Grant Application

Learning Commons in the Library
Beneficiary: Manchester Essex Regional Middle High School
Learning Commons is a means to encourage participatory learning at school. This is a shared space with physical and virtual components. Learning Commons' emphasize creativity, collaboration, innovation and opportunity to enhance teaching and learning outcomes.

The Anatomy in Clay
Beneficiary: Manchester Essex Regional High School

Dr. Maria Burgess (Teacher)
The High School Science Department will purchase and implement this hands on system to support the growing interest in Anatomy and Physiology courses. The program, which aligns with progressive trends in education, provides differentiated instruction to effectively reach a wide variety of learning styles.

Flexible Classroom Seating
Beneficiary: Essex Elementary
Flexible seating for classrooms throughout Essex Elementary will provide students with alternative options to a traditional seat and desk.  It gives students a choice in what kind of learning space works best for them, helps them to work collaboratively, communicate, and engage in critical thinking.  Research has shown that flexible classrooms empower student choice, increase student engagement, and improve student participation which allows teachers to maximize their teaching.  

Engineering Component for Math Explorers and Problem Solvers Program

Beneficiary: Essex Elementary

MEAPS is an innovative pilot program recently launched at Memorial Elementary School that encourages students, grades 2 through 5, who have an interest and passion in mathematics and technology/engineering to work on flexible, collaborative problem-solving projects.  This grant  will expand the scope of the projects to include more advanced engineering concepts.  Last year, over 130 children participated in MEAPS. 

Shakespeare & Company
Beneficiary: Manchester Essex Regional Middle High School
The three-day Artist-in-Residence program at the Middle School is an exciting opportunity to bring Shakespeare to life in an active, imaginative and personally meaningful way.  By experiencing a performance of Macbeth and then working in small groups conducted by Shakespeare and Company to act out the plays, students can make better sense of the rigorous Shakespeare texts they are reading in the classroom.  

Composer in Residence
Beneficiary: Essex Elementary School
Under the direction of the award-winning composer Demetrius Spaneas, Essex Elementary School's fifth-grade students will learn how to compose music with a goal for each student to complete an original composition by the end of the residency.  In addition to an introduction of music writing software, students will learn to utilize and combine the basic concepts of melodic contour, simple harmonic progression and rhythmic continuity in their own compositions.  

Robotics Team Engineering Program
Beneficiary: Manchester Essex Regional High School
The MERHS Robotics Team provides students a unique hands-on experience through applied engineering. Students worked intensely to design and build a robot for competitions throughout the region, and qualified for the national competition - Our Robotics team was the winner!  This STEM activity also fosters teamwork and a commitment to excellence among the students. 

Graphic Arts Photo Scanner
Beneficiary: Manchester Essex Regional Middle High School
As the High School Art Department moves toward the use of digital portfolios for their students, a high quality graphic arts photo scanner is necessary.  This cutting-edge piece of technology will allow students to record and track the development of their work as well as easily upload their artwork for the college admissions process and submission of work for contests and juried awards.  It will also allow the students to learn the technology of scanning their own artwork to help prepare them for a 21st century work life.

Speech and Debate Programs
Beneficiary: Manchester Essex Regional High School
This grant allowed for the High School Speech and Debate Team to participate in the Columbia University Invitational Speech and Debate Tournament on January 20, 2017.  The students, from freshmen to seniors, competed against top-tier teams from across the country in two debate formats: Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum debate. From the research and writing skills used to prepare cases to the public speaking skills needed to present quality debates and speeches, students had numerous opportunities to gain skills and hone their craft.

Chromebooks for Middle School Robotics
Beneficiary: Manchester Essex Regional Middle School
Robotics will be incorporated into the Middle School Engineering curriculum with the addition of six Chromebooks to the classroom.  With robotics and engineering design being taught over the course of 4 to 6 weeks, all middle school students will have the opportunity to design, build and program robots to solve real-world problems, evaluate their own work and generate solutions. In response to the grant’s approval school Principal Joanne Maino said,  “Thank you SEF.  I can’t tell you how proud I am to be principal of this wonderful school – much of it in thanks to the incredible support we receive from our community of dedicated parents.”

Middle School Academy Digital Classroom Equipment

Vidula Plante (Teacher)
Beneficiary: Manchester Essex Regional Middle  School 
Middle School Academy is a 6th grade class at MERMS with the goal of academic, social, and digital literacy skills through project-based learning. Technology will be purchased to support this innovative class including iPad minis and cases, green screens and microphones. MSA teacher Vidula Plante shared, “Adding 21st century technology will support students’ imaginations and build their digital skills as they work together to troubleshoot problems and produce new content that follows an idea from inception to its finished product.”