Batavia School Foundation Announces Inaugural Grant Awards
Grants Will Support Seussical the Musical Performance and New “Bulldog Store” for Positive Student Behavior
Batavia, OH – Students, staff, and members of the Batavia Local Schools community have a lot to look forward to this spring and beyond thanks to inaugural grant awards from the Batavia School Foundation. Staff members throughout the district submitted applications sharing their visions for projects to enrich the academic experiences of their students and the community as a whole. The two inaugural grant awards will support students across the district in performing a musical together as well as the elementary school in encouraging positive student behaviors.
“The Batavia School Foundation was created to support academic and educational opportunities like those it has funded in our inaugural grant round,” said Jennifer Stewart, chair of the Batavia School Foundation. “We have no doubt that the new ‘Bulldog Store’ and the performance of Seussical involving students of all ages in our district will enhance the scholastic experiences of the students in Batavia Local Schools.”
Karen Allen is the music teacher for students in kindergarten through fourth grades at Batavia Elementary School. Seussical will be performed April 16-17, 2016 in the Batavia Elementary School gym to commemorate the last year in the old elementary school building. Seussical will be the last performance before the new elementary school opens in August 2016. Students in grades three through twelve will participate in this year’s musical. The $1,500 grant award will be used to purchase paint, building materials, props, costumes, makeup, and concessions for the April performance. For those unfamiliar with Seussical, it is a family-friendly musical based on Dr. Seuss’ classic books, including Horton Hears a Who!, Horton Hatches an Egg, and Miss Gertrude McFuzz.
“We are so appreciative of the Batavia School Foundation’s support of Seussical the Musical,” said Allen. “This is a tremendous opportunity to involve students of all ages in a project that will bring the Batavia community together. It will be a final performance to remember in the old elementary school gym before we open the new elementary school this summer.”
Toni Thorp, the Batavia Elementary School psychologist, received a $450 grant award to support the Batavia Elementary Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support Program. The funds awarded will be used to purchase items for the “Bulldog Store,” which will house prizes that students in grades kindergarten through fifth can earn by demonstrating good behavior throughout the school. The “Bulldog Store” will open at the start of the 2016-2017 school year.
“Thanks to this grant, the Batavia School Foundation has provided us an opportunity to reward positive student behaviors throughout our school,” said Thorp. “The introduction of the ‘Bulldog Store’ next school year will show students that positive behaviors yield positive outcomes, a lesson that will serve them throughout their lives.”
The Batavia School Foundation was established at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) in 2015 to create a powerful resource for academic and educational opportunities in the Batavia Local School District. The Fund serves as a permanent way for alumni, friends, and supporters of academic excellence to support current and future Batavia Local Schools students.
Gifts to the Batavia School Foundation Fund are tax deductible and can be made in many ways, including cash, bequests, and life insurance. Donations can be made online at www.AppalachianOhio.org by designating the Batavia School Foundation Fund when donating. To mail your donation, please designate the Batavia School Foundation Fund and mail in care of Batavia Local Schools, 2400 Clermont Center Drive, Suite 240, Batavia, OH 45103.
To learn more about the Batavia School Foundation, how you can support future grantmaking in the Batavia Local School District, or even how you can support your own local school district through a school endowment fund, please visit www.AppalachianOhio.org or call the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio at 740.753.1111.
About the Batavia School Foundation
The Batavia School Foundation was established to create a powerful resource for academic and education opportunities in the Batavia Local School District. The Fund serves a permanent way for alumni, friends, and supporters of academic excellence to support current and future Batavia Local Schools students.
About the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio
The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) is a regional community foundation serving the 32 counties of Appalachian Ohio. A 501(c)(3) public charity, the Foundation creates opportunities for Appalachian Ohio’s citizens and communities by inspiring and supporting philanthropy. For more information about FAO, visit www.AppalachianOhio.org.
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