Salisbury, MD — Schools in Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties received $116,144 in grant funding through the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore’s 2023 Education Grants Program. CFES saw another record-breaking number of requests this year and a wide variety of needs. Funds will be distributed across forty school-based programs. Educators and school districts were honored at an evening reception on November 9th at James M. Bennett High School.
“The Community Foundation is proud to offer support to our schools, educators, and students,” says Community Foundation President Erica Joseph. “When we invest in education, we are building long term impact for the future of our local community and the success of our future leaders.”
Education Grants are made annually in conjunction with National Education Week through a competitive process to public and private grade schools on the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. Grants are made to those schools that have developed innovative programs to enhance education and improve the social, emotional and physical wellbeing of their students and communities.
Calcott Award of Excellence Celebrated
The Community Foundation honored North Salisbury Elementary School with the Mary Gay Calcott Award of Excellence and a bonus grant from the Foundation’s Mary Gay Calcott Memorial Fund, for their innovative program that engages English Language Learners in running a school-based business to improve language proficiency with real-world application. 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 2023/2024 school year:
Somerset County
Crisfield Academy and High will use an incentive program to improve students’ performance on standardized state tests.
Deal Island Elementary will pilot the ABC, 123, Learn with Me! parent engagement program.
Washington Academy and High will use an incentive program to improve student’s math scores on standardized state test
Wicomico County
Beaver Run Elementary will create a “Calm N Cool” room to help de-escalate students in a time of crisis.
Bennett Middle will host a Culture Club which fosters new relationships, friendships, and respect for all cultures.
Bennett Middle will install flexible seating in classrooms to promote mental and physical health.
East Salisbury Elementary’s “Just Kickin’ It” program will use soccer to teach good choices and pair students with peer role models.
Fruitland Intermediate will install a book vending machine to promote excitement about reading.
James M. Bennett High’s Gentlemen of Distinction club will teach proper hygiene practices, social-emotional awareness, and life-skills.
Mardela Middle & High will continue its growing Traveling Children’s Theatre program.
North Salisbury Elementary will addresses conversational confidence in English Language Learners.
Northwestern Elementary will create a mobile art center to be shared by teachers and classrooms throughout the school.
Northwestern Elementary will purchase gross and fine motor sensory tools to help students self-regulate and engage in instruction.
Parkside High will create a rocket building project that teaches quadratic equations and builds excitement around math.
Pinehurst Elementary will create enrichment and learning activity centers within the special education classroom.
Prince Street Elementary will continue its House System which empowers academic excellence and promotes a culture of belonging.
Salisbury Christian School will install flexible seating in classrooms to promote mental and physical health.
Salisbury Christian will host the “Faithful Farmers” after-school agriculture program for 2nd through 5th graders.
Wicomico High will install adaptive flooring for students with disabilities to move independently in the Physical Education space.
Wicomico High will host a gala to celebrate special education students and their achievements.
Wicomico Middle will implement an enrichment program aimed at improving attendance, academic achievement, and behavior.
Wicomico Middle’s Distinguished Gentlemen club will teach proper hygiene practices, social-emotional awareness, and life-skills.
Willards Elementary will welcome an artist in residence who will teach kindergarten students fiber arts.
Willards Elementary will welcome an artist in residence who will teach 2nd graders about Maryland’s culture through art.
Worcester County
Berlin Intermediate will stock the school’s House store with incentive items for their positive behavior program.
Cedar Chapel Special School will purchase adaptive tricycles for students with diverse abilities.
Cedar Chapel Special School will use a curriculum that teaches students with diverse abilities about boundaries and self-awareness.
Ocean City Elementary will provide targeted enrichment instruction for Tier 1 students through literature text sets.
Ocean City Elementary will improve the library collection and increase student engagement in recreational reading.
Pocomoke Elementary School will install a book vending machine to promote excitement about reading.
Pocomoke Elementary School will create a diverse outdoor classroom space for art, music, physical education, and STEM lessons.
Pocomoke High School will partner with Cedar Chapel Special School to bring awareness and acceptance of those with special needs.
Showell Elementary will install a book vending machine to promote excitement about reading.
Showell Elementary will purchase iPads and Lego Education Kits to enhance the school’s makerspace.
Snow Hill Elementary will expand the school library’s picture book and chapter book selections to engage readers.
Snow Hill High School will boost the school’s positive behavior program with exciting rewards and incentives.
Snow Hill High will host a Friday Night Book Club that allows students to select titles from current and engaging themes.
Snow Hill Middle’s RISE program will allow at-risk students to practice life skills and social etiquette in real-world social settings.
Snow Hill Middle’s “Pathways to Resilience” initiative will fortify the library’s Social-Emotional Learning resources.
Stephen Decatur Middle will expand the library’s nonfiction resources and build a collection of books written in Spanish.
Special thanks to the Perdue and Hutchinson families for their generous contributions to this year’s grant funds!
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- Jessica Hanes won the Mary Gay Calcott Excellence in Education Award for her innovative approach to English Language proficiency. L to R : Peter Hutchinson, Jessica Hanes, Linda Hutchinson.
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- The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore awarded $116,144 in grant funding to support Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester County schools.
