Press Release: A breakfast reception was held Tuesday, May 19 at the Willows to honor the grant recipients for the 2015-2106 academic year. The Westborough Education Foundation awarded 17 grants totaling over $24,000. “The Westborough Education Foundation helps propel innovation and creativity throughout the district. Teachers are so honored to be recognized and supported as they try out their new ideas.” Daniel Mayer, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent Westborough Public Schools.
Grant recipients for the 2015-16 academic year include:
Guest Artist Series: Five O’Clock Shadow
Gibbons Middle School, Joe Stillitano
Make a Video: Amazing Animated Video Maker –GoAnimate
Gibbons Middle School, Mark McNeil, Julie Leach
Homework Helpers: Free Tutors
Westborough High School, Grace Cheng
Lights! Camera! Action! READ!
Armstrong, Stephanie Stohr
Digital Design in the Visual Arts
WHS, Chris Martin
Ukuleles for the Elementary Music Classroom
Armstrong, Karin Puffer
A Pilot Study in Guided Math: A Framework for Differentiating Math Instruction to Meet the Needs of All Learners
Mill Pond School, Jenny Deane
The Thoreau Commons
WHS, Kathy Stoker and Anita Cellucci
Lego Simple and Motorized Mechanisms
Gibbons Middle School, Jane Borden
WHS Massachusetts Bar Mock Trial Program
WHS, Nick Soutter
Yoga 4 Classrooms IMPLEMENT Leader Training
Hastings Elementary School, Lauren Kennedy and Leigh Becker
Feeding the Learning
Mill Pond School, Sheila Labriola and Diane Maguire
Engaging Reluctant Readers through Readers Workshop
WHS Cheryl Tucker
Equal Voices: Promoting Gender Equality at WHS
WHS Cheryl Tucker and Julie Matson
BioBuilder
Westborough High School, JoAnne Purdy
Poet in Residence
Armstrong, Kelly White, Pamela Dunne, Patricia Marcus, Virginia Erwin,, Janet Hart, Stephanie Stohr
Annie’s Reading Stars Program Year 2
Fales Elementary School, Maryann Stannard
The Westborough Education Foundation is committed to fostering excellence and innovation in education in Westborough schools. Each year the Foundation funds grant requests from teachers and administrators for cutting-edge programs benefitting students at all levels. These grants allow teachers and administrators the opportunity to develop and implement innovative programs that are not covered by the regular school budget. “WEF funding does more than just provide dollars for projects. It is a process that inspires and rewards creativity and innovation. The celebratory awarding of a grant from WEF sets in motion new experiences in the classroom for both students and faculty, “ said Amber Bock, Superintendent of Westborough Public Schools. “The quality and range of grants applications this year speaks to innovation and continual improvement of our curriculum and instruction.”
The money for grants is primarily funded through WEF’s annual fundraiser, The Trivia Bee which will be held November 2, 2015 at 6:30 at the Doubletree Hotel in Westborough. Last year the event raised more than $17,000 to support educational grants to teachers and administrators from across all six of Westborough’s public schools. Another source of funding is the CARE program where parents can make a donation to WEF to honor and celebrate remarkable educators. As the end of the school year approaches, an easy way to show appreciation for teachers, principals and school staff members is to make a tax-deductible donation to the CARE program. Information can be found on the WEF website, www.westborougheducationfoundation.com.
The Westborough Education Foundation would like to thank the Willows for their hospitality, as well as the teachers, administrators and parents who work with WEF supporting our mission to help enrich the curriculum and stimulate creative learning opportunities in all of the Westborough public schools. Congratulations to all the grant recipients!
Maureen Johnson, President of WEF said, “The Westborough Education Foundation relies on the generous support of individuals, families, organizations and businesses to help fund grants and provide more resources to our teachers and children. Your support truly makes a difference for our children. Thank you! We are fortunate to have such a talented, hard-working staff within our school system, and awarding these grants is one opportunity where we can show our support for their creativity and dedication to the students in our community. These grants funded by WEF highlight the innovation and quality learning in Westborough public schools.”
Founded in 1997, the Westborough Education Foundation is an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to establish a permanent fund and to allocate funds to stimulate, support and strengthen the creation and implementation of innovative educational programs and enrichment activities which are outside the funding normally provided in the school budget. WEF grants benefit all students in the Westborough Public Schools system. Since its inception, WEF has awarded over $300,000 in grants that support programs ranging from innovative classroom technologies and curriculum to thought-provoking speakers and performances that benefit students in all grades. You can see a list of past grants on our website westborougheducationfoundation.com
For more information, visit WEF’s website at www.westborougheducationfoundation.com.
