Dartmouth Education Foundation helps teachers’ fund their classroom wish lists

The Dartmouth Education Foundation Advisory Council met on Tuesday, Sept. 13, with Dartmouth Administration and Staff in Dartmouth High's Library Media Center to award its 2022 grants.

The organization was founded in 2007 to help fund needs of Dartmouth teachers and staff outside of the scope of the budget of the Dartmouth Public Schools and PTOs.

Each year the foundation holds its annual Spelling Bee to raise awareness of the work these grants. It is also the organization’s main fundraiser, with most of the money coming from donations by local families and businesses.

Those funds are then used almost entirely to fund teacher requests.

As the Advisory Board considers grant requests from staff, members make an effort to fund curriculum enhancements and hardware that will benefit successive groups of students and improve their learning.

“Each year we are humbled by the creativity and passion of staff who are excited to bring resources to their students,” said advisory council member Mary Waite.

This year, the organization was able to fund over $12,000 in grants.

Included in the grants were:

• Puppets to engage creative young learners in role playing
• Decodable readers
• Phonics support
• STEM and STEAM kits
• Math manipulatives and math games for elementary schools
• A screen printer to help middle schoolers put their own designs on clothing
• Tools for the middle school engineering and technology department
• Funds to support middle school drama students
• A high school mural project
• A mobile production studio to assist video production students as they move outside the studio into the Dartmouth community

The foundation was also able to support special education students by providing funds to help ease stress and tension with weighted blankets and vests. Additionally, the Dartmouth Public Schools funded $7,455 in teacher requests, Waite said.

She added that Dartmouth's administrative team is an essential partner that works with the foundation to fund a number of teacher requests for materials.
“We are grateful to our community for helping to add these items to our teachers' toolbox as they work to serve the needs of all of our students,” she said.