Rockwell fund makes big gift to Gardner schools

GARDNER — A new high school civics program, musical instruments and equipment, and a vending machine for books are just some of the school projects slated for funding this year courtesy of the Williams-Rockwell Educational Gift Fund Committee.

The committee, which met on Jan. 25, awarded nearly $100,000 to applicants from the Gardner Public Schools system. Committee members distributed $99,764 for 17 different projects that will take place over the remainder of the academic year and beyond.

The new elementary school will be home to an Inchy the Bookworm Vending Machine, after the committee approved a $6,040 award for Mandy Blackbird, a reading specialist at Elm Street School. Students will use special tokens to select a title from the machine, which can hold up to 500 books.

“The idea is to reward students with books instead of simple certificates or inexpensive materialistic prizes, all the while promoting literacy,” Blackbird said. “In addition, how cool and fun would it be for our elementary school students to earn an opportunity to pick from the many titles in their very own vending machine?”

The machine, which is to be painted orange and black and be decorated with the Wildcat logo, will be located in the lobby of the new elementary school that's under construction, according to Blackbird.

The largest grant, $14,000, was awarded to fine arts teacher Frances LeMieux for the purchase of art show display boards to be used at Gardner Middle School and elsewhere.

“We are very excited about receiving this grant for new display boards,” LeMieux said. “Each teacher in the system will be receiving a set of boards. We ordered the panels to be on wheels, which is going to make it much easier for us to set up mobile art displays throughout our buildings. In addition, at the high school level, we will be utilizing our students to help us curate our mobile galleries.”

Also highlighted in this year’s grant is funding to assist in the creation of a new collaborative civics education curriculum at Gardner High School, spearheaded by Assistant Principal Scott Connery.

“The new GHS Civics program will create a student-driven board of upperclassmen to oversee proposals from eighth- and 11th-grade student teams,” Connery said. “These teams will propose projects designed to benefit the community, both in and out of the school building. If approved by the board, the team will receive faculty and board mentorship as well as a stipend to help complete the projects.”

The program was designed to promote community pride in younger students and leadership skills in upperclassmen, according to Connery.

The trustees also voted to grant funding to help eliminate user fees for students who chose to participate in certain athletic teams at Gardner High School.

“The (fund) has become an integral partner of interscholastic athletics,” said Dan Forte, athletic director for Gardner schools. “Our mission is to create accessibility to athletics at all levels, and these funds help to provide it for our students without compromising the integrity of our programs. Without the thoughtfulness and support of the committee, this would not be possible.”

“I’m very happy to hear that we are able to continue to give back to our students through this program,” said Mayor Michael Nicholson, chairman of the committee. “From assisting our art programs, growing our STEM classes, adding a book vending machine to the new elementary school, and helping (students) participate in programs, this year’s round of funding will have a large impact on our students’ experiences. I’m looking forward to seeing our students take advantage of these programs in the future.”

“The Williams-Rockwell grants are a tremendous gift,” said City Council President Elizabeth Kazinskas. “Gardner Public Schools students receive lasting opportunities that wouldn’t be possible without the fund. It’s exciting to see where our students and schools improve each year when these grants are awarded.”

Other projects funded during this round of grant funding include furniture for displaying student projects, summer reading programs, concert attire and a field trip to Newport, R.I.

“The Williams-Rockwell Educational Fund has continued to support our schools, with a focus on the needs of our children and community,” said Superintendent Mark Pellegrino. “These funds help to provide unique and inspirational experiences for our students that would not have been possible otherwise. We truly appreciate the thoughtfulness and support of the committee.”

The Williams-Rockwell Educational Gift Fund was established in 2014 following the auction of Norman Rockwell’s “Willie Gillis in Convoy” painting. The fund was set up to provide financial assistance to projects and programs requested by the faculty and administration of Gardner Public Schools to enrich the experiences of Gardner’s students. The grants are funded by the interest and capital gains earned from investments of the sale price of the painting.

To date, the Williams-Rockwell Educational Gift Fund has awarded $548,446 for projects across the district.

This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Williams-Rockwell Gift Fund awarding $100K to Gardner school projects