Madison Education Foundation Awards $176,000 in Educational Enrichment Grants

By Penny Sullivan

The Madison Education Foundation awarded more than $176,000 in educational enrichment grants in the 2014-15 school year, including $40,000 in the spring cycle that concluded in June. The year’s 43 teacher-initiated grants reached K-12 students in all five Madison public schools.

“We continue to be inspired by the range of enrichment ideas we see from teachers, and the thoughtful planning that goes into their grant applications,” noted MEF Co-President Mary Schaenen.

Elementary Schools

The district’s youngest students are benefitting from a diverse mix of grants awarded to their teachers. At Kings Road School an indoor aquarium and outdoor butterfly garden will be living science laboratories. Students in all Torey J. Sabatini classrooms will use sport stacking cups for “brain breaks.” The Central Avenue School Learning Garden, co-funded with the PTO, will be an outdoor classroom for science, math, and art lessons. All three schools received mythology books to enhance the 4th grade curriculum and clay for art classes.

Pilots of yoga lessons, pendulum desks, and sensory seating tools will help teachers explore ways to help students increase focus and reduce stress during the school day. “Over the years MEF has funded pilots as an effective way to determine the impact of new ideas. These small-scale assessments help our schools learn which innovations work best,” said MEF Co-President Clare Sievers.

Rounding out the grant list are books to engage budding K-3 readers, STEM building and math kits, document cameras, a visit from author Candace Fleming, and Media Center iPads.

“Our teachers were literally jumping for joy at the number of grants approved by MEF,” stated Central Avenue School Principal Tom Liss. “I believe the best schools are defined by a whole learning community and I cannot tell you how special it is to be part of Madison.”

Madison Junior School

Enthusiastic junior school teachers received a variety of grants. Broadcast Meteorologist John Marshall spoke to all 6th graders. An engaging presentation -- complete with extreme weather footage and an interactive “green screen” -- enriched the science unit on weather and exposed students to the profession of meteorology.

“MJS ad portas! MJS was ‘at the gates’ of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and we had a wonderful experience,” reported MJS Social Studies teachers Erik Lih and Rich Newberry. “Thanks to the generosity of our MEF grant, all 7th graders explored the ancient civilizations exhibits and completed a scavenger hunt, coming face to face with artifacts that make ancient history we studied in class come alive. With this new knowledge of unfamiliar cultures, our students have become passionate about the preservation and protection of these artifacts.”

Eighth grade Spanish classes read an award winning dual-language novel entitled “My Blue Butterfly/Mi Mariposa Azul,” enhanced by a visit from author Mercedes Rodman. Students were inspired by the story of two teens, one from the U.S. and one from Venezuela, sharing common experiences and feelings despite their different backgrounds.

Other junior school grants included FM amplification systems, Chromebook headsets, personal memoirs about India and the Middle East for 8th grade social studies, music technology equipment for band and orchestra funded in partnership with Madison Music & Arts, solar cars, a memoir writing workshop, and a trip to a performance of “A Christmas Carol.”

Madison High School

Students were treated to a poetry festival last spring, thanks to funding from an MEF grant and support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Five dynamic poets read their work to a packed auditorium then fanned out to meet with literary clubs and work with students in individual classrooms. Other festival activities, including poetry-grams and random acts of poetry, rounded out a day that “left students talking about the poets and poetry as they walked through the halls,” according to Anne Wessel Dwyer, MHS grant recipient and poetry festival leader.

After 11th grade English classes read Macbeth, a grant brought the NJ Shakespeare Theater touring company to MHS to perform the play, thereby enriching students’ understanding and experience of Shakespeare.

Biology labs were updated with the addition of new Vernier Probewear, allowing students to collect and analyze data with technology used at the college level. Hominin skulls will work double time, enhancing the study of evolution for AP biology students and drawing for art students.

TV & Video Production students have been learning to use professional grade equipment funded by MEF, and soon will be working in the new studio and control room renovated by the district over the summer. This transformative grant is bringing exciting curricular and co-curricular opportunities to the high school.

“I became principal of Madison High School the year after the Foundation was founded, and in that time I have been able to witness firsthand the many ways MEF has enhanced the experience of our students,” says MHS Principal Greg Robertson. “In addition, the Foundation has remained flexible and responsive to meeting the needs of our teachers so they have the resources to teach the curriculum in the most effective and meaningful way. The result is students who are engaged learners, better prepared for success in a global society.”

Mega Musicpalooza

By all accounts, the finale performed by 700 district-wide music students at the first ever Mega Musicpalooza on May 16th was a roaring success. An MEF grant allowed the district to commission the original piece, so that all grade 4-12 music students could play and sing together. “The finale brought tears to my eyes,” said MEF Board member Penny Sullivan. “It ranked right up there with the Christmas Parade and the Little League Opening day parade as one of those moments you feel the warmth and small-town love of living in a place like Madison!”

For a complete list of MEF grants awarded during the 2014–15 school year, visit http://mefnj.org/content/grants.

Save the Date: MEF Adult Gala

The MEF gala, British Invasion, will be held Friday, November 13th from 7:30-10:00pm at The Madison Hotel. Event tickets will be mailed district-wide and registration will be available online in early October. Tickets for this popular event cost $85, including all food and beverages.

Madison Education Foundation

The Madison Education Foundation (MEF) awards grants to K-12 teachers for initiatives that energize the creative and academic lives of students but are above and beyond the school budget. Since its inception in 2003, MEF has awarded more than $950,000 in grants. MEF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations can be mailed to PO Box 1093 Madison NJ 07940 or submitted online. Visit www.mefnj.org or e-mail info@mefnj.org for more information.

PHOTO CAPTION:

Last spring, MHS students experienced a Poetry Festival thanks to an MEF grant. Seen here, Journalism students in Ms. Kathleen Bergen’s class enjoyed a presentation from poet James Hoch.

From left to right:

Back row: Nikki Taylo, Libby Johnson, Julia Prout, Audrey Rowland, Will Wraith

Middle row: Mike Houle, Connor Riley, Tyler Simeone, Quinn Hurley, Poet James Hoch, Shira Buchsbaum, Fiona Kean, Cara Smith, Dennis Harrington

Front row: Isabel Brownlee, Michael Bennett