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Partnership for Education approves 20 mini-grants

Date: 11/4/2011

Nov. 2, 2011

By Debbie Gardner

Assistant Editor

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Students and teachers in classrooms across West Springfield will have a little bit more fun learning their lessons this year, thanks to an array of mini-grants provided through the West Springfield Partnership for Education.

“This year we had 27 applicants — teams of teachers as well as individuals — that submitted proposals for innovative projects,” Monica Daena, chair of the mini-grant program for the Partnership, said. “I can honestly say, all the project ideas were excellent. We spent many hours going through them.”

In the end, Daena said her committee selected 20 of the proposed projects for funding this school year.

Partnership President Barbara Yelle said the 20 mini-grants, each for $300, were awarded during a ceremony at the West Springfield Middle School on Oct. 18.

“They have to have something above and beyond,” Yelle said of the proposals that were selected. “Something they just couldn’t do with the funds from the school.”

Among those projects Yelle noted would receive funding are a “Math Night Among the Stars” for the John R. Fausey Elementary School, the after-school chess club at St. Thomas the Apostle School, a “Five Senses” program at the Mittineague Children’s Center and a combined initiative on “Exploring Farm Animals” and “Bringing Words to Life in a School-Wide Read-Aloud Initiative” at the Philip G. Coburn Elementary School.

The grants, she added, help pay for materials and supplies for the proposed lessons.

“One of the programs at Coburn is called ‘Nutritional Art Fun’ — where the kids are going to make things from food,” Yelle explained, adding that the Partnership tries to emphasize projects that “will give the kids a fun experience.”

Daena, who, as a teacher, was a mini-grant recipient herself before joining the Partnership, said the organization awards two types of mini-grants annually. Ten mini-grants are awarded specifically for math and science-related proposals, funded through a donation from the Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo). Ten more, which are usually general in nature, are funded through donations from the West of the River Chamber of Commerce (WRC) and the partnerships own fund-raising efforts.

“We are very grateful for the funding [from WMECo and the WRC],” Daena said, adding that the generosity of these two organizations is a large part of “what makes these mini-grants possible.”

Daena said the Partnership would begin the grant proposal process again in early 2012 with applications distributed to schools throughout West Springfield in February. The deadline to apply would be in April.

“It’s not just public schools – it’s public and private and early childhood schools that can apply,” she added.

Yelle said the partnership is also looking for community members, specifically business people, who might be interested in joining the partnership.

“The role of the businessperson would be to serve on our Board of Directors [and] choose what committee they would like to serve on,” she said. “It’s not a huge time commitment, one hour, one Thursday a month.”

Yelle said the Partnership meets at the West Springfield Middle School, 31 Middle School Drive, at 3:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month. The best benefit of membership, she said, is the opportunity to see the results of what the organization has funded every year.

“At the annual meeting we have the teachers come in with pictures of what they did and we actually get to see the results of the money we give them,” Yelle said. “It makes it very rewarding, not only to see what they did, but how much the children enjoyed it.”

For more information about the partnership and whom to contact, visit www.wspartnershipforeducation.org.



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