Friends of the Marblehead Public Schools Announces 14 New Educational Grants
In the midst of a challenging educational environment, Friends of the Marblehead Public Schools is thrilled to announce 14 new educational grants for the 2020-21 school year. Teachers, staff, and parent groups submitted grant proposals in February, and the Friends recently voted on funding. “We’re excited about these creative grants that not only enrich and enhance the education of Marblehead public school students at all grade levels but are creative and flexible. Many of the programs can be adapted to be virtual and/or work for remote learning situations. Teachers are not putting learning on hold, and grant recipients have already started discussing possible adjustments, if necessary” said Friends President Aileen Sheehan. “This broad range of grants includes programs that positively impact our schools’ arts programs, ELA curriculum, post-graduation readiness, and the social and emotional health of students.”
Friends grants are funded by the community, and every dollar matters!
Please support the Friends by donating and learning more about our mission at friendsofmarblehead.org, and by following Friends of the Marblehead Public Schools on Facebook and Instagram @friendsmps and on Twitter @FriendsMHD.
Adventuring into the New School—Bell, Coffin, Gerry, Glover, Village
This initiative will help facilitate community building amongst the Coffin, Eveleth, and third Grade Village School teachers and staff in order to build a strong foundation at the new school. The end result is to enter the new school committed and connected as one school culture and faculty. The teachers will work collaboratively with Project Adventure as a facilitator to guide and moderate discussions that will help teachers and staff find the
best ways to work efficiently and effectively.
HD Video Camera and Microphone—MCCPS
This equipment, along with studio lights and a green screen from a past Friends grant, will enable Charter TV to increase the visual and audio quality of their shows. Charter TV is teaching students the process of video production, including writing, filming, editing, and creating content for a wider viewing audience on MHTV.
Marblehead High School DECA
Marblehead High School's DECA chapter is a business club with the goal of preparing emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. In its first three years, the chapter have grown from 7 to 37 members, and each year more Marblehead students have qualified to go to DECA’s state and international competitions. This grant will fund members’ participation in these competitions.
Ancient Civilizations E-Book Set—MVMS
A change in the seventh-grade curriculum has broadened the ancient civilizations unit. This grant funds the purchase of a set of e-books that can be used simultaneously by the entire grade, either at school or at home. This will enable teachers to assign digital content for homework and provide resources for student work outside of school. The content in the books will also be a valuable resource for special education teachers creating individualized instruction for seventh grade students at MVMS.
Improved Self-Regulation Strategies—MCCPS
This Charter School grant will facilitate faculty and family training in specific strategies and the use of sensory tools that promote self-regulation. Research suggests that improved self-regulation promotes long-term educational benefits. Speaker Amy Laurent, Ph.D., a developmental psychologist and a registered pediatric occupational therapist, will lead training for the entire faculty.
Let the Good Vibes Roll: Vibraphone for the Marblehead Band Programs—MHS, MVMS, Village
This grant is for a new vibraphone that will be used by the Village, MVMS, and MHS Concert Bands, Jazz Bands, Marching Band, and Mallet Ensemble. Within the past few years, participation in the Concert Band, Jazz Band, and Marching Band programs has grown, and the new Mallet Ensemble has performed at a variety of events in the school and community, and replacing the music departments aging vibraphone is essential to the programs. The grant will also fund several sets of mallets.
Graphic Novels Project—MCCPS
The goal of this grant is using graphic novels to build Charter School students’ reading skills, increase engagement, and provide a creative outlet for the students’ own storytelling. The grant includes purchasing a wide variety of graphic novels, having a workshop for students to create their own graphic novels, and a hosting visit by author Gale Galligan, who has taken over the graphic novel adaptations of The Baby-Sitters Club series.
Life After High School Course Materials—MHS
This grant funds materials for a new MHS elective, Life After High School. This course is designed to help students build confidence, self-awareness, and essential skills to succeed as they transition to the next phase of their lives. The course teaches financial literacy, and helps students develop employability skills, financial literacy, communication skills, and discover post-secondary educational interests.
Ecology Textbooks—MVMS
This grant funds a supplemental science textbook: “The Ecology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained.” The goal is to teach understanding and a passion of the wilderness and apply the curriculum to real world issues.
Different is Awesome—Bell, Coffin, Gerry, Glover
The goal of this grant is to for all children to realize they are special and to embrace their own “different but special” characteristics. Research shows social and emotional learning can increase academic achievement, improve attitudes and behaviors, and reduce emotional distress. Inspired by a Marblehead student born amniotic band syndrome, the grant will fund a visit with speaker Ryan Haack, author of Different is Awesome, as well as copies of his book for every classroom.
Freshman First Day Experience with Project Adventure—MHS
The first day of high school is momentous, and a positive, welcoming start is important. This grant funds training for the Peer Mentor Leadership Team to develop the Freshman First Day of School Experience with Project Adventure.
Mentors and their ninth-grade mentees will be participating in large group activities, making new connections, problem-solving, working towards common goals, and building camaraderie.
Ukulele for the Music Classroom—MVMS
To supplement the existing 12 ukuleles funded by Friends, this grant will give the MVMS music program 18 additional ukuleles. This provides each student with an instrument and allows the instructor to teach a single,
comprehensive unit to all students at one time. Given the ukulele’s smaller size and fewer number of strings, this instrument allows students of all learning styles to feel more comfortable and confident.
Being Seen: Diversifying Classroom Libraries—Village
This Village School grant will allow a diverse population of students to “see” reflections of themselves and to gain exposure to different perspectives within the pages of a book. All chapter and picture books will reflect the following: race, culture, socioeconomic status, family structure, identity, immigration experiences, and disabilities. The goal is to help cultivate empathy amongst groups they are not familiar with and allow all populations to feel as if their voice, their experiences, and their differences are reflected in the books they pick up in our libraries.
Graphic Novels for MVMS
The goal of this purchase is to provide students in Language Based English Language Arts classes with an equivalent content experience to those in general education ELA classes. The purpose of the grant is to fund the purchase of sets of graphic novels that are versions of core ELA novels.
Providing access to graphic novels builds reader confidence and strengthens vocabulary in readers who might not be reading at or near grade-level.