PEF Grants
Our Signature Program

About PEF Grants

PEF Grants is the signature program of the Peabody Education Foundation.  Every school year, the PEF offers funding to Peabody, MA teachers and schools to provide their classrooms and students with programs and resources that fall outside of the normal school budget.

Applications are submitted to the PEF Grants Committee for consideration and approval.  Funding is provided through the generous donations of our community and local businesses.

Since 1985, the Peabody Education Foundation has worked endlessly to raise over $1M from within the community to bring innovative programs to our public schools!  To make a donation to help fund future innovative programs for our Peabody Schools, visit our donation page.

SUBMIT YOUR 2024-2025 PEF GRANTS APPLICATION

Thank you for your interest in the Peabody Education Foundation’s Grants Program. We are pleased to offer you and your students the opportunity to gain supplemental programs and resources and make your creative project ideas a reality.

 

There are two opportunities for funding: 

Individual Teacher Grants:

Teachers are welcome to submit individual grants for their classroom with a $2,500 cap limit. Applications will be accepted starting August 1, 2024, and will continue to be accepted and reviewed on a rolling-basis until January 31, 2025. Funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

School-wide Grants:

Principals/Department Heads are welcome to submit grants that benefit entire grades or schools with a $10,000 cap limit. Applications will be accepted starting August 1, 2024, and will continue to be accepted and reviewed on a rolling-basis until January 31, 2025. Funding is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

s

Deadline

January 31, 2025

 

2023-2024 Recently Awarded PEF Grants

Thank you to all the teachers and faculty who have submitted a PEF Grant application for the 2023-2024 school year!  Check out what we’ve funded this school year so far!

Project NameSchoolDescription
Scholastic News with Science Spin MagazineSouthScholastic News Magazines for First Graders
Tell the Story: Reading, Writing & Wampum - Plimoth Patuxet MuseumBrownPlimoth Patuxen Museum presents to the 3rd Graders life in the 17th century
Welch School/Peabody Chess ClubWelchChess materials to allow current Chess Program at Welch School to grow
Making Science VisualPVMHSOnline platform designed to engage students with interactive videos to support learning
Everyday SpeechCarrollA platform to teach students SEL skills
Super Smart ScientistsMcCarthyProfessionals conduct hands on science investigations with third graders
Classroom MagazinesHigginsJunior Scholastic and New York Times Upfront magazines for Grade 8 students
A Christmas CarolSouthField trip for third graders
Exposing Young Minds to the CommunityWelchSix part series for Kindergarden students to experience their community
Interdisciplinary Apple PickingPeabody Community HSTherapeutic program at Brooksby Farm
Makers (students working to build classroom easels)HigginsConstruction project for STEM students
Citizen Science in 7th GradeHigginsCollecting and contributing wildlife data at the Higgins Campus
Center School STAR Positive PraiseCenterMaterials for recognizing students encompassing STAR qualities
Pro Teacher EdpuzzlePVMHSEdpuzzles for chemistry classes
STEAM MuseumWestMobile hands-on Museum focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math education
Project Lead the WayHigginsKits providing students with the opportunity to combine mechanisms with input and output devices to automate the mechanisms
Let's Find OutSouthMultimedia resource magazines for students
ArtHigginsEquipment to assist students struggling with free hand drawing
Spectrum YogaHiggins/PVMHSYoga for Special Needs students
In the Game STEM Field TripHigginsSTEM field trip
Creative LearningHigginsEquipment for art students
Sports Museum TourSouthField trip to Sports Museum of New England
7th Grade Field Trip: A Christmas CarolHigginsField trip to North Shore Music Theater
Curious about CreaturesBrownLive animals brought to the classroom
Access to Decodable TextsMcCarthyDigital ebooks for students
The ObserverPVMHSPrinting of literary and arts magazine
Wolf Hollow: Laws of the PackHigginsField trip to Wolf Hollow and study of wolves
Soothing Sand SpinnersSouthCalming materials for students
Local Ocean Speaker SeriesPeabody PrepVirtual speaker visits from Atlantic White Shark Conservancy
Loose Leashes Author VisitSouthInteractive workshops for K-2 inspiring art and poetry
Tyto OnlineHiggins3D online science video game
Family STEM NightBurkeFamilies learn and explore different STEM activities
Field Trip to Freedom Walking TrailSouthField Trip for 5th Graders
Edpuzzle Teacher ProPeabody PrepWeb-based interactive tool for Grades 9-12 social studies
Kahoot!+Max Teacher for IndividualsPeabody PrepOn-line learning platform for Grades 9-12 social studies
Edpuzzle for ALL Higgins teachersHigginsWeb-based interactive tool for teachers to create learning videos
A Book for Every ReaderPVMHSBooks for PVMHS Library
Melrose Youth Ballet Performance - The NutcrackerSouthField Trip for 5th Graders
Life Skills Creative Cooking ClassPVMHSSupplies for Milestones cooking program
Johnny the KCenterMental Wellness Program for Grades k-5
Wildlife Photography ShowcaseHigginsPhoto supplies for Wildlife Data Photo project
Paul Revere's Midnight RideWelchField Trip for 3rd Graders
PLA WellnessPeabody Learning AcademyYoga/mindfulness program
Curious CreatureWelchAnimal presentation for 3rd Graders
Alef Math ProgramPeabody PrepInteractive math program for students
The WhalemobileHigginsTraveling program focusing on whales and their anatomy
Madagascar: A Musical AdventureSouthField Trip for Kindergarten
Play for All! - Recess Equipment for All StudentsDistrictRecreational equipment for students in all elementary schools
Reptiles of the RainforestWelchInteractive exposure to animals and reptiles and their habitats
School Kids PaintWelchHands-on art presentation
Arts for Learning Massachusetts: ManguitoPVMHSSeries of concerts weaving cultural lessons through performance
Grooversity - Brazilian BeatsCarrollInnovative drummin network providing music, energy and diversity
LEGO Discovery CenterWelchHands-on learning opportunity that incorporates science and engineering
The North Shore Music TheaterWelchSecond Grade Field Trip to North Shore Music Theater
Auschwitz Exhibition Pegasus Cluster Field TripHigginsImmersive experience to understand the depth of the Holocaust and genocide
Marine Science Cruise & Salem Sound Watershed Field TripSouthHands-on learning experience with local ecosystem
Safe Solar Eclipse ViewingCenterProviding safe glasses for viewing eclipse with students
Soldering TimePVMHSClean soldering kits for building electronic circuits for electronic students
Lifting Spirits Equine TherapyBrown/Higgins/PVMHSMobile equine assisted therapy
Massachusetts Prostart Cake Decorating CompetitionPVMHSSupplies and registration for students
Virtual and OnSite Visits with Manomet IncPREPHands-on study of local ecosystems
STEM Vehicle Building KitsHigginsSTEM activity for science students in 7th grade
North Shore Music Theater's MadagascarCenterField Trip for Kindergarten
Board Games for STEM NHSHigginsSTEM games to facilitate community building and STEM learning initiative
North Shore Music Theater's MadagascarCenterField trip for second grade
Getting to the Root of the Scalp HealthPVMHSSupplies to assist in providing students with needed skills
Seasons of ColorPVMHSSupplies to assist in providing students with needed skills
From Naumkeag Settlers to Salem ShippersBurkeField trip to House of Seven Gables for third grade

Check out some of our funded PEF Grants:

Wristbands for 5th Graders!

Education goes beyond the walls of a school building. The Mayor created a City Task Force to review processes and increase safety for students as they walk, bike, ride or take the car or bus to and from school every day. The Task Force is created with stakeholders in our community including but not limited to Peabody Public School staff, parents, Peabody Police Department, Peabody Health Department and more. One of the goals within this committee is to educate all of our students with magnified focus on fifth graders transitioning to middle school. All fifth graders are receiving safety information along with a wristband funded by the Peabody Education Foundation. Wristbands are very popular for this age group, and it serves as a reminder as they wear it about the safety education they have learned.

Tell the Story: Reading, Writing, and Wampum

The PEF Grants program funded ‘Tell the Story: Reading, Writing, and Wampum’ for all third-grade students at the Brown School. Museum docents and historian experts from Plimoth Patuxet Museums presented to the entire third-grade student body over a course of three sessions. This program taught students how to write with a real quill and ink and create a 17th-century piece of writing. In addition, they also learned about wampum belts and created their own original designs.

Students in third-grade study the history of Massachusetts and New England. This program helped students learn about the adaptation of Native Americans and English colonists to the Massachusetts environment and how English Puritan ideas shaped the development of Massachusetts from colony to state.

Curious Creatures

With funding from the PEF Grants program, the Captain Samuel Brown Elementary School arranged a visit from Curious Creatures for students in grade 1. Curious Creatures is an educational live animal program. The presenter brought animals such as alligators, lizards, snakes, mammals, turtles, tortoises, bugs, and amphibians to help students learn about animal adaptations through first-hand observation. Students were able to touch and interact with the animals.

The program engaged students and allowed them to learn about animal adaptions, which is a first-grade science standard, in an engaging and interactive way!

Grooversity – Brazilian Beats

Through the PEF Grants program, the Thomas Carroll Elementary School received funding to bring the Grooversity – Brazilian Beats program to students in grade 4. Grooversity is an innovative drumming network led by Brazilian percussionist Marcus Santos.

The goal of the program is to promote Afro-Brazilian percussion as an educational resource, entertainment, and catalyst for social change. Grooversity has been a staple in the fourth grade for the past three years at the Thomas Carroll School. Students feed off Grooversity’s music, energy, and diverse background, forming great connections with the performers!

Play for All

Funds provided through PEF Grants helped support the successful implementation of the new ‘Play for All’ program across eight elementary schools within the district. These schools needed essential recreational equipment to encourage active play among their students. With funding from the PEF Grants, the schools were able to get comprehensive recess bags and supplies, including basketballs, soccer balls, footballs, kickballs, jump ropes, hula hoops, cones, bases, and a bat and ball set. These items cover a broad range of activities suitable for diverse interests and skill levels, ensuring every child finds a preferred way to engage in physical play during recess.

Resources provided through the ‘Play for All’ program will positively impact the overall school environment, promoting physical health, social interaction, teamwork, problem-solving skills, and emotional well-being among elementary students!

STEAM Museum at the West

With funding from PEF Grants, the West Memorial Elementary School was able to provide students with an enriching learning experience through the ‘STEAM Museum: A Hands-On Museum.’ Through this program, students got to explore state-of-the-art, immersive, and hands-on exhibits focused on STEAM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math). Stations students could experience included robots, virtual reality, 3D printing, art, engineering, and more!

In today’s tech-driven world, it’s helpful for students to be aware of the role that science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics play in their day-to-day lives. The STEAM Museum exhibits were able to extend and reinforce many of the concepts and skills addressed in the classroom curriculum. The hands-on nature of the program also allowed students to apply and develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Family Science Night

The PEF Grants Program funded the ‘Family STEM Night’ for the John E. Burke School. With PEF support, the school got educational entertainment company, Top Secret Kids, to run a 90-minute STEM Night for 200 students in grades K-5. During the program, the school community, parents, and students were able to learn together by participating in hands-on activities that included teachings about motion, light, earth science, and more.

The Family STEM Night was designed to promote STEM education and help students see the real-world applications of these concepts. Further, by bringing parents and students together, the program helped strengthen family bonds and create positive memories.

Johnny the K

With funding from the PEF Grants Program, The Center School brought award-winning musician and teacher, Johnny the K’s Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) character-building presentation to students in grades K-5. Johnny the K combines his experiences as a teacher and his talents as a musician to create a unique performance that uses lively music, humor, and creativity to inspire social awareness, social skills, learning and self-respect.

The program was designed to support mental wellness within the school community, encouraging students to develop a positive attitude about themselves and the world around them; demonstrate a sense of pride in their accomplishments; always be determined to do their best; and learn to cooperate with one another.

South School Store

The PEF funded the South School Store to benefit South Memorial Elementary School’s students. The store is intended to increase students’ motivation to read and achieve their Accelerated Reader goals.

The school rolled out the Accelerated Reader program to help build a culture of reading. The program helps students find ‘just right’ books and allows them to analyze their own data. To boost student buy-in for the Accelerated Reader program, the school decided to open the new South School Store. With Accelerated Reader, students earn points that translate into spending points for use at the store. Each grade has differentiated levels, which includes purple, green, blue, gold, and platinum clubs. Every club requires a certain number of points, allowing for reachable yet rigorous challenges for all students.  

Since its launch, the store has helped drive success for Accelerated Reader! Students have been working hard to meet the goals of the program and join the leveled clubs!

Mindfulness in the Classroom

On January 3rd, 2023, the Welch Elementary School welcomed Christopher Willard, PsyD, to their school for an author talk for students in pre-k through 3rd grade. Dr. Willard is a clinical psychologist at Harvard Medical School and author of more than 19 publications for children and adults. During his visit, he read aloud from his book, Breathing Makes It Better, which helps students understand the power of breath and introduces them to basic mindfulness practices when dealing with new and difficult emotions.

Welch teachers received copies of Breathing Makes It Better, Alphabreaths, and Alaphabreaths Too, so they may use the books as simple guided practice with their students throughout the rest of the school year and beyond. The grant money was also able to purchase a copy of his book in Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese to allow our ELL students and their caregivers equal access to the resources.

Stay Sharp Barbering

The PEF Grants Program funded ‘Stay Sharp Barbering’ for 10th to 12th grade students at Peabody Veteran’s Memorial High School. To support an uptick in the popularity of barbering, the funding was used to purchase professional and high-quality barbering equipment for students in the school’s cosmetology program. Through ‘Stay Sharp Barbering,’ students now get the real-world experience of working with equipment that they will eventually use in barbershops and hair salons.

This new equipment will also allow students to discover new services they can offer to clients, ultimately providing them with more opportunities to be successful once they launch their careers in the field. ‘Stay Sharp Barbering’ will benefit students by helping them expand their skill set so they stand out from the crowd.

STEAM Museum

The PEF Grants Program funded the STEAM Museum for students in Pre-K through 5th grade at the McCarthy School. Through the portable, hands-on STEAM Museum, students were able to learn about engaging topics such as manufacturing methods, energy technology, simple machines, gear ratios, 3D printing, robotics, geometry, structures, friction, and gravity.

Amid ongoing COVID-19 protocols, the program was a great way for students to get the experience of a science museum without leaving the safety of the school building. The STEAM Museum encouraged students to work together and problem solve with their peers, as well as contribute to their character and career education.

Spectrum Yoga

The PEF Grants Program funded the ‘Spectrum Yoga’ initiative for students with special needs in grades 6 to12 at Higgins Middle School and Peabody Veterans Memorial High School. ‘Spectrum Yoga’ is a four-month program designed to help students with special needs manage anxiety and emotional regulation as well as improve concentration and memory.

The program is being taught by Ms. Amy LaFave, a certified Yoga instructor who holds many certifications in Yoga for children with special needs. Ms. LaFave is certified in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which is a behavior program for students with autism spectrum disorder. She has also completed a training program called Voice Colors Yoga, which is Yoga geared specifically toward children with special needs. 

Peabody Learning Academy Music/Guitars

The Peabody Education Foundations PEF grant program funded Music/Guitar lessons at the Peabody Learning Academy. This program is an elective offered to students and is one of the first music/art classes at the school! Math and Science teacher, Kevin Tanglis, requested 5 guitars for his students to help provide a creative outlet during their day.  Because many of the classes at PLA are taken online, the guitars offer a great way for students to express their creative side and allows for a hands-on learning approach. This program combined music theory along with guitar lessons to help the students grow creatively. Thank you to Kevin Tanglis for this great idea!

Breakout Boxes

Breakout Boxes was requested by Teacher Vincent Raponi. Vincent requested the Breakout Boxes for his students at the Higgins Middle School. Breakout Boxes challenges students to think critically, collaborate with others, be creative and increases communication skills. The kit includes a unique collection of resettable locks, boxes and items that can be used for immersive learning games. Check out this funded PEF grant in action by playing the video!

Drunk Busters

The Peabody Education Foundation’s PEF grant program funded ‘Drunk Busters’ for the Higgins Middle School. Drunk Busters was requested for the Higgins 6th, 7th and 8th grade health classes with the objective being to educate the middle school on the effects of alcohol and drug use. Drunk Busters is designed to show students the dangers of substance abuse and hopefully give them a better understanding of how drugs and alcohol can impair them.

> Click here to read Salem News article 

Hands On STEM Math Enrichment Program

The Peabody Education Foundation funded materials for the Hands On STEM Math Enrichment Program for the 4th grade classroom at the South Memorial School. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. These four fields share an emphasis on innovation, problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork and collaboration. Teacher, Jennifer Hincman, requested materials for the program to incorporate this curriculum into monthly engaging activities. The benefits of this program include project based learning, school community and collaboration, life skills, teamwork and more.

STEM Vehicle Building Kits

Under the PEF Grants Program, we funded STEM Vehicle Building Kits for a small group of seventh graders studying science at the Higgins Middle School. The kits were used for the grade’s end-of-year STEM vehicle building activity.

Each student could choose a vehicle from the kit, two batteries, and sharpies. Once designed, students had to submit a written description of their vehicle and explain how energy is transferred to make it begin and end motion. The project covered three standards of the Massachusetts Science frameworks – electricity and magnetism, energy transfer, and engineering.This activity helped enhance student engagement. Students were also able to bring their completed vehicles home, which was an added bonus!

#WhatliftsPVMHS? – Kelsey Montague Inspired Murals 

During the 2018-2019 school year, we funded #WhatliftsPVMHS – Kelsey Montague Inspired Murals for Peabody High School. This program invited Art students at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School to research, read and respond to the street art murals by artist Kelsey Montague and her initiative #WhatliftsYou. Together, students identified the uniqueness of Montague’s style and discussed the content in her imagery, such as wings, hot air balloons and kites. Using Montague’s artwork as inspiration, as a group, students discussed and brainstormed potential locations inside PVMHS, and content and message for three murals in their own school. They then interpreted and illustrated sketches for murals for their walls and proposed ways that their peers, faculty, staff and visitors could interact with the unique and personal images that are special to the PVMHS school community.

SkyDome Planetarium 

The SkyDome Planetarium was requested by Cindy Littlefield at the Welch School. This program incorporated a portable, inflatable planetarium that could accommodate up to ninety students at a time. The students entered and took part in a 45 minute journey through the universe. There was a navigator who guided the students through the stars which were exactly how they appeared on the presentation day. The students learned about all of the stars and constellations as well as how to identify them in the sky. They were also able to see the sky during different seasons from different global perspectives. Thank you Cindy for this great experience!

7th Grade Outdoor Classroom Water Quality Study

The 7th Grade Outdoor Classroom was designed by science teachers at the Higgins Middle School as a way to provide students with regular and seasonal access to the diverse learning environment of the Higgins trails and wetlands. Through weekly forays into the natural area within walking distance of the school, students are asked to become citizen scientists as they collect authentic data, analyze pond and soil health, monitor phenological changes and conduct short- and long-term studies of biological change. This program aligns the Higgins 7th grade classroom science curriculum to place-based examples at both the ecosystem and habitat level. The Peabody Education Foundation proudly funded the biochemical test kits and supplies which included dissolved oxygen test kits, pH water test refill, infrared thermometer, Celestron binoculars and more!

Whalemobile

Our PEF Grant Program funded ‘The WhaleMobile’ for the second-grade students at the Center School in Peabody. Whalemobile gave students a rare opportunity to see a life-size model of a real whale!  Each class spent a half hour inside the inflatable whale where they got to see just how big the insides of a whale are! From the heart to the stomach, the students got a clear representation of what a whale looks like from the inside. The students watched in awe as the instructor taught them how the whale operates. Students were also able to touch baleen, bones and teeth from real whales!

Makerspace STEAM Weekly Classes

The South Memorial Elementary School created the Makerspace STEAM Weekly Classes program to promote creative thinking and problem solving through student-led, inquiry-based tasks and challenges. During these classes, students work in a team or individually to build different types of robots, design sail cars, complete engineering and design challenges, build and race cars, and design and print 3D ideas. These inquiry-based learning activities encourage students to explore different ideas and ask questions to help them become self-learners who are capable of out-of-the-box thinking. The funds helped the school purchase materials, such as several build sets, learning kits and games, and more, to get the program up and running. The PEF Grant Committee is excited to see the students work together to creatively tackle various projects! Check out the video and pictures below!

Intergenerational Book Club

The Peabody Education Foundation funded the ‘Intergenerational Book Club’ for 4th grade students at Center School in Peabody. As part of the program, students and their ‘literacy grandparents’ read and discussed the book, ‘The War with Grandpa,’ as well participated in activities together. At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, community seniors were required to completely isolate, which meant fewer interactions between students and their elderly grandparents.

The ‘Intergenerational Book Club’ helped revive the bond between students and their grandparents and/or community elders. The program also fostered a respect of the elderly among students and allowed them to learn about what life was like in the past compared to the present. Besides helping students and community elders reconnect, the ‘Intergenerational Book Club’ also provided a great educational experience for the students. Using the literature unit, ‘A Guide for Using The War with Grandpa,’ the program’s learning objectives include reading comprehension, vocabulary, writing, critical thinking lessons, and art.

Photos courtesy of Cheryl Millard!

Higgins Green Screen Studio

Building off of a previous PEF grant, Librarian Sudi Smoller was looking to transform a study room off the library into a Green Screen Studio. The studio would be used to help students develop their media production skills and also gave the students a space to complete video assignments for their classes.

The Peabody Education Foundation funded this creative studio and was able to see it live in action during a visit to the middle school. While we were there, Higgins students demonstrated how their Green Screen Studio works by creating a short ‘Safari’ themed video.

Wake-Up Brain Bins

The PEF Grants program funded ‘Wake-Up Brain Bins’ for students at the Brown School. Wake-Up Brain Bins are morning tubs that are integrated into the classroom to promote problem solving, boost creativity and engage students in open-ended activities. Each morning, the students pull out these bins to help them wake up and warm up for the day ahead!

American Sign Language (ASL) Materials Library

Our PEF Grants Program funded the ‘Sign Language Materials Library’ for Pre-K students at McCarthy Elementary School in Peabody. The library includes educational materials such as magnetic American Sign Language (ASL) letters, sign language classroom practice book, sign language posters, flash cards for quick access to signs, and phonics book. These materials will help the school support learning for students with autism, hearing impairments, cochlear implants, and other language needs, as well as non-verbal students. Besides aiding and promoting total communication in the classroom, these materials will also help in normalizing the use of sign language and encouraging general education students to accept and learn alongside their peers.

Botball Robotics

The Peabody Education Foundation’s PEF Grant program funded Botball for the new PVMHS after-school Robotics Club! The goal of the Robotics club is to encourage any students interested in engineering, robotics, math, science, and technology to participate. The Botball program served as the focus of their Club allowing the students to problem solve, work in teams and provide practical application to physics, math, programming and electronics.

The Botball Educational Robotics Program engages middle and high school students in a team-oriented robotics competition, and serves as a perfect way to meet today’s new common core standards. Check out the students journey from the workshops they attended to the actual competition!

Sensory Walls

The PEF Grants Program funded ‘Sensory Walls’ for students at Captain Samuel Brown School. The ‘Sensory Walls’ program was created to provide a stimulating environment for students with developmental delays. The funds will allow the school to purchase tools and kits to build various sensory walls that provide tactile sensory input to children’s hands and fingers.

The walls will allow students to discover the world around them and provide comfort to distressed and overactive individuals. The ‘Sensory Walls’ program will benefit students at the school by facilitating an increase in concentration and attention, promoting cognitive development through increased brain function, improving coordination and motor development, and much more.

Field Trip to the House of the Seven Gables – Salem, MA

Our PEF Grants Program funded a field trip to the House of the Seven Gables for the third grade students at the West Memorial School! During the trip, students got a tour of the house and were able to see first hand how daily life was during the 17th Century. This hands-on field trip aligned perfectly with the third grade social studies curriculum. 

Food Truck & Clay Food Design

The PEF funded the Food Truck and Clay Food Design Project for the Center School with the goal of encouraging innovative thinking and problem solving in students.

For this program, the school’s third and fourth graders created their own 3D model of a food truck with paper and designed food with model magic clay and markers. Students also came up with an original name for their food truck and developed a logo and menu.

The program taught students the value of graphic designers, logos, color in creating an aesthetic product. Using clay to design the food also helped students understand the basics of ceramics.

Sports Museum Field Trip – TD Garden

The PEF Grants Program funded a tour of The Sports Museum for third graders at South Memorial School. This exciting tour of the Museum, located at TD Garden in Boston, was intended to help students understand the rich heritage of Boston sports and the influence of sports on the social history and evolution of the city. The field trip also aligned with the students’ Social Studies programs that focused on the growth of cities and towns, and on identifying historic buildings, monuments in the cities and towns of Massachusetts. The students had a wonderful day at the Museum and enjoyed visiting the famous TD Garden that houses two of our beloved sports teams!

Soldering Time

The PEF Grants Program funded soldering kits for the electronics/robotics club at PVMHS. The kits are used to build electronic circuits, such as FM radios, and help students learn the skill of soldering metal to connect components together. Soldering is a STEM process of technology engineering and manufacturing, using science and mathematics to determine design. These kits assisted students in enhancing their fine motor skills for building and repairing electronic circuits, as well as for designing engineering projects, engaging in manufacturing processes, and ensuring the quality control of electronics. Vocational Electronics Instructor, Dale Larocque M.Ed., stated “These soldering stations are fantastic and allow us to expand our training to teach better skills to our students.”

A Book for Every Reader: Manga & Graphic Novels

The PEF Grants Program funded ‘A Book for Every Reader: Manga & Graphic Novels’ for the PVMHS library.  PVMHS Librarian, Julie Pease, requested a large number of graphic novels and manga books to help add to and  build up their collection. Graphic novels and manga are a growing trend in Young Adult (YA) publishing, and they are extremely popular among the students at PVMHS. These genres also help support reluctant readers, English learners, and, student interests.

Prior to funding this program, the graphic novel and manga collections made up a little under 3% of the total library collection. Despite being only 3% of the collection, nearly a quarter of all books checked out of the PVMHS library during the 2022-2023 and current 2023-2024 school year are manga or graphic novels. Narrowing the scope to only fiction books, the number jumps to 40% of all circulations. The library wanted to add high interest and diverse graphic novel and manga books to support this demand and make sure that all students at PVMHS see themselves represented in the graphic novel and manga collections.

Julie shared these pictures with us and wrote “I want to take one more opportunity to thank the PEF Grants Committee for helping the PVMHS library put graphic novels and manga into students’ hands.”

Funded PEF Grants

2022 Awarded PEF Grants
  • STEAM Night / Burke School – A portable hands-on Steam Museum comes to the school.
  • Classroom Magazines / Center School & Higgins – Jr. Scholastic and New York Times Upfront subscriptions for 8th Graders.
  • Let’s Find Out / Welch School – Scholastic Classroom magazines for kindergartners.
  • Young Audiences Arts for Learning / Peabody Learning Academy – Performing and visual arts programs.
  • Partnering with the Peabody Police / District-wide: 2nd & 3rd Grades – Peabody Police officers reading specific books to 2nd and 3rd graders across the district.
  • Sensory Walls / Brown School – A space on a school wall that provides touch sensory input to children’s fingers and hands,
    allowing children to explore their senses.
  • Welch School Chess Club – Developing learning and chess skills for students.
  • Mindfulness in the Classrooms / Welch School – A visit and books from Dr. Christopher Willard who spoke to and read to the
    students/teachers about how “Breathing makes it better.”
  • Legacy Pins & Tiles / PVMHS – An interactive ceramic mural about connections through identity.
  • Exploring Literature / Center School – Scholastic Storybook Magazines exposing grades 3-5 students to a variety of genres in literature.
  • Field Trips / PVMHS, Welch, Higgins, & South School – “A Christmas Carol,” “House of Seven Gables,” “Romeo & Juliet,” “Maple Sugaring,” “Curious George Musical,” “Museum of Science,” “Paul Revere House”
  • Classroom Calm Spots / Welch School – Social/emotional support materials for classrooms.
  • Spectrum Yoga / Higgins & PVMHS – Yoga program designed for special needs students.
  • The Observer / PVMHS – Printing costs for the High School literary magazine.
  • First Families of Plimoth Colony / Brown School – A live performance of a resident of 1627 Plimoth Colony brought to 3rd grade students.
  • Paper Pulp Painting / PVMHSA paper making project.
  • Integrating the Integument / PVMHS – Program brings science to cosmetology students.
  • Learning with Brainpop / McCarthy School – Children’s educational website.
  • Bringing Social Studies to the 4th Graders / McCarthy School – Atlases for 4th Graders.
  • STEM Vehicle Building Kits / Higgins – Kits for 7th Graders learning about energy, electricity and magnetism.
  • STAR Positive Praise Materials / Center School – Materials to educate students on critical social-emotional topics.
  • Constructing 3DP’s for rapid-prototyping / PVMHS – Materials to construct functional 3D printers for Junior Electronic Engineering Students.
  • Ecosystem Health / Higgins – Materials for hands-on experience collecting and analyzing wetland ecosystem health data.
  • Everyday Speech / Center School – Curriculum to cover students’ social-emotional learning and social communication needs.
  • Cultivating Curls / PVMHS – Purchase mannequins for cosmetology students.
  • Food Truck and Clay Food Design Project / Center School – Materials to design 3D food trucks, menus and food to assist students with innovation and problem solving.
  • Making Chemistry Visual / PVMHS – Online platform designed to engage students with interactive videos.
  • Tyto Online / Higgins – Online platform providing video for students to explore science phenomena and solve problems.
  • PVMHS Model United Nations – Registration fees for Model UN Program.
  • Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging / PLA and PREP – Books exploring tribal societies.
  • Printing Support in the Preschool Classroom / McCarthy School – Materials assisting preschool students how to print.
  • Introduction to Robotics Engineering / PVMHS – Materials for constructing, troubleshooting and operating functional robots for engineering students.
  • Creating Calm in the Classroom and Beyond / Higgins – Tools to help students focus on academics and overcome anxiety.
2019 Awarded PEF Grants
  • Rainforest Reptile Show
  • Think Spaces
  • Art Display Units for Annual Art Show
  • Marvelous Makerspace Materials
  • Welch School Birthday Books
  • Understanding the Wolf through Education and Exposure
  • Higgins Print Shop
  • Tide Pool Alive
  • New Rep Classic Repertory Company Performing Romeo and Juliet
  • Classroom Calm Spots
  • The Mind Cannot Forget What the Hands Have Learned
  • Frog and Toad presented by North Shore Music Theater
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra Youth Concert Field Trip
  • METG Drama Festival 2019 – Film & Media Program
  • Gene Modification Using CRISPR/Cas9
  • Mindful Superhero Club presents “Cultivating Compassion on a Green Screen!” 
  • The Observer Printing Costs
  • Peabody Essex Museum: Life in Salem/Early American Collections
  • PVMHS Robotics – KIPR Botball
  • Tiger Trail – An Indoor Fitness/Sensory Trail
  • Boston’s Bluster and Battle at the Burke! 
  • Theaterworks USA – The Pout Pout Fish
  • Wonder Robots
  • Higgins Helping Hawks Student Mentoring Program
  • Curious Creatures Kids Zoo
  • Pirate Talk-Receptive and Expressive Language Game
  • 7th Grade Outdoor Classroom Learning Project
  • Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride
  • Text Sets for Striving Readers
  • Cosmetology in the 21st Century
  • Beams, Bridges, and Columns
2016 Awarded PEF Grants
  • MICCA Concert Festival
  • Girl Power
  • Peabody Essex Museum: American/Salem Collections
  • New England Aquarium Field Trip
  • Study Buddies – Fairy Tale Friends
  • Think Social with Social Thinking and Brain Gym
  • Fine & Gross Motor Materials
  • Macaroni Soup! Active Music for Kids
  • Higgins Helping Hawks Student Mentoring Program
  • No Bullying: Stand Up, Step In
  • Transitional Partners Program
  • Wiggles and Giggles
  • Social Thinking
  • Higgins Library Expands Hour of Code Activities with Sphero Spark Robots
  • Headsprout
  • Yoko Kawashima Watkins Presentation
  • Music for the Mind
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra Youth Concert Field Trip
  • Sound Waves by Discovery Museum’s Traveling Field Trips
  • Downloadable Collection Kick-Off
  • Schoolyard Science with Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats
  • Forces in Motion
  • Drama Festival 2017 Artist-in-Residence
  • Tide Pool Alive
  • Lunar Exhibition at Peabody Essex Museum
  • Paul Revere Midnight Ride
  • Welch School Birthday Books
  • 2nd and 3rd Grade Milestones Program
  • Choices for the Choices Program
  • Schoolyard Science with Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats
  • LEGO Engineering Concepts
  • TenMarks
  • Wolf Hollow
  • Theaterworks USA Field Trip: Miss Nelson is Missing
  • Hands-On Math Centers
  • Uprising on King Street: Boston Massacre
  • Animal Adventures
  • Tide Pool Alive
  • Book Clubs
  • Let’s Get Moving Numbers Kit
  • Engineering and Erosion
  • A Guided Discovery of Electromagnetism
2021 Awarded PEF Grants
  • A Forensic Science Guest Speaker
  • Higgins Helping Hawks Student Mentoring Program
  • Curriculaughs in Literacy
  • Intergenerational Book Club
  • Scholastic Classroom Magazines
  • Wake Up Brain Bins
  • Young Audiences of Mass
  • Makerspace STEAM Weekly Classes
  • Curious Creatures Reptile Zoo
  • Art Mural Contest
  • Let’s Find Out Magazines
  • Rainforest Reptile Shows
  • Printmaking Materials
  • PBL Hot/Cold Chocolate Stands
  • STEM Math Enrichment Program
  • STEAM Museum
  • Sign Language Materials Library
  • Books!!!!!
  • Outdoor Classroom Water Quality Study
  • Humor-Infused Poetry Education and Reading
2018 Awarded PEF Grants
  • Peabody Essex Museum: American and Salem Collections
  • Weather: Wind, Water and Temperature
  • Geology: Rock Detectives
  • Motion, Forces, and Energy
  • Robotics Battle Bot
  • Cluster Time Enrichment Activities
  • Forensic Science
  • #WhatLiftsPVMHS – Kelsey Montague Inspired Murals
  • Tanner to Tanner
  • Marty Kelley Author Presentation
  • Snow Shoes Program
  • Loom Knitting
  • Code: The Newest Language Spoken at Welch School
  • STEM Learning
  • 7th Grade Outdoor Classroom Learning Project
  • Engineering and Erosion
  • Welch School Birthday Books
  • ACCESS Crafters
  • Curious Creatures Make Writing Come Alive
  • Substance Abuse Awareness
  • Beams, Bridges & Columns
  • Book Club: Alienation and Identity
  • Engineer a Coaster Activity Kit with Standup Magnetic Write and Wipe Board
  • Mass Poetry In-School Student Day of Poetry
  • Pear Deck
  • Motion, Forces, and Energy
  • The Whalemobile
  • Engineer It! Power to Production
  • Paul Revere Midnight Ride
  • Magnification of Learning Illumination
  • Breakout Edu
  • “The Observer” Student Literary Magazine
  • Higgins Innovation and Learning Lab (HILL)
  • Teaching Exercise Science & Anatomy Students How to Take & Read ECGs
  • Number Talks Whole Number Computation and supplements
  • Bringing Learning to Life
2015 Awarded PEF Grants
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra Youth Concert Field Trip
  • Peabody Essex Museum – American/Salem Collections
  • Unifix Color Coded Sentence Building Kit
  • Schoolyard Science with Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats
  • Life at Sea: A Voyage in Song
  • Nye, oh Nye! That’s some super science
  • Fractions for 3rd Graders
  • Tide Pool Alive
  • Chris Brown Presents: Click, Clack, Moo
  • Accelerated Reader
  • Higgins Helping Hawks Student Mentoring Program
  • Equestrian Connection
  • Expanding Expression Tool, 2nd Edition (EET)
  • The Diary of Anne Frank
  • 5th Annual Higgins Spelling Bee and Online Visual Thesaurus Dictionary
  • Informational Text Research Using Newsela
  • Touch-Typing Awards
  • Bamidele Dancers and Drummers
  • A Guided Discovery of Electromagnetism
  • Techsploration
  • Windows on Wildlife
  • Sensory Diet Materials
  • Creating a Kinesthetic Classroom
  • Math Masters
  • DIG-IT High Touch High Tech
  • Dig into Dinosaurs
  • Jeff Danger, Science Ranger’s Physical Science Show
  • Tidepool Adaptions
  • Motion Force and Work
  • Grade 1 Take Home Book Package
  • High Touch High Tech
2020 Awarded PEF Grants
  • Classroom Calm Spots 
  • Makerspace Style Interactive Hallway
  • Wake Up Peabody! on Welch-o-Vision
  • Playground Communication
  • Higgins Helping Hawks Student Mentoring Program
  • Mindfulness in the Classroom
2017 Awarded PEF Grants
  • Salem Sound Coast Watch: Watershed Ecology
  • Outdoor Science with Joppa Flats
  • At Home in Salem/American Collections
  • Jway Hopscotch Game
  • Beams, Bridges & Columns
  • Books for Classroom Guidance
  • Just Right Books for Students
  • Freedom Trail: Cafetorium Style!
  • Tide Pool Alive
  • Theaterworks USA: Dragons Love Tacos and other stories
  • New England Aquarium
  • Story Grammar Marker Kit
  • Kindle for Kids Bundle
  • Schoolyard Science with Mass Audubon’s Joppa Flats
  • Wiggles and Giggles Exercise Program
  • A Guided Discovery of Electromagnetism
  • Webber Articulation Cards and Fun Sheets
  • Welch School Birthday Books
  • Contact: The Magic of Communication
  • Weather: Wind, Water, and Temperature
  • Electromagnetism
  • SkyDome Planetarium
  • Backpackin It
  • Curious Creatures Make Writing Come Alive
  • Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride
  • Young Authors Day
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra Youth Concert Field Trip
  • Enhancing Our Green Screen Production Studio
  • Mythmasters
  • We Video
  • Higgins Helping Hawks Student Mentoring Program
  • 7th Grade outdoor Classroom Learning Project
  • Collaborative Learning through Breakout EDU
  • Exploring the World in Three Dimensions: Virtual Reality in the Classroom
  • Littlest Tanners Community Project
  • PLA Music/Guitar
  • Classroom Lending Library
  • Junior Scholastic
  • Animal Adaptations
  • Spectroscopes for the classroom
  • Other Voices Book Club
  • First Aid & CPR/AED Certification Program
  • International Culinary Delight: Foreign Language and Culinary Arts
  • Little Tanners Lending Library
2014 Awarded PEF Grants
  • Wonderful World of Raptors
    Peabody Essex Museum American/Salem Collections
  • Social Thinking Curriculum
  • Class Set of Hands-On Equations for Teacher and Thirty Students
  • Forensic Science Studies
  • Creature Features
  • Read About Math Learning Centers – Complete Set
  • Hands-On Science
  • Nudging the Imagination
  • Windows on Wildlife: Adaptions Program
  • Fraction Problem Solving
  • Tide Pool Alive!
  • Fit Girls
  • Science from Scientist’s Science Theater
  • Accelerated Reader
  • Seussical, Theatreworks USA
  • Kestrel Educational Adventures
  • 4th Annual Higgins Spelling Bee & Online Visual Thesaurus Dictionary
  • Award-winning children’s author James M Deem Visits with the Panthers
  • Higgins Helping Hawks Student-to-Student Mentoring
  • REACH Program Painting Class
  • MathsAmazing
  • Meeting with History – Yoko Kawashima Watkins
  • The Poetry Company
  • Higgins Student IT Help Desk
  • News-2-You (online subscription)
  • Phonological Awareness Chipper Chat
  • Curious Creatures Kid Zoo
  • Electromagnetism
  • Discovery Museum
  • Life Cycle of a Raptor
  • Brazilian Dance & Drum with Gregory Coles
  • Boston Symphony Orchestra Youth Concert Field Trip
  • Special Effects Makeup Hands On Class
  • Social Studies 4th Grade Curriculum
  • Social Studies – Travels Across America’s Past
  • Brain Pop Jr.
  • Literature Based Learning Centers
  • Sensory Diet Materials
  • Literacy Alive! Celebrating Reading with Robert Rivest
  • Join In – Multi-Cultural Folktales and Legends
  • Seeds and Plants
  • Animal Adaptions
  • Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum Tour
  • Life in the 17th Century and At Home in Salem 1785-1820
  • Tidepools Alive
  • Mad Science: An “Edutaining” Performance
  • ThinkTank: Numbersense & Problem Solving
  • Visit from author Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Peabody Education Foundation

The Peabody Education Foundation provides unique programs and advanced technology to thousands of students and teachers who might otherwise not enjoy such experiences due to budget constraints.

P.O. Box 233
Peabody, MA 01960

info@peabodyedfoundation.org