CHEF announces spring teaching excellence grants

The Cape Henlopen Educational Foundation recently announced 15 grants totaling $10,536 to help Cape Henlopen School District teachers provide new educational resources for their students.

The grants will support a variety of K-12 programs, including: a Beacon STEM Physics Day; production of the musical "Biscuit" at H.O. Brittingham Elementary; a high school class trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture; support for the Latino Family Literacy Project at Milton Elementary; a class outing to see the film "Hidden Figures"; an overnight science field trip; and support for a high school financial literacy project.

The grants are a central focus of CHEF's efforts to provide financial support for classroom and extracurricular projects and programs the school district could not otherwise afford. Since 2006, CHEF has funded over 200 teaching excellence grant requests, as well as anti-bullying programs, performing arts scholarships, career conferences, and a bookmobile, totaling over $200,000 in educational aid to the eight Cape District schools.

Grant requests are reviewed by Cape District administrators and then evaluated by a panel of educators, chaired by district reading specialist Cathy Miller. Recommendations are then submitted to the CHEF board for approval.

"The support of our generous local sponsors - individuals, businesses, and foundations - allows us to fund educational opportunities that inspire learning and promote career development," said CHEF President Jeff Gordon. "We can all remember from our own education the positive impact of field trips, cultural events and outside-the-textbook discoveries."

Now in its 10th anniversary year, CHEF is a 501c3 nonprofit organization, and the only fully functioning public school educational foundation in Delaware. For more information, go to www.chef-cape.org.