Column: Newburyport Education Foundation’s 2022 focus

The board of directors of the Newburyport Education Foundation (NEF) unanimously voted on our 2022 budget that commits an incredible $361,000 to Newburyport’s Public Schools — $361,000 worth of programs and technology that our schools would not receive without the generosity of our donors. We are so proud to be able to tell you about some of the projects that we will be funding.

Exciting things will start happening in the Nock/Molin as we begin building a podcast room in the library. This new learning space will provide opportunities for students to build reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through the creation of their own video and audio productions. Students will be able to create high impact projects that illustrate their understanding and application of grade level content in a room specifically built with podcasts in mind, stocked with iPad Airs, Mac minis, and even a green screen.

Similarly, we will be funding an Integrated Arts program at Newburyport High School where the art programs and art space will be reimagined to build, develop, and modernize programs. This project includes upgrading to technology that matches what artists will use in the real world such as podcast tools, tablets, digital cameras with video capabilities, editing software, and multiple display devices so that art teachers can display various projects simultaneously.

We will continue to partner with Endicott College, funding an Advanced Studies Dual Enrollment program that allows students the option to take college classes at the high school that are taught by an Endicott professor. Three classes will be offered from now through the fall including the current “Business Computers 1” class that provides introductions to computer software currently used in global business environments. “Foundations of Hospitality Management” will be offered as a summer course and will introduce the hospitality and tourism industries with emphasis on management process and department operations. A third class that has yet to be determined will be offered in the fall. The NEF funds tuition and students are only responsible for a $25 registration fee and books/classroom supplies.

We will also be funding Phase 2 of a literacy initiative to ensure that 90% of students will be reading at grade level by third grade. Partnering with the district, this initiative will focus on the latest research around the science of reading. Our K-3 teachers will receive ongoing support through professional development and instructional coaching to expand their capacity to meet the needs of all our learners. This initiative also includes funding for “Preventing Summer Reading Loss.” Because of the effects COVID-19 has had on learning over the past two years, every student in grades PreK-7 will receive a book on the last day of school, purchased at Jabberwocky, to read over the summer.

We will continue to support the Investment Club at the high school, which in its first year already has over 50 members. Believed to be the only club like it at a public school in the state, students are learning to analyze market data and overall investment strategies to purchase real stocks and bonds with the goal of growing the NEF’s quasi endowment. NHS teacher Sean McCarthy is the advisor who works with students to identify possible investments that will then be presented to a committee that will guide and approve their investment recommendations.

As in previous years, we will continue our investment in STEM in grades K-12, ensuring our STEM labs are stocked with the supplies they need. We will also continue to fund Teacher Partnership Grants, connecting teachers with funds and/or business partners who then work together to create meaningful educational experiences.

The campaigns mentioned are only part of our financial commitment to the schools which would not come to fruition without you, our amazing donors, who make this all happen for our students.

The Newburyport Education Foundation (NEF) is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization with the mission to generate financial resources and community involvement to enhance education in the Newburyport Public Schools. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, volunteer opportunities or learning more about the work we do, visit www.newburyportef.org.