Farmington Education Foundation Awards $50K

Thanks to the generosity of donors to the new Farmington/Farmington Hills Education Foundation, Tracey Riggs' East Middle School orchestra students will enjoy a unique clinic with The Moxie Strings, Ann Arbor-based performance and teaching duo. 

“I am thrilled that my students will now have this exciting experience," Riggs said in a Foundation press release. "All the efforts to make these grants possible are truly appreciated." 

The clinic is among 50 projects that received a total of $50,000 in the first round of awards, funded by Foundation charter donors. 

Grants fund teacher-submitted projects and initiatives ranging from promoting music sensory learning in special education to purchasing a high definition Go-Pro camera for the TV-10 Technical and Career education program. Grants partnering with school groups and community organizations include “Hands on Your Food” class for high school students, “Be the Solution” student-led video series on sustainability and Camp Riley for students ages five through twelve.

Technology purchases include the support of classroom learning initiatives using tablets, digital cameras, MP3 players and mini PC products. The O.E. Dunckel Science department was awarded a $1,500 collaborative grant to purchase digital microscopes to enhance the middle school science curriculum.

District initiatives receiving major project grants of up to $5,000 include:

• Extracurricular programs that encourage girls to investigate careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
• Galileo Teacher Leadership Program
• Minority Student Achievement Network
• University of Michigan Summer Youth Dialogues
• Elementary student field trip to “Festival of the Arts”

A complete list of awards is posted on the Foundation's Facebook page. Learn more or donate at ffhedfoundation.org.