At the Needham School Committee meeting on February 28th, the Needham Education Foundation (NEF) announced the recipients of seven grants totaling $45,049 in the winter grant cycle.
Awarded grants include:
- An American Sign Language elective for eighth grade students at Pollard Middle School. This is the second year of funding for this large grant.
— Awarded to Elizabeth Zajac, K-12 Director of World Languages - Sensory Pathways at Newman Elementary School allowing all students to engage in a movement break when needed. This is an Express grant from Mitchell.
— Awarded to Kerri Vonnegut, Kindergarten teacher - An all-school visit with author Ty Allan Jackson for Mitchell Elementary School students to learn why reading is important and how Mr. Jackson overcame obstacles to become an author.
— Awarded to Lisa Bees, Parent, Maria Porcello, 5th grade teacher - New equipment for the Needham High School fitness center allowing the wellness program to evolve with advancements in fitness technology and to increase accessibility of the equipment.
— Awarded to Diana Parkhurst, Wellness teacher, Denise Domnarski, Director of Wellness, Ricardo Andrade, Assistant Athletic Director - A new LGBTQIA+ English elective offering for students at Needham High School, including curriculum materials and professional development.
— Awarded to Patrick Gallagher, English Department Chair - Equipment and materials for students at Needham High School to create resin projects in their science classes, increasing their understanding of scientific concepts, while bringing art and creativity into the science classroom.
— Awarded to Andrew Verardo, Biology teacher, Teresa Marx, Chemistry teacher - A visit with author Sara Farizan, a Boston-native and daughter of Iranian immigrants, for students at Needham High School, including both traditional author talks, as well as smaller group writing workshops.
— Awarded to Paige Rowse, Teacher Librarian