Educational Foundation awards grants to benefit students

  • Group of smiling men and women with a large bank check in front of them for $56,945.69
    Nassau BOCES educators receive nearly $57 thousand in grant funds through the Nassau BOCES Educational Foundation.

    Nassau BOCES educators were awarded 20 grants totaling more than $56,000 through the Nassau BOCES Educational Foundation (NBEF). The grants will be used to purchase equipment, classroom materials and educational technology for several BOCES schools, as well as to fund additional programming.

    “A total of 330 grants, equaling over $640 thousand dollars, has been awarded in the past 16 years,” said NBEF Vice Chairperson Anthony Fierro. “We are proud of these numbers, of the accomplishments, and of the effect they have had on our students’ success.”

    Willet Avenue School students will receive materials to simulate a doctor’s office and restaurant as part of the Life Skills Program, along with a BEAM projector game system for interactive floor play. Robert Williams School students will receive ball chairs as part of a sensory classroom grant. Grants awarded to Jerusalem Avenue Elementary School will make it possible for educators to offer appropriate sensory activities for specialized student needs.

    At Carman Road School, grants will fund a variety of vocational activities designed to help students transition from school into adulthood.

    Grants to Rosemary Kennedy School (RKS) will buy outdoor vocabulary boards, an activity box to encourage student movement, a relaxation room that will allow students to apply social-emotional learning skills, and touch technology that will empower students to practice handwriting and letter formation. Grant monies will also fund the installation of interactive panels in RKS classrooms to assist students in the English as a New Language program.

    Thanks to grant funding, students in the WINGS Twilight Alternative High School Program in Hicksville will be able to take trips to museums or live theatre, and Career Preparatory High School students can attend classes at Nassau Community College. Grants will also subsidize tuition scholarships for Iris Wolfson High School and the Center for Community Adjustment.

    “The resources provided by the Foundation help to supplement what we do here at Nassau BOCES,” said Dr. Robert R. Dillon, Nassau BOCES District Superintendent. “Grant-funded teaching innovation is just one way the agency fulfills its goal to ensure student success. Nassau BOCES will continue to set the standard for high-quality programs and services that enable all students to reach their full potential.”

    The Nassau BOCES Educational Foundation is a nonprofit organization supporting initiatives beyond the scope of the agency’s budget. The organization raises funds through a variety of events, such as its annual gala recognizing honorees of the Nassau BOCES Education Partner awards program. Now in its 15th year, the awards program honors people and organizations that share Nassau BOCES’ commitment to public education.