The district extends its appreciation to the Freeport Educational Foundation, which presented the district with a check for $27,855 at the board of education's February meeting - an amount which has since increased by $3,000 due to the increase in scholarships to students.
The funds, made possible through the ongoing tireless fundraising efforts of FEF President Butch Yamali and the board of directors, will be used to continue providing students with innovative educational opportunities. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kishore Kuncham and Board of Education President Michael Pomerico expressed their gratitude to the FEF, whose mission is to help transform the lives of Freeport students. These students include seniors at the high school, who this year will benefit from 10 FEF $500 scholarships following the award of a variety of innovative grants that were applied for by teachers in all of the district's schools.
These grants include: READERSIZE Bikes - portable bike exercisers to help students focus while reading - at Archer Street; Discover - providing students with a discovery-based learning environment to ultimately enhance their library experience and strengthen their skills in science - at Bayview Avenue; LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 - using LEGOs to explore creative solutions to science or engineering problems - at Atkinson; Coding Club - using coding to develop technology skills and using the E-Doc program to integrate 21st century skills - at Atkinson; Sonic Highways Freeport From Roots to Rock - conducting research to create a documentary about the musical history of Freeport - at Atkinson; The Tapestry of Diversity of Columbus Avenue - using technology to study students' many cultures and countries of origin - at Columbus; Surface Temperature Field Campaign with GLOBE Program (sponsored by NASA) - studying sites to discover how ground cover and snow affect surface temperature - at the high school; STEM - after-school enrichment program to supplement STEM classroom lessons - at Dodd; Assessment-Based Instruction - data used to determine student understanding of lessons through formative assessment - at Dodd; Technology and Graphic Arts - creating and editing photos for the school yearbook - at Giblyn; STEM - after-school enrichment program to supplement STEM classroom lessons - at New Visions; and Google Cardboard for Virtual Reality - providing students with access to historical events, civilizations and locations through Google Cardboard viewer - districtwide.
Anyone who wishes to learn more about the FEF's mission or would like to volunteer their time may contact Butch Yamali at 516-933-4444, ext. 202, or visit feffreeport.org.