2008-2009 KEF Enrichment Grants

The Kickemuit Education Foundation (KEF) announced its first KEF Enrichment Grants for Educational Excellence to fund a variety of programs in the Bristol Warren Regional School District on May 16, 2008. KEF is providing over $9000 for 12 grants distributed among the district’s elementary, middle and high schools for the 2008-2009 school year.

The funds for these awards were raised by KEF’s 1st Annual Walk for Educational Excellence, KEF’s Thank-a-Teacher program, and through generous donations from local businesses and individuals.

KEF is proud to announce grants to the following projects:

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Good Vibrations ($1000) - Enrichment program of the Rhode Island Philharmonic that will demonstrate the transformation of vibration into energy and the generation of sound for Hugh Cole 3rd graders.

Informational Sensational ($482) - Non-fiction books, journals and art supplies for use in Colt-Andrews 1st grade classroom project that introduces students to informational texts and provides a variety of creative means to reflect learning.

Kindergarten Welcoming ($289) - Books, stationery and envelopes for welcome packages for incoming Kindergarten students at all elementary schools. Packages will include a personalized letters written by outgoing Kindergarten students, to promote the writing skills of the outgoing students while exciting the incoming students about school and learning.

Non-Fiction Classroom Library Differentiation ($521) - Non-fiction science and social studies texts at a variety of guided reading levels for Hugh Cole 1st grade classroom.

Read, Write, and Sketch ($500) - Supplies for use by Colt-Andrews 2nd graders for visualizing/sketching their interpretation of the “making meaning” stories they read.

Reset Boxes ($882) - Tool kits that will assist Hugh Cole students in self-managing negative emotions and behaviors (frustration, anger, and anxiety) so that they can refocus and return to school work able to give their best effort.

KICKEMUIT MIDDLE SCHOOL

Robotics After School Program ($326) – Motor kits to expand the robotics program inventory and enable use in classrooms for Energy and Motion Unit instruction.
MOUNT HOPE HIGH SCHOOL

Inquiry using Technology for Scientific Investigation ($2781) – Hand-held data entry GLX Explorers and probes to measure and quantify data for long term scientific experiments.

Going Green With Clay ($1000) – Pug mill to recycle used clay from art projects which will save money and enable students to work with higher quality clay.

High Interest Books for Reluctant Teen Readers ($500)

Funda Fest/Rhode Island Black Storytellers ($500) – Enrichment program designed to expose students to the art of storytelling and richness of African and African-American cultures.

A Great Museum ($500) – Transportation to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston to provide students the opportunity to learn from the MFA collection.