Past Grant Recipients

2022-2023

Since 1983, WPSF has funded over $4 million in staff and teacher grants. With school budgets under continual pressure, WPSF's grants are increasingly important to maintaining the tradition of excellence in Wayland classrooms.

Preschool Grant

ANTI-RACIST PLAY IN PRESCHOOL

Courtney Tuttle

The Children’s Way - This grant funds multicultural and multi-ethic play materials for each of the five TCW classrooms to ensure every student feels represented in their daily school experiences and every child is building both self and social awareness. Diverse art center materials include skin tone paints and multicultural playdough packs. Dramatic play materials include multicultural baby doll sets and multicultural cooking sets. Block/STEM materials include diverse wooden people blocks and “All Kinds of Friends” builders as well as a “Children of the World” floor puzzle and human body puzzles.

Elementary School Grants

5th grade health Elementary Teacher

Scott Parseghian, Emily Charton, Brian Jones, Tricia O’Reilly

Claypit Hill, Happy Hollow, Loker - This grant funds staff for a new 5th grade health education program in our 3 elementary schools and sexual awareness sessions for 3rd and 5th grade. The curriculum will also include: healthy relationships, body image, healthy eating and health/wellness safety related to technology.

GEODES DECODABLE LITERACY TOOLS

Sherry Grace, Karyn Saxon

Claypit Hill, Happy Hollow, Loker - The Geodes decodable books funded by the WPSF support the need for rich and connected text and will provide decodable texts to early readers. The Geodes decodable books align with the WPS core classroom instruction, Fundations.

FOSTERING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AT HAPPY HOLLOW

Deb Dowd, Heather Gimenez, JoAnn Kline, Gretchen McAuley, Beth Santomenna

Happy Hollow School - This grant funds inspirational posters, street signs and “welcome bags” at Happy Hollow School. Inspirational posters and street signs will serve as visual reminders of the school’s core values and will reflect diversity, acceptance and inclusion.

CLAYPIT COMMUNICATION STATION

Katherine Hochberger, Mary Ellen Heilman, Meridith Heckler

Claypit Hill School - This grant funds two large post mount communication boards for each Claypit Hill playground. The board is a visual representation of images and text that help closes the communication gap between students who are non speaking orthose with limited verbal skills and their teachers and peers. The board reflects words or ideas that are relevant to its specific location and assists students who want to interact with their teachers or peers but have difficulty doing so.

UKELELES FOR LOKER MUSIC CLASSES

Kimberley Pisklo

Loker School - This grant provides funding for the purchase 25 Makala ukuleles, ukulele strings, and hanging rack at Loker School. 3rd grade students will learn how to use the ukulele (replaces the recorder) in their general music classes. 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students, who do not participate in the strings or band program and instead participate in the Music Workshop class, will receive ukulele instruction. Learning chords and basic melodies and gaining knowledge in how to read music will encourage lifelong music making.

WHAT’s THE WEATHER 

Jennifer Mohr, Kathleen Germaine, Ilana Wyner, Brian Jones 

Loker School - From seasonal weather patterns to climate change and everything in between, it is important that everyone be prepared. A great first step on that path is acquiring a solid foundation in the science of weather. The “What’s the Weather?” project will provide the Loker community with local, accurate, weather data. Students and teachers will learn how to measure wind, read a rain gauge and even help make the decision on outdoor or indoor recess in the colder months.

Middle School Grants

MANY STORIES MATTER

Emily Anderson, Carrie Dirmeikis, Meeghan Peirce

This grant written by the 8th grade English teachers funds a new literature circle curriculum related to themes of diversity, identity and social justice. The chosen books are the avenue to explicitly teach important skills that will enhance students' abilities to deepen their discussions around the critical themes in the books.

CROSSING CULTURAL BOUNDARIES: THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE

Luann Duesterberg, Kristen Offord, Daniel Davila-Fernandez, Dylan Merry, Dalia Stewart, Roxanne Brown

The 7th grade English and social studies departments have created curriculum around the theme of “crossing cultural boundaries.” This grant provides all 7th grade students with the opportunity to read about and engage with people who have had to cross cultural boundaries and to consider their successes and their challenges.

7TH GRADE OPEN AREA

Meghan Maines

Providing a flexibly designed space with modular furniture will create an opportunity for students to engage in collaborative work outside the classroom and provide teachers a functional flex space to utilize with students. This grant funds modular furniture to define the 7th grade open area as an informal learning space.

High School Grants

LIFT EVERY VOICE & SING!

Joseph Oneschuk, Jr.

This grant commissions the creation of the first ever published school Jazz band arrangement of our Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The premiere performances will take place at the WHS 2023 Graduation Ceremony and the Spring WHS Band & Jazz Concert.

WHS COMPOSTING INITIATIVE

WHS Green Team, Sara Snow, Amy McCormack, Ciaran Murphy

This grant aims to bring WHS forward into a greener future by composting lunchroom waste and by educating students about composting as a way to reduce waste in their lives at school and at home.

TAKING WSPN TO NEW LEVELS!

Mary Barber, Brian Keaney

This grant funds a new fast-action, cinematic grade camera as well as a drone for the Wayland Student Press Network (WSPN).

FINE ARTS PRINTER

Amy O’Connell, Veronique Latimer

This grant funds a large format photo printer for the joint Visual Arts department that will be used to print art show posters and designs for musical productions, concerts and events.

RESEARCH & DESIGN COALITION

Jennifer McGillis, Hayes Hart- Thompson, Fred Lehmann, Mary Barber

This grant, which expands on a previous WPSF grant that originally funded the Wayland Exploration Lab for Design, funds additional materials, tools, and spaces for students to design and develop prototypes and to create a connection between the business lab, WELD and the Library.

All School Grant

DIGITAL MAGAZINE VIA SORA

Sara Ravid, Melissa Harvey, Bethann Monahan

This grant funds a pilot digital magazine subscription for curricular use and independent pleasure reading for students K-12. Teachers can directly integrate specific articles into lessons to provide students with the most current information, including charts, images and infographics.