Peabody education council to fund grants

PEABODY – The Peabody Education Council announced they will fund 49 school projects this year totaling $22,432.Seventy-four grant applications were submitted to the organization’s Best Bet Committee, which, for over the last 20 years, has worked to supplement teachers and their classrooms with items and funding not otherwise available through the school budget. Donations from local businesses, community members and the city are what make the program possible each year.To qualify for assistance, teachers must provide detailed plans of their request, including guest speakers, field trips, materials, etc., that are needed to make a particular lesson go above and beyond the day-to-day teaching practices. Requests are typically answered before the winter break so teachers can carry out their plans during the spring semester.”This program is something we really value,” said the Council’s Vice President, Martha Holden last year. “It directly benefits teachers and students in the classroom. It’s probably the most important thing we do.”This year, requests were fulfilled at all 11 public schools. The Higgins came in with the most costly requests, totaling over $4,700. Such approved programs include a visit from a Holocaust survivor and a presentation from the Museum of Science about heat and energy transfer.Requests from other schools ranged from textbooks and theatre visits to museum trips and classroom-based magazines.A complete list of projects will soon be posted on the organization’s Web site, www.peabodyedcouncil.org.