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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (DECEMBER 4, 2023) — The Williamsport Area School District was recently awarded $46,179 in a combination of grants received from both the Williamsport Area School District Education Foundation (WASDEF) and the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania (FCFP).

Fourteen grants from WASDEF’s Annual and Teacher Mini-Grant funds, totaling $20,609, were awarded to support the following programs and projects across the district:

• $4,000 to Williamsport Area Middle School (WAMS) music department to purchase customized concert uniforms for students to wear during concerts and performances out in the community.
• $2,800 to WAMS to implement and pilot an e-hall pass system, a digital process to monitor and track students’ movement outside the classroom.
• $1,995 to Jackson Primary School teacher Ashley Strattman to purchase a floor decal system to create a “sensory path” for students with sensory needs.
• $1,800 to Williamsport Area High School (WAHS) Dram/TV Productions teacher Marie Fox to purchase new teleprompters for the high school’s television studio.
• $1,462 to WAMS art teacher Carrie Bosch to install a student-based community garden in one of the school’s courtyards. Bosch also was awarded $1,440 to expand the school’s Unified Arts Gallery.
• $1,395 to WAMS English teacher Loren Collins to support her students’ participation in the National History Day Competition.
• $1,000 to Jackson Primary School teacher Rebecca Loffredo to purchase flexible seating options for her classroom to help increase focus based on the learning needs of her students.
• $1,000 to Cochran Primary School physical education teacher Stephanie Pardoe to incorporate social-emotional learning and mindfulness workout techniques by partnering with Let’s Grow Sports.  
• $940 to Curtin Intermediate School teacher and girls volleyball coach Patti Jones to purchase equipment to launch a Mini-Millionaire Volleyball Program for intermediate school level students.
• $893 to Jackson Primary School teacher Rebecca Rockey to install a “Free Little Library” outside of the school.
• $884 to Jackson Primary School Assistant Principal Dr. Denise Clark to purchase equipment to install a 55-gallon tropical fish aquarium for the school’s lobby that will be used not only to increase the aesthetics of the space but also serve as a means to help center and regulate emotions for students in need.
• $500 to Curtin Intermediate School teacher Esther Brennan to support the purchase of materials for the building’s sensory room.
• $500 to Cochran Primary School teacher Kelsie Buckwalter to purchase sensory items for students in her autistic support classroom.

Additionally, WASDEF facilitated securing two grants totaling $25,569 from FCFP:

• $17,369 to WAMS teacher Bob Rook to support the establishment of a robust eSports league, a growing and recognized official competitive sports among schools and colleges.
• $8,200 to WAHS principals Tristin Forney and Alicia Differ to expand the school’s Franchise Development Program, which operates in partnership with Alabaster Coffee Roaster + Tea Co. Grant dollars will be used to create an in-house café in the school’s library, which will be completely operated by School-to-Work Program students.

Funding for these two grants was received from FCFP through Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program donations from C&N, First National Bank of PA, M&T Bank, and Woodlands Bank.

WASDEF is a recognized nonprofit affiliate of the school district. Led by a 20-member volunteer board of directors, the education foundation facilitates charitable giving and permanent legacies based on individual areas of interest in educational innovation, the arts, athletics and scholarships. For more information, visit www.wasdeducationfoundation.org.

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