Successful Community Grants

Photo by Shirley Murtha

Fall 2009 <- please click for details


Spring 2009

~ The World Language Department of Granby Memorial High School (GMHS), through the efforts of Spanish teacher Ellen Buda, received $2,532 for the purchase of ten iPods and related accessories.  The use of such technology from a previous GEF grant has enabled language students to access their target language via real world radio broadcasts and news programs, textbook audio materials, and live class recordings.  With this supplemental purchase, an entire class of 20 students will have access at once, practicing speaking skills as each self-records and engages in the valuable process of self correction as they review their work.  This combined targeting of comprehension, fluency, and intonation will not only address the short term department goals of higher test scores, but will bring the students closer to a native-like tongue and foster longer term retention of the language as students move through their language careers.

~ The Granby Youth and Granby Senior Services have been awarded $1500 to offer an intergenerational African drumming and dance program this fall.  The Drum Unity Program will work with Granby youth to teach the history and art of the music and dance.  Under supervision, the youth will then in turn instruct the adult participants.  The two groups will collaborate to create a dance and drum presentation to perform as a finale.  Not only will all participants be part of a creative process that celebrates diversity, but they will have the opportunity to develop and maintain friendships and connections they might not have acquired otherwise.

~ The English Department and students of GMHS are the recipients of $1588 for the purchase of 10 digital flip mini camcorders and related accessories.  The department strives to incorporate 21st century technology into the classroom; the addition of this technology allows the 730 plus students to quickly learn the arts of filming, editing, and sharing presentations through CD or posting to approved websites.  As presented by Linda Touchette, English Department Head, this addition of durable goods will reach quickly across the entire student population, and well into the future.

~ The Marquis of Granby Jr. Ancient Fyfe and Drum Corp has been awarded $2000 for the repair of existing equipment and the purchase of new drums.  The Marquis brings to life the Revolutionary War period of our history, and this award winning group represents Granby at events all over the East Coast.  The intangible benefits of formal leadership opportunities, mentoring of younger participants, collaborative work, and experience of public presentation are immeasurable. A note from the Marquis describes:

"You can really see in these photos how there is such a huge difference in size between drummers...the new drums we bought enabled the smaller guys to get up in the drum line and play!  All of our old equipment was sized primarily for kids already in high school and since the minimum age is 10, that meant if you were a smaller kid wanting to play the drum you not only had to learn the instrument but you also had to wait while you grew enough to be able to handle it.  The new drums have really meant a great deal to us and we can't thank you enough."

~ The Social Studies Department of GMHS has been awarded $2082 for the addition of audio and video media capture devices as a tool for the creation of digital diaries.  Similar to the Library of Congress’ archive of the “Slave Narratives Project”, students will choose a period of time in American History which particularly interests them, and create a character who will document the events of the time in a digital diary.  Students will create, perform, edit, and publish these diaries to be used within the classroom as teaching tools.  Social Studies teacher Joe Jarvis expects the benefits to be two-fold: first, the research, analysis, presentation, and technical skills of students will sharpen, and second, that by tapping into the particular interests of each student, the creativity and passions of the students for their chosen projects and subject matter will be contagious to students whose passions may lie elsewhere.


Fall 2008

~ The 6th grade class at Kelly Lane Intermediate School has historically been too large to participate in the science programs of the West Hartford Children’s Museum.  The creative thinking of teacher Matt Pinckney and his subsequent award of $1,366 have changed that.  Having recently studied a teaching technique called “carousel” Mr. Pinckney proposed splitting the class into three sections; each section will attend one of three classes on polymers, chemical technology, or the properties of water molecules.  Each section will then be required to summarize the main points of its class, presenting the information on the following day to the other two sections.  Not only will all students ultimately receive instruction on all three topics, but each will be forced to process information on a high level in order to act as a peer tutor when they teach what they learned in their particular hands on , alternative setting. To quote Mr. Pinckney, “When learning is focused, the students’ motivation to learn is emphasized.”

~ Katie Ransom, Art teacher at Kelly Lane Intermediate School, received $1,175 to bring interactive theater to Kelly Lane.  Approximately 350 students in grades 3-6 will participate in performances and further develop their appreciation of art and knowledge of art history through the use of music, costuming, mime, puppetry, and acting, to tell the story of either artist Alexander Calder or Pablo Picasso.  “The most compelling aspect of the ‘Calder Re-Wired’ and ‘Picasso People’ programs are their creative combination of art appreciation with live theater,” stated Mrs. Ransom.  This nationally recognized performance should be an exciting experience for all involved.



~ The Granby Senior Center received $1,200 to present a program called “Art Is Ageless”.  This program will encourage older adults to explore the visual arts in a small class setting through visual and tactile mediums such as watercolors, digital photography, and beading.  The classes will be taught by members of the Granby Artists Association. Sandra Yost, program director of the Granby Senior Center, cited several recent studies which have linked involvement in the arts to better overall health and lower incidents of depression and loneliness in seniors.  Perhaps the most compelling point of this award is the collaboration of community groups “to enhance and improve the quality and successful aging of the citizens in the Granby Community.  This is an example of Granby working together to support the well-being of one of our most important assets, senior citizens, within our town” says Yost.(photo from l.) Carole Day, David Emery, Sandra Yost and Anne Dixon.  Photo by Shirley Murtha




~ The Kindergarten students in Cathryn Kibby’s classes made use of a $200 grant when they joined with Granby Seniors in an educational, multi-age gathering in November.  Mrs. Kibby sees this as a program to build on, where kids will “connect with older community members in a warm and loving atmosphere.” The grant allows for a second bus trip in February for morning and afternoon students to the Granby Senior Center, during which the students will present crafted placemats and work on literacy skills when they read poetry to their new friends.

~ The Astronomy Program at Wells Road Intermediate School received $1,268 for the purchase of new filters, mounting equipment, and protective gear for the telescope used by teachers James Janski and Kierstan Pestana to introduce 3-6 grade students to optical technology and the solar system.  While students will learn about light as a form of traveling energy and about the predictable movements of objects in the solar system, the teachers feel that the most compelling point about this new technology “is the ability we have to give our students the chance to reach for the stars.”

~ The GMHS Drama Club received $1, 240 to a purchase a scrim, a reusable lighting attachment which allows for enhanced effects on the deep GMHS stage.  As the auditorium is a very busy venue, students, community groups, and their audiences will enjoy this augmentation of technical capabilities.

Spring 2008

~ Bob Gilbert, Principal received $1,214 for a Kelly Lane School lighting console. There is currently no appropriate lighting system at Kelly Lane to support drama, music and cultural arts programs. Total cost of upgrade is over $10,000 with other funding coming from PTO, and Kelly Kids Care

~ GMHS Language ipods Cindy Anderson, World Language specialist awarded $2,494 to fund the purchase of ten ipod nanos, recorders and headphones to replace present cassette technology in GMHS language classes.

~ Early Childhood Council Janet Ford awarded $990 to put on four parenting workshops.


Fall 2007

~ Music Teacher Christine Corcoran received $3,081 for the purchase of 20 Alto Xylophones for Kearns school students in an effort to enhance the musical, cognitive and creative education of more than 575 young people annually.

~ Cynthia Gordon, a fifth grade teacher at Kelly Lane School, was granted $2,000 to bring an in-school drama residency program to Granby's 200 fifth grade students to promote reader-readiness for the Newberry Award Winning novel, "My Brother Sam is Dead." For one week, a Hartford Stage teaching artist visits the classroom to lead drama activities based on the book.

~ Granby Memorial High School Art Teacher Hollie Hecht received $1,000 for a visiting artist series at the school. The program is designed to provide enrichment experiences for advanced art students by funding artists to visit high school classes as guest educators and lecturers. The artists will address art techniques, forms and concepts above and beyond those currently covered in regular curriculum instruction.



~ Mindy Shilansky, choral director at GMHS, received $1,000 to fund a weeklong after-school songwriting workshop for high school students. The workshop specifically addresses the creative process of songwriting under the direction a professional songwriter/performer and an associate professor at the Berklee College of Music.

~ Middle School students will gain exposure to Shakespeare through the program Shakesperience.  GMMS English teachers Joanne Desrosiers and Pat Orlowski received $1,500 to bring the interactive program for the third year to seventh and eighth graders in an effort to stress the significance of Shakespeare as a writer and to break down student anxieties and stereotypes. Students will partake in a two-day Shakesperience Workshop through fun, interactive in-class presentations.

~ In an effort to raise awareness of Native American culture through storytelling, drumming and singing, Sue Bush, a second grade teacher at Kearns and Linda Betsch, room parent, received $400 to bring Rochelle Ripley to visit and perform for all of the second grade students at the school. Ms. Ripley is the founder of Hawkwing, Inc., a Native American non-profit organization developed to raise awareness of the Lakota Indians of the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota.