should feature a research question or problem the applicant wants to explore and the project media they wish to work with

If the proposal is a continuation of a past project, include an evaluation form based on last year’s learning agreement.

The 3rd-6th grade can apply to be…
World Changers create books, graphics, and websites that raise awareness and funds for worthy causes.

Examples of past Research Fellow Projects include:

• Gavin asked what he could do to aid the conservation effort of penguins. He wrote Saving a Galapagos Penguin Family that benefits the National Aviary and The Little Blue Penguins of North Sydney Harbour benefits the New South Wales Parks Program.
• Kate’s ABCs of Veggies is meant to help children fall in love with vegetables and benefits the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
• Veronica’s Hamster Fun Facts benefits the ASPCA. Her work on the book and her recent cruelty-free makeup workshops have earned her the 2015 Humane Kid of the Year nomination by the ASPCA.
• Isabella’s Dolly the Dolphin benefits Dolphin Smart.
• Kamryn’s website K2k Activities provides an online tool for parents and educators that wish to help older siblings and parents develop into positive role models and empathetic, dynamic leaders.
• Kadie, Owen, and Brian’s website Baden Dreams raise funds to bring Dream Flight Adventures to the Baden Academy Media Lab. The website enables students and teachers to feature their artwork on posters, coffee mugs, iPad covers, and key chains. The team is mentored by the Beaver County Youth Entrepreneurship Collaborative. They have learned how to digitalize art and market it through a WordPress website.

What is your child passionate about? Do they want to write a book or develop a website? Remember, the overall purpose must be to serve others. All books must reflect robust research into the topic chosen and a genuine desire to build a more just and beautiful world.

4th-6th grade can apply to be:
Digital Storytellers create films, vlogs (video blogging), games, apps, and animations. Examples of Research Fellow’s Projects include:

• Eli L. produces documentaries about the Media Lab and the research fellows including The Dawn of Imagination and Butterfly Girl
• Miriam and Jadyn want to raise awareness about the feral, stray and free-roaming cat overpopulation. They have partnered with Humane Societies to produce their Youtube Channel The Kitty Whisperers.
• Caleb, Aleenia, Jaylee, Casey and Eli filmed several Kindergarten classrooms in dramatic readings of poetry including Hop On Pop, Ouch, and Sick.
• Our Mobile App Team created the BACS Media Lab Fellows 2015 App in the Google Play Store

Is there a story of local importance that your child wants to tell through a film, game, or app? Projects should celebrate the importance of history today, unique contemporary contributions of students and leaders, or stories that enlarge the imagination, empathy, and generosity of the audience.

The 4th-6th grade can apply.
STEM Athletes are the team members, business and communication leaders to our school’s competition teams such as FIRST Robotics, Future City, STEM Video Game Challenge, the Nerd Battalion, and the Chess Club. Teams will meet afterschool. The leaders need to be available to meet after school to help lead the actual team during the season, but will spend time in the media lab developing the design notebooks, team websites, business plans, and social media.

Examples of past Grow a Generation Research Fellows include:

• NASA Design Engineering Challenge entered their team’s submission to the 2014 NASA Challenge and were granted status as virtual crew members on the inaugural mission of the Orion Spacecraft.
• The Chess Club is available online and, this year will include an afterschool component.
• The Nerd Battalion Commanders, Courtney, and Elise, lead the technology support RDs and have created a website and videos to help trouble shoot technology problems in the classroom.
• The Naturalist Club worked to educate members about the opportunities to conserve, grow, and study the natural habitats of our campus.

Becoming a STEM Athlete is a new process this year. Opportunities will be advertised to join several after school teams including FIRST Robotics, Future City, STEM Video Game Challenge, Naturalist Club, and an afterschool computer club and chess club. Please apply to be part of the team and specify if you would like to be chosen as a leader serving in the fellows program to prepare communication, design notebooks, websites, and meeting notes.

Submit, on a separate sheet of paper, the project proposal with the research question or problem the applicant wants to explore and the project idea. Their proposal should include results of research they did on how others are trying to solve the problem. There will be a parent/child evening in late August to help with application questions.

Submit a letter of recommendation from a teacher
Have your child write an email or letter to the teacher from whom they are seeking a recommendation from. Teachers can send their letter of recommendation to medialab@badenacademy.org. The letter should identify your child as achieving good academic standing, able to work supportively and collaboratively with others, and strong enough to persevere in hard work to see a project through to its conclusion.

Questions or requests for help can be directed to Ellen Cavanaugh at medialab@badenacademy.org