Danvers Schools Grant To Provide Practical Education Opportunities

DANVERS, MA — A pilot program that will allow Danvers High School to coordinate between classrooms and with organizations to provide more practical learning experiences for students will be supported using grant funds from the Applied Learning Leadership Institute.

Danvers High was awarded this grant due to the instructional vision put forth by the leadership team as well as the quality of its existing applied learning offerings.

"We are very pleased to receive this funding and provide expanded applied learning opportunities," Superintendent of Schools Dan Bauer said. "Not only will this have a positive impact on learning, it will also give students the chance to incorporate academics into real-world situations, which can only benefit them moving forward."

At the core of applied learning is the idea that schools can accelerate student learning by orienting coursework around real-world meaningful problems.

High school curriculum director Peter DiMauro led the school’s efforts in obtaining the grant and planning the implementation of a pilot program in the upcoming school year. Danvers applied for the grant last fall and was accepted later in the year. During the second half of the 2023-24 school year, the Danvers team made monthly visits to schools participating in ALLI.

"It allows different classes to collaborate within the school day," DiMauro said, providing as an example students studying engineering and biomedical sciences.

DiMauro pointed to a Boston school they visited where for an engineering project students designed a blueprint for a new school building.

"It's more interacting and more engaging for the kids," he said. "It prepares them for careers after school."

In addition to DiMauro, the Danvers team includes Principal Adam Federico, science teacher Kaitlin Feloney and assistant superintendent Mary Wermers.

DiMauro said the long-term goal is to make "fundamental changes in instruction to make it more meaningful."

ALLI is part of the One8 Foundation, which imagines a future where high-quality applied learning opportunities that make learning relevant, stimulating and rewarding are a regular part of the student experience driving impact for all students.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)