"I want you to know how great it is to have this kind of support. It really makes your mind search for possibilities. I know the students enjoy all that we add to their experience through your generosity. "

Dennis Kronenberg, McCall Middle School teacher

The 2011-2012 year promises to be a busy one for Winchester students thanks to the support of Wfee donors. Fourth grade students will be digging in the garden at Ambrose Elementary, children at McCall Middle School will be creating metal sculptures and Winchester High School students will be composing their own music using iPads.

The Seed to Plate grant creating a vegetable and herb garden at Ambrose Elementary is being made in honor of longtime WFEE trustee Diane Brewster who died in the fall. Diane was the backbone of our grants program for many years. She loved grants that provided "hands on" experiences for kids and projects that stretched classroom boundaries. She was a strong believer in organic gardening and healthy food; we think she would be pleased to see this grant succeed at the elementary school that educated her two oldest children.

Some grants funded for the coming year will reach every student. WFEE provides major funding for Authorfest, bringing well known authors and illustrators to each Winchester school in the spring. Other grants target needs such as promoting language acquisition at the Lynch preschool or strengthening the engineering program at WHS through funding of the Robotics Club.

Ensuring that Winchester students and teachers have access to effective and innovative technology remains important to WFEE trustees and donors. This year WFEE will fund expansion of the wireless networks in the system plus new computers for the WHS Physics lab designed to take students to a new level of "real time" physics labs.

Funding teacher professional development is a key component of the WFEE mission. The 2011 grants will support teacher participation in premier conferences across the country focusing on social studies, dyslexia, technology and a series of Winchester seminars designed to improve student writing. We are also continuing our long time support of Teachers as Scholars, a very highly regarded professional development program that allows teachers to study at area colleges and universities.

Complete list of 2011-2012 grants