A student from Hillsdale High School in San Mateo has earned a chance to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Michaela Nachtigall has been chosen for the 2011 American High School Honors Performance Series at the world-famous venue. She will play the violin as part of the Honors Orchestra, which is limited to the highest rated high school performers across North America.

Nachtigall auditioned this fall for the series and was accepted after a review by a committee.

Nachtigall, a member of the Hillsdale High and Peninsula Youth orchestras, will join other top young musicians in New York in February. They will study under master conductors and perform Feb. 19.

For more information about the program, go to www.honorsperformance.org.

Math educators win grants

San Mateo County educators have won $5,000 in grants to help students hone their math and science skills.

The county Board of Supervisors gave seven Math and Science Innovation Fund awards to individual or teams of educators to fund hands-on projects that delve into space exploration, the principles of flight and other topics.

“It is important to give youth the opportunity to discover how relevant and exciting math and science exploration can be,” Supervisor Mark Church said in a news release. “Experiential learning can motivate and inspire students to become creative designers of global technology. This year we have expanded this grant to include sixth-grade middle school teachers.”

Since the grant program started in 2005, it has benefited about 40 innovative teachers and more than 1,200 fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders.

This year, grants went to Victoria Defouw and Linda Costa at Clifford Elementary; Jill Grant at Kennedy Middle; Kevin Mullins and Andrew Young at Redwood Shores Elementary; Loretta O’Donnell, Christy Novack, Kerry Callaghan and Principal Dennis Hills at Roosevelt Elementary; Linda Hendrix Fama at Roy Cloud Elementary; and David Silver, Jane Stein, Catherine Waldeck and Principal Bob Abaya at San Mateo Park Elementary.

Teacher grants offered

The San Mateo County Retired Teachers Association is offering teachers grants of up to $600 for classroom projects.

Teachers in the central and southern part of the county are eligible to apply. Applications should be available at the principal’s or district offices. The deadline to turn them in is Wednesday.

For more information, call association President Carole Setzer at 650-343-4209.

Chalk Talk is a regular feature with items about schools, students, teachers and administrators in San Mateo County. To submit an item, write to Chalk Talk, San Mateo County Times, 477 Ninth Ave., Suite 110, San Mateo, CA 94402; send a fax to 650-348-4446; or e-mail education reporter Neil Gonzales at ngonzales@bayareanewsgroup.com. Also visit the Chalk Talk blog at www.ibabuzz.com/chalktalk.