Salisbury, MD — Schools in Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties received $153,574 in grant funding through the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore’s 2024 Education Grants Program. Funding will be distributed to 29 schools across 40 school-based programs. The Foundation saw an unprecedented number of requests this year for a variety of needs including STEM education, social-emotional wellness, the arts, physical fitness, and more.
“Each year we are inspired by the creativity and commitment local educators demonstrate through this program,” says Community Foundation President Erica Joseph.” We are fortunate that the Lower Shore has such dedicated teachers and administrators to nurture our next generation of leaders.”
Education Grants are made annually through a competitive process to public and private grade schools on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. Grants are made to schools that have developed innovative programs to enhance education and improve the social, emotional and physical wellbeing of their students and communities. Educators and school districts were honored at an evening reception on November 7th at Dove Pointe in Salisbury, Md.
Calcott Award of Excellence Celebrated
The Community Foundation honored Worcester Technical High School with the Mary Gay Calcott Award of Excellence and an additional $1,000 grant from the Foundation’s Mary Gay Calcott Memorial Fund, for their innovative program that uses hydroponic equipment to teach sustainable agriculture and nutritional practices to high school culinary students, who will then use their knowledge to teach local elementary school students the importance of nutrition and sustainability. The award is named for the late Mary Gay Calcott, a professor of English at Salisbury University whose life embodied her ideals of teaching students to think, to express themselves with clarity and to care about the world they live in.
The following schools received Education Award Grants for the 2024/2025 school year:
Somerset County
Crisfield Academy and High will use an incentive program to improve attendance and performance on standardized tests.
Holly Grove Christian School will build a greenhouse for lessons in STEM, business, and agriculture.
Somerset County Technical High School will create a robotics team with support from the engineering program and robotics club.
Somerset County Technical High School will provide CPR, First Aid, AED, and Stop the Bleed training to health care students.
Somerset Intermediate School will host a science fair to promote STEM education and parent involvement.
Somerset Intermediate School will implement special workstations to better facilitate small group discussions.
Wicomico County
Bennett Middle School will utilize digital cameras for a new communications and broadcasting program.
Bennett Middle School will provide hands-on science and technology experience through a drone STEM project.
Choices Academy will provide somatic, music, and equine therapy to enhance student mental wellness.
Delmar Elementary will implement Jump Rope Ninja, a physical fitness and goal setting program.
East Salisbury Elementary will support the Girls Learning and Maturing program, empowering young girls to be their best selves.
East Salisbury Elementary will cover participation costs associated with the Girls on the Run club.
Faith Baptist School will provide incentives for the school’s positive behavioral interventions and supports program.
James M. Bennett High’s Gentlemen of Distinction club will teach proper hygiene practices, social-emotional awareness, and life skills.
James M. Bennet High will use telescopes for activities with physics and astronomy students.
Parkside High will produce their first-ever musical, “Snoopy”.
Parkside High will enhance their workforce development program to promote career readiness for CTE students.
Pemberton Elementary will implement sensory and emotional regulating tools for special education students.
Pinehurst Elementary will create a school garden to address educational and nutritional student needs.
Prince Street Elementary will establish the school’s first-ever after school drama club.
Saint Francis de Sales Catholic School will purchase telescopes and model rocket kits to support their STEM curriculum.
Salisbury Christian School will purchase an Inchy the Bookworm book vending machine.
Willards Elementary will welcome an artist in residence with an environmental stewardship focus.
Willards Elementary will welcome a music focused artist in residence.
Worcester County
Buckingham Elementary will support the Starbucky’s coffee cart program, engaging students with autism to practice social interaction.
Buckingham Elementary will create an outdoor classroom space with tools for neurodivergent students.
Cedar Chapel Special School will create an indoor sensory garden for special needs students to improve mental and physical health.
Ocean City Elementary will provide play-based learning materials to integrate educational goals with playful activities.
Pocomoke Elementary will support the Full STEAM Ahead program to promote inquiry and wonder in STEAM.
Pocomoke Elementary will create an outdoor classroom space to meet students academic, social, and emotional needs.
Pocomoke High School will support the student-run school snack shop to teach life skills and promote inclusivity.
Pocomoke Middle School will provide the necessary upgrades to the Family and Consumer Science kitchen.
Showell Elementary will implement room transformation kits to create immersive classroom experiences.
Showell Elementary will host literacy nights to educate parents and showcase student learning.
Snow Hill Elementary will purchase incentives for the school’s positive behavior interventions and supports program.
Snow Hill High will enhance the school’s incentive program for improved attendance and behavior.
Snow Hill Middle will support an advanced robotics and coding environment to cultivate computer science skills.
Snow Hill Middle will support the Math Marvels group.
Stephen Decatur High will incorporate drone technology into computer science courses.
Worcester Technical High School will use hydroponics to teach sustainable agriculture to high school culinary students who will then teach nutrition to elementary students.
Special thanks to Delmarva Power for sponsoring the reception, and to the Goldsborough, Goslee, Hutchinson, and Mathers families for their generous contributions to this year’s grant funds.
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- Phil Cropper won the Mary Gay Calcott Excellence in Education Award for his innovative plan to use hydroponics to teach sustainable agriculture and nutrition to high school culinary students.
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- The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore awarded $153,574 in grant funding to support Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester County schools.
