To date we have given out close to $50,000 in grant funding. Click to learn more.

African Drumming

South End Elementary School music teacher Elizabeth DiDomenico was awarded a $4,525 for her upbeat and hands-on African Drumming program. The drumming program will be implemented in the general music classroom for grades three through five as cultural enrichment to the curriculum.

“I also plan on starting a drumming group before school for any students who wish to participate,” said Mrs. DiDomenico. “We would have a performance in the spring for the entire school and possibly the community, and this would turn into a yearly event.”

Mrs. DiDomenico enrolled in a graduate course over the summer that focused on African drumming. She said it was “one of the most exciting courses” she had ever taken and labeled it life-changing.

“After the course was over I felt that African drumming is something that Southington needs musically, culturally, and socially as a part of our education,” she said, adding that the program will offer a fresh approach to music education in her classrooms.

“The music, like the curriculum itself, is highly structured, requiring each member of the ensemble to play from memory a distinct, constantly evolving part,” she explained. “Drumming provides unlimited potential for experience in rhythm, ensemble, movement, improvisation, meter, and timbre – the learning can be extensive.”

At South End, the mantra in the music classroom is the acronym D.R.U.M., which stands for: Discipline, Respect and Unity through Music.

This is the third grant awarded to faculty at South End School.

Get A.L.O.T.

Flanders Elementary School teachers Dan Murdzek, Joyce McAloon and Krista Tibbetts were awarded a $3,200 grant from the Southington Education Foundation for their business-minded project called Give a little…Get A.L.O.T!.

The project will group fourth- and fifth-graders and challenge them to develop a business proposal. The winning proposal will be financed, thanks to the grant money, and the product sold at a local fair.

For the first year, Mr. Murdzek said the retail item has already been chosen – cupcakes, which will be sold at the Meriden Daffodil Festival. In future years, the students will come up with their own concepts and present them to a committee of staff members.

“The idea is to get the children communicating in the community, taking initiative, and taking a leading role. Children will also experience the satisfaction of contributing to their own school environment,” said Mr. Murdzek.

For this year’s project, students will be expected to present recipe ideas, potential expenses and predicted profits, a list of staff (children/adult volunteers), marketing plans, timelines, and other issues associated with “real world” small businesses.

“We plan on bringing in local business owners who could give lessons on how to manage a small business and prepare them for problems they may face,” said Mr. Murdzek.

This is the third grant awarded to faculty at Flanders School.

LEGO Bricks in Space

Thalberg Elementary School teachers Chanel Curtin and Mandy Hubeny were awarded a $2,229 grant from the Southington Education Foundation recently for their space-age after-school program, LEGO Bricks in Space. The program is a partnership between LEGO Education and N.A.S.A. and promotes and inspires science, technology, engineering and math skills in fourth- and fifth-graders.

“LEGO Bricks in Space will teach students personal development skills such as team building and self confidence. The activities are designed to enhance learning, introduce new topics, and encourage discussion,” said Miss Curtin.

Students will work alongside International Space Station crew members to conduct activities that test the effects of microgravity on simple machines. Once they’re done, students will compare their results with those of the ISS crew – who will be conducting the same experiments in space!

Other activities include learning the various components of an astronaut’s space suit and utilizing basic engineering skills to build a LEGO satellite model.

“Students will use LEGO bricks to design and build a model that depicts their most treasured item that they would want to take with them on their space mission,” said Mrs. Hubeny. “When all models are built, students will describe their model and why they want to take that specific item along. Later, students will record their accounts of discovery and exploration through a podcast.”

This is the sixth grant awarded to faculty at Thalberg School.

Salt Water Aquarium Investigations

Southington High School School teacher Debra O’Brien received a grant to buy a salt water aquarium to use in her marine biology classes. Students will collect marine wildlife on the shoreline and study it in the classroom.

Who Wants to be a Science Extraordinaire?

Southington High School teachers David DeStefano and Judith Dunn received a grant for their “Who Wants to be a Science Extraordinaire?” proposal. The concept is a complex system that gathers student answers and data in the same way that the game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” gauges feedback from its audience.

Take a Chance on Me

Kennedy Middle School teacher Amy Perry was given a grant for her “Take a Chance on Me” program. Her proposal will challenge students to start some kind of small business endeavor with $100 to work with.

The Mysteries of Math in Music

Submitted by teacher Kate Fitzgerald of both Kelley and Plantsville Elementary School, the program consists of the Greater Hartford Symphony coming into the school and teaching students the correlation between music and math.

Give a Dog a Bone

Submitted by teacher Lenore Butler of Strong Elementary School, the program is a partnership between students and the local animal control facility. The students make homemade dog biscuits and sell them to staff and students.

Click here to view a video from Strong School students advertizing their "Give a Dog a Bone" business.

Best Buddies

Submitted by teacher Jennifer Carey of JFK Middle School, the mentoring program entails students taking other students, who might have developmental disabilities, under their wings.

Classroom Planetarium

Submitted by teachers Mandy Hubeny and Chanel Curtin of Thalberg Elementary School, the grant pays for two iPads and an application that allows students to look at astronomy.

Interdisciplinary Interactive Nature Center

Submitted by teachers Diane Hamel and Gina Calandra of Derynoski Elementary School, the grant will pay for turning a large courtyard at the school into a vegetable and flower garden. Students will be responsible for its upkeep.