FALL 2016 & SPRING 2017 GRANTS
Maker Space
Submitted by Coulter Young and the Tormey Family
$2400 – Grades K-8
This grant was used for the purchase of equipment to introduce a Maker Space at the Garrison School. GUFS Art Teacher Coulter Young implemented a six week STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art/Design and Mathematics) unit into his curriculum for grades K-8 with the purchase of Little Bits Workshops Sets, Goldie Blox, Quibits, and Legos. Makers Spaces provide the foundation of a STEAM curriculum by presenting students with hands-on, creative ways to design, experiment, build and invent. This Maker Space will continue to be used for many years.
Garrison Art Center - Community Resource Series
Submitted by Coulter Young (GUFS)
$3,700 - Grades K-4, 6-8
This multi-discipinary art program is organized in conjunction with the Garrison Art Center. Each grade has the unique opportunity to work with an experienced artist provided by GAC, and work with techniques and materials not typically used in the classroom. This rich program also offers an opportunity to connect with our local community of talented artists. Mediums include clay and pottery, stained glass, sculpture, stamping, drawing/writing/book making, paper mache, textile design, and paper marbling. Project themes include nature (forest floors, butterflies, animal tracks), Native American traditions (traditional Iroquois pottery design), locally found objects, and medieval stained glass. All programs will take place at GAC.
Click here for detailed project descriptions.
Hudson Valley Seed
Submitted by Ava Bynum (Hudson Valley Seed)
$6,000 – Grades K-5
Hudson Valley Seed establishes educational school gardens and runs weekly curriculum-integrated garden lessons for 1,500 students across Putnam, Dutchess and Orange Counties. Through weekly visits to the garden, students experientially learn math, science and more while being provided with the knowledge, skills and environment to make healthy choices. By uniting academic achievement and wellness education, healthy eating and hands-on learning is integrated into the weekly schedule of students. HVS works closely with teachers to integrate nutrition education with core curriculum studies.
www.hudsonvalleyseed.org
NYC Historical Immigration Experience
Submitted by Chris Caliendo
$514 – Grades 8
The NYC Immigration Experience program provides students with a day long experience which will enhance their depth of knowledge with regards to the American immigration movements of the 1800s and early 1900s. It will serve as a culmination of their unit of study on immigration.
Soccer Goals & Balls
Submitted by GUFS PTA
$750 - Grades K-8
GCEF and PTA co-funded the purchase of new soccer goals and balls, which are a popular spot for all grades during recess. These are being used during recess as well as within the Physical Education program.
Healthy Choices Workshop
Submitted by GUFS PTA
$1,350 - Grades 6-8
GCEF and PTA partnered to bring the Healthy Choices program to the GUFS middle school. This multi-layered program offered by a licensed clinical social worker provided parents, students, and GUFS faculty support and comprehensive education on sexual health and sexuality, including information on topics such a pregnancy and HIV prevention. The program included a workshop for parents of 6ht-8th graders, eight 45-minute sessions for 8th grade students, and support for Garrison faculty and staff to help integrate the Healthy Choices program into the school health curriculum.
Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
Submitted by Ian Berger
$1,925 - Grades 6-8
This grant was used to bring the touring performance of HVSF’s Romeo and Juliet and workshops to the Garrison school.
SAT Prep
Submitted by Desmond Fish LIbrary
$2,000 - Grades 9-12
This grant allowed GCEF to offer the Princeton Review SAT prep class to high school students in Garrison at a discounted rate.
5th Grade Newspaper
Submitted by Jennifer Kirkpatrick
$250 – Grades 5
In keeping with 21st century learning and the mission of preparing today’s learners for the world of work, fifth grade students will be given the challenge to develop, write, and publish a 21st century newspaper. Students will skim and scan media sources for story ideas, generate questions and apply strategies for gathering, compiling, and recording the news. They will create written news stories for the purpose of communicating the news to the community and will publish their stories in a newspaper.
Modern Band Ensemble
Submitted by Ulysses Torres (GUFS)
$3000 – All Grades
The intent of this project is to provide new opportunities for our students to interact musically. The funding of new instruments would help to form Modern Band ensembles, which are non-traditional musical groups that incorporate instrumentation normally found in today’s pop/rock/hip-hop groups. This project would provide a new, needed outlet for our students to express themselves musically by incorporating new acoustic guitars, ukuleles, keyboard, drum set, as well as professional development opportunities for Mr. Torres.
New York Hall of Science
Submitted by Robin Waters, Jennifer Kirkpatrick, Amy Kuchera, Debbie Earle (GUFS)
$2104 – Grade 3-5
To enhance the studies of the third, fourth, and fifth grade students in math, science, and technology, the 3-5 teachers have scheduled a joint trip to the NYSCI-New York Hall of Science in Queens, New York. This grant covers the cost of the two buses needed to visit the NY Hall of Science. Students will be given the opportunity to participate in the Design Lab Activity, Daily Demonstration, Simple Machines Workshop and a 3D movie.
Revolutionary War/Colonial Day Living History Reenactment
Submitted by Chris Caliendo (GUFS)
$2,350 - Grades 4, 5 and 7
With the guidance of the Living History Education Foundation, the 7th graders will recreate a Colonial Day/Revolutionary War reenactment camp site (at the South Redoubt of the school forest), complete with cooking fires and tents. They will participate in drills and experience battles fought in the Revolutionary War acting as typical soldiers during that time. The 4th and 5th graders will visit the campsite and participate in activity stations including candle making, cooking, drilling, playing military music, sewing haversacks, creating cartridges and tin tapping.
Constitution Marsh Eagles Program
Submitted by Amy Kuchera (GUFS)
$500 – Grade 4
This three-part program for our fourth graders is done together with Constitution Marsh. The program starts with an assembly where educators from the Marsh visit our classroom and teach our students about Eagle’s habitats and adaptations. The second part is a trip to the Marsh where students observe eagles on the Hudson through binoculars and telescopes. The third and final part is another classroom visit from Marsh educators, where students play a game in which they play the part of an eagle and try to take a successful journey to a particular point, facing real life obstacles along the way. They also use longitude and latitude coordinates to track routes of certain eagles. This program is directly linked to the life science section of the fourth grade science curriculum.
http://constitutionmarsh.audubon.org/eagles-hudson-winter-field-trips
Challenger Space Center
Submitted by Kevin Keegan (GUFS)
$350 – Grade 6
On this trip to the Challenger Space Center, the 6th graders will go on a simulated mission to Mars! Working in teams at the Mission Control Center and Spacecraft simulators, students transform themselves into astronauts, scientists, engineers and researchers by participating in the Center’s simulated space adventures. They work at navigation, life support, robotics, geology, communications and medical stations. The Challenger Center uses a student's natural curiosity and enthusiasm for space to create innovative problem-based learning experiences for young minds. The Mission Control and Spacecraft simulators within the Center allow students to apply Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) concepts to an authentic, real-world experience that is truly out-of-this-world!!
Courtyard Stage Eagle Scout Project
Submitted by Colin Waldron (GUFS Graduate)
$1500 – All grades
In order for Colin to become an Eagle Scout, he undertook the project to build a stage to be used in the courtyard, currently an under-used space in the school. The stage can be used for plays and performances as well as concerts, award ceremonies and even 8th grade graduations.
Clearwater Sloop Sail – The Sailing Classroom
Submitted by Robin Waters, Jennifer Kirkpatrick, Ulysses Torres and Coulter Young (GUFS)
$1,250 – Grade 5
This grant covers the cost of the annual 5th grade sail on the Clearwater Sloop, as part of their study of history, ecology, art and music through the Hudson River. Students have the opportunity to help raise the sails, navigate the boat, visit learning stations to examine river life, perform water quality tests, and study plankton and other invertebrate life under field magnification.