Calvert County School Foundation Provides Over $10,000 In Grants To CCPS

Five Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) were recognized as the 2023-2024 Calvert County School Foundation (CCSF) grant recipients at the October 26 meeting of the Calvert Board of Education.

This year’s winners are Beach Elementary submitted by Ms. Grenier, Dowell Elementary submitted by Ms. Dare, St. Leonard Elementary submitted by Ms. Broussard, Calvert High submitted by Ms. Forseth, and Patuxent High submitted by Ms. Cullen. The awarded grants totaled $10,715.75.

Beach Elementary received a $1,295.71 grant to purchase a collection of new and diverse books to expand their fiction book collection. The proposed by books will provide students an opportunity to read about characters with a variety of nationalities, cultures, backgrounds, abilities, and/or race. Students will have the opportunity to read about characters that are like themselves as well as help students develop empathy for others. This project will help support a positive school climate and culture.

Dowell Elementary was awarded $2,977.35 to provide all learners with an opportunity to show their thinking in all subject areas using dry erase group tables within Ms. Dare’s Kindergarten classroom. The whiteboards will inspire students to engage in learning and collaboration with others through a variety of experiences such as gallery walks, think-pair-share, decide and defend, and talking pennies. Additionally, the whiteboards will enable students to quickly access their marker and begin practicing their handwriting, spelling, and/or math strategies.

St. Leonard Elementary School received a $650.00 grant to support their Men of St. Leonard and Women of Power afterschool program. Under the guidance of CCPS staff and community mentors, students will participate in a variety of activities related to STEAM, Social Interaction, Team Building, Real World, and Cultural. Students are encouraged to take an active role in school activities and share their learned knowledge with others. Students meet monthly throughout the school year after school for 90 minutes. The goal of the program is to promote self-confidence, self-worth, and becoming a life-long learner.

Calvert High was awarded $2,792.69 to support a Social and Emotional Learning Intervention program in Algebra Lab. This project involves students who are registered for Algebra Lab class as incoming ninth graders. Students will receive 45-minute sessions related to confidence building and social/emotional well-being. The goal of the program is to benefit students by increasing their critical thinking skills, enhancing executive functioning, and boosting learning engagement because of social/emotional improvement in mental health.

Patuxent High received a $3,000.00 grant to support their Structured Learning Environment (SLE) Autism Calming room. SLE for the southern end of the county is located at Patuxent High. A calming room has attributed to student success in at Patuxent High. The funds will be used to enhance an existing calming room. The goal of the calming room is for students to feel like the space is specifically designed for their support. This year, school counselors have used the space as an alternative setting for students to give them a comfortable supportive space for times of sensory overload.

“Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients of the Calvert County School Foundation grants,” said CCSF Board Member Dona Ostenso. “We are proud to support these important initiatives and programs that benefit the students and staff of Calvert County Public Schools,” continued Ostenso.

The Calvert County School Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) organization comprised of local business leaders, community members, former and current educators and school representatives who work together to provide additional funding opportunities, beyond tax dollars, to unique resources and innovative opportunities for learning to every child in Calvert County. Focusing on projects that promote creativity, critical thinking, and engagement in the learning process, the Foundation awards grants annually. Eligible applicants include CCPS employees as well as any member of the community working with CCPS staff. Grants are funded through monetary donations to the foundation along with the foundation’s annual fundraising events.

For more information about the Calvert County School Foundation or to make a tax-deductible donation, visit calvertnet.k12.md.us/ccsf.