Mini and Major Grants of 2007

We are thrilled to present the grants that have been awarded for 2007. Thirty-five grants were awarded, totaling over $90,000. Your donations make it possible for us to fund these amazing programs.

Thank you for your generosity in supporting the Hingham Education Foundation.

Specific grants awarded are as follows:

For All the Schools

Fund one LCD projector to be used at Hingham Public Schools’ Central Office to provide more effective ways of communication and presentations for parents and teachers.

Hingham High School

Provide partial funding for Assistant Principal and Advisor to attend the 12th Annual Senior Project Institute, a 3 day seminar which will help revamp/improve the Senior Project program.
Pilot the PeaceKeepers program, a course in peer mediation at the High School. The program addresses such topics as conflict resolution, anger management, low academic achievement, negative attitudes toward school and behavior problems.
Purchase new series of Lego Mindstorm education curriculum for students to participate in applied engineering robotics projects which include applied inquiry, motivated design, communications technology, scanning, mapping and more.
Purchase the Aavelin digital signage and video messaging system to replace old system that posts school bulletin notices on cable channel 22.
Develop a new African unit in the 10th grade English curriculum by partially funding a teacher’s trip to Africa.
Compile a primary and secondary library to provide students with individual work that enhances skills and supports the social studies curriculum.
Help defray costs for Muslim student from Bosnia, Mirela Turkic to attend High School.
Develop a handbook that will outline a common language with which to teach writing across the curriculum. Handbook will be reference tool for all teachers, students and parents at High School.
Purchase 2 Multi Region DVD players and transportation carts to show foreign films and television programs in foreign language classes.
Partially fund a week long working seminar to explore teaching of Shakespeare.
Purchase a Tablet PC for classroom use within the math department which teachers and students would use to help with assessment and feedback.
Provide supplemental teaching materials for History Alive program which allows students to do simulations and historical role plays.
Assist in funding of Genocide Prevention Advanced Leadership Summit.

Hingham Middle School

Purchase Smartboard for all 3 geography teachers to enhance lessons and make geography come alive for students.
Purchase LCD projector that will allow teachers to stimulate student interest and enhance student understanding of specific mathematic topics.
Purchase 2 software programs that will help facilitate decoding skills and increase reading fluency for dyslexic students and any other students who need focused instruction.
Purchase Smartboard for 6th grade teachers to help enrich and enhance classroom.
Sort and catalog all questions from previous MCAS exams for grades 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th for practice testing.
Host a school-wide celebration of “Pi-Day” for 7th and 8th graders.
Purchase 9 Palm Pilots which will provide technological enhancement to 9 different classrooms and allow each 6th grade teacher to be part of a revolutionary grading program.
Purchase The Ultimate Water Rocket to be used by all 6th grade science teachers to stimulate interest in the science curriculum.

Foster School

Assist in defraying costs for Mobile Learning Lab that will integrate mathematics, music and technology to enhance the Everyday Mathematics program for all students at Foster School.
Provide initial funding for an early literacy 1000 Book Club Program for Foster School.
Enhance social studies curriculum by partial funding of teacher’s trip to Ghana.
Purchase and coordinate phonological awareness curriculum and materials to use as an intervention program for at risk students.
Purchase a classroom sound field amplification system that will filter excess sound so that each child in classroom hears speaker’s voice at an equal level.

Plymouth River School

Provide additional resources (books, kits, games) to be used for phonemic awareness and phonic instruction for all kindergartners at Plymouth River School.
Enhance 4th grade social studies curriculum by partial funding of two teachers’ trips to China . Pilot an art enrichment unit on Traditional Chinese Landscape.
Fund new program with Jon Belber of Holly Hill Farms in Cohasset to develop indoor/outdoor classroom activities that focus on botany, organic gardening and deeper respect for nature and environment. Program goes hand-in-hand with PRS Children’s Garden which has been in existence for 3 years. This program is also partially funded by Garden Club of Hingham.
Purchase 6 Alpha Smart desktop keyboards for use by special education students in 5th grade.

South School

Train 5 paraprofessionals in Applied Behavior Analysis to work with autistic and special needs children in the integrated preschool at South School as well as the other elementary schools in Hingham.
Enhance 4th grade social studies curriculum by partial funding of teachers/administrator trip to China.
Purchase new memory chips for lab computers that will improve their speed and efficiency.
Purchase license for Study Island for 3rd and 4th graders for home-practice and self-assessment for MCAS testing.