Fall 2024 PTO Grants Announced 

Once again, the PTO received an impressive batch of thoughtful and varied grant proposals to improve aspects of school life. Overall, the Hayes PTO reviewed 22 proposals totaling $13,000 in funds. A team of PTO representatives and school leadership worked diligently to allocate a budget of $6,000 among projects with the broadest impact, consistent with the school’s mission, and lacking alternative sources. Inevitably, some tough decisions were made (including partial or no funding for certain projects).

See below for a full list of grants funded as part of the 2024 fall cycle.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal for a PTO-funded grant, and congratulations to everyone who has received funding. We look forward to celebrating your accomplishments!

PTO Grants Committee
Yen-Lin Chen (4th & 8th)
Stephanie Freeman (1st & 4th)
Lisa Kang (5th)
Jon Zurawski (BEEP, 1st & 3rd)
 

Questions, feedback or want to join the Grants Committee? Email us at contact@hayespto.org.

PTO Grants Awarded in FALL 2024

1. Reggae Guitarist for 678 Chorus (Meredith Huntley)
2. Author Study with Kwame Alexander and Jason Reynolds (Sara O'Shea)
3. Window Breakers for Each Classroom (Asa Sevelius)
4. Beautify the Buddy Bench (AmyBeth Smith)
5. Gopher Balls for K-8 (Lauren Stewart)
6. Busy Hands, Busy Bodies (Lindsay Anderson)
7. Girls Volleyball Support (Carolyn Magnanti)
8. Fostering Inclusion: Cooperative Games (Alissa Ovadia)
9. Programming Support for Rainbow Club and GSA (Alissa Ovadia)
10. Isabella Stewart Gardner/Roland Hayes Social Justice Field Trip (Meredith Huntley)
11. Let's Be Honest: Communication in Families that Keeps Kids Healthy (Ana Maria Ramos)
12. Hayes Odyssey of Mind: Creative Thinkers and Problem Solvers (Jon Zurawski)
13. Understanding Our Differences (Hannah Weiss)
14. Hayes PTO Parent-Kid Sunday Shootaround (Jon Zurawski)
15. Installation of Digital Countdown Clocks for Improved Student Transitions (Kirtan Patel)
16. Spring Musical 2025 (Kyssandra Perkowski)
17. Team Sweatshirts for the Hayes Girls Basketball (Dave Manganiello)
18. Decodable Texts for K-2 (Emily Redburn)

PTO Grants Awarded in Spring 2024

1. Support for School Gecko (Asa Sevelius)
2. Summer Reading for Staff (Asa Sevelius)
3. Choral Music from Culture Bearers (Meredith Huntley)
4. Author Visit Fund (Lindsay Anderson)
5. Chesney Snow Beatboxing and SEL(socio-emotional learning) Workshops (Meredith Huntley)
6. School Culture Climate Committee (Kirtan Patel)
7. Pineapple Project (Rebecca Koocher)
8. Roland Hayes' Makerspace (Matthew Durant)
9. The 4th Grade Book Awards (Vanessa Ouellette)
10. Field Study of the Ecological Changes at Plum Island (Mark Goldner)
11. Learning from a Scientist-Artist about Climate Art (Mark Goldner)
12. Science Supplies (Mark Goldner and Melissa Mooradian)
13. Student Council 2024-2025 (Kirtan Patel)
14. 6-7-8 Hayes Math Club (Suzanne Raskin)
15. 2nd Grade Drumming Workshops (Karen Shashoua)
16. Hayes Science Fair 2025 (Theodora Konetsovska)
17. METCO Connections Special Activities (Karen Shashoua)
18. Young Scholars Activities (Karen Shashoua)
19. Field Day 8th Grade Celebration (for 8th graders) (Lauren Stewart)
20. PEP Materials Fund (Karen Shashoua)
21. Wait Until 8th or Reducing Children’s Phone Usage (Theodora Konetsovska)
22. Model UN (Elyse Terry)
23. Wind Turbines Supplies (Matt Picard)

PTO Grants Awarded in Fall 2023

1. Comfortable Seating For Counseling Office (Carolyn Magnanti)
2. Hayes Science Fair 2024 (Theodora Konetsovska)
3. Eclipse Goggles for the April 8 Solar Eclipse (Mark Goldner)
4. Wind Turbine Design Project Supplies (Matt Picard)
5. Lost and Found Organization (Kirtan Patel)
6. The Spring Musical 2024 (Kyssandra Perkowski)
7. Girls on the Run Coaching Stipend and Financial Aid (Lara Mego)
8. Art on the Wing: Wingmasters Raptor Program (Amanda Hockensmith)
9. Counseling supplies (Jen Watkins, School Psychologist on behalf of the Student Support Team)
10. Supplies for the School Pet Gecko (Asa Sevelius)
11. RISE Classroom Materials (Theresa Girardi & Erin Brown, RISE Teachers)
12. Age Appropriate Adjustable Basketball Hoops (Lauren Stewart)
13. Heath/Hayes Family Movie Night! (Jon Zurawski)
14. Shakespeare & Co. Midsummer Night's Dream School Visit (Sara O'Shea)
15. K-3 Classroom Amygdala Stations (Theresa Girardi, RISE Teacher & Jen Baum, OT)

PTO Grants Awarded in Spring 2023

1. Massachusetts Children's Book Awards books (Lindsay Anderson)
2. Summer Reading Books (for summer '24) (Asa Sevelius)
3. Pineapple Project (Becky Koocher)
4. PE Equipment Jump Ropes Grades K-8 (Lauren Stewart)
5. 4th Grade Book Awards (Vanessa Ouellette)
6. 8th Grade Field Day Celebration (Lauren Stewart)
7. STEAM Projects (Heath's Innovative Makerspace) (Matthew Durant (on behalf of Heath School Educators))
8. Mindfulness in Middle School (Katie Goldring and Jeannine Schroder)
9. Mindfulness Workshops for 5th and 6th Grades (Jeannine Schroder)
10. Model UN (Elyse Terry)
11. Rainbow Club/GSA 2023/2024 SY (Alissa Ovadia)
12. Arduino Sensors for Ecology Investigation (Mark Goldner)
13. Middle School Science Supplies (Mark Goldner)
14. Heath Family Game Night (Rasheedah Clayton)
15. Standing Desk (Kyssandra Perkowski)
16. Standing Desk for Room 203 (Elyse Terry)
17. METCO Connections Special Activities (Karen Shashoua)
18. Young Scholars Program Workshops (Karen Shashoua)
19. Understanding Neurodiversity: Books for K-2 Classrooms (Karen Shashoua)
20. West African and Japanese Drumming Workshops (Karen Shashoua)
21. Ski and Snowboard Club - Bus Fund (Matthew Durant)
22. Young Scholars Program: Science Fair Materials (Karen Shashoua)
23. Student Council 2023-2024 (Kirtan Patel)
24. Dads Read (Debra Morales)
25. Metco Book Club (Debra Morales)
26. Middle School Metco Connection (Debra Morales and Kate Goldring)
27. Door Decoration Contest (Debra Morales, Jandi Strong Dennis)
28. Pulsera Project (Victoria Ridge)
29. Heath School Garden (Christin Wheeler)
30. Sharing Research on the Heath Family (Karen Shashoua)

PTO Grants Awarded in Fall 2022

1. 5th Grade Author Visit and Books (Matt Picard)
2. Pineapple Project Performance (Rebecca Koocher)
3. PE Equipment (Lauren Stewart)
4. METCO Connections Middle School Meetings (Karen Shashoua)
5. Young Scholars Science Fair Budget (Karen Shashoua)
6. Heath Science Fair 2023 (Theodora Konetsovska)
7. Art on the Wing (Amanda Hockensmith)
8. Make a Buddy Bench at Each Play Yard (Karla Weathers)

PTO Grants Awarded in Spring 2022

1. Competition Books! Massachusetts Children's Book Awards, the Brookline Mock Caldecott, & the Cook Prize (Lindsay Anderson)
2. Dad’s Read (Debra Morales, Ben Page, German David Martinez)
3. Diverse and Inclusive Biographies for Third Grade (Rachel Hayashi)
4. Heath RISE Classroom Materials (Theresa Girardi, RISE Teacher)
5. Heath School Model UN (Elyse Terry)
6. Lights for the Heath Auditorium (Lisa Yuen Rhoads)
7. METCO Connections Special Activities (Karen Shashoua)
8. Metco Girls Book Club (Debra Morales)
9. Middle School Math Classroom (Melissa Gordon)
10. Mindfulness in 7th and 8th Grade Health (Jeannine Schroder & Katie Goldring)
11. Mindfulness in 5th and 6th Grades (Jeannine Schroder)
12. Music Director/Accompanist - Spring Musical (Alison Kerr)
13. Rainbow Club and GSA Support (Ellen Mills)
14. Reflecting AAPI Lives & Experiences: Books for K-2 Classrooms (Karen Shashoua, on behalf of all the K-2 teachers)
15. Reflex Math Grant (Jennifer Harty and Tatiana Beckwith)
16. Research Supporting the School Name Change (Karen Shashoua)
17. SCCC (Kirtan Patel)
18. Science Supplies (Mark Goldner)
19. Second Step: 4th Grade Curriculum (David Chaet)
20. STEAM Projects (Heath's Innovative Makerspace) (Matt Durant)
21. Stepping Into Community (Sara O'Shea)
22. Summer Reading for Teachers (Asa Sevelius)
23. Supplies for Adjustment Counseling Office / Counseling Groups (Carolyn Magnanti)
24. Support for School Pet "Hawk" (Asa Sevelius)
25. The 4th Grade Book Awards (Vanessa Ouellette)
26. West African and Japanese Drumming Workshops (Karen Shashoua)
27. World Map Bulletin Board (Lisa Yuen Rhoads and Yen-Lin Chen)
28. Young Scholars Program Workshops (Karen Shashoua)

PTO Grants Awarded in Fall 2021

1. Art on the Wing (Hockensmith)
2. Books for 2nd Grade Unit on Community and Maps (Shashoua)
3. Castle of our Skins: Celebrating Black Artistry Through Music (Huntley)
4. Grant for Physical Education Equipment for K-8 (Stewart)
5. Heath School Model UN (Terry)
6. METCO Connections Middle School Meetings (Shashoua)
7. Pineapple Project Performance (Koocher)
8. Sensory Supports for Students with Special Needs (Dillon)
9. Student Council Initiatives (Patel)
10. The 4th Grade Book Awards (Ouellette)

PTO Grants Awarded in Spring 2021

1. Mindfulness for 5th and 6th Graders
2. Gardening at Heath School
3. Heath t-shirts for all 2021/2022 incoming kindergarteners
4. Summer Reading Books for Staff
5. Mindfulness in 7th and 8th Grade Health
6. NASP Convention Boston 2022
7. Staff Spiritwear
8. Tenacity Challenge (Academic Competition)
9. World Language Bulletin Board
10. Massachusetts Children's Book Award
11. Book Award Programs
12. Science Supplies for 7th and 8th grade
13. Climate Change in the High Arctic
14. Heath's Maker Space for STEAM Projects
15. Rainbow Club and GSA Support
16. Zones of Regulation- School-wide social emotional support
17. 3rd Grade Second Step Curriculum
18. Specialized Reading Professional Development for Special Education Staff
19. Autism Resources for Heath
20. METCO Connections Special Activities
21. Young Scholars Program Workshops
22. West African and Japanese Drumming Workshops
23. Dad’s Read
24. Metco Girls Book Club
25. Abstract Thinkers (previously Sitting at the Table)
26. Books for K-2 Classrooms
27. Basketball Hoops PE Grades K-8
28. Equipment for PE Grades K-8