Education Foundation
awards grants to local schools.
BLACKSTONE VALLEY – The
Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation announced that it has
awarded grants totaling $38,877 to area schools for innovative programs that
connect schools to communities and prepare students for the 21st
century workforce. The grants are for classroom projects in the current school
year.
Eight school projects received
Education Foundation grants of up to $2,500, and three received mini-grants of
up to $500. In addition, five schools received grants of up to $5,000 each
through a donation from the employee-owners of Lampin Corporation, an Uxbridge
precision manufacturing firm. The Education Foundation grants and mini-grants
are funded by proceeds from the Education Foundation’s annual golf tournament.
“We are grateful to the business
community for supporting schools through these grants,” said Education
Foundation volunteer president Christine Manners. “These grants help the
Education Foundation connect schools and businesses to enrich education and
strengthen leadership in the Blackstone Valley. It’s part of our investment in
the future workforce.”
A list of the grant recipients
appears below:
Mini-Grants
Millbury Public Schools
Millbury High School: The
Internship Experience – Donna Saucier. This grant supports the Millbury
High School’s school-to-career internship program by providing funds for a
recognition breakfast for interns and employer sponsors and two Outstanding
Intern Achiever awards. $500.
Northbridge Public Schools
Northbridge Middle School:
Helping Hands – Rebecca Klein. Sixth-grade world geography students will be
bused to Brigham Hill Community Farm in Grafton to learn about hunger and local
community action through volunteering at the farm. $500.
Northbridge High School:
History and Community of the Blackstone Valley – Alicia Boudreau. The grant
supports the implementation of an after-school photography club, culminating in
a photo contest. $250 (partial funding).
Total Mini-Grant Funds: $1,250
Education Foundation Grants
Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School
Heart-Healthy Horizons –
Ronald Linari, Janice Muldoon-Moors, Martha Pellegrino. Valley Tech
students will plan, build and conduct a series of healthy heart activities,
structures and events, which they will share with elementary school students and
the community. $2,500.
Blackstone Valley Superintendents’ Collaborative
Community and School: Read
Together, Learn Together – Lucille Boutiette and the curriculum directors’
collaborative. This grant supports purchase of books for regional community
reading day. $1,000
Douglas Public Schools
Douglas High School: Why Do
We Have to Take Algebra? – Cindy Socha, Beverly Bachelder. An engineer will
conduct four hands-on Algebra II workshops as part of “A Field Trip in the
Classroom – Engineers Teaching Algebra.” $1,150.
Douglas Intermediate/Elementary
School: Let’s Meet Our Global Neighbors – Susan Nichols, Faye Manyak,
Beverly Bachelder. Fifth and sixth-grade students will use ePALS SchoolMail
program to connect with cross-cultural peers worldwide in social studies, world
geography, Spanish, and independent research classes. $2,200.
Mendon-Upton and Millbury Public Schools
Art in the Valley – Kim Pike
and Lorna Pezanelli. Art teachers from two districts will collaboratively
organize a Valley-wide K-7 student art show, tentatively scheduled for
March-April to commemorate Youth Art Month and to highlight artistic achievement
of students and draw public attention to the validity of arts programs in
schools. $2,500.
Mendon-Upton Regional School District
Henry P. Clough School:
Project W.I.N.D. (Weather Instruments – New Discoveries) – Beverly Hart, Heather
Bozyczko, Allison Volpicelli, Lucia Castineira. Using an inquiry approach
involving a weather station and data measurement, kindergarten students will
build an understanding of weather concepts through experiences with real life
situations. $1,000.
Northbridge Public Schools
Northbridge Middle School:
Motion: In Action – John Roix. Eighth-grade science students will be
introduced to advanced technology and study of motion through design,
construction and testing of model cars. Students will attend a presentation by
the Museum of Science Traveling Program on “Motion: Speed, Velocity and
Acceleration.” $874.
Sutton Public Schools
Sutton High School: Web 2.0:
Communication in the 21st Century – Michael Whittier. The
project will expand and enhance the Web page design curriculum by engaging
students in learning emerging Web 2.0 technologies and industry standard
graphics software. Students will also learn the nature of modern Web-based
communication, bringing the added dimension of providing digital audio podcasts
through a low-wattage radio station. $2,500.
Total Education Foundation Grants: $13,724
Lampin Grants
Blackstone-Millville Regional High School
Entrepreneurial Students
Giving Back to the Community – Jeanne Desjardins and
Tom Sullivan. High school
students will expand on last year’s implementation of vocational programs by
operating mini-businesses in the technology and engineering department and
family and consumer science department. The program will incorporate additional
classes, a career speaker’s bureau, and community service learning. $5,000.
Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School
Manufacturing with Mastercam –
David Lewis, James Woodward, Ronald Linari.
The Manufacturing Technology
program’s computer-aided drafting will be enhanced by allowing Valley Tech’s two
integrated programs to introduce more computer-aided manufacturing and the
actual production of various components in the design and completion of robotic
devices. $5,000.
Hopedale Junior-Senior High School
The Criminal Investigation
Project – Maria DaFonte, Thomas Fischer, Ann LaBrode, Alex Cunningham. The
Criminal Investigation Project will introduce students to the study of the basic
principles of all types of investigation utilized in the justice system.
Students will work with law enforcement professionals; study in a
multidisciplinary project-based structure; and will be challenged to creatively
solve problems as they learn about crime scene investigation and create multiple
crime scenes that will be investigated by other teams using forensic
techniques. $4,503.
Nipmuc Regional High School
Nipmuc Regional High School
Senior Project – Jeffrey Della Rovere. High school seniors will participate
in career-related fieldwork under the guidance of a mentor, conduct formal
research related to the fieldwork subject area, document the project through a
portfolio, and participate in a multimedia presentation before a panel of both
school and community members to communicate their research and fieldwork
experiences. $5,000.
Uxbridge High School/Taft Elementary School
The Attic Children’s Museum –
Karin Knapik. High school students will create exhibits for the Attic
Children’s Museum (formerly Explore & Discover) and take on the role of museum
explainers when elementary classes take field trips to the museum to explore
topics in science, history, technology and more. The museum program will be
offered to other districts and the public through expanded hours, including
Saturdays. $4,400.
Total Lampin Grants: $23,903
Total Grant Awards: $38,877
