1 July, 2014
Foundation to Fund Grants Valued at More than $23,000
For Center, Elmwood and Hopkins Schools
The Hopkinton Education Foundation today announced details of the grants the organization will make for 2014-2015. Four grants, totaling $23,410, were awarded to Hopkinton educators across Center, Elmwood and Hopkins Schools.
“We received 17 grant applications this year, and selected the four for funding that we felt had the greatest potential for advancing innovation among the broadest number of students,” said Jennifer Breslin, grants committee chair for the Foundation. Since its inception in 1992, the Foundation has provided over $1 million to fund nearly 300 grants to Hopkinton educators.
The grants made for the 2014-2015 school year are:
‘Foundations in Engineering’: This $5,833 grant to Center School educator Lauren Dubeau will help build a foundation for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) for kindergartners and first-grade students. The lessons will culminate with the Center School gymnasium being transformed into a state-of-the-art, hands-on children's museum.
‘Enhancing Community Safety, Math, Science, Geography and Technology Education at Elmwood’: This $6,490 grant to Elmwood teacher David Ljungberg will help build a STEM foundation for second- and third-graders. Students will be provided with real-time
weather data via a WeatherBug Weather Station. The data will be used for interactive lessons, tools, and activities for all students, in a variety of curriculum areas.
‘Plug, Play and Code with Kano Kits’ (EMC Grant for Mathematics & Science):
Kano Kits will introduce Hopkins students to the interconnected layers of hardware and
software that power their devices. From building a computer to programming code,
students will engage with the logical process of creating technology. This $3,975 grant was made to Hopkins educator Stephanie Doty.
‘Glass Fusion and Slumping’ (Stephen Gray Innovation Grant): This $7,112 cross-curricular grant made to educator Kelly DaRosa will provide Hopkins School students with a glass kiln, giving them hands-on experience in the study of glass fusion and ‘slumping’ – melting glass into a mold. Students will use critical thinking and problem-solving in developing their designs for the slumping process.
