Fifteen grants were presented to 12 schools to enhance and enrich learning.
Harford County School System students and staff were surprised and excited to receive grant funding for classroom enrichment and innovation on Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving. Board members of the Harford County Education Foundation visited 12 schools and gifted over $16,000 for 15 different programs and/or projects to educators across the county.
Harford County Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides sustainable resources and builds community support to ensure every child, regardless of background, family structure or economic status, has the opportunity to achieve educational and personal success. Since the Foundation’s establishment in 2005, over $86,000 has been granted to Harford County schools through the Classroom Innovation Grants program, enhancing educational programs and student experiences.
William Paca/Old Post Road Elementary School was among the many campuses that were awarded a grant. The school will use the funds to purchase reading books to stock classroom libraries with high interest books and for their Take Home a Book and Read program.
“Students reading on lower levels are expected to read 8-10 books per week and intermediate students reading chapter books should read 1-4 books per week. Meeting this requirement can be difficult if teachers do not have enough books in their classroom libraries,” stated Lauren Hunter, the school’s reading specialist. “We truly believe our students will grow as readers when they have access to a large number of quality, engaging books on their reading level and this grant from the Harford County Education Foundation will go a long way in helping us address this need for our students.” Tammy Bosley, Principal of William Paca/Old Post Road Elementary School echoed Ms. Hunter’s sentiment adding, “We are beyond grateful!”
“Giving Tuesday is a great day to make a lasting impact on the lives of students,” said Deb Merlock, Education Foundation President and Founder. “Our teachers are experts at using what they have, but thanks to our generous community, they have access to the right resources for optimal learning. It is through these community partnerships that we were able to distribute our record dollar amount of funding for these worthy enrichment and innovation projects.”
School and classroom innovative projects are made possible by the generosity of the Education Foundation’s many community partners through special events, contributions, and the Foundation’s annual sponsors: Bravura Information and Technology Systems, Harford Mutual Insurance Companies, Harford County Public Library, Cemetery Dance Publications, Women’s Giving Circle of Harford County, APG Federal Credit Union, William O. Goldstein Fund, and Oak Contracting, LLC. Lockheed Martin and Delmarva Power provided funding for several classroom grants through Harford Achieves! – an online platform where classroom programs/projects are posted for community engagement. Contributions support Harford County Education Foundation’s School and Classroom Innovation Grants throughout the school district allowing the next generation of outstanding teachers to enhance local education and inspire future students.
The community is encouraged to participate in helping enrichment and innovative projects come to fruition by donating to a classroom project found on the Education Foundation’s Harford Achieves! web page at www.harfordeducation.org/programs/classroom-grants/innovation/ or at www.harfordeducation.org/donations.
School and Classroom Enrichment Grants were awarded to:
| School Name | Project Title |
| Aberdeen Middle School | Classroom Microscopes Field Study |
| Bakerfield Elementary School | Male Involvement |
| Bakerfield Elementary School | Books for Striving Readers |
| Churchville Elementary School | One Churchville One Book |
| Deerfield Elementary School | Robotics Innovation |
| Deerfield Elementary School | Deerfield Makerspace |
| Edgewood Middle School | Jump Start |
| George D. Lisby Elementary School at Hillsdale | Classroom Library Enhancement Initiative |
| Halls Cross Roads Elementary School | Mathematics…”What’s Up?” |
| Magnolia Elementary School | Extreme Library Makeover |
| Norrisville Elementary School | Reading Links Us |
| North Harford Elementary School | Chocolate Touch |
| North Harford High School | Morning Literary Club |
| William Paca/ Old Post Road Elementary | Units of Study Classroom Libraries Initiative |
| William Paca/Old Post Road Elementary | Professional Learning Institute Mindfulness |
About Harford County Education Foundation: Founded in 2005, Harford County Education Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit education organization that provides programs and resources to compliment the learning and growth of the 38,000 youth in Harford County Public Schools. The Education Foundation works in partnership with the community to bring critical resources to help students succeed in their academic and personal goals through increased access to technology to complete schoolwork, leveled reading books to increase literacy skills, free school supplies for low income students, grants to support innovative classroom instruction and celebrating the education profession with the community
