| Cosmetology Program Wins $10,000 Toyota Tapestry Grant
| |
| SWBOCES teachers who
were awarded a $10,000 Toyota Tapestry grant: science teacher Jean
Vitarius (seated), and (left to right) cosmetology teacher Marion
Pizzutiello, cosmetology teacher Christina Truslow ,
teaching assistant Yolanda Lopez , and cosmetology teacher Jill
Benzenberg. |
The Cosmetology Program at the Southern Westchester BOCES Center
for Career Services will take an important leap into the field
of science next year, when high school students enrolled in the
program will get a chance to work in a cosmetology lab equipped
with microscopes and other equipment, thanks to a national grant.
Four teachers at the Career Services campus in Valhalla were the
recipients of a $10,000 Toyota Tapestry grant, as part of the largest
K-12 science teacher grant program in the country. Jean
Vitarius, a science teacher, will direct the project
along with cosmetology teachers Jill Benzenberg, Marion
Pizzutiello and Christina Truslow.
The teaching team will use the grant money to establish what they
describe as a "Day Spa" laboratory in a vacant classroom.
The lab would include "stations" manned with microscopes, slides,
and other materials and equipment that would allow cosmetology
students to branch out beyond the simulated, hands-on cosmetology
salon where they currently take classes. In the classroom lab,
students will take a senior science class that focuses on the treatment
of specific skin and hair types, testing beauty products for pH
levels (acidity), and examining the effect of chemical products
on skin and hair, both microscopically and macroscopically. Students
will also study the importance of proper hygiene and sanitation,
and will be able to identify pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria.
"We would like to incorporate science into the cosmetology curriculum,
and this grant gives us the opportunity to do so," said Ms. Vitarius. "Hands-on
activities will give our students a more thorough study of the
scientific aspects of cosmetology." All students who pass the course,
offered in their senior year, will earn a science credit. Students
will be required to keep journals and portfolios to document their
work in this area.
To gather background information as they prepared the grant application,
the teachers toured the ZOTOS International Inc. research laboratory
in Darien, Conn., to learn more about the field of cosmetology
research. ZOTOS is an international manufacturer of hair care and
skin products for salon professionals.
The cosmetology grant was one of 50 "large grants" awarded by Toyota
USA and administered by the National Science Teachers Association.
Grants are awarded based on creative, innovative classroom projects
in the fields of environmental education, physical science, and literacy
and science education.
Top |
