Teacher receives $10,000 grant

By By Georgia E. Frye / staff writer
April 16, 2003
Oakland Heights math teacher Ronnie Shumaker has received the Toyota's Investment in Mathematics Excellence award for innovation in math education for his program, Eyes to the Skies.
Eyes to the Skies lets students participate in the sport of pigeon racing. As a part of the project, students raise and train pigeons to fly distances up to 300 miles.
In the process, they learn problem solving and reading and writing skills. They also learn measurement by monitoring the food and water consumed by the pigeons.
Toyota and the National Council of Teachers and Mathematics makes the award to teachers who introduce novel and creative ways of presenting math to students. Award-winning projects engage students by making math useful and interesting, while showing students how math is used in everyday life.