24 May, 2016
The Hopkinton Education Foundation (Ed Foundation) awarded nine grants totaling over $86,900 to schools in the Hopkinton Public School system. These nine grants were chosen as their ideas best met the foundation’s criteria for innovation and positively impacting the Hopkinton Public School System. After today’s announcement, the total funds awarded to the Hopkinton Public School system are nearly $1.2 million.
The grants awarded in this cycle support a wide range of disciplines including engineering, art, social studies, reading, and foreign language. “We are excited we were able to fund nearly all of the grants received this year, a testament to the innovation and dedication of the HPS teachers and administration”, said Alexis Miller, Education Foundation President. There are two new classes in the high school that allow for cross curricular collaboration, an opportunity for virtual fields trips and first person research, and practices to help reduce stress and increase mindfulness, among others.
Earlier this week, the Ed Foundation announced the Mary Korbey Leadership grant – Leadership Training for Varsity Captains.
This year’s award recipients are:
• Virtual Travel with Google Cardboard – Stephen Gray Innovation Grant awarded to Betci Weldon at Hopkins for $7,760 – This grant will enable the techno library teacher as well as classrooms teachers at Hopkins and Elmwood to immerse their students in virtual field trips bringing abstract concepts to life as well as offering a deeper understanding of the world beyond their classrooms. It will fund 60 Google Expedition view Masters and applicable devices for running Google Expedition.
• Standing Desks awarded to Rachel Siegel at Hopkins for $6,749 – There is currently a movement towards standing desks for students which allows for comfortable, ergonomically correct positioning, while helping with attention, behavior and focus. This grant will pilot 12 standing desks in one 5th grade classroom.
• Reducing Stress and Creating Emotional Resiliency on a Community Level Through Mindfulness and Restorative Practices awarded to Samantha Harris at the Middle School for $16,614 – This grant provides professional development for MS teachers to learn Mindfulness & Restorative Practices and how to implement in their classroom. There will be coaching to develop a school wide program. As a part of this program development, there will be a speaker presentation to staff, students and parents.
• Google Cardboard for the Classroom – Bringing the World Alive Virtually for our Students awarded to Karen McDeed at the Middle School for $3,860 – This grant will enable the MS teachers to immerse their students in virtual field trips bringing abstract concepts to life as well as offering a deeper understanding of the world beyond their classrooms. It will fund 30 Google Expedition view Masters and applicable devices for running Google Expedition.
• Write On! awarded to Dawn McNally at the Middle School for $1,265 – This grant will provide a unique and creative assessment tool for students in the Foreign Language department. The Think-boards are dry-erase film that will be applied to student’s desk. These boards will facilitate collaboration in the classroom, reinforce grammar and allow for immediate feedback to students when writing in a foreign language.
• A New Vision for Learning in Hopkinton’s Secondary School Libraries – HHS Library Learning Commons Model & Digital Information Hub awarded for Kirsten Fournier at the High School for $21,537 – This grant will allow for the HHS library to be poised to reinvent itself not only as a 1:1 technology resource but as a collaborative learning commons center as well as becoming a true digital learning hub.
• The Fusion of Art, Science, and Self Expression through Filmmaking awarded to Joseph Williams at the High School for $13,463 – This grant will support the initial technology needs, from videography work through editing, for three film courses that were developed as part of a complete redesign of the high school’s engineering/technology offerings. Students will work with creative writing students and art students to create and produce their films.
• Fab Lab: 3-D – Design and Fabrication Cross Curricular Course awarded to Christine Enos at the High School for $8,913 – This grant will enable the HS to offer a new interdisciplinary course where students will learn to use art and the engineering design process. The classroom will be a dynamic and collaborative environment where teachers and students can discover and share ideas. The course will serve those interested in Art, Architecture, Engineering, Sculpture, 3D Design, and Fabrication.
• Mary Korbey Leadership Training for Varsity Captains awarded to Deirdre King at the High School for $6,750 – This grant will provide leadership training for Varsity Captains in three 5-hour workshops. The results will empower captains to be better role models for team members, effective communicators with fellow athletes and will help develop a systematic approach to achieving team success. This grant will honor Mary Korbey and her passion for education and empowerment through athletics and teaching athletes to be good citizens in all aspects of life.
“Congratulations to all of the grant recipients for their hard work and outside of the box thinking,” said Maureen Belger, Ed Foundation Grant Committee Chairperson. “We are proud to be a catalyst for innovation motivating our educators and students.”
About the Hopkinton Education Foundation
The Hopkinton Education Foundation provides funding, ideas and professional development to help Hopkinton educators deliver innovative educational experiences that inspire students to strive for excellence and become lifelong learners. Since its inception in 1992, the Foundation has made 325 grants valued at nearly $1.2 million. For further information, visit the Foundation's website, or the Foundation’s Facebook page.
The Education Foundation partners with businesses, individuals, and other organizations for funding that will promote awareness of the Education Foundation’s mission, vision, goals, and successes. It is generously supported by EMC Corporation, Phipps Insurance Agency, Middlesex Savings Bank, Hopkinton Independent, Kidsborough, Elizabeth Blake Orthodontics, Staples, and Unibank.
