Huntington Foundation Donates Funds for Grants

The Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education has donated $23,460 to the Huntington School District to fund ten grant proposals submitted by faculty members.

Huntington School Board members accepted the donation during a public meeting on Monday, April 8 at the Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School auditorium. The Huntington Foundation has donated in excess of $1.3 million to the district since the organization was founded more than two decades ago.

The new round of grants were awarded to assist with innovative educational projects in the district.

The ten grant project titles are each listed below along with the name(s) of the teacher applicants, their school, a brief project description and the specific amount of the grant:

• Decoding Text Early Learners Books (Washington/ Nicole Lennon) –Six sets of Off We Go! Readers by Whole Phonics ($333.76)

• Proper Bow Techniques Assist (Jack Abrams & Woodhull/ Nicole Lynch) – 46  Bow Force bow assists for various instruments ($1,384.38)

• Library Equipment - Furniture (Woodhull/ Andrew Cumming) – Loveseat, Arm Chairs (2) and Ottoman with laminated top ($2,770.10)

• Games for Change (Woodhull/Mary Guzman-Lewis, Catherine Juliano, Ruth Escobar, Dr. Julissa Garris-Shade) – Various board games for mentoring program, Games Changers: Mentoring over Games and Conversation ($395.03)

• Friendship Benches (Finley/ Mary DiBenedetto, Kate Carey) – Patio Benches (2), paint and painting supplies ($652.99)

• Augmented Reality Sandbox (Huntington High School/Luigi Papasidero) – Augmented Reality Sandbox ($5,607.14)

• Presentation Monitors/Guidance Department (Huntington High School/Steve Lashin) – Five Samsung presentation monitors ($4,722.54)

• Chemistry Equipment (Huntington High School/ Danielle Raguzin) – Six Chemistry Lab Quest 3 Starter Packages ($4,158.00)

• Refrigerator and Stove for Life Skills Class (Huntington High School/ Kelly Trites) – Refrigerator and Stove ($952.00)

• Summer Enrichment Scholarships (District-wide/Jenna Merget, Nicole Lynch) –Six scholarships for students to attend the summer camp enrichment program ($2,484.00)

The Huntington Foundation is led by President Jennifer Stevens and executive board members Tara Poli (vice president of development/gala chair), Meghan Knieriem (chief financial officer), Jennifer Tullo-Skrobela (vice president; public relations/marketing officer), Liz Careccia (vice president of grants), Gina Leiter (secretary) and Kim O’Toole. Kim Eineman (graphic design), Kacey Knauer (marketing) and Liz Matthews (PTA liaison) round out the HFEE board.

Huntington Foundation volunteers include Kelly Donovan, Angela Ackerly, Janine Luca, Marian Manu, Jackie Colin, Jen Biancardo and Amanda Sturges.

Maggie O’Toole, Isabella Careccia-Johnson, Emily Kustera and Josie Sullivan comprise the HFEE Youth Board.