Hatboro-Horsham School District Receives Generous Grants

The non-profit Hatboro-Horsham Educational Foundation (HHEF) recently awarded 13 grants totaling $100,395 to the , as well as a $20,000 grant to Jarrett Nature Center, the district’s outdoor classroom.

The Innovative Learning Grants, earmarked for next school year, are given to district employees for use in their schools and classrooms. Grants have traditionally funded math, science, media literacy and environmental programs. According to HHEF Executive Director Laurie Rosard, the foundation plans to encourage more student leadership and civil learning projects in the future. 

The purpose of the HHEF grants, Rosard said, is to provide support beyond what the district is able to fund, and to ensure that the funds have the greatest student impact possible. “We’re looking for programs that aren’t currently in the curriculum but that could enhance the curriculum,” she said.

HHEF, created in 1987, provided its first Innovative Learning Grants in 2006. The foundation has awarded approximately 75 grants since then, ranging from $1,000 to $20,000, and have provided more than $500,000 in total to the district’s classrooms. Grant funding is comprised of donations from the community at large, Rosard said. 

, for instance, will benefit from five grants, two of which the school's Principal, Kári Hill, applied for directly. 

The first is “Video Conferencing: a Window to Learning Around the World,” a $13,300 media literacy program using video conferencing equipment to allow students to interact with other pupils in the district and the world at large. The project will supplement the school’s pre-existing equipment which, according to Technology Integration Specialist Kathleen Krupa, has already allowed them to conference with students in Canada and Portugal, as well as a rock specialist from Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Museums.

The equipment will also allow teachers and administrators to conference with other education professionals worldwide, said Krupa. “I’m really excited about it,” she added.

The school’s second grant, “iPads: Launching Collaboration and Learning,” is one Crooked Billet shares with . The $7,000 grant will allow each school to purchase five iPads that students will use as mobile learning centers.

“The idea is to have the technology available for them to use it in authentic ways for 21st century learners,” said Simmons principal Karen Kanter.

All of the district's elementary schools will benefit from “Engage and Respond,” a grant to install SMART Interactive Response Systems in classrooms that will provide ‘clickers’ for students to electronically answer questions. “It’s an awesome tool for teachers to assess students at one time,” said Hill.

Simmons’ differently-abled students will benefit from their own grant, “Interactive Learning for Students with Special Needs.” About eight iPads and gift cards will be purchased to provide applications that offer cognitive support, speech therapy, and other support tailored to their needs.

Simmons psychologist Kate Hylinski applied for the grant, knowing that research shows that this kind of technology is especially beneficial for special needs students. She was inspired to apply after seeing the effects from a similar program on the district’s autistic students: “They had really done some amazing things with that and we thought that it would benefit our students immensely,” she said.

Current projects for the Jarrett Nature Center involve GPS equipment for students and construction of a boardwalk that may be built as soon as this summer. The HHEF has been one of the greater benefactors of the center, said David Weber, the district’s Assistant Director of Curriculum.  

“Their vision has been very aligned with our desire to make this a great place for students to learn in an outdoor center,” he said. 

“[HHEF] has been wonderful in funding educational projects for the last several years," Kanter said. "This year they funded a talk about resiliency and they help get technology in the hands of students sooner.” 

HHEF's grants are particularly helpful as district officials contemplate program curtailments to make up for a more than $1 million in the 2011-2012 budget. 

“Because of the cuts of the budget and funding, organizations like ours become more important to keep providing these alternative learning experiences for our students because the school district is no longer in a position to provide these type of enrichment programs,” said Rosard.

“It’s a good friend to have. I didn’t have that in Philly,” said Hill, who was a Philadelphia school district principal before she came to Crooked Billet.

HHEF’s next community event will be Culture Fest at the high school on May 15. A celebration of the international and cultural diversity found amongst members of the local community, the fest will feature food, entertainment and student presentations.