Marlborough Schools Receive Community Grants

Editor's Note: the following is a release from Marlborough Public Schools:

Marlborough Schools received $5,600 in grants from the Marlborough Brigham Family Trust on Jan. 14.

Brigham Trustee Ronald Brault attended the Jan. 14 Marlborough School Committee meeting to present checks to Executive Director of Primary and Elementary Education Gabrielle Abrams, Jaworek Elementary ELL teacher Maria Mihopoulos, and Jaworek Elementary art teacher Linda Ostaski.

Abrams accepted a $3,900 check on behalf of the school district to be used toward the anti-bullying presentation Ryan’s Story on March 3. The father of Ryan Halligan, a 13-year-old who was bullied so cruelly and systematically that he committed suicide, will speak to middle school students, teachers, parents and community youth workers. Halligan’s appearance correlates with the district’s MC3: Marlborough: Creating a Caring Community bullying prevention curriculum.

Mihopoulos received a $1,300 grant toward the purchase of three iPads and instructional applications. Jaworek Elementary has more than 150 English language learners (ELLs) who benefit from the school’s very limited supply of ELL iPads that introduce them to technology, help them learn to read and increase their vocabulary, do math drills, provide language lab technology, allow them to research and translate words, and more. The grant will help expand the resources so more ELL students have access to this learning tool.

Ostaski received a $400 toward a document camera. She plans will integrate the document camera with her classroom projector to project three-dimensional art lessons and demonstrations to all students in a class at one time. Lessons can be recorded and shared so that students can view and review them as needed.