SFES Approves $46,000 in Grants for Suffield Schools

Suffield Foundation for Excellent Schools shared its 2012 Grant Awards during the Monday night Board of Education meeting at Suffield High School.

The $46,838 is distributed between five yearly Grants and eight Mini Grants, monthly awards of up to $500 that were newly created awards this school year.

"We are very pleased," said Grants Chair Maria Andrade. "This year, we received six excellent proposals for the standard Grants and 15 for Mini Grants totaling almost $84,000 in grant requests.  We simply could not fund the number of well researched and innovative ideas included in the proposals we received."  

Superintendent Karen Baldwin commended the organization for supporting programming that "leverages opportunities for all children."

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"This has been a wonderful entryway for me to see the work you do in the community and passion to provide more than what the budget allows," she said. "It's a strong partnership."

According to Andrade, the group was able to fund the large grants thanks to the annual 2012 auction, combined with United Way and other donations, and a donation by the Suffield Knights of Columbus targeted to special education.

Below is a summary of the grant awards:

Suffield Middle School: Student News Production equipment and curriculum and raised garden beds for student planting.

Suffield High School: Water Analysis Laboratory, Recording and Remixing our History program needs including digital voice recorders for interviews, and equipment for the Ecology and Outing Club.

Below is a summary of the Mini grant awards:

Spaulding: Lunchtime Conversation Towers, third grade Non-fiction Classroom Library supplies

Suffield Middle School: Brain Pop software, eighth grade Project Runway supplies, a digital camera for the Newsletter & Photo Club and supplies to create an outdoor classroom.

Suffield High School: Lacrosse Team funding for a portion of the annual cultural trip, Kindles for Special Education and Digital Recorders for reading support for Special Education.

The Suffield Foundation for Excellent Schools is an educational foundation that provides support for innovative and exceptional educational programs and opportunities beyond the tax-supported School budget for the benefit of Suffield students.