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Events
Mini-Grant Recipients - March 19, 2024
Congratulations to our mini-grant recipients! Currituck Education Foundation (CEF) awarded 4 mini-grants for projects in the Currituck County Schools. The grants were awarded accordingly:
$500.00 to Chavaleh Nophsker of Dr. WT Griggs Elementary School for "The Walking Classroom" to purchase "walking kits," which are individual wearable devices, loaded with over 150 podcasts pertinent to concepts taught in third through fifth grade. The Walking Classroom is a Science and Social Studies-aligned curriculum delivered through 15-20 minute podcasts. The topics range from the Revolutionary War to the Circulatory system, and are narrated by a teacher (the Walking Classroom founder) and a group of her students. Our school's PE teacher has been instrumental in bringing support to our classroom teachers by collaborating and creating lessons that involve movement and grade level concepts. The walking kits from the PE class could also be "loaned" out to classroom teachers. We'd like to get the teachers and students interested in the Walking Classroom through this grant, and then we hope to get more kits to have full classes of students walking.
$500.00 to Amanda Lowman of Currituck County High School for "Foreign Language Communication on Familiar Platforms" to purchase supplies for a student communications lab and green screen room. Rather than having a final exam, students will have a comprehensive and collaborative final project that incorporates all four key skill sets from our NCSCOS Standards: Interpretive Reading, Interpretive Listening, Presentational Speaking and Presentational Writing. Students learn best when using the target language authentically and in a way that is meaningful to them. Students also love creating and editing videos, vlogs and podcasts as these are important communication tools of their generation. This communications lab could be used throughout the semester to make smaller projects such as Spanish News Reports, book reviews, commercials for Spanish products, weather forecasts and other such speaking projects that match the curriculum. This space could be used for similar projects in other disciplines.
$500.00 to Kelsey McCluster of Central Elementary School and Knotts Island Elementary School for "Family Connection Summer Series" for supplies for Family BINGO Day, an ice cream social and Family Open House Day. According to research it is imperative that school officials check in with students and families during the summer months to assess students' social-emotional well-being, maintain trust with families and create a school, family community partnership. Engagement between families and schools during the summer months leads to improved student achievement, decreased disciplinary issues, and improved student-educator/parent-educator relationships in the fall of a new school year. During the 2023-2024 school year, the school counseling department at Central and Knotts Island Elementary Schools began working more deeply on projects that would increase parent-child relationships, family engagement and build lasting school, family and community partnerships. This proposal will be an extension of the current family engagement programming that has been developed. Research supports the concept of summer family engagement events that build relationships between school systems and the families that they serve.
$500.00 to Winter Turner & Katrina Costello of Moyock Elementary School for "Engaging with Animal Adaptations" to purchase science lab supplies for animal adaptations and survival: Bird Beaks Lab, Blubber Lab, and Owl Pellets Lab. During the Bird Beaks Lab, students will be presented with a variety of materials that represent different soil types, insects and different beak types of birds. Groups will make predictions as to which beak will grasp its prey best and then test and record their findings. Cooperative groups will complete the Blubber Lab by creating a layer of blubber to protect their hands from iced water and discuss adaptations for surviving in a frigid environment. During the Owl Pellets Lab, students will research owls and how they have adapted to digest their prey. Students will make connections on how owls have adapted to "cough up" the undigested stomach contents in order to survive, while the nutrients and protein were absorbed during the process. Students will then dissect owl pellets and sort their findings. The students will learn about science in the real world as well as working cooperatively to problem solve.
We held a virtual CEF meeting and awarded the grants. The grant recipients introduced themselves and summarized the winning projects during the CEF Zoom meeting on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
Chavaleh Nophsker
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Amanda Lowman
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Kelsey McCluster
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Winter Turner & Katrina Costello
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Mini-Grant Recipients - October 17, 2023
Congratulations to our mini-grant recipients! Currituck Education Foundation (CEF) awarded
4 mini-grants for projects in the Currituck County Schools. The grants were awarded accordingly:
$500.00 to Sara Linehan of Currituck County High School for the "New Art Room" to purchase a large cutting board for the art rooms and 2 to 4 Dremel sets to be used by all art classes on various projects. The project topic is broad, but encompasses materials that will be used for years to come in the new art room, as well as by students in every art class. The students will be able to experiment with various recycled materials, and having the ability to use the Dremel and accessories that come with the sets would be a useful life skill for many students who do not have the opportunity at home to work with such tools.
$500.00 to Crystal Schultz of JP Knapp Early College High School for "Surry Nuclear Power Plant Field Trip." The Surry Nuclear Power Plant offers students a unique opportunity to witness the practical application of scientific principles they learn in the classroom. It provides a hands-on experience of how chemistry and physics are used in a high-tech industrial setting. Nuclear power is a key component of the clean energy landscape. By visiting Surry, students can gain insights into the environmental benefits and challenges associated with nuclear energy, fostering a well-rounded understanding of energy sources and sustainability. A Field Trip to the Surry Nuclear Power Plant is an invaluable educational experience for physical science and chemistry students. It bridges the gap between theory and real-world application, enhances safety awareness, and inspires future careers in science and technology while promoting a deeper understanding of energy and its environmental implications.
$400.00 to Kristin Joyner of Currituck County Middle School for "Cartesian Coordinates Mats" to purchase three 60 inch square coordinate grid mats and supplies so that students are able to have hands-on experiences with these concepts. The North Carolina standards are clear that students should be able to use coordinate grids to problem solve in multiple ways including writing and solving equations, analyzing functions, and several areas of Geometry. For students who learn best through movement, these mats provide a tactile way to create visuals, shapes, and lines on a coordinate grid. These mats offer opportunities for students to work collaboratively through a variety of learning games that enhance basic skills or problem-based learning experiences to help deepen their understanding of math concepts. These mats can be used across all grades at Currituck County Middle School, so all students would have access to the tools.
$600.00 to Sharron Mohr of Central Elementary School for "Raising Readers!" project where funds will be used to order books for the library to address needs in all areas for all students. The goal is split the money between the Pre-K to 2nd grade, and then 3rd-5th grade. It will also be split between fiction books and nonfiction books. We need high interest, up-to-date titles to help keep reading relevant and exciting for our student patrons! The collection of books in the library is out-of-date and these funds will help to jump start us on the right path by providing an opportunity to bring our library up-to-date to meet national and state collection standards, to serve our community with having the best books available, and to help our students fall in love with reading. We will showcase our new titles and help students find the best fit book for them. This project will reach our entire school of 265 students. The books will be enjoyed over and over again by multiple students for multiple years.
We held a virtual CEF meeting and awarded the grants. The grant recipients introduced themselves and summarized the winning projects during the CEF Zoom meeting on Tuesday, October 17, 2023.
Sara Linehan
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Crystal Schultz
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Kristin Joyner
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Sharron Mohr
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ARAMARK ABC DAY 2023 - April 22, 2023
Aramark volunteers partnered with the Currituck Education Foundation for the Aramark ABC Day 2023 (Aramark Building Community) at the 2023 Currituck Home, Flower, and Garden Show on Saturday, April 22nd from 9:00am until 3:00pm at the N.C. Cooperative Extension in Barco.
We collected non-perishable goods for the area food bank and supplies and food for the Currituck Animal Shelter. We also held a demonstration showing citizens how waste diversion is handled and offered vegetable growing kits to the kids who stop by.
Thanks to Aramark for their generous support of the Currituck Education Foundation! Their $5500 Aramark Building Community grant helped with the Aramark ABC Day 2023 and it will also support mini-grants for Currituck County School employees and scholarships for students.
@SocialCurrentNews @AramarkBuildingCommunity and Aramark
Mini-Grant Recipients - March 21, 2023
Congratulations to our mini-grant recipients! Currituck Education Foundation (CEF) awarded
4 mini-grants for projects in the Currituck County Schools. The grants were awarded accordingly:
$300.00 to Jennifer Barnes of Central Elementary School for the "Word Mapping - The Science of Reading" to purchase interactive and engaging materials for word mapping activities, backed by the Science of Reading and our LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training which we are currently engaged in throughout the county. Examples of materials: Sound Phoneme Mirrors with Speech Pictures, Word Mapping Paddles, Push Pop Bubble Squares, Magnetic Wands and Chips. Our goal for this grant is to increase student performance at Central Elementary School, which is currently a low socioeconomic and low performing school. We are looking for ways to engage the students and close reading gaps.
$500.00 to Shelly Haskell of Knotts Island Elementary School for "Purple Star Military Families Library" to purchase 2 military book sets that help elementary students explore and understand our various military branches. "Military Families" has titles like "My Mom is in the Navy" and helps younger readers understand different jobs in the various military branches. "Inside the Military" introduces young readers to military vehicles, including information about how they are used, the history of military vehicles and what is planned for military vehicles in the future. This set is also valuable to those who have family working in the shipyards. Other titles we would like to add are a few picture books that show kids dealing with deployment. These books will allow all students to explore more about our military services, and perhaps encourage future career choices.
$500.00 to Sue Walker Boone of JP Knapp Early College High School for "Lego of your Worries Wall" to purchase the green Lego bottom plates and the Lego building packs. A Lego building wall will also be constructed. The Office of Student Services/School Counseling Services has seen an increase in anxiety as well as other mental health issues in students this school year. This trend is nationwide. We have started a "relax your mind" area in the Media Center using puzzles, fidgets and coloring posters. We would like to incorporate a "Lego of your Worries Wall" into this area.
$500.00 to Valerie Person of Currituck County High School for "Coming Full Circle: Seniors Write a Customized Children's Book for a CCS First Grader" project where CCHS Seniors in English IV partner with Knotts Island Elementary School first graders to interview, design and write customized books for each first grader. Because there are more seniors than first graders, we will actually present text sets to each first grader. These text sets will address interdisciplinary needs with a variety of genres (fiction, informational, verse, etc.) for the first grader. This grant will fund the cost of the Barebooks, illustration materials, bus driver costs to take the field trips to each school and the cost of cupcakes/decorations at the grand finale celebration. This mini-grant was sponsored by Sharon United Methodist Women (Poplar Branch).
We held a virtual CEF meeting and awarded the grants. The grant recipients introduced themselves
and summarized the winning projects during the CEF Zoom meeting on Wednesday, March 21, 2023.
Jennifer Barnes
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Shelly Haskell
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Sue Walker Boone
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Valerie Person
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Dining With Local "Celebrities" - February 24, 2023
The Currituck Education Foundation hosted a very successful "Dining with Local Celebrities" fundraiser at BJ's Carolina Cafe in Jarvisburg on Friday, February 24th and raised over $2000. The money will be used for mini-grants and to support the staff and students in Currituck. A big shout out goes to our well-known Currituck "celebrity" servers Josh Bass, Bobby Hanig, Selina Jarvis, Dr. Matt Lutz and Paul O'Neal and to the fantastic waitstaff at BJ's Carolina Cafe. A special thank you to BJ's for allowing us to host our fundraiser at their restaurant. It was a great night of food and fellowship for a great cause.
Click here for more photos!
Mini-Grant Recipients - October 20, 2021
Congratulations to our mini-grant recipients! Currituck Education Foundation (CEF) awarded 4 mini-grants for projects in the Currituck County Schools. The grants were awarded accordingly:
$224.11 to Danna Pierro of Central Elementary School for "Light Filters For Concentration." Proper lighting is not only essential for student performance, it is also an environmental factor that affects teacher performance as well. This will reduce eyestrain and diffuse the harsh glare of fluorescent lighting. It will create a calming and pleasant learning atmosphere.
$353.87 to Roberta Matkins of Knotts Island Elementary School for "Exceptional Children Classroom Book Replenishment Project." The funds will be used to replace outdated books. New books purchased will be of high interest/low readability. High interest/low readability books are more attractive and age appropriate/more relatable in terms of format and plot. These books can be very motivating for reluctant readers.
$501.15 to Lacy Iacano of Shawboro Elementary School for "Hands-On Science in the Classroom." Funds will be utilized to purchase updated/new science materials that have broken, expired or are nonfunctional. This mini-grant was sponsored by Jim Hartmann/Rescom Property Services of NC, Inc.
$454.79 to Dana Newbern of Jarvisburg Elementary School for the "Garden" project. The funds would be to replace the existing garden bed structures/frames that have rotted with a metal one, then add new soil and plants. The garden beds would be maintained by the students so they can build an understanding of how plants survive in their environments.The garden beds can be seen from the front entrance to the building and will add to the appearance of our grounds and the whole school will enjoy looking at and observing the gardens. This mini-grant was sponsored by Sharon United Methodist Women (Poplar Branch).
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we held a virtual CEF meeting and awarded the grants. The grant recipients introduced themselves and summarized the winning projects during the CEF Zoom meeting on Wednesday, October 20, 2021.
Danna Pierro
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Roberta Matkins
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Lacy Iacano
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Dana Newbern
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Mini-Grant Recipients - February 3, 2021
Congratulations to our mini-grant recipients! Currituck Education Foundation (CEF) awarded 5 mini-grants for projects in the Currituck County Schools. The grants were awarded accordingly:
$238.76 to Brandy Boyd of Currituck County High School to "Help Build a Reading Library for Adaptive/Life Skills students." The information they will learn in the classroom is very important for these students to be able to recall when trying to apply for a job or cooking themselves a simple recipe. Funding will grow the reading library and purchase games used to support vocabulary development and information recall. This mini-grant was sponsored by Allison Nekervis/Currituck Area Holdings, LLC.
$192.88 to Erica Phillips of Central Elementary School for "Pre-Math Skills for Kindergarten Readiness" that is designed to enhance Pre-K students' exposure to pre-math activities in a fun and engaging way. Developing math skills at an early age positively impacts a child's cognitive, social/emotional, physical, and literacy development. Using blocks and other manipulatives can help build these skills. Funding will purchase various manipulatives.
$150.00 to Jennifer Robinson of Moyock Middle School for "Let's Get Sewing," a PE elective. Sewing allows students to do and find things they might not know about and to explore the opportunities that can open up for them if they learn how to sew. Benefits include lifelong learning, addressing stereotypes, resourcefulness, creativity and problem solving. Funds will purchase one sewing machine for classroom project use.
$494.25 to Jill Turner of Central Elementary School for "Clean Water and Sanitation: a Global Concern." As a pilot program that we plan to offer to grade level teams next year, the AIG students are exploring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #6: Clean Water and Sanitation. Students will explore a variety of methods of cleaning water, including filtering and evaporation/condensation. Funds will purchase the more costly water testing kits and products to conduct and expand various related experiments.
$508.13 to Helen Taylor of Moyock Elementary School for "Sensory Kits for Kids." The social/emotional wellbeing of our students is extremely important. Our elementary students are still learning how to cope with their emotions and how to handle stress and anxiety. Sensory kits will be created to be placed in each teacher's emergency bag. Funds will purchase a small plastic box filled with a variety of tactile items students can use.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we held a virtual CEF meeting and awarded the grants. The grant recipients introduced themselves and summarized the winning projects during the CEF Zoom meeting on Wednesday February 3, 2021.
Brandy Boyd
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Jennifer Robinson
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Jill Turner
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Mini-Grant Recipients - September 16, 2020
Congratulations to our mini-grant recipients! CEF awarded 2 mini-grants of $250 and 2 mini-grants of $500 for projects in the Currituck County Schools. The grants were awarded accordingly:
$500.00 to Molly Parker of Jarvisburg Elementary School for "Read and Ride for the Gold Medal!" to purchase two desk cycles for the library and books related to fitness and wellness, summer Olympic events and medalists that will increase physical activity and literacy;
$500.00 to Loren Cartwright of Currituck County Middle School for "FFA Official Dress" which includes an official FFA jacket so students can compete in any leadership development event in a common uniform, while also appearing professional;
$250.00 to Dr. Donna Corbo of JP Knapp Early College High School for the "Frame of Mind" project to purchase reusable frames for the JP Knapp Art Club to display their submissions and participate in the Currituck County Arts Council exhibit for young artists;
$250.00 to Angela Blocher of Central Elementary School for "Bringing Science to Life" to purchase materials and tools to measure precipitation over time, analyze trends in data, understand how wind speed and direction impacts our weather patterns and observe and monitor the life cycle process of various poultry species while providing hands-on, authentic and engaging instructional opportunities.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions we were unable to present these awards in March. We held a virtual CEF meeting and awarded the grants. The grant recipients introduced themselves and summarized the winning projects during the CEF Zoom meeting on Wednesday September 16, 2020.
Molly Parker
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Loren Cartwright
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Dr. Donna Corbo
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Angela Blocher
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Mini-Grant Recipients - October 16, 2019
Congratulations to our mini-grant recipients! CEF awarded $1500.00 in educational grants to Currituck teachers. During our October session, the CEF board assessed 14 grant applications submitted by teachers throughout the Currituck County Public Schools. The grants were awarded accordingly:
$500.00 to Danna Pierro of Shawboro Elementary School for an interactive light table and various accessories that can be used to enhance literacy, math, and writing skills in fun and playful ways;
$500.00 to Sarah Lindsay and the Science Olympiad Team of Currituck County Middle School to fund five engineering, math, and science projects for an upcoming STEM competition;
$300.00 to Jamie Miller with the Exceptional Children's Program to support unique, immersive, community based, real-life learning experiences and;
$200.00 to Shelby Hughes of Currituck Middle School to enable student participation in a subscription-based innovative digital current events and reading program. This grant was sponsored by Allison Nekervis/Sur-Pak, LLC.
The grant recipients introduced themselves and summarized the winning projects before receiving their awards during the CEF meeting Wednesday October 16, 2019 at NC Cooperative Extension Building in Barco, NC.
CEF Board with Grant Recipients Deidre Simmons (accepting for Danna Pierro), Jamie Miller, Sarah Lindsay and Shelby Hughes
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CEF Grant Recipients Deidre Simmons (accepting for Danna Pierro), Jamie Miller, Sarah Lindsay and Shelby Hughes
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Josh Bass with Shelby Hughes and family (Hayden Ray and Caroline Hughes)
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Josh Bass with Shelby Hughes
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Josh Bass with Sarah Lindsay
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Josh Bass with Jamie Miller
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Josh Bass with Deidre Simmons
(accepting for Danna Pierro)
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Dining With Local "Celebrities" - May 3, 2019
The Currituck Education Foundation hosted another very successful "Dining with Local Celebrities" fundraiser at Eagle Creek Golf Club & Grill in Moyock on Friday, May 3rd. A big shout out goes to our "celebrity" servers Denise Hall, Cindy Mayberry, Chip Melton and Rodney Sawyer and to the excellent waitstaff at Eagle Creek Golf Club & Grill. All tips and donations provided to the local "celebrity" servers will be used for mini-grants and to support the staff and students in Currituck. A special thank you to Eagle Creek Golf Club & Grill for allowing us to host our fundraiser at their restaurant. It was a wonderful afternoon of food and fellowship for a great cause.
Click here for more photos and a video slideshow!
Mini-Grant Recipients - February 20, 2019
Congratulations to our mini-grant recipients! CEF awarded 2 mini-grants of $250 and 2 mini-grants of $500 for projects in the Currituck County Schools. The grants were awarded to Judy Bulkley, Child Nutrition Manager at Shawboro Elementary, for a Point of Sale register laser barcode scanner. This will allow meal lines to move faster and give children more time to eat their meals. Cindy Walker, of Currituck County Middle School, received a grant to purchase supplies for "CCMS Makerspace" that would include simple tools and materials that will help build their Makerspace program. The core principles of a Makerspace are having a mindset that you can create something out of nothing, that you can solve problems with critical thinking and creativity, and that knowledge is a consequence of experience. Valerie Person, of Currituck County High School, received a grant to purchase supplies for "Not Your Mother's Flashcards." The students will use Merge Cubes to create their own 3D holograms based on the SAT tone words and Latin and Greek roots by making VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) flashcards. Anita Rubino, of Currituck County High School, received a grant to purchase an oxy/acetylene soldering kit for the Metalsmithing Program. The students will learn hot connect processes of connecting metals. Several other applicants were matched with community partners and other resources who were able to provide supplies to meet their project goals in the form of curriculum support and equipment loans. The CEF will offer a fall 2019 grant cycle to support additional projects in Currituck County Schools.
CEF Board with 2019 Grant Recipients
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Cindy Walker, Judy Bulkley, Valerie Person and Anita Rubino
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Judy Bulkley with Cameron Lowe
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Valerie Person with Cameron Lowe
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Anita Rubino with Cameron Lowe
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Cindy Walker with Cameron Lowe
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Dining With Local "Celebrities" - February 10, 2019
The Currituck Education Foundation hosted a very successful "Dining with Local Celebrities" fundraiser on Sunday, February 10th at Coinjock Marina and raised over $700 in tips plus a percentage of the sales. The money will be used for mini-grants and to support the staff and students in Currituck. A big shout out goes to our "celebrity" servers Dwan Craft, Renee Dowdy, Paul O'Neal, Mike Payment, and Mark Stefanik and to the fantastic waitstaff at Coinjock Marina. A special thank you to Coinjock Marina (Wendy and Louis Davis) for allowing us to host our fundraiser at their restaurant and donating a percentage of the sales to CEF. It was a wonderful afternoon of food and fellowship for a great cause.
Click here for more photos and a video slideshow!
Dining With Local "Celebrities" - October 26, 2018
The Currituck Education Foundation hosted a very successful "Dining with Local Celebrities" fundraiser at BJ's Carolina Cafe in Jarvisburg on Friday, October 26th and raised over $1300. The money will be used for mini-grants and to support the staff and students in Currituck. A big shout out to our waiters included our very own board members: Josh Bass, Janet Rose, and Theresa Dozier along with Currituck personalities, Bobby Hanig and Sam Walker. A special thank you to BJ's for allowing us to host our fundraiser at their restaurant. It was a great night of food and fellowship for a great cause.
Click here for more photos and a video slideshow!
Mini-Grant Recipients - April 18, 2018
CEF awarded 4 mini-grants of up to $250 for projects in the Currituck County Schools. The grants were awarded to Maria Del Acqua, Child Nutrition Manager at Jarvisburg Elementary, for a Point of Sale register laser barcode scanner. This will allow meal lines to move faster and give children more time to eat their meals. Brittney Barefield, of Shawboro Elementary, received a grant to purchase a reading intervention program called Sound Partners. Diane Davenport, of JP Knapp Early College, received a grant to help with the cost of the AMORE Conference. This helped with the cost of fabric for sewing lessons during the conference. Helen Taylor, of Jarvisburg Elementary, received a grant to purchase Ozobots, which are small robots that engage students with computer programming. Sandy Reynolds, of Shawboro Elementary, was matched with the Currituck Extension Center as a community partner who was able to provide 3D Snap Circuits to meet her project goals in the form of curriculum support and equipment loans. Carly Osmon, of Jarvisburg Elementary, was also matched with the Currituck Extension Center as a community partner who was able to provide resources to meet her project goals on life cycles.
CEF Board with Grant Recipients
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Sandy Reynolds with Sherry Fischlschweiger, Cameron Lowe & Josh Bass
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Maria Del Acqua with Nancy Lerf
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Helen Taylor with Nancy Lerf
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Diane Davenport with Nancy Lerf
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Brittney Barefield with Nancy Lerf
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Jersey Mike's Ribbon Cutting - December 14, 2017
Chicken/Fish Fundraiser - August 21, 2017
Acoustic Sunset - August 10, 2017
CEF Ribbon Cutting - June 21, 2017
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