Hills Foundation Awards Teaching Grants

The Hills Foundation awarded $10,000 in grants to a dozen Half Hollow Hills teachers to help fund educational projects in their classrooms.

Each year, the foundation awards mini grants to educational projects within the schools that demonstrate creative teaching and which would benefit students. At the January 23 Board of Education meeting, 12 grants were awarded, all with the common theme of technology integrated in instruction, totaling $9,809.41. In total, 14 applications were received, with some awards that required iPads combined within the individual buildings.

The awards are as follows:
--Otsego Elementary School, $802.59
Nicole Baggio:  Kelso Good Character Club   ($317.59)
Suzanne Maloney:  Leap Frog Tag Reading System Project ($485.00)

--Paumanok Elementary School,  $1,386.96
Ilana Sussman:  ePens STEM into the Classroom  ($901.96)
Melissa Greenberg: Leap Frog Tag Reading System Project ($485.00)

--Signal Hill Elementary School,  $3,058.66
Kate Schmitt and Heather Taylor: Ladibug Ladibug, Help Me Learn! ($627.00)
Nicole Jackson:  Outdoor Learning Lab ($988.64)
Alyssa Friedland:  Homegrown:  The Edible Courtyard ($975.02)
Heather Stein:  A Special Education Ladibug ($468.00)

--Vanderbilt Elementary School, $468.00
Gina Maguire:  A Special Education Ladibug ($468.00)

--Candlewood Middle School, $650.00
Matthew Heller:  Junior Ambassadors  ($650.00)

--West Hollow Middle School, $343.20
Nathan Swift:  Improving Music Reading Skills for the Visual Learner ($343.20) 

--High School East, $3100.00
Emily Giunta:  Independent Living ($1,000.00)
Kerry Guarriello:  Independent Living ($1,000.00)
Daniele McRoy and Leanne Strom:  Technology in the Orchestra and Vocal Music Classroom ($1,100.00)

The Hills Foundation for Enhancement and Enrichment of Children is a non-profit organization comprised of community members, founded to provide additional financial support to the Half Hollow Hills School District. 

As described on the district website, “The Foundation intends to raise funds and develop resources for educational items, which are not normally part of the school budget, such as: cultural arts projects, capital projects available for use by the general community, general scholastic enrichment and teacher/student exchange programs. Its objective is to enhance cooperation and understanding while encouraging innovation and creativity in meeting the challenges facing the public education system.”
 

*Article and photos courtesy of Felice Kristall.