Marshwood Education Foundation Grant Patrol Surprises Fall Grant Recipients

December 10, 2013 – Though the excitement in the air at Marshwood Schools last Tuesday had nothing to do with the Holidays, many felt like they received early Christmas presents as the Marshwood Education Foundation (MEF) Grant Patrol surprised Grant recipients with giant checks and balloons while presenting their Fall Grant awards.

The first stop was Eliot Elementary School where Brian Bergeron-Killough, EES Music Teacher, was awarded $900 for a Ukelele Club, which will be made up of 2nd & 3rd graders who will meet once/week to learn to play the ukulele. There will be performances at school assemblies & community events. “Ukuleles for the Eliot Elementary School music room will give many children an opportunity to play a stringed instrument for the first time. It is a wonderful gift to the program. We are so grateful to Marshwood Education Foundation for this grant,” said Bergeron-Killough.

Next stop was Central School where 3 grants were awarded. Jenn Bogard, Central School Literacy Coach, was awarded $1000 for “Little Free Libraries”. Students will work with local artist Shane Chick to locate, design & build 2 little free libraries around Eliot and/or South Berwick. For more information, check out littlefreelibrary.org.

Then, the Grant Patrol surprised Kate Audet Smith – Music Teacher & Outdoor Classroom Coordinator at Central School, who was awarded a $4900 grant to help pay for “Central School Cares”, which is an anti-bullying initiative whose aim is to reinforce a culture of kindness and acceptance while teaching students the tools and skills they need to avoid or get out of a bullying situation. With this grant, Musician Jeff Erwin will spend 7 days with all Central School kids to work on a project called “Sticks & Stones” which will promote social kindness and social acceptance and help kids avoid bully behavior. The “Sticks and Stones” residency is a creative, performance based approach to learning about the effects of bullying. Taught in a caring, respectful way, students will learn about the importance of empathy, self-respect, and the lasting effects of kindness through engaging, interactive activities. “Sticks and Stones” outfits students with tools and strategies for potential interactions with individuals who demonstrate bullying behaviors while offering bullies compelling reasons to change their own behavior. “Students will participate in role play, engage in thoughtful discussions, and collaborate through song, dance, and performing on instruments, and will leave feeling empowered and supported,” said Mrs. Smith.

Central School’s 3rd grant recipient was brought to Central School with a little help from his wife. John Wiegert III thought he and his wife Kim Wiegert were coming in for a meeting when MEF surprised him with a 2245.60 grant to help pay for “Junior First Lego League” (JFLL). Mr. Wiegert conceptualized this program enabling 4 teams of 6 students each to build LEGO robots with motorized parts to solve problems with help from high school mentors. With the increasing demand for STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) skillsets, the JR First program will encourage children to solve real-world challenges using advanced LEGO sets. They will go through the process of researching, brainstorming, developing, and presenting their ideas with their team members. “We are very grateful that MEF has been investing in the robotics program throughout the school district and it really shows how innovative the foundation is to ensure the students are provided with STEM programs. It is a pleasure to see a foundation that invest in children and understands the importance of the next generation,” said Mr. Wiegert.

The MEF Grant Patrol finished up today’s exciting awards with a visit to Marshwood Great Works School. They surprised 5th Grade Teacher, Elizabeth Higgins, who collaborated with Marshwood Schools’ Parent and Community Member David Whelan Jr., to write a grant for “5th Grade Robotics”, an In-Class Robotics project for all 5th graders using LEGO Mindstorm robotics kits. “We are thrilled with receiving the MEF grant for the 5th grade robotics. This will provide many of our students the opportunity to work in small groups to solve real life problems using math, science and technology,” said MGWS Principal Jerry Burnell. As Mrs. Higgins was presented with the $4,199 grant award in front of her 5th Grade class, Mr. Burnell shared with the students that Mrs. Higgins wrote the same grant the year before, but didn’t win. Instead of giving up, she persevered, rewrote the grant, and tried again. Mr. Burnell emphasized to the students the importance of not giving up when success doesn’t come right away.

MEF has now awarded 32 grants totaling over $80,000 to benefit Marshwood students. “Being here to award the grants really gives you a sense of how valuable and innovative these projects are. MEF is a little community organization run by volunteers and we thank our donors and the Marshwood community for supporting us,” said MEF President Seth Herbold.

Marshwood Education Foundation congratulates all of its Fall Grant recipients, and thanks community members and businesses who support MEF and help raise funds to enable MEF to continue to award wonderful, innovative grants such as these benefiting Marshwood Schools and their students.