Pleasantville Schools Receive $54G in Educational Grants
The Pleasantville Fund for Learning (PFFL) awarded nearly $54,000 in grants to the Pleasantville School District last week to enhance and expand opportunities for students.
Organization co-chairs Joan Jacobsen and Keri Gregersen attended the June 20 Pleasantville Board of Education meeting to present the grants to faculty and staff at each of the district’s three schools that will be used toward the performing arts, STEM, computer science and special education programs.
“The Pleasantville Fund for Learning is a fabulous organization, dedicated individuals committed to making our schools the best they can be,” said Superintendent of Schools Mary Fox-Alter. “This year’s grant cycle supports so many wonderful curricular initiatives and includes partnering with other school and community organizations in order to provide the necessary funding.”
This year, several local organizations and community members partnered with the PFFL to fundraise, including the Pleasantville Rotary Club, Pleasantville Hiawatha Masonic Lodge, the Pleasantville Special Education PTA, Friends of the Visual Arts, Friends of the Performing Arts, the Bedford Road School (BRS) and Pleasantville Middle School PTAs and the high school Parent Council.
Jacobsen said the organization received 13 innovative grant applications, including two written by high school students.
At BRS, two grants amounting to $3,830 will be used for a programmable Bee-Bot for kindergarten and first-grade students to advance coding skills and funding each kindergarten class with a STEM learning center. In addition, $2,439 will deliver primary and intermediate classrooms with Stand to Learn Desks to improve student engagement and retention. Another $2,100 will offer sensory products in the ISP classroom.
The organization also awarded BRS and the middle school $1,558 to create a K-8 keyboarding program by providing an online subscription for software that will improve students’ computer and typing skills.
At the middle school, $13,037 was awarded to establish a new STEM lab, which will align with the new K-8 computer science curriculum. Another $6,459 was given to purchase Lego Mindstorm EV3 robots for fifth- and eighth-graders to help students with STEM and computer science-related problem-solving skills.
A combined award of $6,005 will be used at the middle school and high school to source a new active learning pedagogy that will promote group collaboration and problem-solving skills.
At the high school, $9,939 was awarded to help purchase 15 iPads, an iPad cart and an AppleCare, while $907 will provide keyboards and headphones for the special education program. The Jazz Band was also given $1,200 for students to receive four in-depth sessions with jazz musicians.
High school students Joe Zucker and Andrei Captan were awarded $3,100 for a surface studio computer, which will be used for graphic design, animation, digital storytelling, 3D design and photo, video and music editing. Student Rami Omar also received $3,398 for equipment needed to create a digital music course as an elective in the high school.
“We are so grateful to the Fund and the partnering organizations for the many initiatives afforded through this spring’s grant cycles,” Fox-Alter said.
