The Adams Middle School and Christen Backes, a student at Adams, were awarded a grant to present education panels at Adams and Baldwin on Autism. These panels, put on by FOCUS, The Center for Autism, will bring knowledge and understanding of the autism spectrum, and with knowledge, hopefully, comes compassion.

Guilford DAY (Developmental Assets for Youth) was awarded a grant to bring former NBA star Chris Herron to Guilford on March 23 to speak to students and their families about his experiences as a drug addict, stressing the devastation drugs bring to addicts and their families. On the day of his visit, Project Purple, Herron’s anti-drug movement, was celebrated with purple t-shirts, accessories and ribbons spread throughout the town.

Derek DeLucia, a Physical Education teacher at Melissa Jones School was awarded a grant to start an exercise program called Fitness Friday. The purpose of Fitness Friday is to promote and provide teachers and students strategies to build on their fitness and well-being.

The North Guilford Nursery School was awarded a grant to purchase an Imagination Playground. This set of 125 large building blocks. Large-block and loose-parts play elicit a child-directed, unstructured free play— the kind of play that experts deem critical to intellectual, social, physical and emotional development. A plethora of researchers state that playing with blocks helps children with cognitive development, communication and language skills, and motor skills.

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Amy Fenollosa and the Women and Family Life Center were awarded a grant to start Kids HUGS, a new program developed to supportchildren with a critically ill parent. Kids HUGS will offer support groups to provide children with a nurturing community where they will explore theiremotions and learn lifelong coping skills.

The GFFE awarded a grant to the Calvin Leete School to create a food garden. “The Learning Garden” will support the larger education goals and values of the school while benefitting the students in terms of math and science literacy, health and nutrition understanding, food behavior, environmental awareness, and engagement with the local community.

Baldwin Middle School Awarded Grant for the “Imagination Station”  The goal of the Baldwin Imagination Station is to provide 5th and 6th grade students with a place in which they can explore their passions and interests, experiment with physical and virtual tools and resources, and create items with their imagination as the only limit.