By Peter Spicer

 

The Granton Area School District will receive a large grant through the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) Schools of Recognition Grant Program.

The school district applied for the grant during the fall and recently learned it would receive the $180,528 grant, said elementary Title I reading instructor Becky Volenec, who added “We’re very excited [about the grant]."

According to the DPI Web site, “The purpose of this competitive grant is to provide opportunities for schools to create new innovative programs or scale up successful existing programs in order to increase teacher effectiveness, close the achievement gap, increase graduation rates and address identified local priorities."

Of the approximately 70 grant applicants, just 17 received grant funds, said Volenec, who added Granton School of Recognition status made the school eligible for the grant.

An informational community meting was held Thursday, Feb. 17, to inform the community about the grant.

Granton will use the funds to start the Granton Community Enrichment Program, which will soon have a full-time director paid for by grant funds, said Volenec.

The program has three prongs, including a student after-school program, a parent and community component and a staff component, explained Volenec.

The after-school program will allow teachers to provide direct instruction to students and provide homework help for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, said Volenec.

The parents and community program component will help children with reading and other subjects, said Volenec.

A “Baby Garten” program will also be a part of the parents and community component and will include a weekly program for parents who have babies, stated Volenec, who will help teach that program.

Monthly workshops about safety, drug/alcohol use and other topics will also be held, explained Volenec.

The staff component of the program include professional development to increase teacher effectiveness, said Volenec, who explained 100 percent of teachers who responded to a school staff survey stated they were interested in participating in additional professional development opportunities at the school.

Before writing the grant, a survey was completed to gauge interest in these programs, said Volenec.

Granton will probably receive the funds during the next couple of weeks, said Volenec.

“We’re just thrilled [about the grant],” concluded Volenec.

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