Students in Needham schools will benefit from 12 grants worth nearly $36,000 in the spring cycle of grants awarded by the Needham Education Foundation. Many of this season’s grants are notable for teaching academic concepts through hands-on activities and performances.
The Needham Education Foundation funds programs that fall outside normal school funding and promote innovation and excellence for students. Spring grants, announced at the Needham School Committee meeting on April 23, include funding for:
- The “Amazing Nano Brothers,” who will use juggling to teach complex science concepts, including atomic structures, in performances at all elementary schools.
- The Hillside Family Engineering Extravaganza, with engineering activities for students and families, helped by Olin College students and the NHS girls’ robotics team.
- A 3-D printer, to enable robotics students to design a part, “print it,” and then use the physical item. The printer will be used initially by the Needham High School robotics club and then integrated into the school’s new robotics class.
- A one-woman performance by an actor playing Helen Keller, followed by an in-character Q&A with students, to kick off Disability Awareness programs at each elementary school.