COLD SPRING – Cape Educational Fund held its annual luncheon ceremony Oct. 2 to honor and celebrate teachers whose innovative ideas resulted in grant support.
“It is really an honor and privilege to have the opportunity today to bestow these grants on the exceptional teachers Cape May County is blessed to have in our schools,” said Jan Carley Randle, president of the fund’s Board of Directors, as she opened the event.
“This year we are especially honoring Ruth Steenland who was the inspiration and continuity of the Fund for 30 years until her passing in September. In fact, Ruth so loved the fund that when she died she left to us money that we could then add to our funding for the teachers.”
Steenland, of Belleplain, passed away Sept. 5 at the age of 79. She was the owner of Steenland’s Gas Service and in addition to being a fervent leader of the fund was also committed to 4-H activities for 46 years.
$500 Grants
Tish Carpinelli, Lower Cape May Regional High School, “3D Mechanical Hands”; Hanna Toft, Cape May County Technical High School, “Ghost Busters”; Gary Rhile, Middle Township Middle School, “Bee Keeping”; Sharon Spriggs, Mitnick Elementary School, “Finch Robots”; Anthony McCurdy, Dennis Township Middle School, ”DT Robots”; Karen Biederman, Middle Township High School; “Art for a Cause”; Lisa Roach and Edward Janda, county Technical High School, “Monarch Waystation”; Micah Wenker, county Technical High School, “If You Build It, They Will Come”; Joseph Bridgeman and Glenn Donahue, Sandman Elementary, “Easy as Pi”; Karren Barr, LCMR High School, “Bunny Biology”; Colleen Ferrara, RM Teitelman School, “Who, What, Where We Are”.
Each recipient was given the floor to explain their winning project.
For example, Carpinelli explained that with her students they created actual working mechanical hands from a 3D printer for two people without hands.
One, Lyla, is 7-years-old having been born without a hand in China and adopted here. The Herald previously reported this project.
Roach and Janda described creating a monarch butterfly garden at their school with their students featuring milkweed plants to sustain them as they make their famous migrations through the county.
“Art for a Cause” recipient Biederman used the grant funding to buy canvases for her students to create art for sale with proceeds going to charities of the hosting school’s choice.
The “Ghost Busters” project submitted by Toft is a way for her students to become more familiar with commercial fishing practices especially the ocean’s grid patterns as pertains to positioning of crab pots. The project’s name refers to “ghost” crab pots which are those pots whose lines have been cut while out at sea and environmentally and financially it is important to find and retrieve them.
“It’s so exciting to see the diversity of these hugely worthwhile projects,” Randle said as she wrapped up the event. “The fund is always about expanding the experiences of the children and it’s really gratifying that we accomplish that goal so consistently, that we’re also able to help the community, and I look forward to next year’s awards.”
To contact Camille Sailer, email csailer@cmcherald.com.
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