Since 2005, GEF has brought more than $6 million in funding for programs in the Gloucester Public Schools.
GEF funding touches every school and every child at some point in his or her educ0ation and provides innovation and enrichment across academic subject areas.
- Start-up support for Computer Science program
- Digital Cameras and iMac Photo Lab
- AP® Prep Summer Programs in English
- Literature, English Composition, Biology, Chemistry, Statistics, American History, World History, Computer Science, Economics and Psychology
- 3-D Printing Lab
- Online texts and Vernier sensors for Chemistry
- Safety improvements for Cabinet Design and Innovation
- Stipends for After-School Advisors
- Genome Gloucester summer program
- Ceramics Equipment & supplies
- ShopBot® digital CNC router
- Equipment and curriculum for Physics of Robotics program
- CAD Software for Vocational Education
- Sound equipment for drama program
- Chemistry with iPads
- Teacher professional development in technology
- Body Worlds® Field Trip
- Dating Violence Prevention presentations
- GHS Greenhouse and Farm to Table program
- Solar/wind training unit for electrical technology program
- Learning Commons Creation Lab
- Birdseye-Hammond Science, Technology & Engineering Center:
- Tech Specialist
- Supplies & Materials
- Curriculum unit development
- Wind cars, bridge-building, wind turbine & more!
- Slime Lab – wet lab for life sciences
- Summer Engineering Adventure at MIT
- Writing Curriculum Coordinator
- Advanced Engineering equipment/ supplies
- 60 iPads for Project-Based Learning
- Aquaponics
- O’Maley Theatre sound & lighting equipment
- O’Maley Summer Science Grad Camp
- Science Through Gardening
- Word Generation® vocabulary-building program
- 3-D Printer program
- World language instruction
- After-school music instruction, musical instrument library and music room renovations
- Grant-writing support, leading to
- O’Maley Academy
- Learning Commons and Biolab
- Summer Literacy Program
- Theater programs
- After school music program (stipends, transportation, sheet music and supplies)
- Early Engineers (Grades K-2)
- Grade K -2 STEM Curriculum Development and Professional Development
- Grade 5 Robotics Event
- Grade 5 West Parish Science Park
- Grade 5 Ballroom Dance Program and the Mad Hot Ball
- Soundfield® Systems (RED-CATs) in all Kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2 Classrooms
- Schoolyard Gardens startup support
- Visits to MIT to study motorized car building
- STEM Science Supplies and Equipment Repairs
- Dance Through the Decades
- SPED bikes
- Art Explorations textbooks and supplies
- Literacy Through Theater
- Quizzboards
- Heart Monitor Watches (Veterans’)
- Jam Hub® silent music studio (Beeman)
- Countdown to Kindergarten orientation program
- Maritime Gloucester field trips
- Math Olympiads program expansion
- Science, Technology & Engineering Coordinator/Curriculum writer
- Math Specialist
- City-wide Arts Festival
- Transportation for field trips
- Artistic Bridges visiting artist program
- Grant writing assistance
Start-up Support for Computer Science Program
A generous gift from a family foundation in 2015 enabled GEF to help establish a new program of study in computer science at Gloucester High School. The funding provided startup support for a dedicated teacher, a new computer lab, and the development of a new curriculum that covers the basics of information technology, coding, and several computer languages,
The program also includes a course in Advanced Placement Computer Science, which is comparable to a freshman-level program and provides students planning to pursue higher education with a head-start on college courses.
Digital cameras and iMac Photo Lab
In 2013, when Gloucester High School needed to convert its 20th-century chemical-based photography darkroom into a 21st century digital facility, a grant from GEF got the process started, enabling the school to purchase its first digital cameras and giving students the opportunity to learn skills in modern photography.
Next, local photographer Rob Amory donated studio lighting equipment valued at close to $100,000; a subsequent gift from Gloucester patrons Beth and Linzee Coolidge made directly to the school allowed the District to eliminate the old darkroom and replace it with a modern photography studio.
In 2015, with funding from Mr. Amory, GEF completed the transition, with the establishment of a modern, state-of-the art iMac facility where students are now able to learn and refine their skills in photo editing and graphic design.
The project has spawned a new passion for creativity in Gloucester High School students and has led to filled-to capacity enrollment in the photography program—and a clear career path for several students upon graduation.
3-D Printing Lab
Thanks to support from GEF, the Applied Materials Foundation and generous private donors, Gloucester High School now boasts a dedicated 3-D printing laboratory, where students design, program and manufacture objects of their own creation and have the experience of taking an idea from inception through final product.
The first phase came in 2014, when the school acquired a ProJet 3-D printer, an advanced unit that employs industry-standard software, giving students additional skills for the college campus and workplace.
Additional funding enabled the purchase of a number of smaller printers for the 3-D lab in 2017, as well as for several classrooms and learning spaces throughout the schools. Gloucester High has added an engineering program in Design and Manufacturing, and a new machining-engineering facility for advanced manufacturing is being installed at the school that will include the use of 3-D printers in the design and production areas.
Genome Gloucester
This one-time pilot project helped lay the groundwork for an expanded school day biology curriculum at Gloucester High School. The 2012 summer program introduced students to the basics of DNA, genetics, and techniques used in the modern biotechnology lab—as well as a CSI-type “crime scene” reenactment that showed students how DNA and forensics are used to solve police cases.
The study of forensics and genetics was quickly incorporated into the school’s biology curriculum, and in 2013, the Mass BioTeach Foundation in Cambridge honored Gloucester High School as the Joshua Boger Innovation School of the Year.
In 2017, Gloucester High was the recipient of a major grant from the Massachusetts Life Science Center to establish a new biotechnology lab at the school. Gloucester High School students are now collaborating with students in Switzerland on a study sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Research Institute. Through this work and the new biotech lab, they are learning skills that will enable them to further their education in biotechnology—or pursue immediate employment in this burgeoning field upon graduation.
ShopBot® CNC Router
Always a popular elective among Gloucester High students, the Cabinet Innovation and Design program received a 21st-century boost from a GEF grant that enabled the program to acquire the ShopBot® digital router, technology that is challenging students to apply their skills in algebra, geometry, computer science and design to crafting beautiful creations in wood.
Using integrated software, students design their creation on a computer. Utilizing this design, the ShotBot precisely cuts, carves, drill and machines the wood, enabling students to plan and design a project and experience the satisfaction a tangible end result in producing their original creations.
Robotics
One of GEF’s very first grants established an after-school robotics club at Gloucester High School, which quickly became a popular activity among students, and funded GHS’s NASA’s FIRST Robotics competition in 2006. Within the next few years, 45 students participated in the competition and brought back the prestigious Judge’s Award to Gloucester.
Recognizing the interest that the program was generating among students, GEF and the District collaborated to bring the program into the school day as a way to engage students in the study of physics and engineering. The Physics of Robotics curriculum was born and is now a staple of the physics program at GHS.
Over the years, the program has spun off a number of exciting student projects. Among these were the SailBot® program and competition held in Gloucester in 2013, in which GHS students entered a robotically controlled small sailing vessel that they engineered and programmed. Students have also been actively engaged in creating robotic quadcopters and drones with continued support from GEF and its donors.
In 2017, the Gloucester High School Robotics program received four state and national awards for excellence in teaching and program curriculum from the Massachusetts Technology Education and Engineering Collaborative and the International Technology and Engineering Educators’ Association.
Sound Equipment for Drama Program
Gloucester High has for many years enjoyed a robust theater program. Students have produced and performed annual productions and, with GEF support, have participated in the statewide theater festival.
Thanks to more recent support from GEF, students have also been able to explore the technical side of theater as well as the performance experience. In 2014, a grant from GEF enabled the drama program to upgrade its microphone system—an addition that improved the quality of not only theater performances but other presentations in the GHS auditorium.
In 2017, a GEF grant enabled the purchase of a state-of -the-art professional-quality QLab® system, an iPad-based device that enables the user to produce different lighting effects and effectively monitor the sound coming from the stage. QLab is improving the quality of the GHS performances and allowing students to learn technical skills that are applicable to the real-world theater environment.
Solar/Wind Installation Training Unit
Recognizing the growing popularity of “green” energies—as well as the importance of vocational education—GEF in 2016 awarded a grant to the Gloucester High School electrical technology program for the purchase of a specialized LabVolt® training unit. The funding was made possible through the generosity of Gloucester philanthropists John and Mollie Byrnes.
The LabVolt helps students master the principles of solar and wind power and how these forms of natural energy can be harnessed to produce electricity for homes and businesses. This resource, which is also actively used by students in the academic engineering program, has created new pathways for students after graduation—they can go on to college or trade programs or enter the workforce in the solar industry. Gloucester is one of just a handful of high schools in the state to offer this specialized training.
Learning Commons Creation Lab
Laboratories are not just for science anymore!
The “Creation Lab” at Gloucester’s High School offers students an environment where they can apply their artistic sides to their coursework through video design and production, video and print editing, fabrication, music composition, fashion design and many other creative endeavors.
The Lab is part of an evolving Learning Commons, a technology-rich space that is the former GHS library and that is quickly becoming a gathering place for collaboration by students and teachers.
The room is equipped with iPads for recording videos, a bank of new iMac computers and 3-D printers, and an Apple TV for projecting presentations. A focal point is the “green screen” – a solid green wall that is allows students to shoot videos and drop in various backgrounds to illustrate ideas and create dramatic effects. Students are using the Creation Lab to flex their creative muscles—and at the same time, are learning valuable skills for the 21st century workplace.
O’Maley Theater Upgrades
The O’Maley theater program within the past several year has gained a community-wide reputation for its vibrant and colorful student productions which have recently included lavish productions of The Lion King, Fame and Mulan. The drama program at O’Maley is so popular among students, in fact, that often feature three separate casts over multiple performances.
While many students enjoy performing for a live audience, a growing number of students have discovered great satisfaction working behind the curtain, as members of the O’Maley “Tech Crew.”
A 2018 grant of $15,000, made possible through generous donations from members of the community, supported the purchase of a state of the art sound system and new microphones, ensuring the O’Maley students’ voice will always be heard!
O’Maley students now have modern, professional equipment with which to learn the technical aspects of theater—and students on stage are better seen and heard by their audiences.
Birdseye-Hammond STEM Center
Named for two of Gloucester’s most famous and prolific inventors and innovators, the Birdseye -Hammond STEM Center is a focal point of science at the O’Maley Innovation Middle School.
Born out of the 2007 SEA Initiative, the Birdseye-Hammond Center is now a three-room suite where students apply the principles of science and math they learn in their classes to practical laboratory experiences. Over the years, O’Maley students have…
- 3-D printers
- explored sustainability by manufacturing paper from recyclable materials
- learned about earthquakes and weather by gathering data generated by the O’Maley seismograph and wind turbine
- studied wind currents by building full-scale sail cars
- mastered principals of drafting and design and learned about construction by designing and building bridges
- studied about wildlife habitat through the construction of bluebird nesting boxes
- designed and built their own creations with 3-D printer
- learned about alternative energy through the study of wind turbine design and burning biodiesel fuel
- explored sustainability by manufacturing paper from recyclable
- learned about life under the microscope, studied the properties of gasses, dissected frogs, and other aspects of life sciences in the “slime lab”—the wet lab affectionately named by students after manufacturing slime to study proteins
…and many others – and new activities that engage students in the learning of science and technology are constantly being developed!
GEF funding provided startup funding for a STEM technical specialist to work with students and teachers in the center, as well as microscopes, scales, balances, curriculum units and many other supplies and materials that O’Maley students use to learn about science.
Various classes and grades take turns using the center, which is part of the science education experiences of virtually every student who passes through the doors of O’Maley.
Word Generation
A single word can have many meanings, as O’Maley students have learned through a unique vocabulary-building program, Word Generation, which was introduced through start-up funding provided by GEF.
Word Generation introduces students to a set of five new words each week incorporated into a written paragraph describing a situation that challenges students to think about a topic—for example, why are there not more females in science careers, or should schools be allowed to sell junk food? Students learn how these words are applicable in different context through discussions held during their classes in English, math, science and social studies. They are also required to take a position and debate the topic of the week and write an essay utilizing the five weekly words.
Developed by educators at Harvard University, Word Generation is unique at O’Maley in that it is an all-school initiative—in fact, O’Maley was one of the first middle schools in the country to adopt this in all grades.
3-D Print Shop
Part of the Birdseye-Hammond STEM Center, the “3-D Print Shop” is a favorite program of GEFs, because of the way it all came together!
The concept of 3-D printing at O’Maley was tested during a summer science program, when teachers and a handful of students began working with MarkerFarm® 3-D printer kits. They experienced success in not only constructing the printers from the kits, but also in using them to build objects.
GEF funding purchased 25 additional MakerFarm kits for the school—but how would these come together so that O’Maley could integrate 3-D printing into its engineering curriculum?
The school turned to GEF’s and the District’s greatest sources of support—the generous and engaged community of Gloucester. Over an October weekend, 50 volunteers from Gloucester and greater Cape Ann visited the O’Maley library to participate in the 3-D “Make-a-Thon.” Working in teams of two, the volunteers took their cues from online instructions and spent Friday night, all-day Saturday and half of Sunday, making sure that the printers were fully assembled and ready to function in the lab.
Thanks to Gloucester’s volunteers, O’Maley students now routinely use 3-D printing as a way to sharpen their math skills, learn about design and CAD programming—and see their own creations come to life in three dimensions!
Grant-Writing Support
GEF makes grants to the District, but it also has helped the District secure grants from other funders—and in most cases, the impact of this assistance has been profound. Some examples:
- A 2014 submission to the state-administered federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant program resulted in the establishment of O’Maley Academy, which has just been re-funded by the state for a second phase and is now extending learning time for one-third of O’Maley students. The program offers nearly 20 separate classes after the close of the school day in a variety of activities, as well as a handful of summer learning activities that engage students in learning about science, math, the arts and language arts and reinforces social-emotional skills.
- A 2015 submission to the Cummings Foundation lead to a major grant that supported a three-year initiative to convert the underutilized O’Maley Library into a 21st Century Learning Commons. The new space has been redesigned to incorporate flexible seating and table arrangements that can be quickly reconfigured to accommodate individual learners, small groups of students collaborating on a project, or entire classes that are now held in the facility. Chromebook carts give students quick access to technology for research and sharing of work. A new conference room includes an Apple TV and interactive white board for presentations and conferencing.
The O’Maley Learning Commons is a two-floor space. Downstairs, a new fully-equipped BioLab, funded by GEF, Applied Materials Foundation and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, is being established for the study of life sciences. An additional space houses a “green room,” where students learn video shooting and editing.
Also in the works is the development of a new Makerspace that will be accessible to all teachers and students engaged in Project-Based Learning, the central focus of all teaching and learning at O’Maley.
Elementary Theater Productions
A hallmark of springtime in Gloucester’s elementary schools is the proliferation of theater productions, as young students, parent volunteers and teachers get ready to present the annual spring musicals—from Aladdin to Mary Poppins, to Annie, to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
While school plays are nothing new, the plays put on by Gloucester’s students receive an extra-special boost: students have the opportunity to learn from real-world theater professionals, provided by funding from GEF.
The outside drama professionals, many of whom work in theater in Gloucester and the North Shore, provide a number of enhancements to children’s’ theater education, teaching them diction, delivery of lines, stage presence, posture and comportment, choreography, and other skills that help Gloucester children become better thespians.
Participating students enjoy the experiences—and because they generally give performances for their schools, all of Gloucester’s elementary students receive the benefits of this long-standing tradition.
Grade 5 Ballroom Dance
By the time they leave elementary school, every Gloucester fifth-grader knows how to cha-cha, merengue, waltz and perform other ballroom dances through a program that GEF has funded, almost since the very beginning of our existence.
Ballroom dance instruction does much more than teach the steps, however. Students learn how to cooperate with peers, respect their partners, and collaborate on a final production — the springtime tradition that is best known as the Mad Hot Ball.
The social skills that students learn are critical as they end their days as elementary students and prepare to enter the larger world of middle school. Many students start off less than enthusiastic about the prospect of learning ballroom dancing—but by the time the Ball comes, they are eager and proud to show off their newfound skills (and outfits) as they end their elementary school careers with the final Parents’ Waltz.
Schoolyard Garden Startup Support
Where does our food come from? Many young children are not sure, which is why GEF provided early funding for elementary schools to develop gardens on their premises—quite literally, “seed support!”
Gloucester’s own Backyard Growers has assumed responsibility for the ongoing planting and maintenance of the gardens and working with children as they grow their plants. Children harvest and eat the vegetables that they grow, learning about the science of gardening and gaining an understanding that healthy, nutritious food can be found in one’s own backyard.
GEF support has also helped start gardening education programs at O’Maley and at Gloucester High School, providing students with the experience of learning science through gardening – and growing healthy food at their schools.
Gloucester Counts Down to Kindergarten
For young children, the prospect of going to school for the first time can be frightening. Since 2014, GEF has supported a program aimed at demystifying going to kindergarten for Gloucester’s newest students.
Gloucester Counts Down to Kindergarten is a community-wide collaborative led by Gloucester’s Pathways for Children that allows children and families to meet their new kindergarten teachers and principals, see a play about a child going to kindergarten for the first time, participate in fun activities, and receive books, backpacks, school supplies and other gifts from local organizations.
Children also tour a school bus, enjoy delicious smoothies, and get their very first library cards, along with a big welcome to our schools!
Math Olympiads
It started first as a pilot project at East Gloucester High School: a group of students became Gloucester’s first “mathletes,” when they were selected to participate in the Math Olympiads after-school program. Students work in teams to solve challenging math problems and tackle new concepts in math. The program culminates with a series of competitions, with students being scored on their performance.
After the success of the pilot program, the District knew it wanted to offer this at all of the elementary schools—and that is where GEF stepped in, providing expansion funding. The program quickly became popular among elementary students, and even made the jump a few years later to O’Maley Innovation Middle School. Currently, many of Gloucester’s student score in the top 20% of all mathletes, with some achieving scores in the top 5%!
While GEF funded the program for two years, the District has since assumed the program in its ongoing budget, signaling its commitment to this important GEF initiative.
City-Wide Arts Festival
Reflecting Gloucester’s and Cape Ann’s status as a worldwide center of art, the Gloucester schools celebrate the creativity of their students during the annual May City-wide Arts Festival, an initiative begun in 2008 by GEF.
Held in various venues downtown, the community has the opportunity to experience student art in all of its forms: painting and drawings by children of all ages, ceramics and woodworks, music, theater and dance, music by various group, including elementary ensembles, the O’Maley bands and the beloved Docksiders—and even STEAM displays by students in Gloucester High School’s engineering program.
In recent years, public collaborative art projects have added to the fun of the festival—most notable was the circle paintings that were done by children and parents in the garden of Cape Ann Museum in 2015!
In 2018, will celebrate the 10th Anniversary Arts Festival, marking a decade of celebrating art throughout our community.
Artistic Bridges Visiting Artist Program
A collaboration with the Cape Ann Museum, Artistic Bridges is a program that brings local musicians, painters, sculptors, photographers and other practitioners of the arts into Gloucester’s schools to present to students and in some cases, work on projects with them.
Presentations focus on connecting the arts to the school-day curriculum, showing students ways in which art can intersect many aspects of their world.
Students have experienced art to explore their local and family heritage; get a first-hand look at some of the natural resources and historical artistic traditions of Cape Ann; consider the science that is involved with certain forms of art; and looked at history through artistic expression –music, photography and sculpture.