NEF Announces Second Year Distribution Awards From the Endowment!

The Northampton Education Foundation is very pleased to announce the awarding of $50,000 in 2008 to two programs in the Northampton Public Schools. A $40,000 award is being made to fund a system-wide elementary school program "Bridges: Bridging the Gap Between Pre-K, Kindergarten and First Grade" for two years, and a one-year $10,000 award will be made to the "Celebration of Ancient Greece" program at the JFK Middle School. In addition, the "Northampton Enviromental Education Program, funded during the first round of NEF Endowment Fund distributions in 2007, will continue to be funded for $29,190 over the next two years. The NEF Endowment was established to assist the Northampton Public Schools by providing funding for larger programs that can run more than one year, serve greater numbers of students, and require more than the $2,000 which is the maximum award for the organization's Small Grants to Teachers program. The funds for these awards include money earned from it's two named funds, the Florence Savings Bank's "Fund for Public Education" and Northampton Area Pediatrics' "Education Fund." The NEF Endowment Distribution Committee selected these proposals from a large group of strong applicants. The Distribution Committee comprises a broad-based group of Northampton citizens including representatives from each School Council, alumni, current students, the community-at-large and the NEF Board.

2008 Awards

Bridges: Bridging the Gap Between Pre-K, Kindergarten and First Grade
The Bridges, Bridging The Gap Between Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and First Grade is an innovative initiative which will involve all of the students and teachers of Northampton in their first years of schooling and have a long term effect on our children’s success as they progress through their school years. The program will use professional development to transform our early education program by implementing the model of "Emotionally Responsive Teaching and Learning". Using this model, our early grades will limit their focus from an increasing reliance on "teaching to the test" and towards supporting healthy social and emotional development as well as self- regulation skills. Our early grades are currently struggling with an increase in disruptive behaviors, which this program will address. The program is based upon the ideas of Lesley Koplow, Director of the Center for Emotionally Responsive Practice at the Bank St. School of Education who has trained teachers in Northampton previously and who will be the primary consultant to our staff in this very exciting project. The program has strong support from all of the principals and early education teachers.

Celebration of Ancient Greece
The Celebration of Ancient Greece is a partnership between John F. Kennedy Middle School and Athena Educational Resources, a 501(c) (3) non profit educational association in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. The program is collaboration between Massachusetts Cultural Council Creative Teaching Partner Nick Kachulis and twelve middle school teachers using stories, art, music, dance, dramatic play, technology, and research and classroom projects to teach Ancient Greek history, mythology, and culture to all 7th grade students at the school. The program seeks to deepen and expand cross-discipline connections, develop new content, and develop more effective strategies and modalities to engage students, community connections and resources. The project enlists local performing artists as well as parent and community volunteers. Celebration of Ancient Greece is based on an interdisciplinary learning model and is aligned with the Massachusetts Department of Education frameworks and school and district wide curriculum and initiatives in English, Social Studies, Music, Dance, Drama and Visual Art.

2007 Awards

The Northampton Environmental Education Program (NEEP)
NEEP is a three-year initiative generated by the teachers at RK Finn Ryan Road School to develop and use natural areas surrounding Northampton elementary schools to enrich the district’s science curriculum, develop an enhanced appreciation for nature, and integrate science, literacy and mathematics. Teachers will partner with staff from the Hitchcock Center of Amherst to develop hands-on curriculum in life science, earth science, physical science as well as language arts, math, and local history while utilizing city conservation areas as laboratories. An in-school environmental lab with supplies and equipment will be created. Teachers trained by the Hitchcock Center will then become in-school trainers for new teachers using the curriculum. NEEP will be awarded $50,730 over a three-year period. From its introduction at Robert K Finn Ryan Road School, this program will be able to include all Northampton elementary schools.

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Last Updated: June 18, 2008