Education Foundation Looking to Improve with 'Celebrating Success'

The Southington Education Foundation has given out more than $75,000 since it's inception, helping bring dollars to innovative programs at Southington schools. But the effort is far from over.

The foundation last week brought together past award recipients to learn more about how the classroom is directly impacted by the money given out as part of a special new program "Celebrating Success." The program is designed to provide insight to help make grant fuunding even more efficient, SEF President Dawn Miceli said.

The recipients discussed what the grant funding was able to bring them and how it has improved student learning at Southington schools.

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"It's one thing to read about a proposed grant, but it's another to actually learn whether it was successful, how it was received by the students and its overall impact on the curriculum," Miceli said in an email exchange last week.

Programs like "Who Wants to be a Science Extraordinaire" and "Classroom Planetarium" have brought hands on learning to students said Southington High School science teacher Judith Dunn and Thalberg Elementary School teachers Mandy Hubney and Chanel Curtin.

Dunn, who received funding for "Who Wants to be a Science Extraordinaire" in May 2011, said in an interview with the Record-Journal that the students have become more "interactive" as the program provided an important learning tool:

"Before, I had one or two students responding, now I have everyone responding," Dunn said.

For more information on the program, visit the Southington Education Foundation's grant webpage or visit the foundations full website by clicking the links provided.

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