Four Hopewell Valley graduating seniors recently received scholarships from the Hopewell Valley Education Foundation in recognition of their academic achievement and school and community contributions. 2018 winners are Brandon Li, Ali Schragger and Mark Van Selous, who each were awarded $1,000 scholarships to support their higher education goals, as well as Kathryn Genovesi, who won the $1,000 HVEF Claude A.R. Kagan Memorial Scholarship.
HVEF also announced its 2018 spring grant awards to the Hopewell Valley Regional School District (HVRSD). A grant to HVEF from the Bristol Meyers Squibb Foundation has underwritten the cost of both of these innovative STEM education projects.
Outdoor Learning Center Pond Feature: this $9,200 grant will support the creation of a pond landscape that is a central element of Bear Tavern Elementary School’s new Outdoor Learning Center. A team of Bear Tavern teachers and administrators led by third-grade teacher Betsy Finnegan envision an outdoor learning zone featuring native plants and waterscapes that allows students to observe, touch, make connections, collaborate and innovate. The learning center will support curricula in life science, earth science, sustainability, language arts, math and social studies.
Outdoor Weather Stations: a grant of $8426.05 will allow for the purchase and installation of outdoor weather stations that will inform teaching and learning across a variety of classes at all four HVRSD elementary schools. Third-grade teachers Susan Hammill of Stony Brook Elementary School and Michelle Hamilton of Hopewell Elementary School will lead. Weather stations will allow students to develop key math and science skills such as taking measurements, making observations, detecting trends and patterns, formulating questions and collecting relevant weather data.
HVEF awards two cycles of grants per year. For information on funding opportunities and upcoming proposal deadlines, visit hvef.org/grants.
