Point Pleasant School Board Okays Grant Application For Stand-Up Desks

The Point Pleasant Borough Board of Education has applied for a grant from the Investors Foundation to pay for stand-up desks for elementary school special education students.

“One of the things that inspired me was, due to the very nature of the population of our special needs kids, they need to move and being still is hard for them,” Ocean Road Elementary School teacher Suzanne Deegan said.

Deegan has teamed up with Gerard Marrone, a teacher who has been interning at the school for his education administration master’s program. He is currently a math teacher at Point Pleasant Borough High School and has experience in grant writing, according to the Ocean Star.

The two are seeking a $5,000 grant to buy an additional 16 desks for the Ocean Road Elementary School. The district has already approved the purchase of two Alpha Better stand-up desks. The desks are $300 each.

“Ideally we’d know by the end of the school year if we were awarded the grant,” Deegan said. “Implementation of the grant would be in 2016.”

Teachers and students in the middle and high school can move around during the day when changing classes and teachers, which gives them a "mental break" that cuts down on distractions, Marrone said

“It’s really innovative,” Mr. Marrone said. “As teachers, we’re always looking at new and strategic ways to meet the needs of students.”

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