The below article was submitted to the Valley Reporter to celebrate our District Grants to Harwood Unified School District:
At Wednesday’s meeting of the Mad River Valley Rotary (MRVR), Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) teachers presented two of the programs that will be receiving Education Grants from Rotary’s Education Grant program.
This program was initiated in 2024, to support teacher-designed, innovative programs. In 2026 MRV Rotary received 12 proposals for this program from teachers across the district asking for $14,329 to fund their different programs. Teachers in Moretown, Harwood, Warren, Fayston and Crossett Brook Middle School submitted their proposals. This year Rotary partially funded six proposals from their $5,000 budget.
“The Education Grants Program has helped teachers put their ideas into practice, says Ed McDonough, past president of the MRV Rotary and current member of the Education Grants Program. “Funds from the program have been used toward the purchase of:
- A Bike Maintenance Station that will be used bicycle mechanics to teach STEM concepts, career and technical education (CTE) skills and real-world problem solving.
- 3D printers enabling students to undertake complex projects, connect with community experts and most importantly spend time developing their product.
- Equipment allowing students to employ hands on investigation into how electrical energy is generated, transferred, and consumed.
- TI-Nspire calculators that reduce barriers related to executive functioning and processing challenges by allowing students to visualize mathematical concepts.
The projects that were funded this year will impact 360 students in the coming academic year and for many years to come. And these are only some of the exciting projects that the Grants Program has provided funding for since its inception. Sadly, we have had to say no to many worthy projects and only partially fund others.”
For more information on how you can help support the Rotary Education Fund or become involved in MRV Rotary, please go to www.mrvrotary.com or contact Ed McDonough at e.mcdonough@neu.edu.