Thinking Foundation - Grants - Funding

Grants
The Ariel Awards

Thinking Foundation is pleased to announce the establishment of the annual Ariel Awards in honor of Ariel Ball of Laurel, Mississippi who courageously fought a 3-year battle against cancer and who left the gift of thoughtful, artful thinking to this world.

These scholarship awards will be given each year to one student at each of these four levels: elementary (grades pre-K to 5), middle (grades 6-8), high school (grades 9-12), and at the undergraduate/graduate college levels who reveal through their work the ongoing development of thoughtful and artful thinking, reflecting the characteristics Ariel embodied throughout her life, as shown below in a Bubble Map:

It is through these qualities that you can see why Ariel once dreamed of becoming a teacher and the frame of mind she would have brought forward, with grace, to her students and peers.

Description of the Awards Process
Simply stated, students may submit only one original work for review showing the use of Thinking Maps. There are no limitations for the form or type of final work submitted. The work may be, for example, a piece of writing or a work of art that was generated from the maps, though the maps used to generate work must be submitted with all entries. The works may be in any form including multi-media, computer generated, and may be accompanied, for example, by writing, artwork, and video productions.

Submissions need to be sent to Thinking Foundation by May 31each year via regular mail and/or electronically with the submission form completely filled out and signed by a parent. We do ask ahead of time that students (with parent signatures) give permission for Thinking Foundation to publish the student work on our website for public viewing and in any other publications. Submissions will not be returned to students (so original writing, artwork and other submissions may be copied and submitted instead of sending the work itself).

The four students who receive the Ariel Award will be informed directly before the awards are announced on June 30 of each year at www.thinkingfoundation.org. Each of the four awards will be given to an individual student for their original work and will be accompanied by a $250 savings bond made out in the name of the student.

We hope that teachers will inform all their students of the awards process, refer students and parents to our web address, and offer to print out these pages for students who may not have a computer at home. We at Thinking Foundation sincerely hope that the process through which students create work surfaces from what they are doing day to day—and not from a competitive process--and thus reflect qualities that Ariel embodied in her life as described above. Teachers should feel comfortable in suggesting to students that they submit particular work, but we ask that no isolated projects should be assigned directly related to the Ariel Awards. Please download the Thinking Foundation Ariel Award Grant Submission Form and submit it electronically or regular mail to:
Thinking Foundation
144 Goose Pond Road
Lyme NH 03768
USA
davidhyerle@thinkingfoundation.org

Please read an article entitled “Ariel’s Gift” below, written by her mother Marjann Ball, describing Ariel, her life, and her interests. Marjann’s writing reveals why Thinking Foundation supports the establishment of the Ariel Awards in the spirit of thoughtful, artful thinking by all students around the world.

Download the Thinking Foundation Ariel Award Grant Submission Form

Ariel’s Gift: The Art of Living
by her mother Marjann Ball
She could have been the envy of all who knew her – a 12-year old with gorgeous blue eyes, shining blonde hair, a well-proportioned body, and the brightest smile! She was smart, but not too smart to challenge the top student; she was not the outstanding athlete, but she was often one of the first to be chosen on the team. Oh my, she was a gymnastics star, a soccer forward, and budding tennis “pro.” She loved horseback riding and dreamed of owning her own horse. As if these activities weren’t enough, she was selected for show choir and cheerleading – and still had piano and violin lessons weekly. She loved her four dogs, her kitten, and four fish, and tended carefully her hundreds of “little people” she kept in her loft. In spite of such a busy life, she always found time for her family, especially her nieces, nephews, and her Uncle Edd. In her remaining “spare” time, she was busy with her friends – thank goodness for cell phones. In the last year, her art lessons gave her much pleasure.

One afternoon in August of 2005, she complained of a sore knee after gymnastics class… and that began a life she never imagined: a visit to the doctor, then to the clinic, on to the hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. Finally the awful truth – she had cancer. The nightmare came: trips to the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, MRI’s, chemotherapy, radiation, two times a broken leg, X-rays, needles, pills and more pills, in and out of hospitals and finally Children’s Hospital of New Orleans. There were periods of optimism over the next three years as her specialists tried surgery, medicines, nutritional aids – but to no avail against the terrible disease, Osteosarcoma. In May 2008, at home surrounded by family and friends, she shared her last big smile – and was released…

Oh, you might ask, why did this happen to such an angel? Out of our grief, we recognize that Ariel’s gift to us is her legacy: the art of living. As we struggle to deal with our loss, her life constantly reminds us of some important characteristics she possessed:

Unselfishness – No matter what her fears, anguish, and pain, she always was concerned, first, about others. Her generosity was legendary.
Hope and optimism – Although she was cut off from the many, varied activities and friends, she never complained or turned sullen. Even “hardened” medical personnel were impressed with her spirit: she was going to get well, be a teacher, and have a family. She tried to keep up with her school work, piano lessons, and therapy sessions, but the activity she came most to enjoy was her art with Miss Lisa.
Depth of compassion and understanding – Those who knew her could not believe that one so young could possess such insight. Truly she was an “old soul” with wisdom beyond her years.
Commitment to detail and organizational skills – Her loft was filled with hundreds of “little people” for whom she had given names, families, and places to live - with never a mix-up.
Flexibility – Though she was extremely well-organized, she was tolerant of change. When her life was turned upside down, she adapted with beautiful, gentle grace.
Love of family and friends – Ariel showed us how to love and nurture. How secure we felt in the warmth and sincerity of her relationships. It is this spirit that sustains those of us left behind and challenges us to accept her lasting gift: the art of living.

One of the most memorable expressions of recognition of Ariel’s profound and lasting influence is the establishment of scholarships in her honor – and the continued celebration of her life. The incredible support from family, friends, classmates, churches, and other organizations, and even from sources unknown, has been God’s way of holding all of this together for us.

The generous contributions which have been made will be given through Jones County Junior College in our home town of Laurel, Mississippi to cancer survivors enabling them to continue their education. Two art awards to encourage young people to explore their artistic interests will be awarded annually: one at St. John’s Day School and one city-wide to be given at the annual Day in the Park event. In addition, Thinking Foundation has established four international Ariel Awards for elementary, middle, high school, and college students who reveal through their work the development of thoughtful and artful thinking reflecting characteristics Ariel exhibited daily: hope and optimism, compassion, depth of understanding, commitment to detail, flexibility, and creativity. It is through these qualities that students will demonstrate the art of living. Ariel would be very pleased. Her legacy continues to enrich others.

Download the Thinking Foundation Ariel Award Grant Submission Form




		Grants The Ariel Awards Thinking Foundation is pleased to announce the establishment of the annual *Ariel Awards* in honor of Ariel Ball of Laurel, Mississippi who courageously fought a 3-year battle against cancer and who left the gift of thoughtful, artful thinking to this world. These scholarship awards will be given each year to one student at each of these four levels: elementary (grades pre-K to 5), middle (grades 6-8), high school (grades 9-12), and at the undergraduate/graduate college levels who reveal through their work the ongoing development of thoughtful and artful thinking, reflecting the characteristics Ariel embodied throughout her life, as shown below in a Bubble Map: It is through these qualities that you can see why Ariel once dreamed of becoming a teacher and the frame of mind she would have brought forward, with grace, to her students and peers. Description of the Awards Process Simply stated, students may submit only one original work for review showing the use of Thinking Maps. There are no limitations for the form or type of final work submitted. The work may be, for example, a piece of writing or a work of art that was generated from the maps, though the maps used to generate work must be submitted with all entries. The works may be in any form including multi-media, computer generated, and may be accompanied, for example, by writing, artwork, and video productions. Submissions need to be sent to Thinking Foundation by May 31each year via regular mail and/or electronically with the *submission form completely* filled out** and signed by a parent. We do ask ahead of time that students (with parent signatures) give permission for Thinking Foundation to publish the student work on our website for public viewing and in any other publications. Submissions *will* not be returned to students (so original writing, artwork and other submissions may be copied and submitted instead of sending the work itself). The four students who receive the Ariel Award will be informed directly before the awards are announced on June 30 of each year at www.thinkingfoundation.org. Each of the four awards will be given to an individual student for their original work and will be accompanied by a $250 savings bond made out in the name of the student. We hope that teachers will inform all their students of the awards process, refer students and parents to our web address, and offer to print out these pages for students who may not have a computer at home. We at Thinking Foundation sincerely hope that the process through which students create work surfaces from what they are doing day to day—and not from a competitive process--and thus reflect qualities that Ariel embodied in her life as described above. Teachers should feel comfortable in suggesting to students that they submit particular work, but we ask that no isolated projects should be assigned directly related to the Ariel Awards. Please download the Thinking Foundation Ariel Award Grant Submission Form and submit it electronically or regular mail to: Thinking Foundation 144 Goose Pond Road Lyme NH 03768 USA davidhyerle@thinkingfoundation.org Please read an article entitled “Ariel’s Gift” below, written by her mother Marjann Ball, describing Ariel, her life, and her interests. Marjann’s writing reveals why Thinking Foundation supports the establishment of the Ariel Awards in the spirit of thoughtful, artful thinking by all students around the world. Download the Thinking Foundation Ariel Award Grant Submission Form Ariel’s Gift: The Art of Living by her mother Marjann Ball She could have been the envy of all who knew her – a 12-year old with gorgeous blue eyes, shining blonde hair, a well-proportioned body, and the brightest smile! She was smart, but not too smart to challenge the top student; she was not the outstanding athlete, but she was often one of the first to be chosen on the team. Oh my, she was a gymnastics star, a soccer forward, and budding tennis “pro.” She loved horseback riding and dreamed of owning her own horse. As if these activities weren’t enough, she was selected for show choir and cheerleading – and still had piano and violin lessons weekly. She loved her four dogs, her kitten, and four fish, and tended carefully her hundreds of “little people” she kept in her loft. In spite of such a busy life, she always found time for her family, especially her nieces, nephews, and her Uncle Edd. In her remaining “spare” time, she was busy with her friends – thank goodness for cell phones. In the last year, her art lessons gave her much pleasure. One afternoon in August of 2005, she complained of a sore knee after gymnastics class… and that began a life she never imagined: a visit to the doctor, then to the clinic, on to the hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. Finally the awful truth – she had cancer. The nightmare came: trips to the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, MRI’s, chemotherapy, radiation, two times a broken leg, X-rays, needles, pills and more pills, in and out of hospitals and finally Children’s Hospital of New Orleans. There were periods of optimism over the next three years as her specialists tried surgery, medicines, nutritional aids – but to no avail against the terrible disease, Osteosarcoma. In May 2008, at home surrounded by family and friends, she shared her last big smile – and was released… Oh, you might ask, why did this happen to such an angel? Out of our grief, we recognize that Ariel’s gift to us is her legacy: the art of living. As we struggle to deal with our loss, her life constantly reminds us of some important characteristics she possessed: Unselfishness – No matter what her fears, anguish, and pain, she always was concerned, first, about others. Her generosity was legendary. Hope and optimism – Although she was cut off from the many, varied activities and friends, she never complained or turned sullen. Even “hardened” medical personnel were impressed with her spirit: she was going to get well, be a teacher, and have a family. She tried to keep up with her school work, piano lessons, and therapy sessions, but the activity she came most to enjoy was her art with Miss Lisa. Depth of compassion and understanding – Those who knew her could not believe that one so young could possess such insight. Truly she was an “old soul” with wisdom beyond her years. Commitment to detail and organizational skills – Her loft was filled with hundreds of “little people” for whom she had given names, families, and places to live - with never a mix-up. Flexibility – Though she was extremely well-organized, she was tolerant of change. When her life was turned upside down, she adapted with beautiful, gentle grace. Love of family and friends – Ariel showed us how to love and nurture. How secure we felt in the warmth and sincerity of her relationships. It is this spirit that sustains those of us left behind and challenges us to accept her lasting gift: the art of living. One of the most memorable expressions of recognition of Ariel’s profound and lasting influence is the establishment of scholarships in her honor – and the continued celebration of her life. The incredible support from family, friends, classmates, churches, and other organizations, and even from sources unknown, has been God’s way of holding all of this together for us. The generous contributions which have been made will be given through Jones County Junior College in our home town of Laurel, Mississippi to cancer survivors enabling them to continue their education. Two art awards to encourage young people to explore their artistic interests will be awarded annually: one at St. John’s Day School and one city-wide to be given at the annual Day in the Park event. In addition, Thinking Foundation has established four international Ariel Awards for elementary, middle, high school, and college students who reveal through their work the development of thoughtful and artful thinking reflecting characteristics Ariel exhibited daily: hope and optimism, compassion, depth of understanding, commitment to detail, flexibility, and creativity. It is through these qualities that students will demonstrate the art of living. Ariel would be very pleased. Her legacy continues to enrich others. Download the Thinking Foundation Ariel Award Grant Submission Form