$60K In Grants Empower Montclair Schools, Teachers, Students

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence (MFEE) recently announced that it has awarded more than 70 grants – worth nearly $60,000 – to educators across the Montclair Public School District for the 2024-2025 school year.

The grants are in three areas: Classroom innovation, social-emotional learning and professional development. The MFEE received 113 applications, and awards were selected by the nonprofit’s staff, board members and volunteer grant liaisons at each school. District principals, central office administrators and PTA leaders also participated in discussions.

“These grants provide our schools with much-needed resources, innovative classroom tools, and enriching programs that directly enhance the learning experience for our students,” interim superintendent Damen Cooper said.

“This year, we saw enthusiasm for projects that support the new technology curriculum, as well as larger collaborative projects,” MFEE executive director Masiel Rodriquez-Vars said.

“It’s inspiring to see teachers working together to enhance the learning experiences of students,” Rodriquez-Vars added.

For example, MFEE is awarding a grant to a team of teachers to create a Technology Lending Library, with materials to teach coding skills that can be shared across Montclair’s seven elementary schools. In addition, MFEE is providing funding to support robotics teams at all three middle schools.

That’s not all, the nonprofit adds.

At Montclair High School, PTA co-president John Sullivan is collaborating with carpentry teacher Robert Haas to create a mobility hub with 20 bike racks under a beautifully-designed wooden pergola, equipped with solar panels for e-bike charging, a local water filling station, and comfortable seating for student socializing.

The space will serve as a convenient spot to store bikes, e-bikes and scooters, and it will also foster environmental awareness around sustainable transportation options, and be a source of pride and a gathering spot on campus, the MFEE stated.

Other highlights include:

• At Northeast Elementary School, technology teacher Anthony Buttitta received a grant to integrate virtual reality headsets into the curriculum for 3rd - 5th graders. The headsets will provide students with immersive learning experiences, enhancing lessons in STEM, history, and global studies. The goal is to engage 250 students with cutting-edge technology that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and digital skills.
• MHS English teacher Nicholas Stambuli received a grant that ties to "The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” a novel in epistolary form. Through a guided process, students write letters to their future self. The letters are kept secret, graded on completion, sealed, self–addressed, stamped and mailed to the students two years later!
• MHS school librarian Harriet Parker plans to create an inclusive tea time for students, introducing them to teas, customs, and practices from around the world. Her goal is to broaden cultural perspectives, create a peaceful environment for students to decompress from academic pressure, and encourage peer interaction and belonging.
• At Hillside, science teacher Susan Bartol will develop a course about the intersections of art and science. Students will demonstrate understanding of science ideas through creative artistic expression. She’ll utilize indoor and outdoor spaces, the garden, art room and science lab, as well as trade books, to create a rich learning environment.
• At Glenfield Middle School, physical education/health teacher Samantha Buttitta was awarded a grant for juggling balls and scarves. “Teaching students to juggle is like riding a bike,” she said. “It is a skill that students can hold on to for life. It incorporates team building and leadership skills, along with focus and coordination. Learning to juggle can give students the opportunity to improve their fine motor skills and patience.”

The MFEE is also funding projects that include: portable ballet bars at Hillside; more resources for the science center at the Montclair Community Pre-K Developmental Learning Center; a Little Free Library at Charles H. Bullock School; a native plant pollinator garden at Buzz Aldrin Middle School; a student newspaper reboot at Glenfield; “grief kits” for Bradford students who experience a sudden loss; diverse books for classrooms at Edgemont Montessori and Northeast; Boomwhacker rhythm instruments for Northeast’s music program; and flexible seating at Nishuane and Watchung schools.

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