Norton Educational Group awards $8000 in grants

Norton Embracing Educational Development, Inc. (NEED) has awarded $8,000 in grants for several classroom items.

NEED President Gretchen Stalters recently announced this year’s grant recipients at the Norton School Committee last month.

A $1,000 grant was requested and awarded to eighth-grade learning teachers Jennifer Skowronek and Tracy McGarry for Thinking Reader software programs that will help struggling readers.Technology teachers, Janet Burzyk at the Norton Middle School and Susan Cashton at the Henri A. Yelle Elementary School were given $1,269 for a one-year contract for licenses at both schools for Glogster EDU, an educational web 2.0 tool to enhance projects that students can perform both in and out of school.Eighth-grade science teacher Carrie Flag will be getting $965 to purchase materials for her science classes she teaches and vocational/life skills teacher Ashley Rodigues will receive $770 that will go towards a “STEP Coffee Cart Business” at the high school that helps teach students in an alternative classroom life skills.

They set aside an additional $4,000 to help with the purchase of a Smartboard and other hardware that could be used to install several Boards/projectors were being recycled from the High School addition. Sixth-grade science teacher Marilyn Porell, seventh-grade English teacher Julie Guerrini, and fourth-grade teacher Sara Horton will be getting the Smartboards in their classes for the fall. All teachers were thrilled to be getting the money for items they will greatly appreciate. Over the past 7 years NEED,Inc. has given out over $48,000 to teachers for programs and pieces of technology they have requested. Recipients have loved what they have been able to do with their classes. The elementary Art teachers and NHS Business Dept has also been awarded money for their help with the fundraisers.

NEED,Inc. received requests this year totaling $31,000, but was only able to give out what they raised through two fundraising efforts during the school year, one being artwork that Elementary students did in their Art classes that were then turned into memorable items. Square 1 Art was used for this fundraiser. They also ran a “Thank a Teacher” fundraiser where families gave a donation and each teacher was given a certificate with the names of the families who donated at the end of the school year. This money goes back and allows teachers to apply for a grant from NEED.

The group is in need of new volunteers to join them. For more information Gretchen can be contacted at 508-285-9383