The Bedford Education Foundation funded 17 grants in our two 2016-2017 grant cycles, totaling over $16,000.

GRANTS FUNDED AT DAVIS SCHOOL

Davis School teachers Susan Nocera and Amy Corssino were awarded a $1,300 grant for a Buddy Bench for the Davis School playground. A Buddy Bench is a colorful, clearly marked bench designed for students who may have difficulty navigating the process of finding playmates, or finding the confidence to join in, at recess. It will give students the opportunity to both reach out for help and give other students the experience of offering themselves as a friend. The goal of the bench is to teach students to reach out to one another, to eliminate loneliness and to foster friendships on the playground.

Davis School guidance counselor Paula Francis-Springer was awarded a $500 grant for a portable PA Sound System for assemblies in the cafeteria and grade level meeting spaces. This improvement upon current technology will not only add to the success level of the assemblies so close to the heart of the Davis School mission, but can also be used by classroom teachers interested in using this equipment for innovative projects.

Davis School teachers Jennifer Wayne-Bartlett, Deborah Davies, and Carly Harary were awarded a $365 grant to support their Next Generation Shared Reading program. Shared reading is interactive reading that occurs when all students can see the print and read the text in unison. The grant will be used to purchase oversized books and eBooks for their first grade classrooms.

Sema Arakelian and Deborah Davies were awarded a $900 grant to start a school-wide composting program at Davis School. This program will reduce the amount of garbage that Davis School produces, supplement the soil in the Davis School garden, and help teach the students about the importance of caring for the earth as well as the science of composting.

Special Education teachers Caitlin Hall and Alison Hannah were awarded
a $600 grant for materials to help their SAIL and CASE students access the Music curriculum. These electronic devices will allow students with limited verbal skills to participate in classroom routines, sing programmed rhythms, and play instruments. Students will benefit from seeing children of all abilities become participating members of the classroom community.

Reading Interventionist Julie Sutton was awarded a $700 grant for several storytelling kits for the Kindergarten classrooms. Each kit features a big book, plus all the props the students need to retell the story—from hand puppets to soft-stuffed characters.

GRANTS FUNDED AT LANE SCHOOL

Fourth grade teacher Julia Herman was awarded a $1,000 grant for a SMART Document Camera SDC-450 for her classroom. During the school day, the document camera will allow Ms. Herman to instantly share student work and demonstrations with her class and give students the opportunity to share their own learning and process with their peers. Additionally, the document camera can be used to create recordings that students and parents can access at home.

Lane School was awarded a $500 grant for materials and supplies for the Lane School Chicken Coop Project led by Keith Kinney and Jean Mickel. Keeping live chickens allows Lane School students to investigate external and internal structures of animals as well as deepen their understanding of animal adaptations. This funding will allow Lane’s creative and innovative school-wide endeavor to flourish in the coming year.

GRANT FUNDED AT JOHN GLENN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Sixth grade teacher Denise Breakall was awarded a $485 grant for two standing desks for her English Language Arts classroom. These desks will help students with excess energy manage it within the confines of the classroom.

GRANTS FUNDED AT BEDFORD HIGH SCHOOL

BHS teachers Beth Billouin, Scott Stief, and Liana Heldman were awarded a $1,500 grant for a Social Justice Awareness program for all ninth graders. Starting this fall, once every six days during homeroom, all freshmen students will participate in a 20-minute discussion or activity to encourage conversations centered on social justice. The teaching team will host class-wide assemblies and work with Dr. Allyson Livingstone to train discussion leaders and support the initiative through the year.

BHS Robotics teacher John O’Connor was awarded a $2,800 grant for a robotic model sailboat project. In class, the students will expand their programming and operating skills by working with a 3 foot robotic model sailboat with on-board computers, sensors, and servo motors. The students will take what they know about sailing and teach it to a computer. The computer can “feel” using sensors, “think” with the program the students write, and “act” via servo motors controlling rudders and sails.

BHS Academic Achievement Center teachers Adelle Girvan, Kathleen Campbell, Jerome Freedman, Carol Twombly, and Lisa Morrison were awarded a $3200 grant to create an innovative learning space. A variety of seating options–comfortable arm chairs, stools with high tables, collaborative work spaces–will help meet the individual needs of each student and encourage the success of BHS’s unique and diverse student body.

BHS English teachers Cassie Dresser and Sarah Kane were awarded a $450 grant for a classroom set of graphic novels and adapted texts for struggling readers. These texts will allow students to access the original texts in creative ways that will increase the amount of class time analyzing literature and decrease the amount of time spent on basic comprehension of the texts.

BHS teachers Kimberly Comeiro and Victoria Breslin were awarded a $1,300 grant for Project Adventure Challenge Course Team Building program for the students in the STEP program, a therapeutic program for students who struggle with social-emotional challenges. Project Adventure in Beverly, MA has designed a curriculum that focuses on building trust, teamwork, self-confidence and empathy. Skills learned from this exciting hands-on experience will be integrated into the STEP classroom and carry beyond the students’ time at BHS.

BHS Black Student Association club advisor Chris Zellner was awarded an $800 grant for a BSA Speaker Series that will bring in presenters from outside the school to speak with students about key social issues so relevant to our society in 2016. The importance of diversity, life after high school, and the role of social activism will be among the topics presented and discussed.

BHS teachers Ms. Gisone and Ms. Morley were awarded a $1664 grant for self-regulating and self-soothing materials and tools for students in the Bridge and SAIL programs. The tools and materials included weighted blankets, a light box, exercise balls, a freestanding punching bag, and a large collection of therapy toys and puzzles.

GRANT FUNDED AT THE INTEGRATED PRESCHOOL

Integrated Preschool teacher Shannon Babu was awarded a $600 grant for a collection of drums and glockenspiels to start a Musical Mindfulness program in the three preschool classrooms.