The Newtown Education Foundation (NEF) has awarded a grant to cover some purchases to support Newtown Middle School art students. The donation was officially presented on October 19.

According to its website, NEF “promotes and supports innovative education programs for the benefit of students in the Newtown Public Schools.” It is a 501(c)(3) organization, and “during the 2016-17 school year, we awarded over $23,000 in grants to teachers in the Newtown Public Schools.”

NEF executive board member Laura Tashjian presented the donation to the NMS art department to art teacher Leigh Anne Coles as students were setting up this year’s Eighth Grade Scarecrow Contest creations. (See the October 25 print edition of The Newtown Bee to read about the top three winning scarecrows from this year’s contest.)

“We’re very excited,” Ms Coles said.

The $1,348 donation to the art department will cover the cost of purchasing a tent to use during future Eighth Grade Scarecrow Contest ballot collections, “so our students have shelter from the weather,” Ms Coles said. The grant will also cover the cost of purchasing document cameras for the NMS art rooms. Ms Coles said the cameras will be used to project lessons shown below the cameras, so all students in a classroom can see the demonstrations.

Ms Tashjian said the grant to the NMS art department was one of the first this year, and there are “more to come.”

For more information about NEF see its website, newtowneducationfoundation.org.