YORK EDUCATION FOUNDATION GRANTS FOR THE 2019 – 2020 SCHOOL YEAR

The York Education Foundation funded six grants totaling $16,659 for the 2019-2020 school year, with two grants at York High School, three at York Middle School, and one at Village Elementary School.

Portable Display Panels, Beth Nowers, Art Teacher at YHS:

Purchase 6 high quality folding portable display panels for the York Community Auditorium lobby.  These aesthetically pleasing and sturdy units will be able to display the artwork of hundreds of students and will be used in conjunction with events being held at the auditorium to exhibit student art for the students, their families, and the public at large.  They will be used, not just for high school students, but for all schools wishing to have an art exhibit.  When not in use they can easily be folded up and stored away.

Portable PA Systems, Zach Daniels, Oral Teacher of the Deaf/Special Education Case Manager:

Purchase four portable sound field amplification systems, two for YMS and two for YHS, as a pilot program with the hope to one day amplify the entire district.  Classroom amplification has proven to benefit behavior and attentiveness, reduce vocal strain for teachers, and has particular benefits for students with hearing impairments, central auditory processing disorders, attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, and developmental delays.

Star Island Experience, Karl Francis, Principal, YHS:

Student experiential learning “Star Island Experience” which he is planning for the sophomore class in the fall.  While we were not able to fund the full amount he requested, we did provide some funding in order to assist in his effort to provide a learning experience that fosters group collaboration, kindness and respect for others, personal growth, and academic and career learning opportunities.

Unbias Mindset Community Building, Carla Femino and Liz Schambach, Guidance and Wellness, YMS:

A comprehensive professional development program in conjunction with a company called Mindbridge, to help educate the YMS staff in learning appropriate boundaries and skills to support student needs by examining unintentional biases that may cause staff to react to students in ways that aren’t supportive.  This Unbias Mindset Community Buildingprogram supports recently passed DOE legislation around sexual abuse prevention and response as well as the Enough Abuse campaign.

The Invisible Thread that Connects Us Al Through Small Acts of Kindness, Jess Baxter, 8th grade English Language Arts, YMS:

A new teaching unit focused on addressing bullying and the treatment of others through small acts of kindness.  The unit will revolve around the book An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff, but will also include watching and discussing Tedtalks related to people and acts of kindness, a yearlong plan to do good deeds for others, and it will also involve families at home in the theme.  It also supports the HOWLS she hopes to be able to expand it to other teams in future years.

Diversity Books, Beth Hutchins, Principal at VES:

Purchase books for the VES staff and students that promote diversity in support of the York School Department’s mission to create a school community that examines bias and encourages respect for the value of difference.  These picture books will be supplied to all classrooms and used in read aloud sessions.  They will also be incorporated as a “book club” within staff meetings to encourage familiarity with the text and to help brainstorm on the best application for use.

YEF COMBINED GRANTS VALUED AT $16,659 BRINGING YEF’s TOTAL GRANTS TO $257,000.