St. Mark School Awarded Innovation Grant

St. Mark School was recently acknowledged with an innovation grant from Foundations in Education totaling $11,076.

Grant funding was awarded to Middle School Social Studies Teacher Matthew Bonito for his innovative project, “Virtual Reality Headsets: Using Technology to Travel Through Space and Time.”

Bonito was honored at a grant awards reception, hosted by Foundations in Education and held at Sacred Heart University’s Discovery Museum on February 2nd.

Foundations in Education is an independent non-profit initiative created to assist the Diocese of Bridgeport’s ongoing mission to support Catholic education in Fairfield County. The competitive grant program, now in its sixth year, promotes excellence in Catholic education by supporting teachers’ creative projects.

“Mr. Bonito is a great teacher,” shared Julianne Gonzalez, a seventh grader at St. Mark School. “He makes learning fun! He comes to class dressed as historical figures and his project-based assignments are so engaging because they are hands-on learning.”

“I firmly believe that education outside of the traditional classroom environment can often be the most productive, long-lasting, and meaningful,” commented Bonito.

“What better way to do that than to travel through space and time?” he added. “My students are already buzzing with excitement! With our virtual reality headsets, St. Mark School’s Social Studies curriculum will continue to lead the way in producing independent and historically literate scholars.”

We encourage teachers to dare to dream to create an innovative opportunity for their students,” explained Foundations’ Executive Director, Holly Doherty-Lemoine, CFRE.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, Foundations in Education continues its ongoing commitment to strengthening and transforming Catholic education.

For more information on St. Mark School, please visit www.stmarkschool.org. For information on Foundations in Education, please visit www.foundationsineducation.org.