Education foundation funds three new grants

Sparta — Three new grants totaling over $83,238.00 were approved at the Sparta Education Foundation’s annual meeting in June held at the Alpine School. This round of grants will heighten the educational experience for students at Sparta High School.
“These grants benefit a wide spectrum of our high school students, from P.E. students using the rowing machines, to sophomore classrooms being fitted with audio systems,” said Sparta Education Foundation President Danielle Dykstra. “We also reaffirmed our commitment to fund Year 2 of Chromebooks. These grants truly exemplify our mission of strengthening our public schools, supporting our teachers and inspiring our students.”
The latest grants approved by the Sparta Education Foundation include:
5 Rowing Machines for Physical Education Department: $4,375.00
The rowing machines promote cardiovascular fitness, are portable, and can easily be moved outside when weather permits. These machines from Concept 2 meet the curriculum and are a good fit for all students, including those in the adaptive program.
8 Sound Systems for Audio Amplification: $11,587.39
The Sound Systems are portable, Bluetooth-compatible, and will be used in eight sophomore classrooms.
Year 2 of Chromebooks: $67,276.88
The Year 2 grant for 229 Chromebooks represents a continuation of the three-year commitment to fund total of 629 Chromebooks to secure the district’s 1:1 World Initiative of connecting each
student to a computer; the total amount of the three-year grant is $201,803. Year 1 of this SEF grant funded 208 Chromebooks during the 2015-16 school year.
Since 2006, the Sparta Education Foundation has funded over $879,144 in grants to all five of Sparta’s public schools. The foundation is an independent, non-profit, all-volunteer organization whose mission is to engage the entire community in philanthropic giving. Visit spartaeducationfoundation.org for more information about joining or volunteering.