The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
A variety of classroom projects made possible by grants from the Franklin Township Warrior Education Foundation were highlighted at the September 26 Board of Education meeting.
The projects ranged from creating an autism sensory garden at Claremont Elementary School, to starting an anime and Manga club at Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street Campus, to holding a STEM Exploration Day at Franklin Park School.
In total, the Foundation’s $9,400 in grants for the 2023-24 school year funded 19 projects in the seven elementary schools.
Over the past three years, the Foundation has awarded $20,400 in 44 grants, said Charlotte Weisner, the Foundation’s chairperson.
“This has only been possible through the tax-deductible donations, which you have given us as donors and supporting us with all of our issues,” she said.
“As a former assistant superintendent here for 38 years in Franklin, I kind of understand how important it is to encourage our teachers to create new projects to inspire and supplement the curriculum, our fabulous teachers have shown how these grants will really help our students connect and expand their knowledge,” she said.
The projects receiving funding were:
Claremont Elementary School
- Autism Sensory Garden
- Book Buddies
- Family Recipe Books
Elizabeth Avenue School
- STEAM Straw Rockets
Franklin High School
- Conversation Cafe
- Global Warrior Project
Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street Campus
- Anime and Manga Club
- Big Colorful Imagination
- Calming Center
- Starting 5
- Still Life Painting
- Restorative Practices
MacAfee Road School
- Battle of the Books
- Sustainable Juniors Courtyard
Franklin Park School
- PBSIS Celebration
- QBall Pro Bundle Project
- Readers of the Month
- STEM Exploration Day
Pine Grove Manor School
- STEAM Night
Schools Superintendent John Ravally thanked the Foundation members and the teachers who received the grants for their work.
“Everybody comes together for a common cause,” he said. “I think what sometimes folks lose sight of is a school budget is a finite thing, and much of what we approve every year is already allocated and spoken for. It leaves very little room, in all honesty, for creativity amongst the staff. But that creativity is what excites kids and is what helps us to connect content to real-world applications.”
“And the Foundation, and all of our support groups for that fact, we have a wonderful Booster Association, we have a wonderful PTO Association, and everybody in their own way supports all the additional costs and additional programming,” Ravally said. “But this one particular group focuses on creativity, and teacher creativity, and fostering and encouraging teachers to think outside the box and do different kinds of things with their kids that otherwise we wouldn’t be able to do. So kudos to you folks for giving of your time. It’s appreciated.”
The Board also recognized three District employees who were honored by groups outside of Frankli:
- Dr. Wendy Bardot, named by the New Jersey School Counselor Association as the School Counselor of the Year for Somerset County.
- Ted Samaras, a NASA Solar System Ambassador
- Roshell H. Gordon earned the Regional Computer Science Teaching Excellence Award from the Computer Science Teachers Association.
