First Coast Scholars

FIRST COAST SCHOLARS

About First Coast Scholars

The inspiration for creating First Coast Scholars (FCS) began in September 2004 at the Schultz Center for Teaching and Leadership. Each year FCS collaborates with professors from the College of Arts and Sciences at Jacksonville University, University of North Florida, and Edward Waters College. These experts provide content-rich eight week seminars which teachers may apply to attend. Over the past three years FCS has had 137 elementary, middle, and high school teachers complete the program. Forty-five slots are available for the 2010 spring seminars.

For the Participants

The First Coast Scholars program offers K-12 teachers the opportunity to deepen content knowledge by participating in scholarly seminars with university faculty. Teachers develop a high-quality research-based lesson plans to be used in their classrooms. Lessons are placed on Riverdeep Learning Village so they may be shared with other teachers. Teachers completing the seminar, curriculum support sessions and required lesson plans can earn up to 60 professional development points and $200.00.

2010 Spring Seminars

Below are the seminar topics and summaries offered in spring 2010:

2010 Symposium on Sustainability & Going Green

To access the 2010 FCS Sustainability & Going Green Symposium videos and presentations click the links below: (Note: Windows Media Player is needed to view the videos.)

Videos	Presentations
Sustainability & Investing - Bruce Doueck	Sustainability: Decision Making, Economics & Investments Or Sustainable, Responsible Investing for Everyone - Bruce Doueck (PDF)

Social Responsibility - Elizabeth Porter	What is Social Responsibility? - Elizabeth Porter (PDF)

Integrating Sustainability - Sarah Boren	Integrating Sustainability into Your Home, Business, and Classroom - Sarah Boren (PDF)

Go Green - Dr. Quinton White

More FCS Information

To access the FCS seminar application, click here. (Note: This is a Microsoft Word document.)
To view descriptions of the 2010 Curriculum Unit Guidelines, click here (PDF). Once you have viewed the Curriculum Unit Guidelines, complete the Curriculum Unit Plan Template Form. (Note: This is a Microsoft Word document.)
To view a description of the 2010 Lesson Plan Guidelines, click here (PDF). Once you have viewed the Lesson Plan Guidelines, complete the Lesson Plan Template Form. (Note: This is a Microsoft Word document.)
To view the 2010 FCS seminars schedule, click here (PDF).
To access FCS most frequently asked questions, click here (PDF).
FCS newsletters (includes FCS seminar groups and Princeton Scholars):
- FCS Newsletter 2009 (PDF)
- FCS Newsletter 2008 (PDF)
- FCS Newsletter 2007 (PDF)
To access FCS curriculum units and lesson plans, follow these steps:
- Access RiverDeep Learning Village online
- Enter your username and password
- Click First Coast Scholars Unit Plans and Lesson Plans
A few of our 2007 graduating scholars share their experience and how they plan to influence their students and other teachers. (Note: Windows Media Player is needed to view the below videos.)
- Pat Melvin, a reading specialist at Terry Parker High School, shares how this kind of professional development is different from others.
- Aaron Trkovsky, a music teacher from Paxon School for Advanced Studies, shares how his curriculum unit went beyond the classroom.
- Connie Boone, a chemistry teacher at Fletcher High School, shares how this experience far exceeded her expectations and how creating a multi-dicipline curriculum unit enabled her students to learn more than just chemistry.
- Kathy Poe, who has taught science and math for over 30 years, reached out to the community to get the materials for her students to integrate art and science into their curriculum.

Princeton Scholars 2010 Summer Experience Program Application

The 2010 Princeton Scholars Summer Experience Program is only available to the current FCS 2010 spring seminar participants who have committed to completing a curriculum unit of four or more lessons. If you are interested in applying for the Princeton program, plan to attend the information meeting on April 12, 2010, 5:00 p.m. at the Schultz Center. If you are interested in applying for this program, click on the application link, save it to your desktop, complete the form and then email it to David DeRidder at deridderd@schultzcenter.org or fax it to 904-348-7192. (Note: The application is a Microsoft Word document.)
To view the application and selection process schedule for the 2010 Princeton University summer program, click here (PDF).

Contact Information

For more information regarding FCS or Princeton University summer program, contact David DeRidder, Program Manager of First Coast Scholars at deridderd@schultzcenter.org or via phone at (904) 348-5759.

OUTREACH PROGRAMS