Funded
Projects
The Brookfield Education
Foundation is developing a solid history of funding projects that will
benefit the town. Click on the links below to read more about projects
that the Foundation has supported.
Full
Grants
Mini-Grants
- Shakespearan
Actors Workshop
- TI
Smartview Emulator Software
- QuarkXpress software
for design, layout, and publishing of Brookfield High School newspaper
Requested by Jessica Block
- IRIS scanning pen
for enhancing special reading instruction at Whisconier Middle School
Requested by Tamara Priestley, Laurie Iovanno
Arbor
Day/Earth Day
The Brookfield Open
Space Legacy, Inc. (BOSLI) and Brookfield Conservation Commission held
an Arbor Day/Earth Day celebration at Huckleberry Hill Elementary School
on April 27th, partially funded by the Brookfield Education Foundation.
The celebration provided a variety of environmental activities, from
building bluebird houses to planting pansies. Presentations by Gerri
Griswold, a.k.a. “The Bat Lady” and master gardener Kathy
Wandelmaier were additionally offered, all free to the public.
In addition, BOSLI unveiled recent improvements the land trust has made
to the Huckleberry nature trail located behind the school. The Brookfield
Education Foundation provided funds for wildlife-friendly shrubs along
the trail, as well as outdoor signage identifying trees, shrubs, and
plants. These improvements will markedly enhance both the educational
opportunities available to Huckleberry students and the ease with which
they can be utilized.
Return
to grant list.
Huckleberry
Hill Elementary School "Rise & Shine" Fitness Walk
BEF provided funding
for pedometers for the Rise & Shine Fitness Walk at Huckleberry
Hill Elementary School. This three-month before school program stressed
the education of our students, parents, Huckleberry staff, senior citizens
and community businesses about wellness, health and exercise. The program
provided opportunity for students, their siblings and parents, HHES
staff, and Brookfield Senior citizens to be physically fit by walking
the hallways of HHES. The program began in 2007, and add ed pedometers
this year, to enhance participant education.
Return
to grant list.
Visual
Presenter
Innovative technology
will be helping first graders learn from their work and other work.
A visual presenter is a color video camera mounted on a moveable arm
that is positioned over a large base on which objects can be placed.
The teacher and students then look together at student work, texts and
illustrations immediately. For example, it will be used to share examples
of descriptive language in a picture book, and to share and compare
the illustrations in picture books. This can all be done in real time,
as the lesson occurs and ideas are bouncing from child to child.
Return
to grant list.
Literacy
Program Funded
A grant from the
Brookfield Education Foundation has funded the inaugural year of “Hand
in Hand” – a literacy program at Huckleberry Hill Elementary
School. Principal Sharon Beitel, Assistant Principal Matthew Salvestrini
and Librarian Maureen FitzPatrick have provided tremendous encouragement
and support for the establishment of “Hand in Hand.” Retired
teacher Dottie Miles is the program coordinator.
Twenty-eight volunteers
— senior citizens, parents and high school students — will
enhance the learning of developing readers and writers. Each trained
volunteer will spend an hour a week inviting one child into the world
of books and written language. Literacy tutors will demonstrate not
only reading and writing but also citizenship, showing their students
by example what it means to give to others.
“Hand in Hand”
is based on Help America Read, a program and handbook for volunteers,
by Gay Su Pinnell and Irene C. Fountas They cite research showing that
tutored students made greater academic gains than might have been expected
and greater gains than students who were not tutored. Structured ongoing
training for the volunteers is a cornerstone of the program.
Return to
grant list.
Shakespearan
Actors Workshop
Two actors from
the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Artist-in-Residence Program
will hold a 1/2 day workshop for 5th and 6th grade humanities students
at Whisconier Middle School. Students will explore the social and historical
contexts for Shakespeare's plays in a learning environment similar to
that of a professional rehearsal. This workshop will supplement the
Shakespeare Unit of the Humanities curriculum. The workshop was held
April 2nd, 2007. At the end of the unit, students performed their own
version of Romeo and Juliet for family and friends. This mini-grant
was awarded to humanities teacher Marisol Cappello at Whisconier Middle
School.
Return to
grant list.
TI
Smartview Emulator Software
TI Smartview
is software that emulates TI graphing calculators. It displays
an exact representation of the graphing calculator along with keypress
history and 3 different simultaneous calculator display views (e.g.
Y= editor, table, graph, stat plot, list, window). When used in conjunction
with Smartboards (touch-sensitive whiteboards), it will enable teachers
to press virtual calculator buttons displayed on the whiteboard and
have the emulator display on the whiteboard change just as if a giant
graphing calculator is embedded in the whiteboard. This mini-grant provides
for 3 copies of the software to be purchased for 3 math classrooms for
use by 5 math teachers spanning subjects from Algebra I through Honors
Calculus. This mini-grant was awarded to math teacher Dana Cook at Brookfield
High School.
Return to
grant list.
BEF Funds Birds! Program at the Library
Birds!,
The Brookfield Library's special Spring 2007 program series was sponsored
in part by a grant from the Brookfield Education Foundation. The bi-weekly
program included guest lecturers, as well as discussions on Project
FeedWatch, birdscaping, North American birds of prey, "bid-brained
questions, and bird habitats (including the back yard).
Return to
grant list.
Operation
Respect Banner
Respect
for one another is a focal point for Huckleberry Hill Elementary School.
"Every teacher is committed to promoting respect within classrooms
and the school community. Respect needs to be seen not only in actions,
but in words, from adults to children, adults to adults, and children
to children," according to Pat Walsh, Chairperson of Operation
Respect at HHES. This program will be formally kicked off with a school-wide
assembly in November.
The Operation Respect banner was made by Dan McKee, Designs & Signs,
Brookfield, and the donation was facilitated by the Brookfield Education
Foundation.
Return to
grant list.
BEF
Donates Funds to Start Up Key Club at BHS
A group of ambitious
Brookfield High School students have decided to launch a new community
service group at the school. Key Club, the youth division
of Kiwanis International, has been a part of student
life at Danbury High for more than 25 years. Clubs also have been started
at New Milford and New Fairfield. Now with the help of funding from
the Brookfield Education Foundation, Key Club will have a home at BHS
as well.
Kiwanis International
was founded in 1915 in Detroit and is headquartered in Indianapolis.
Kiwanis is a thriving organization of service- and community-minded
individuals who support children and young adults around the world.
Key Club is the oldest and largest service program for high school students.
What makes Key Club so successful is the fact that it is a student-led
organization that teaches leadership through serving others. Today,
Key Club exists on almost 5,000 high school campuses, primarily in the
United States and Canada but has also stretched to other parts of the
globe. The organization’s motto is “Caring – Our Way
of Life”. Projects focus primarily on children, but also on senior
citizens.
Since one of the
goals of the club is to develop leaders, the structure is similar to
that of a business. There are officers and chairmen, regular meetings,
and agendas to file with Kiwanis. An extra benefit is the support of
a larger organization and connection to the other clubs in Northern
Fairfield County. Jackie Calder is one of the Club’s founders
and officers. “I am very excited that we are starting this club
and that the BEF supports us in this effort. We have done a number of
fundraising activities to raise the required funds to apply for membership
with Kiwanis,” says Jackie. Kara Ruskin and Alison Hourani, also
founders and officers, add that “Key Club will be a good chance
for BHS students who are looking for community service opportunities
to join in the fall of ‘06.” All of the new members express
their sincere thanks to those who have helped to get the Club started.
For more information, contact Jackie Calder via email at calder1@sbcglobal.net.
Key Club’s Web site is www.keyclub.org.
Return to
grant list.
Capturing
Kids Hearts
We are providing
seed money for a schoolwide teen leadership program at Brookfield High
School. This program was passionately presented to us by a Vice Principal
and two teachers from the school, who have been through this program,
and are implementing the strategies to develop teen leaders in their
classrooms daily. As one of them said, "You can't capture a kid's
mind until you have their heart". By helping to develop self esteem
and leadership skills, we are supporting the love of learning.
Return to
grant list.
Brookfield
High School
TV & Video Production Studio
Brookfield High
school now has a digital video production studio thanks to funding by
The Brookfield Education Foundation. The studio is located in the Media
Center at the high school, and is available for school as well as community
use. The equipment funded by the grant includes both hardware and software
as well as peripherals needed for remote filming and integration with
Channel 17.
Return to
grant list.
Goodrich
Donation of Lab Tables
In 2004, Goodrich
was consolidating their Shelton, CT facility. A Brookfield resident
who is a Goodrich employee contacted the Brookfield Education Foundation,
offering a donation of thirteen "gently used" lab tables.
The Brookfield School district welcomed the donation, worth $650.
Return to
grant list.
Reading
Program at Brookfield High School
The Brookfield Education Foundation has contributed $400 toward an honorarium
for Mordecai Gerstein, author of The Old Country.
All high school students read the book during the summer in 2005. Mr.
Gerstein came to Brookfield in September and led discussions and activities
designed to engage the entire school in an extensive study of the novel.
The Foundation awarded
the contribution in response to a funding request from Sydnye Cohen,
the Library Media Specialist at Brookfield High School.
Return to
grant list.
ADL
Program at Brookfield High School
The
Anti Defamation League's anti name calling, bullying
and harassment program — Names Can
Really Hurt Us — was presented to Brookfield High
School juniors and seniors last year. This valuable and popular program
was in jeopardy of elimination this year for budgetary reasons. Thanks
in part to our lead sponsor, McCaffrey Real Estate, the Foundation
is able to bring this program back for a second year. McCaffrey Realty
has generously offered to match the contribution made by the Brookfield
Education Foundation so every dollar donated generates two dollars for
this program. Special thanks also to the
League of Women Voters of Brookfield Connecticut who hosted
the Conversations about Education forum where the need to provide funds
to continue this program was discussed
Return to
grant list.
Brookfield
Town Library Computer Equipment
The Brookfield Education
Foundation helped secure a $25,000 grant from Praxair’s Library Links
program for the Brookfield Town Library. The grant made it possible
for the library to install new computers and printers for use by library
patrons and staff. The computers and printers that were previously used
by the library were donated to town civic groups and individuals.
Return to
grant list.
Brookfield
Historical Society
The Brookfield Education
Foundation will contribute matching funds to renovate the Brookfield
Historical Society Blacksmith Shop. This renovation will be
part of a major renovation of the Gurski Farm property.
The blacksmith shop will house year round education programs for the
school children of Brookfield, as well as the Brookfield community at
large. There will be two blacksmiths that will demonstrate how tools
were made during that era.
Return to
grant list.
|