PAST GRANTS
Grants Awarded for the
2020-2021 School Year
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.
Grants Awarded for the
2019-2020 School Year
MOSAICS—MCCPS
An array of tools will give MCCPS art students the ability to manipulate tiles and create authentic mosaic projects. These art projects dovetail with the fourth-grade study of ancient Greece and Rome.
UKULELES—MCCPS
This grant gives MCCPS’s blossoming strings program a chance to grow! Due to demand, twelve ukuleles will augment a previous Friends ukulele grant.
LED LIGHT KIT - MCCPS
Sustainable LED lighting for the two tower gardens at MCCPS is now possible thanks this grant. The vegetables from the gardens are used in the school’s salad bar, and growing and harvesting produce teaches students about the importance of local food sources.
ANXIOUS KIDS, ANXIOUS PARENTS—DISTRICT
Lynn Lyons, an authority in the study of childhood anxiety disorders, will come to Marblehead to speak to our community. The goal is to provide parents and teachers with insights and practical strategies to address anxiety at school and at home.
CO-TEACHING AT MVMS AND MHS
Studies show co-teaching—pairing a subject teacher with a special-education teacher—benefits all students. This professional development workshop that will support teachers at MVMS and MHS is the capstone of a year-long effort.
EYES WIDE OPEN: READING TO SEE THE WORLD—GLOVER
Creating a diverse library in each Glover classroom will open students’ eyes and encourage them to look at their own community–and the world–with a heightened level of openness and creativity.
TRAIN THE TRAINER FOR RESTORATIVE JUSTICE—GLOVER
Restorative Justice is a discipline program that promotes a safe, positive, inclusive learning environment based on respect, responsibility, and relationship rebuilding. This approach allows students to feel safe and develop a voice to stand up for themselves, and also builds empathy in the wrongdoer and ultimately creates a stronger school community.
MHS ENGLISH TEACHERS ATTEND NCTE CONVENTION
Three days of instruction, round-table discussions, and exposure to the latest research and methodology will provide the English department with the tools needed to improve curriculum and instruction.
BREAD AND PUPPET THEATER—MHS
The world-renowned Bread and Puppet Theatre will work with MHS students to design and build paper maché puppets and stage a performance for the community. Throughout the theatre residency, Bread and Puppet will also hold workshops in visual and performing arts classes, and student advisories will hold open discussions about art, censorship, respect, and community.
CAMERA SLIDER KIT—MHS
The slider kit combines the steadiness of a tripod while offering more freedom of movement. This technology will be especially valuable for students who will pursue video production in college and the workplace.
EXPANDING WOOD SHOP OPPORTUNITIES—MHS
This grant for midi lathes and scroll saws will limit wait time for wood shop classes and provide more technically-challenging opportunities for students.
YOU BRING THE SOUND; WE’LL BRING THE MUSIC—MHS
Installation of recording microphones, mixers, and powered speakers in the band and chorus rooms, and the purchase of a portable sound system, will greatly improve rehearsals for ensembles and enable students to listen, analyze, and utilize high-quality recordings in all the MHS music classes. With this equipment, new courses in live music technology, sound production and recording can be offered in the future.
GRAPHIC NOVELS—VILLAGE
Graphic novels are for every reader, but especially those who haven’t yet developed a passion for reading, students with reading difficulties, and English language learners. This grant includes software to create graphic novels, allowing teachers to develop a comprehensive graphic novel unit.
UKULELES FOR VILLAGE
Woodwinds and percussion are used in the music curriculum, and this grant for a classroom set of ukuleles will introduce strings. The ukulele is an approachable and popular instrument, and students can accompany it with singing.
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT—VILLAGE
Executive function skills include organization, self-monitoring, and time estimation ability that help students in school and in their daily lives. Expert Sarah Ward, founder of Cognitive Connections, will provide teachers with knowledge, actionable strategies, and resources.
VILLAGE SCHOOL OUTDOOR LEARNING SPACE
This grant funds phase one of a plan to transform the unused Village School courtyard to useful educational space. This functional and beautiful area will be used for science, art, and music and will be a place for all students and staff to reap the benefits of outdoor learning.
DASH MATS—VILLAGE
Village fourth graders are learning coding with Dash and Dot robots (funded by a 2018-19 Friends grant). These new silicone mats will enable fourth grade students to take their robotic competition to the next level by providing a sturdy and consistent surface for the robots.
UNSTOPPABLE—VILLAGE
#Unstoppable is a training for educators to better academically, socially, and emotionally support their community. This training involves tools for stress reduction and affirmative support for students who have experienced a traumatic event that effects their academic performance.
ENHANCED SOCIAL STUDIES TEXT SETS—VILLAGE
The goal of this grant is to have text sets for fourth grade classrooms that will engage students and be appropriate for a variety of reading levels. Students will have access to materials that will promote reading, research, and discussion related to the Ancient Civilizations, European Explorers, and Westward Expansion social studies units.
Grants Awarded for the
2018-2019 School Year
Soundtrap—MCCPS
This electronic music arranging program will help MCCPS students compose and arrange songs and instrumental pieces for both music class and for integrative school projects. Soundtrap will foster collaboration, technical skills, and creativity.
Empowering Students Through Service Learning—MCCPS
This grant funds a workshop and coaching sessions for all MCCPS faculty members which will focus on incorporating service learning in the classroom. Service learning is an integral part of the mission of MCCPS, and it will give students the opportunity to learn academic skills while serving the community at large.
Weather Station—MCCPS
Installing a weather station will allow students to collect and analyze data. Students will track the weather at MCCPS and compare it with weather reported at other Marblehead-based weather stations. Integration plans include daily weather reports at community meetings and using the school’s green screen/TV station to produce a weather report.
Oyster Upweller: Shark Club Expands to Aquaculture—MCCPS
The grant will fund an upweller--which grows oysters for research and measures the effects oysters could have cleaning Marblehead Harbor--with the support and coordinated efforts of the Massachusetts Oyster Project. The program will include hands-on activities for students and the continued creation of STEM based enrichment curriculum.
ADL A World of Difference Peer Mentor Program—MCCPS
MCCPS peer trainers will be trained by the ADL staff to lead developmentally-appropriate activities and discussions with their fellow students. The emphasis will be on combatting bias-related issues including bullying, cyberbullying and other prejudicial behaviors. Peer Trainers will share safe and practical prevention and response strategies including ways in which students can become allies for peers who are targeted.
Child Sexual Abuse Prevention—District
Along with parents and caregivers, teachers, school counselors, and staff are on the front lines of both teaching children about personal body safety and recognizing possible warning signs of abuse. This grant will fund a pilot program of voluntary district-wide sexual abuse prevention training and will bring in a speaker to address Marblehead parents and MPS staff.
Service Learning—Bell School
After launching a successful pilot program where Bell School students formed connections with elders at Lafayette Nursing Home, the teachers would like to expand service learning at the school. This grant will fund books and support literature to help teachers launch more service learning projects with their students. Potential areas of interest include sustainability, hunger and homelessness, and language and literacy.
Sustainable Environmental Education—Bell School
This pilot program for Bell second graders is a series of project-based workshops about how soil and composting affect our food, and how we each can play a role in protecting our environment and food sources. The workshops will incorporate science, math, social studies and ELA, and will hopefully inspire passion and curiosity for learning about the environment and sustainable practices. This grant builds on and incorporates a previous Friends grant, the Bell Organic Garden.
Weather Station—Glover School
Installing a weather station at Glover School allows the third graders to add a data layer to the study of weather. The students will be able to compare findings from made-in-the-classroom instruments with data from the sophisticated station installed at their school.
Living Mural—Glover School
The Living Mural will be a dynamic artwork attached to an outside wall of the school that will give Glover students the opportunity for expression and creativity. Local artist Susan Schrader will create the outline that students will be able to fill in again and again using outdoor chalk. The Glover Living Mural will reflect the school’s motto, Choose Kindness.
RAW Arts—MHS
This grant will provide funding for students from BRIDGE and VOICE (high school and post-grad special education programs) to attend RAW Arts, an 8-week art therapy workshop. RAW Arts will help students build friendships and develop self-confidence, and will expose them to various art mediums and give them the opportunity to create and exhibit artwork.
Learning to Ride with UBER—MHS
Through this program, students from BRIDGES and VOICE (high school and post-grad special education programs), will learn how to use UBER. The goal is to teach students who are developing independence to build life skills such as budgeting, travel planning, and safety.
Whale Watch—MHS
This experiential learning program will bring freshman biology students to Stellwagon Bank National Marine Sanctuary to reinforce the study unit dealing with marine biology, food webs, and ecology.
Lockboxes for Chromebooks—MHS
These lockboxes will provide a safe place to store school-owned Chromebooks for student use, ensuring every student equal access to technology, regardless of whether or not they own a device.
METCO Mentoring Project—District
Through this program, MHS students in the METCO program will mentor students at Glover, Bell, Village, and Veterans schools. This program is designed to build community and provide additional support to younger METCO students, and show them that they can achieve their goals.
Yoga, Mindfulness, and Meditation—MHS
An integral component of the post-graduate VOICE program is preparing students for life after they age out of services. Transitioning out can be very stressful for the students; practicing yoga and learning about mindfulness practices will help students manage anxiety and give them skills they can carry forward into independent living. Weekly instruction with a skilled yogi will provide the necessary foundation.
News Literacy—MVMS
This Veterans School grant will fund a subscription to the News Literacy Project for all 7th and 8th graders. Students will learn how to evaluate online sources for accuracy and learn how to differentiate unbiased news and information from opinion and propaganda.
Digi-Blocks for Mathematical Growth—Village School
These research-based hands-on math supplements improve number sense and conceptual understanding of decimals. Students will have the opportunity to make sense of math in a highly engaging format to establish the necessary foundation for upcoming algebra courses.
Dash into Fourth Grade—Village School
This grant will bring Dash and Dot Coding Robots to the Village 4th grade classrooms. This technology will introduce and expand students’ awareness of coding, encourage critical thinking, and foster teamwork. There is also the opportunity to compete in a yearlong enrichment program, the Wonder League Robotics Competition.
Maker-Centered Learning—Village School
This full-day professional development workshop for Village School teachers will present strategies for hands-on learning in all areas of study, including STEM, language arts, and social studies.