Parsippany Education Foundation Gives $13K In Grants To Schools

PARSIPPANY, NJ — The Parsippany Education Foundation has given over $13,000 in grants to Parsippany schools to fund programs in the arts, sciences, and special education.

The fund will benefit programs at district schools including Brooklawn Middle School and Parsippany Hills High School. The programs were developed by teachers, and selected to receive the funds based on their contributions to learning.

One beneficiary program at Brooklawn is called "Up All Knight Cafe;" the snack and concession stand is run by special needs students and teaches them interpersonal communications, and business and cash management skills.

“The Cafe is a wonderful program we will use to apply academic and social training to the real world challenges of running a small business. We are delighted to bring this opportunity to our students through the generosity of the Parsippany Educational Foundation and their donors,” said teacher Laura Bailliard.

A robots program at Parsippany Hills High School is another beneficiary. The club is new, and students must apply math, technology and science skills.

“Through the Chipwrecks and Redbots grant, our new student robotics club will be able to
design and build a robot to compete in the worldwide First Tech Challenge from the organization
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). Robotics challenges our
students to solve problems across physics, computer science, mathematics, CAD engineering
and more,” said teacher Ellesa Effner

The $13,057 check was presented to the Board of Education on Nov. 15. Over the years the Parsippany Educational Fund has distributed over $350,000 in grants raised through private donors and other fundraising efforts.

"Our Parsippany Education Foundation serves as Guardian Angels for our educators. They work hard to fundraiser and support our teachers and administrators in bringing innovative and meaningful learning opportunities that reflect our district's Strategic Plan and enrich our students' school lives," said superintendent Dr. Barbara Sargent.

Here are all the programs that received grants:

Life Cycle of a Caterpillar, Eastlake

Preschoolers at Eastlake will be able to see firsthand, caterpillars becoming butterflies over the course of two weeks.

Nintendo Switch Labo Instruments, Troy Hills & Knollwood

Students will use their musical knowledge to program Nintendo Switch gaming consoles into musical instruments that are fit for performance.

Up All Knight Café, Brooklawn Middle School

Up All Knight Café provides a coffee and snack business opportunity to students in the multiple disabilities program.

There is Only One You, Lake Parsippany

As a community service project, 5th grade students will paint rocks that encourage their uniqueness, diversity, and acceptance of others.

Battle of the Books, Mount Tabor

The Battle of the Books is a program designed to promote the enjoyment of reading and build a community amongst readers.

The Gift of Music for PHHS 50th Birthday, Parsippany Hills

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of PHHS, we would like to commission a new composition for the PHHS band. This music will be premiered by the PHHS band in 2019, and used for the recessional at PHHS graduations for many years.

Rock Out Loud, Rockaway Meadow

Music motivates students with autism to become actively engaged in learning activities, and encourages social skills and language development.

Chipwrecks and Redbots!, Parsippany Hills

The PHHS Robotics Team is a STEM-based club that creates robots for the worldwide competition, FIRST Tech Challenge. We utilize skills learned from the curriculum such as mathmatics, CAD engineering, physics and computer science for creating our robots.

Enhancing Community Based Instruction for the Secondary Schools, CMS, BMS, PHS

This grant will provide students with multiple disabilities across the district with the opportunity to increase functional skills needed in life, by allowing them to take part in age appropriate activities outside the classroom.

Storytelling and Puppets = Amplified Student Voices, Troy Hills

The purpose of this proposal is to promote our entire student body to become more enthusiastic expressive and confident public speakers through storytelling and learning the art of puppetry.

Image via Parsippany Education Foundation