CEF has awarded over $1,500,000 in grants to teachers, supervisors and the school district over the past 27 years. Thanks to donors’ generous support, these grants impact all students in all six schools. In addition, a portion of the grant awards are funded by endowment gifts, which provide funding for grant awards in perpetuity.
As of December, 2021, Chatham Education Foundation has already funded over $65,000 in grants for the 2021-22 academic year.
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District Choral Festival
Congratulations to teachers Ken Bryson, Amber Blakovich, Dana Goodstein for their very successful first ever district-wide Choral Festival, funded by a grant from the Chatham Education Foundation. This $2,330 grant brought all the choirs in grades 4-12 together on March 10, 2022 for a full day of learning, singing, and program development. Legendary composer and musical artist, Stacey V. Gibbs, worked with over 400 students on two pieces, including a piece of his that had yet to be premiered, on text expression, music history, and vocal technique, both as individual schools and as a whole unit. In addition to working together musically, students learned social-emotional learning through various musical and non-musical team building activities.
The final performance of the students performing together, which will be premiered at a later date, was recorded with very high audio recorders, funded by a prior grant from the Chatham Education Foundation.
This grant is funded in part by the Ryan T. Ganley Memorial Endowment Fund (Metviner Family).
Congratulations again to Mr. Bryson, Ms. Blakovich, Ms. Goodstein, Mr. Gibbs, and all the students for an amazing day of growth and singing!
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The Thinking Classroom--Phase 2 (CHS)
The Thinking Classroom – Phase 2 (CHS)
Alex Elgart, Meredith Kempson, Kyle Lynott, Laura Scerbo, Stacy Winters, Aaron Yamamoto
This $23,222 grant expands the “Thinking Classroom” within the CHS mathematics wing to four additional classrooms. The initial phase of CEF’s “Thinking Classroom” grant in 2018 demonstrated the validity of the current research that supports students working on whiteboard surfaces in the mathematics classroom, resulting in observed increases in student productivity, critical thinking, and wellness. These design changes include vertical non-permanent writing surfaces on flexible seating/standing tables, and the de-fronting of the traditional classroom setting.
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Reimagining Geometry (CMS)
Reimagining Geometry (CMS)
Stacy Winters
Building off the success of the Thinking Classroom, this $31,524 grant award allows for the redesign of Chatham Middle School math classrooms to coincide with a curriculum sequence change in which 8th grade Chatham Middle School students now take Geometry prior to Algebra 1. This sequence change provided an opportunity to reimagine what students can do with the knowledge of Geometry, and this grant provides the technology and materials to allow students to demonstrate this new knowledge. All three 8th grade math classrooms will be transformed into thinking classrooms, and the grant provides whiteboard vertical spaces and whiteboard desks and tables of different and adjustable heights for students to complete problems. Some of the whiteboards can even be brought into the math hallway, extending the classroom reach so that all students can work on math while social distancing.
View details for our Grants Awarded throughout the Years
Additionally, review the Grants awarded in the 2020-21 academic year.
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Grant Applicant: Heather Rocco
All Are Welcome Here: Inclusive Literacy Classrooms for K-3: SBS, WAS & MAS
Grant Applicant: Heather Rocco
This $5,675.15 grant benefits all students at SBS, WAS & MAS, from kindergarten through grade three, with over 500 copies of engaging picture books that celebrate inclusiveness, community and acceptance. As there are thirty different book titles purchased, the books will enhance the ELA curriculum by updating the K-3 book collections to ensure students have access to books with characters that look like them as well as ones that do not.
Listen to Heather Rocco speak about the impact of the literacy grants.
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Applicants: Karen Chase and Danielle Daguounis
Technology for Student Engagement Across the District
Grant Applicants: Karen A. Chase, Danielle Dagounis
The $12,300 grant includes three online instructional resources: Ed Puzzle, Screencastify and Padlet for use by all schools and students to foster interactive learning. The programs give teachers the technology to build lessons and engage with students, whether in-person or virtually.
“When COVID-19 forced the district to change the way in which we instruct students, our teachers were charged with creating ways in which students could remain engaged - even if at a distance. As such, [we] submitted a grant to purchase technology tools that would help our teachers engage students. As a result of this grant, instruction during the 2020-2021 year was transformed.” – Karen Chase
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Grant Applicants: George Iannuzzi, GIna Bakaj, Sarah Pasternak, Kristine Quintero
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Outdoor Classroom at MAS
CEF funded a $16,000 grant and partnered with the MAS PTO to take learning outdoors. This grant enables teachers to incorporate the outside environment into learning, with many benefits to students. The space promotes whole class instruction with enough safe seating for each student as well as small group exploration at work stations.
This grant was funded in part by the Abbott Family Endowment for Environmental Sustainability.
Read Mr. Andreazza’s Thank You letter.
View Photos: and More
If you are very interested in this grant, hear Mr. Andreazza give an extensive talk about the grant here. -
Ready Readers K-3: SBS, MAS, WAS
Grant Applicants: Peggy Herr, Kim McMurry, Lori Shulman
The $7,447 grant benefits struggling readers at all three of our K-3 Schools. This grant provides twenty copies of 130 books (2600 books total) that are high interest and easily decodable. Included with the system are books meant for students to read at home and transport bags, as well as teaching tools provided to support virtual and in-class learning.
See students’ thank you slides here.
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Clear Communications with Masks Across the District
Grant Applicant: Karen Leister
The $3,300 grant award provides teachers and counselors across the District with 200 washable masks with clear fronts. Students can see their teachers’ lips and facial expressions which is critical for many students and enhances learning and student well-being.
WAS Kindergarten teacher Lisa Kressler, who received one of the masks, said “I just wanted to say thank you for the masks with the clear window for us that teach the little ones. It's so important that they see our mouths moving when we are trying to teach them the different sounds of the letters. Many thanks and stay safe!”
Click here to view images of our Grants and Grant Recipients.
