St. Mark School is Awarded Two Innovation and Leadership Grants

St. Mark School was recently awarded two innovation and leadership grant awards from Foundations in Education, totaling $13,295.

Grant funding in the amount of $5,995 was awarded to Art Teacher Sarah Carrano for “Reinventing the Way We Look at Art” and $7,300 was awarded to School Principal Melissa Warner for “Engaging and Empowering Interactive Minds.”

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 grant program, now in its fifth year, promotes excellence in Catholic education by supporting teachers’ creative projects and professional development. Grants funded through this program are intended for transformative initiatives that benefit multiple grade levels and have a long-term impact on student learning.

The school's two grants are among the twenty-three awarded to Diocesan-sponsored schools this year.

This is Principal Warner’s second innovation and leadership grant to date. In 2020, Warner was awarded $9,632 from Foundations in Education for her social-emotional learning project, “Educating the Whole Child.”

This year, Warner’s grant was centered more around technology. Funding will purchase a middle school Promethean interactive display that will enhance the school’s curricular and innovation integration plan. Principal Warner shares, “As educators, it is imperative to keep a finger on the pulse of education which is quickly evolving and to invest in the technology to meet and inspire students where they are today. The interactive display lends itself perfectly to classroom collaboration and student-driven learning.”

Art Teacher Carrano was thrilled to receive her first innovative grant. “I find students craving technology for anything and everything, including art,” comments Carrano. “Grant funding will allow me to integrate new technology into the art curriculum with 3D pens and graphic tablets. It will allow me to teach students beyond paper by being able to enhance the way we draw on a computer along with components of graphic design".

Warner and Carrano were acknowledged at a grant awards reception, hosted by Foundations in Education and held at Sacred Heart University’s Discovery Museum on February 3rd. Both educators were able to share their creative vision with Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano, Foundations’ Board of Trustees, Grant Committee members and Donors assembled for the occasion.

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