The Foundation's mission is to provide financial support for educational projects, programs, and initiatives that will enhance and enliven the classroom experience and promote excellence in West Hartford Public Schools.
The Foundation raises funds from individuals, businesses, and civic groups in the community as well as alumni nationwide. Gifts of $1,000 or more entitle the donor to honor an individual, business or civic group by having the Foundation name a grant. Once a year, certified teachers throughout the school district are invited to apply for grants ranging from $200 to $3,000 for a project that will enhance student experience, complement the curriculum and demonstrate educational merit. A Foundation committee reviews the applications with the teacher's name and school removed. After approval by the Foundation board, awards are presented in late spring of each year.
For more information or to apply for a grant, visit The Foundation's webpage HERE.
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Grants Awarded to Bristow this year:
Carol & Tom Lorenzo Grant: Artist in-Residence: Stefanie Lantz and Found Object Sculpture Kelly Smurthwaite, Lead Teacher
Local Artist Stefanie Lantz will work with 7th graders at Bristow Middle School to create a small sculpture of their own in addition to a larger sculpture as a group project that will be displayed over the front entrance of the school. These sculptures will be constructed over six days with objects from everyday life that the students will collect for several months before the Artist-in-Residence visits in February 2018. Students will collect materials such as couch springs, wood pallets and bottle caps and explore the best ways to combine these materials and how they can become art. In addition, they will study famous artists who construct art with found objects. The exciting goals of this project are for students to experiment with creating in three-dimensions, consider what constitutes art and fabricate unusual materials together individually and in a team setting.
Cricket Press Grant: South Korea: Technology today and the Art of Lantern Making Kelly Smurthwaite, Lead Teacher
This in-residence grant sponsors a group of women from South Korea (Korean Spirit and Culture promotion Project, KSCPP) to work with the 7th and 8th graders at Bristow Middle School. The mission of this group is to promote the culture of South Korea by creating lanterns with students and sharing traditional cultural elements as well as the technological advances of South Korea. The students will each build their own lantern with the guidance of one of the guests and then through a video presentation will learn about the history, culture, religion and art of the South Korean people. Students will take their own lantern home.
Model United Nations Club Susan Winslow, Lead Teacher
Bristow Middle School students will have the opportunity to participate in a club that will discuss and debate real world issues and crises. Fifteen students will join with an advisor to complete a research project about a country of their choice. The students will then meet with other state middle school students to propose and vote on resolutions they believe can solve problems.
Smith Brothers Insurance Grant: Manufacturing Enterprise: The Freedom Pen project Dawn Anstett, Lead Teacher
Through the exploration of engineering and manufacturing, Bristow Middle School's 7th grade technology and engineering students use the engineering design process to discover the world of modern manufacturing through units of study, including technical design through CAD, manufacturing processes, and the safe use of equipment within a production environment. This project is designed to enhance 7th grade manufacturing units, by allowing students to be part of a pen enterprise, exploring different job responsibilities in a cooperate job structure and gaining an understanding of all the roles necessary to successfully mass-produce a product. In addition, to ensure we meet our goal of producing a minimum of 100 “Freedom Pens,” students in both 7th and 8th grade would participate as part of an afterschool club. They would make up our pen company's executive board, taking the lessons learned beyond the classroom. The Freedom Pen project is an all-volunteer effort, made by woodworkers from all over the United States to provide their time and talents to create custom personal pens as a symbol of their supportof our military. The goal is to ship at least 20,000 pens each year and to produce at least 100 pens for the military.
Tammy and Kevin Cullina Grant: Silkworms and their importance to China Susan Winslow, Lead Teacher
Students at Bristow Middle School will have hands-on experience of raising silkworms and observing them as the silkworms produce silk. This experience will provide them with a much deeper appreciation of the importance of this product to the history of China. After learning how silk was discovered in China, the students learn about the life cycle of silkworms and have the opportunity to take newly hatched silkworms home so they can watch the silkworms grow and spin cocoons of silk. This exciting project integrates science, math and social studies.