Last week we began announcing the winners of the Fall 2008 Grant award program.  Today I’d like to recognize the final school that will be getting a grant, plus five runners up.  Coincidentally it’s another North Carolina School.  This time it’s the elementary school in Wadesboro.

I’ll write a special article for Wadesboro as well as each of the honorable mention schools soon.  For now here is a list of all of the schools that won.

Congratulations!

Grants awarded to these schools:

1. Fuller GT Magnet Elementary in Raleigh, NC – $2000 for 5th Grade trip to Washington DC
2. P.S. 168/M.S. 203 in Bronx, New York – $2000 for computers
3. Wadesboro Elementary School, Wadesboro, NC – $1500 for science lab equipment

These schools are recognized with an Honorable Mention. Each will receive $100 toward their project:

1. STAR Prep Academy, Culver City, CA – Computers
2. Loma Verde Elementary, Novato, CA – Elmo projector
3. Poinsettia Elementary, Carlsbad CA – Library books
4. Tattnall Square Academy, Macon, GA – Active slates
5. Will Rogers Learning Community (Elementary), Santa Monica, CA – Art Projects

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I am happy to announce the next award recipient is P.S. 168/M.S. 203 in Bronx, New York.  This school serves children from Kindergarten to 12th grade who have disabilities, such as autism, emotional disturbances and learning disabilities.   Many of these students also face other personal struggles as well.  95% of the students are on the free or reduced lunch program.

Teacher Nicole Sivilich who applied for the grant said, “Students with these disabilities are more likely to learn using computer technology over the standard lecture classroom teaching. We would like to see more of our students increase their social and learning skills using technolgy.”

Unfortunately this school is severely lacking in working computers.   High school grade students need computers for preparing for state tests, doing research and writing papers. Children in grades K-2 use a reading program called Preventing Academic Failure and practice basic reading concepts like sight words. While this $2000 grant may only provide a few computers, the school is also applying for other grants as well.

Teachers and administrators at Bronx schools have shown resourcefulness in other areas as well. 23% percent of schools in the Bronx are without a gym or safe area to have physical education.   Some schools are doing fundraising on their own to get a gym while others like PS 168 are using other available facilities.

The Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation (SASF), a non-profit based in Queens, which has received funding from the City Council to connect schools with nearby – and often underutilized – community centers. In the 2007-08 school year, the program served 2,000 students from 40 schools in Brooklyn and Queens. And in December, two Bronx schools – PS 168 on Morris Avenue and PS 754 on Jackson Avenue – enrolled. Students are bused to Bronxdale Community Center on Rosedale Avenue in Soundview, where they play basketball and other sports in what is a state of the art gymnasium.

From: Educators Seek New Ways to Put Physical Education on the Menu

Just like with the challenge of providing physical education and play time, Principal Rosa Nieves Greene and her staff are being resourceful to get the technology to aid student learning in the classroom.  Congratulations P.S. 168/M.S. 203; may you be encouraged in the great work you are doing to help children in your community!

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I’m pleased to announce that the first recipient of the Top School Fundraisers grant program is Fuller GT Magnet Elementary in Raleigh, NC. The fifth grade class is planning their first school trip to Washington, D.C. They have been doing fundraising all year in order go on this trip. They’ve had a movie night, sold donuts, sold coupon books and even Jim’s favorite, the bake sale.

Parent volunteer Julie Henry, who also works for the local NBC station, helped students create this video:

This Top School Fundraisers grant in the amount of $2000 will provide scholarships to students, so that every child in the class will be able to go on this trip. Congratulations fifth graders and have a wonderful time in DC!

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This morning I’d like to give you a quick update on our Top School Fundraisers grant program.  From September to the deadline on December 31st last year we received over 300 applications.

While it has been a daunting task to read each application, giving each due consideration, it has also been very interesting.  I have been truly amazed at the creativity of educators all over the country who create special ways for students to learn.  Here are just a few of the projects that schools applied for:

• Dance program for inner city school
• Organic gardening
• Art supplies and equipment
• Field trips to the zoo, Washington DC, even Alcatraz
• Technology needs including laptops and projectors
• Books and library materials
• Special learning units on subjects like the Holocaust and Martin Luther King Jr.
• Vocational and college preparatory experiences

All of the schools that applied demonstrated genuine needs.  Many came from Title I (below poverty level) schools.  Deciding on winners has been really tough!  We will announce the grant winners later this week, first telephoning the winners and then announcing here on Top School Fundraisers.

Thank you for all you do to help our children learn, grow and succeed!

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In case you’re not as big a fan of Law & Order SVU as I am and don’t spend nearly the amount of time watching repeats of it on the USA Network, then maybe you haven’t heard of an amazing new campaign being promoted heavily on this channel.

It’s called “The USA Character Approved Awards” and our very own topic of school fundraising has landed right in the middle of this extraordinary promotion.

For a little background, here is their mission statement, as I found it on their website:

The Character Approved Awards honor the characters of the U.S.A. who are changing the face of American culture. Character Approved honorees are innovators in their field who influence our opinions, our style, and our view of the world. They surprise and inspire us with fresh ideas. They are celebrated by their peers. And they have an authentic style that’s all their own.

This year, in what they claim is their inaugural campaign, they have announced seven honorees, one each from the worlds of music, art, food, architecture, fashion, new media, and giving. continue reading

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