Tim Brunson, Dennis Harrington, Tod Bucci, and Travis Dillabough, X-Factor Male Mentoring Program
The funds will be used to purchase camping gear, rakes and tarps, lawn games, LARP equipment, and NERF guns to support community service activities and team building activities.
“X-Factor is an organization that aspires to connect students with social, emotional and educational needs with appropriate male role models to improve the likelihood of success, both in and out of the classroom.”
Grant: $1,962
Wendy Kuehner and Aliston Donofrio
The funds will be used to purchase a Wildco kick net, for the collection of aquatic invertebrates as per the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s WAVE (Wadeable Assessments by Volunteer Evaluators) collection protocol.
“Currently, the time frame for which kick nets are available for loan from the NYSDEC is quite limited, as the WAVE sampling season is from July 1st to September 30th . . . With the purchase of a kick net through the Burnt Hills – Ballston Lake Education Foundation, hands-on activities of this nature can be continued off-season, when the majority of classroom and community opportunities arise.”
Grant: $150
Wendy Kuehner and Bonnie O’Rourke
The funds will be used to purchase four aquarium setups suitable for sustaining tadpoles and other living organisms. This equipment would be used to enhance the study of the Living Environment in the 2nd grade science curriculum, including the study of life cycles and life spans of living organisms. Containers previously used for this unit have been insufficient to sustain tadpoles through maturity into frogs.
Grant: $100
Christopher Lombardi
The funds will be used to purchase programmable microcontrollers. These units would be purchased in kits that include hardware and tutorials used to instruct students in the basics of programming. The kits also include an assortment of different devices that can be connected to the microcontroller. Use of these kits will expose students to the basic principles that govern the programming and articulation of robots and other manufacturing equipment.
Grant: $1,747 for 17 units