Video: Theater Unifies WMS Students; and Other Community Grants

President of the Brookfield Education Foundation (BEF) Colette Sturm gave the Board of Selectmen (BOS) an update on the education-based fundraising organization, and specifically $18,000 in grants to Brookfield public school programs for the 2011-12 academic year.

Though Sturm lauded each of the eight grant projects — six “major” and two “mini” grants supported by donor contributions — she highlighted the (WMS) Unified Theater program and showed a video of the students it brought together. [See video attached.]

Unified Theater, a national program, is an open-cast (no auditions, no one turned away) play written and produced by students. The goal is to “train student leaders and help them reach a successful final production where students of all abilities are included,” according to the program website.

“The concept is simple,” the website adds, “Let teens lead, let creativity rule and treat people with disabilities as complete and entire equals.”

“We’d like to thank the Brookfield community for allowing us to empower programs like this,” Sturm said. “You’re investing in the community.”

Other grant programs this year include:

• The creation of a writing center at (BHS) for peer-to-peer tutoring;
• A mini grant for a reading program at (CES) that helps students visually recognize sound and word patterns;
• Sponsoring the BHS School Store managed and staffed by business and marketing students;
• iPad applications designed to develop learning skills for CES pre-school students;
• Funding provided for 10 iPods and 50 audiobooks for the CES library;
• Grant to allow WMS to join an online community of readers and writers for “literary collaboration” with students nationwide; and
• A mini grant for (HHES) to join a consortium of reading and special education staff and community members to improve literacy of students K-4.

Learn more about the BEF and how to apply for a grant on their website.