Rye Fund for Education Passes $1M Invested in Rye Schools
The nonprofit Rye Fund for Education has passed $1 million dollars invested in the Rye schools since the group relaunch itself in the fall of 2022. The group will be celebrating the milestone at its annual fundraiser this Thursday. The group funds grants – large grants and smaller “insta” grants – submitted by teachers, administrators and students.
In late February, the RFE board approved $435,000 in grants, for a total of just under $500,000 in the 2024-2025 grant cycle when including the smaller “insta” grants. Just a few of the grants:
- $183,000 for upgrades to the Rye High School performing art center for state of the art equipment and lighting (part of a larger renovation funded by bond proceeds)
- $80,000 for promethean boards to replace outdated, non-functional smartboards. These advanced interactive displays “transform lessons with touch- screen capabilities, multimedia integration, and real-time collaboration, keeping students engaged and improving focus”.
- $20,226 for virtual reality (VR) headsets to enhance the educational experience for 8th- grade students. VR headsets will be used to create “engaging, experiential learning opportunities, such as virtual field trips to historical landmarks, hands-on explorations of scientific phenomena, and immersive storytelling to analyze literature”.
- $19,781 for a new scoreboard for the girls softball team at Rye High School
- $2,770 for two tower gardens for the Rye High School. The goal of the project is “to promote the importance of gardening and nutrition within the RHS community”.
- $1,975 for 30 ukuleles to serve as a shared instructional tool for one unit in 5th grade
- $550 for a live Mariachi band performance during lunchtime at the high school, “providing students enhance their learning by offering an authentic and engaging performance, fostering a deeper appreciation for this vibrant and significant aspect of Hispanic culture”
And many, many more – see the 2024-2025 grant list. And watch this promotional video on promethean boards. See our December profile Giving Rye: Meet the Rye Fund for Education.
