Williamstown Elementary School Fund Awards Over $20,000 for Enrichment Programs
September 15, 2008
Williamstown, MA -- The Williamstown Elementary School Endowment Fund (WESE), a fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, announced today that it has awarded $20,070 to 13 projects, which will be implemented during the 2008-2009 school year:
Williamstown Elementary School 2009 Survey: $2,000 to conduct a school-wide survey to assess needed changes or improvements in curriculum, technology, health, diversity and other subjects.
Words are Wonderful: $1,700 for the annual literacy festival, which celebrates the power and magic of words through workshops, performances, and presentations by professional authors, illustrators and performers.
Math Initiatives for Advanced Learners: $2,065 to support learning activities for up to 35 advanced math learners in grades 4-6.
Sunrise Language Program: $400 for workbooks and teaching materials for the program, which offers classes in Chinese and Spanish.
Williamstown Rural Lands Fund: $2,000 for a “Naturalist in the School” program, through which a visiting naturalist teaches nature education related to each grade level’s science and history curricula.
Williamstown Youth Center: $1,500 for a digital recording system and public address system to enhance its Garage Band program, which brings together elementary and middle school students and young adults to play music.
Hearing Screening Equipment: $1,259 to purchase screening equipment that identifies hearing loss in children.
Fifth Grade Band Field Trip: $1,800 to attend the Great East Festival juried concert band event.
WES Children’s Garden: $2,096 for a program to integrate the garden experience into the science, math and social studies curricula.
Hit the Trail: $1,200 for physical education classes in which children exercise and learn about the natural habitat through snowshoeing.
A Better Choice: $1,200 to purchase fresh vegetables and other healthy foods for school lunches.
Tutoring coordinator: $1,000 for a coordinator to link Williams College students with WES students for after-school tutoring; the program serves 45-50 children per week.
Interregional Book Group: $850 for a reading group that brings together sixth and seventh grade students from Williamstown Elementary School, Lanesborough School and Hancock School.
A voluntary advisory board reviews applications to WESE and awards grants based on excellence of the proposed project or service, its impact on the students, and its enhancement of the educational offerings of the school. Teachers, parents and community members are encouraged to submit applications.
The next deadline for WESE grant proposals is April 30, 2009. Applications are available online at www.berkshiretaconic.org/grantseekers or by calling 413.528.8039.
Founded in 1997, WESE is a permanent, non-profit fund for the town’s public elementary school to support extraordinary and innovative programs that go beyond the core curriculum. WESE is not intended to substitute for public funding of the school’s operating budget. Instead, it is intended to go beyond the school’s basic needs and fund programs for children that can spark excitement, enthusiasm, and innovative thinking. WESE is an education enrichment fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
The WESE board of trustees includes Pamela Besnard, Janette Kessler Dudley, Rose Ellis, , Russ Howard, Sue Killam, Susan Lynch, Margaret McComish, John Skavlem, Gerry Smith , Carol Stegeman and Geoff Strawbridge. The superintendent of the school is Dr. Rose Ellis and Stephen Johnson is the principal.
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents in the region it serves: Berkshire County, MA; Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY; and northwest Litchfield County, CT. Founded in 1987, Berkshire Taconic currently has over 500 funds and manages more than $86 million in assets. Each year, it distributes more than $7 million through grants and scholarships, helping thousands of donors achieve their philanthropic goals and hundreds of nonprofits carry on their good work.
###
