2022-2023 Grant Awards.
Innovation Grants
Innovation Grants award up to $5,000 to support innovation and excellence across our district. Innovation Grants engage students in deeper learning, pilot new educational approaches and support educators to collaborate across disciplines, grade levels and schools. Initiatives are multi-faceted and take place over the course of the year. Funding is comprehensive and can include professional development, collaborative planning time for professional learning communities, guest speakers and outside facilitators, classroom materials, technology, and more.
Title: Algebra II Stem vs Stats Course Pathway Redesign
Educator(s): Marissa Puccio, Jared Sawyer, Lydia Mays, Jessica Audy, Mathematics Teachers
School: Melrose High School
Description: The MHS Math team will reimagine the Algebra 2 course to create STEM or STATS focused pathways, providing learning opportunities for all students based on individual interests and postsecondary plans. The new course will have opportunity for student extension and additional support as needed by all learners. Teachers will plan and create each curriculum unit collaboratively and with support from the field. They will also meet throughout the year as a professional learning community, to assess, calibrate and fine tune learning experiences through the first year of implementation.
Title: Refugee Stories
Educator(s): Leslie Means and Sarah Haney - ELA Grade 8 ELA, Irina Kouznetsova - ELL, Mark Pappas - Grades 9 and 11 History, Michelle Sewyck - Grade 8 Civics
School: Melrose Middle and High Schools
Description: Building from an existing focus on the story of Anne Frank, English and Social Studies teachers will collaborate to create a learning experience that connects creative writing and history with students’ awareness of the world today and issues that are more relevant to them. Students will research and retell refugee stories, connecting to current events such as the war in Ukraine and the Syrian refugee crisis. Once created, the learning experience will be shared with other educators to implement in their own classrooms. And as a culmination, students’ photo essays, diary entries, plays, or personal narratives will be showcased for the community at the end of the unit.
Title: Choral Competition and Artist-in-Residence
Educator(s): Kim Piper, Choral Director
School: Melrose High School
Description: To cultivate deeper understanding of choral music, students will prepare for and participate in the Massachusetts Instrumental & Choral Conductors Association competition surrounded by high school bands, choirs and orchestra from across the state. Students will study more advanced literature in class, have an opportunity to learn from a collegiate conductor in residence to refine musicianship skills, and prepare to sing in a first ever adjudicated ensemble competition for the Melrose Chorus.
Title: Chemical Phenomena and Molecular Models
Educator(s): Melissa Rice, Science, Technology and Engineering Director, Gulhan Tigli and Ji-Young Kim, Chemistry Teachers
School: Melrose High School
Description: The Chemistry team will collaborate to create new lessons anchoring student learning and increasing hands-on opportunities in the classroom. Using molecular modeling, students will make sense of everyday chemical interactions or phenomena like combustion, oxidation, photosynthesis, and digestion. New lessons will be created in the summer and delivered throughout the school year.
Boost Grants
Boost grants award up to $500 for individual educators to implement a new project, elevate an existing experience, or try something new in their classroom.
Title: AP Support Library Collection
Educator(s): Tom Scudder, Library Media Specialist
School: Melrose High School
Description: This project supports expanded access to AP test prep materials to help promote equity and achievement among the entirety of the AP student population.
Title: Reciprocal Teaching Chapter Book Collections
Educator(s): Jessica Lombardi, Kendel Amari, Kathleen Doherty, Grade 2
School: Roosevelt Elementary School
Description: Students will engage in reciprocal teaching book clubs with culturally diverse, meaningful chapter books at their just-right reading levels, while simultaneously supporting their oral reading fluency, listening comprehension, and reading comprehension skills. Each of the books that have been chosen are also the first book in a series, as a way to further inspire a love of reading.
Title: Reimaging Senior English
Educator(s): Nora Tsoutsis, English
School: Melrose High School
Description: Grade 12 English classes will offer diversified choice for students and will bring in speakers to each classroom, elevating the senior English class experience. This grant will provide an opportunity to pilot educator ideas before a redesign of course offerings.
Title: Interoception Awareness Pilot Program
Educator(s): Jennifer Papasodoro, Carrie Carman, Kaitlin Simpson, Occupational Therapists
School: Melrose Elementary Schools
Description: Interoception is a foundation skill for self regulation, mental health and social connection. Occupational therapists at the elementary level will pilot the Interoception Curriculum to support improved self regulation and overall access to learning.
Title: Hydroponic School Garden
Educator(s): Elizabeth Collier, Grade 5
School: Horace Mann School
Description: With a new hydroponic garden, students will collect data, monitor growth, and develop responsibility as they care for plants in their classroom. Hands-on garden lessons will enhance the grade 5 science curriculum developing understanding of the water cycle, impact on our environment, and living organisms and food webs.
Title: Pickleball Boost
Educator(s): William Goodwin, Wellness
School: Roosevelt School and Horace Mann School
Description: Normally taught in middle school, this grant will bring the sport of pickleball to the elementary level. Enhancing the wellness curriculum, students will learn the rules of this multigenerational game and may even engage with some local community members for a match or two.
Title: Project-Enabling Laser Cutter
Educator(s): Elizabeth Giovanardi, Engineering and Architecture
School: Melrose High School
Description: A new laser cutter will enhance collaboration across high school classes including CAD, engineering, architecture, visual art, and more. The versatility of this equipment will extend beyond the classroom as students discover project-based and functional applications.
Professional Development Grants
Professional Development Grants award up to $1,000 to educators to deepen knowledge in their field, develop new skills, or explore opportunities that will enhance teaching and learning in the classroom. Grant recipients also have a commitment to share professional learning with other educators in their building or practice/content area across the district.
Title: Visualizing and Verbalizing to Support Readers
Educator(s): Janelle DeMerchant, Special Education
School: Roosevelt School
Description: Visualizing and Verbalizing is an evidence based Lindamood-Bell intervention that supports students in comprehension and critical thinking through concept imagery. Strategies from this course will support students to improve reading and listening comprehension, memory, oral vocabulary, critical thinking, and writing.
Title: Breathe for Change
Educator(s): Tricia Vergados, Grade 1
School: Lincoln School
Description: Through a year long course, Ms. Vergados will learn the Breathe for Change model to use mindfulness, yoga, and social-emotional learning as a vehicle for healing and social change in her classroom and community. Once trained, she will share practices with other educators across the district.
Title: Science of Reading
Educator(s): Cynthia Amirault, Special Education
School: Hoover School
Description: Through a summer course at the Landmark School, Ms. Amirault will explore the science of reading and will gain research-based strategies to apply with her students. She will also share this information with teachers across the district through district-wide mini-workshops in Melrose.
Title: Primitive Reflex Integration
Educator(s): Sheila Kelley, Physical Therapist
School: All Elementary Schools
Description: This summer course will support Ms. Kelly’s work with students around primitive reflexes that impact psychomotor development leading to difficulties in writing, navigating playground equipment and participating in physical education. After course work in the summer, Ms. Kelley will implement strategies and share techniques with other Melrose educators and families.
Title: Engaging Students with High-Functioning Autism
Educator(s): Kristen Loan, Grade 6 Math and Special Education
School: Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School
Description: With a growing number of students being diagnosed with high-functioning autism, course work will support different ways to engage students more deeply in math class.