Sharon Education Foundation Awards 10 Grants to Sharon Public Schools and Selects Elizabeth Murphy as the Lee Flaxer Winner

The Sharon Education Foundation (SEF) today announced that 10 grants totaling $12,000 were awarded to Sharon teachers and administrators for the 2017-2018 school year. Since 2012, SEF has awarded grants totaling more than $150,000 to enhance existing educational programs or address unmet needs in the schools and the community.

Among them are the continuation of several successful and previously SEF funded programs including Morning Math Wizards, Music Mentors and STEM Talks. Several new programs were also funded including an Organic Garden, an Anti-Bullying and Suicide Prevention Program, CPR for Sophomores.

At today’s faculty and staff meeting at Sharon High School, SEF President Andrew Amrhein also announced that the recipient of this year’s Lee Flaxer award is Elizabeth Murphy, former principal at East Elementary School and Assistant Superintendent of Schools.

Ms. Murphy was nominated for the many innovative changes she implemented at East Elementary that resulted in East being awarded the distinguished Blue Ribbon for achievement. These programs included: before-school programs like Morning Math Wizards, LEAP a language-based program for special needs students the Fifth Grade Book Club and a student newspaper The Student Bubble. She will be honored at an awards reception to be scheduled in late fall.

“We are excited to kick off the new school year with 10 grant awards that will help enrich the Sharon Public Schools’ curriculum,” noted SEF’s president Andrew Amrhein. “It is especially gratifying to bring innovative programming into the schools that would not be funded without the generosity and support of our donors.”

“We were especially delighted to present this year’s Lee Flaxer Award to Liz Murphy for all she has done for her students at East and the many programs she initiated to benefit the district as a whole,” noted Tara Goodwin, vice president of SEF. She continued, “Lee Flaxer was the former principal at Heights Elementary and this is the first time the award has gone to a former principal which makes it even more special.”

SEF enhances, enriches and supports public education in Sharon by funding educational, recreational and community programs that deliver innovation and excitement into the classroom and the town. SEF funds a broad range of projects, including those that focus on traditional academic subjects, visual and performing arts, promotion of multi-cultural and community learning experiences and professional development.

A list of the 2017-2018 Sharon Education Foundation grants is below. For additional information, please visit the Sharon Education Foundation website at www.sharoneducationfoundation.org or email SEF at sharoneducationfoundation@gmail.com.

Sharon Education Foundation Grants 2017-2018

Music Mentors (District-Wide) - This is SEF's third year of bringing professional musicians to the Sharon Schools to complement our music teachers for Sharon's 350 instrumental music students. The professional musicians provide additional individual instruction to the students for playing and caring for their instruments.

Organic Garden (Sharon Middle School) – The student-centered Organic Garden will help SMS students develop more of a connection with food: where it comes from, how easy it is to grow, and why it has such a substantial impact on their health.

Speak Up – Sing Out (Sharon Middle School) - SEF, the MA Cultural Council, the SMS PTO, FAME, and the Middle School students will produce a "Concert for Social Justice", highlighting the power of music as a tool for social justice. Includes a day-long songwriting workshop with Cheryl B. Englehardt.

Global Connections (Sharon Middle School) - Increasing global awareness and cultural literacy, this grant supports the Girls Learn International Club at Sharon Middle School which has a special partnership with the Zabuli Education Center in Afghanistan over the past six years.

Morning Math (All Elementary Schools) - Supporting a wildly successful program, this grant provides for group meets before school to extend the learning and excitement for math. In addition to over 100 students having fun with math, it gives students the opportunity to explore math concepts that might not necessarily be covered during the course of the school day.

Anti-Bullying & Suicide Prevention (Middle and High School) - Motivational speaker John Halligan will talk about bullying, cyber-bullying, and suicide prevention. Creates an open dialog among students, parents and teachers, learning to be an Upstander, not a Bystander.

STEM Talks (Sharon High School) - Promote student knowledge of cutting edge science and inspire students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) through scientific conversations with members of the community through Science Cafes.

CPR for Sophomores (Sharon High School) - This grant enriches the educational experience by teaching ~260-280 high school sophomores life-savings skills for choking, administering CPR, and using an AED device. This grant might literally save your life!

Reaching New Heights Behavioral Support (Heights Elementary) - This grant provides for a school-wide systematic and unified approach for supporting and addressing school-wide behaviors, expectations, and school spirit. Once the system is in place, it will be shared with the other elementary schools.

DIY Makerspaces (Sharon High School) - Building upon the SHS Library Makerspace capabilities in robotics, 3D printing, and electronics, this grant supports a monthly series of Makerspace challenges to encourage creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking skills.