2008 Grant Award Recipients

Weather Observatory Station, $2,000

Awarded to: Karen Taylor, Warren School

Provides a hands-on weather station along with a raised platform observatory where students monitor and record weather data. Includes wireless outdoor and indoor components that allow for daily readings, even in inclement weather.

Art Library Flat File, $2,050

Awarded to: Leah Sumner, High School

The flat file houses a growing collection of great works of art for teachers to use in every subject for curriculum enrichment. The file case protects and preserves fine posters and photographs for years of use.

Auditory Success in the Classroom, $1,840

Awarded to: Sharon Ames, Middle School

The Soundfield Amplification System provides a wireless sound system for the core teachers of students with hearing impairments, and the lecture hall that seats 600 students. All students in these rooms benefit from the amplification system, which evenly distributes the teacher’s voice.

Big 6 Circus, $1,950

Awarded to: Jessica Zaborowski, Middle School

Students put their creative powers to work as they play the role of a circus performer, designer, or other production staff; helps to develop emotional, social and physical wellbeing. This grant provided a Rolla-bola, juggling props, glove, Diablo, costumes, makeup, and signage supplies.

Celebrating Our Differences, $1,971

Awarded to: Kristi Corbin & Jean Bruneault, Preschool

This grant enhances preschool curriculum in History and Social Sciences by teaching students to recognize and celebrate increasing diversity. Multi-cultural materials help children investigate language, food, customs, creative arts and play through a multi-sensory approach.

Little Snapshots into a Big Picture, $2,000

Awarded to: Catherine Stickney and Betsy Salomone, Pittaway School

Pictures can literally mean “a thousand words”. Through photos, kindergartners independently execute daily work as they follow visual directions of themselves completing the task at a prior time. This grant provides digital camera, docking station/printer and supplies, and memory card.

Math the Fun Way, $1,050

Awarded to: Lorraine McLaughlin and Beth Lewis, Mindess School

Many of our 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students have significant difficulty mastering the basic facts of addition and subtraction, multiplication and division. Touch Math uses classroom kits to help students memorize the basic number facts through visual, story and mnemonic devices.

Reading Phones, $1,168

Awarded to: Jennifer Temple, Warren School

Toobaloos are phone-like devices that magnify a student’s voice as the student reads into it. They provide immediate feedback to improve fluency, decoding skills, and comprehension on one’s own, and build confidence to speak in front of the class.

Research and Learning, $750

Awarded to: Claudia Bennett, Mindess School

This grant funds computer lab software including two encyclopedias, a reference series (dictionary, thesaurus, translation and verb conjugation), math, general homework help, and a multitude of templates for preparing reports and presentations.

 

2007 Grant Award Recipients

Hands-on Fun! $1,157

Awarded to: Amy Westerman

The Occupational Therapy department for Ashland Public Schools used this grant to purchase materials for a “library” of fine motor activities for kindergarten and first grade students.

Multicultural Folkmoot Costumes, $1,745

Awarded to: Teresa McCarrick & Katie Bach, Henry Warren School

An expansion of the Multicultural Sports/Dance Curriculum grant awarded in 2005, this new grant purchased supplies for the children to make folkmoot costumes, and integrate multicultural music and folk songs into the festival through the music department.

Books + Math = New Successes! $1,694

Awarded to: Patti Karam, David Mindess School

This grant purchased library books that weave mathematical ideas into engaging stories, thus helping to dispel the myth that math is dry, unimaginative, and inaccessible.

Learning the Language of Music Through Technology, $937

Awarded to: Lori Osowski, David Mindess School

Through this grant, the music teacher uses the computer lab to impart music-reading concepts and track individual student progress with the exciting Music Ace software.

Travel to a European Country Project, $1,511

Awarded to: Nanci Farquharson & Scott Soderberg, Ashland Middle School

This grant purchased books and USB drives for students to study and share findings of our changing world, one country at a time. They'll learn research skills plus written, oral and multimedia presentation techniques.

Holga Cameras, $770

Awarded to: Leah Sumner, Ashland High School

This grant funded cameras that make learning apertures, shutter speeds, film speeds, chemistry, lighting and timing easier. They're ideal for novices and students with special needs before learning the more complex aspects of 35mm SLR photography.

 

2006 Grant Award Recipients

Green Spaces For Green Places, $775

Awarded to: Chris Scott, Ashland High School

The Outdoor Learning Laboratory is an outdoor science lab planned, designed and built by students. It encompasses a water garden and earth garden that allow students to conduct experiments in a real environment rather than something simulated or artificial. There will be solar pumps and fountains and self-sustaining plants. In addition, through this grant, the high school will meet the requirements and specifications to achieve the status of a National Wildlife Federation certified habitat.

Improving Classroom Libraries for All Readers, $1,972

Awarded to: Erin Bannon, David Mindess School

This grant recognizes that independent reading is an integral part of literacy instruction. As the Neighborhood program transitioned from grades 4-6 to grades 3-5, the classroom libraries were not adequately prepared for the reading levels of third grade students. According to Scholastic and the National Reading Panel, at least 40% of all titles in classroom libraries should be nonfiction, and should span a wide range of reading levels. This grant furnished the Neighborhood classroom libraries with more picture books, early chapter books, and nonfiction texts.

Using Technology to Improve Articulation, $1,118

Awarded to: Sharon Ames and Jen Hoffmaster, Special Education, Warren and Mindess Schools

The innovative teaching techniques enabled by this grant improve a student's awareness and skills in producing specific target sounds necessary for intelligible speech production. Consistent cueing presented in computer programs lessens the overall time a student needs to work on specific articulation skills. The software not only increases the students' intelligibility, but takes baseline data on each student, converts raw scores, organizes and manages information, and provides post test data for the teachers.

Digital Story Telling, $2,411

Awarded to: Delores Frazer, Ashland Middle School

In the eighth grade “flex” rotation, students have the opportunity to work on content area module projects. The Language Arts module is an interdisciplinary project in which students write, direct, and produce their own original plays and movies. The opportunity to create movies and broadcast documentaries is very exciting for the students but was limited by the availability of technology equipment. The equipment purchased through this AEFI grant allows more students to participate in this option!

Climbing Wall, $2,000

Awarded to: Dan Powers and Janet Crawford, David Mindess School

This grant helps to purchase and install a traverse wall (8 feet high by 48 feet in length) in the Mindess Gymnasium to be used during Physical Education Classes and Fitness Club. Not only will climbing contribute to the students' overall physical fitness levels, but it will also promote self-esteem, team building, trust building, problem solving and positive risk-taking.

Super Science Sacks, $1,500

Awarded to: Deborah Montenegro and Maureen Clough, Henry Warren School

Through this grant, second grade teachers and parents will develop 40 take-home science kits that enhance the new inquiry-based science curriculum. Each kit will include a book, a parent-child response journal, and materials with directions for a parent-child activity. The Sacks will be designed to stimulate "inquiry", the core of scientific thought, and sustain the inquisitiveness that is natural for second grade children.

Encyclopedia Extravaganza: Little Step, Big Rewards, $1,092

Awarded to: Patti Karam, David Mindess School

The addition of the Heinemann First Encyclopedia to the reference section will enable the Mindess Library to teach ‘basic research’ skills to the new school population of third graders (220 students), using age appropriate materials. Multiple copies will allow classroom teachers the ability to have a set on loan in their classrooms, where they can continue to practice research skills geared to unit studies.

Wireless Microphone System and Portable Sound System, $1,203

Awarded to: Julian Doktor, Henry Warren School

This grant for a wireless microphone and portable sound system will allow greater versatility in the lower elementary school's programs. Students performing on stage will no longer be "tied" to a cord for their presentations, and program speakers will have greater freedom to address, and be heard by, the assembly. The portable sound system will be used in the gym, cafeteria, outside, and in the classrooms for programs and presentations.

 

2005 Grant Award Recipients

Table Talkers, $2,000

Awarded to: Stephanie Cook, Speech Language Pathology and Cathy Stickney, Kindergarten Inclusion Teacher

After a successful pilot in 2004, this grant for 21 Cheap Talk 4 devices was awarded to expand the use of table-talkers communication devices. These provide kindergartners with visual and auditory support to help them recall spoken directions and expectations.

Multicultural Sports/Dance Curriculum, $700

Awarded to: Teresa McCarrick, Physical Education Teacher, Henry Warren School

This grant to develop a multi-cultural sports/dance curriculum funded a maypole, tug-of-colors rope, treasure chest, jump poles and other equipment. This program is tied to the classroom curriculum to teach cultural diversity and culminates in a springtime Folkmoot Festival.

In My Shoes, $1,500

Awarded to: Damien Sugrue & Michael Conner, Teachers, David Mindess School

The Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital presents this acclaimed three-part In My Shoes program which includes reading a polio memoir, meeting with a polio survivor, and participating in hands-on activities to simulate some of the challenges disabled people face. Extended learning activities are also provided.

Independent Reading Project, $1,973

Awarded to: Kevin Carney, Assistant Principal; Tammy Knoff and Delores Frazer, Middle School Teachers

Through the purchase of 295 books for independent reading, this project aims to increase reading comprehension in middle school students, foster reading enjoyment, encourage collaborative book group work and provide leadership opportunities.

Senior Project "Bank", $1,000

Awarded to: Deborah Del Dotto, High School Teacher

This grant provides financial assistance for materials to seniors pursuing a year-long independent study of topics not addressed in the traditional curriculum. This opportunity helps develop self-directed learning skills and promotes in-depth academic exploration.

 

2004 Grant Award Recipients

Interactive Social Studies Unit, $557

Awarded to: Anne Stacey and Jennifer Temple, First Grade Teachers, Henry Warren School

This grant seeded a pilot program for first grade students that develops mapping skills and knowledge of famous Americans using a variety of kinesthetic and auditory methods. The children love walking around the world on the two World Explorer Floor Maps and enjoy learning about famous historical figures through two Time Traveler History Read-Alongs.

Table Talkers, $1,200

Awarded to: Stephanie Cook, Speech Lang. Path., Cathy Stickney, Kindergarten Inclusion, William Pittaway School

This pilot program for two Cheap Talk 8 Devices and six Cheap Talk 4 Devices provide kindergartners with visual and auditory support to enhance comprehension of spoken directions and expectations.

Taking Chances, $2,000

Awarded to: Karen Bernier, Lead Teacher, David Mindess School

This grant provided 22 T180 calculators and one view screen package for a creative statistics and probability program: Mindess neighborhood students observe, analyze and graph practical math usage in downtown Ashland, study games of chance at the Topsfield Fair, then apply the concepts learned to create a carnival for the entire school.

The Mountain Classroom, $2015

Awarded to: Barbara Dyer, Technology Innovation Specialist, Ashland Middle School

This grant helped to establish a highly collaborative program for seventh graders to participate in environmental studies, data collection and analysis at several New England sites. The program incorporates civic connections and seven academic disciplines. The grant was used to purchase a digital camera and printer, DVD burner, DVDs, GPS, journals and allocated funds for a field trip scholarship fund.

 

Previous Grant Award Recipients

Here's Looking At Us!

Awarded to: Cindy Murphy, Kindergarten

A digital camera and color printer was purchased for use by kindergarten classes. Photos of classroom activities are used to enhance oral and written and language skills.

Adventures in Science

Awarded to: Maureen Clough, Debbie Montenegro and Joan Walsh, 2nd Grade

The Museum of Science's School Outreach Program and related follow-up classroom activities delighted second graders.

School is Real Science

Awarded to: Thomas Bannon, 4th Grade

In a unique opportunity to experience and learn the application of the scientific process, students watched their own classroom experiments duplicated by scientists at Natick Labs.

Learning Spanish I with Kinesthetic Projects

Awarded to: Nancy Albertini, World Language

Spanish I students applied a hands-on approach to language studies by creating authentic projects relating to Mexican culture.

Ashland High School / Middle School Library Technology Reserve

Awarded to: Susan Telage and Suzanne Kenney, Library

The Foundation funded the purchase of a network printer for student use.