Gretchen Cole-Lade

Cole-Lade's program, "123 ENID", brings math to life for students with moderate and severe disabilities by using the things they see everyday - people, places and objects - to learn about counting, fractions and other mathematical concepts. Her project, a collaborative effort involving disabled students at the elementary and high school levels, as well as their non-disabled peers, encourages the use of Enid's resources to help students apply abstract concepts to real-world situations. Together, students will publish a picture book about counting. Ideas for pages will be solicited from the students as well as the community and will include subjects like the number of schools in Enid, entrances to the mall and streets named after presidents. With the help of both teachers and student peers, approximately 25 Enid High School students and 24 elementary school students will participate in the program, which emphasizes learning beyond the borders of the classroom. Students' parents will be asked to complete a questionnaire once the project is complete to evaluate its effectiveness and get input for future projects. Cole-Lade is an Enid resident.