By LARRY MAIER
The money will allow students to participate in a nationwide internet hookup and watch live reenactments of Revolutionary War scenes shot in Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. Students can also speak directly with the actors/historians in the scenes and have their questions answered on-air. It is the type of program which helps teachers make history come alive.
This is what the students will remember, the hands on stuff, said fifth grade teacher Jacqueline Marrero, who applied for the grant with fellow teacher, Meryl Friedermann.
This year, the Baldwin Foundation for Education has agreed to fund 21 proposals submitted by district teachers and administrators to the tune of $7,592 dollars (see sidebar for a complete list of mini-grant awards). Each school in the district received some grant money with the exception of Plaza School and Schubert School, which did not apply.
These grants, said Board of Education member B.A. Schoen, are vital to providing innovative educational programming in the school district. As a board member I am concerned with meeting academic standards. But it is important that we seek new and exciting ways to do that, said Schoen. Also, added Schoen, because the grant money does not come from school-tax dollars, teachers can use the funds in more creative and experimental ways.
The Baldwin Foundation for Education was established in 1993 by friends and alumni of the Baldwin public schools who were concerned about providing schools with enrichment programs that were not covered in the district budget. Funds are solicited strictly from Baldwin graduates. Each year, the foundation reviews proposals and decides how the funds should be distributed.
We look at how the money will be used and whether the program can be passed onto other classes, said Richard Carbonaro, foundation president. We also consider whether the program will benefit more than just a handful of students.
Past programs funded by the foundation that remain active today include the animal zoo
