SCSD Staff Named 2022 Joseph A. Schramm Grant Award Winners

Fifteen SCSD staff members have been named recipients of 2022 Joseph A. Schramm grant awards, enabling them to fund special projects, activities, and experiences for their students.
 
Congratulations to Emily Carpenter (Huntington – Civics Pathway Community Project); Lindsay Rooney (HW Smith – Pretend and Learn Play Space); Katie Sebo (HW Smith – Supporting the Development of SEL using the Slumberkins Curriculum); Stacy Griffin (Meachem – Silk Screening); Jing Xu (Franklin – Promoting Champion Readers); Angel Baines, Michael Netto, Patrick Gillette, and Edria Bonanni (PSLA – SCSD Community Based Bowling); Jill Porter (ITC – SCSD Community Based Bowling); Sara Cole and Isabel Carciofalo (Henninger – SCSD Community Based Bowling); Erica Moser (Syracuse Latin – Increasing Diversity and Inclusion in Music Performance and Literature); Chaz-Lit Doyle (Van Duyn – CHAMPS Academy School Musical); and Robert Brown (Porter – Community Block Party and Student Music Festival at Seabreeze)!
 
Each fall, SCSD teachers are encouraged to submit proposals for projects they would like to see funded. A Syracuse Teachers Association (STA) committee reviews the proposals and selects winners, which are funded as part of the STA contract. Committee member Don Little, a Social Studies teacher at Nottingham – who is also a past Schramm grant recipient himself – said the committee aims to select projects that are innovative and that reach the greatest number of students and do the greatest good.
 
“Some of the projects we’ve funded have been pretty cutting-edge and dynamic,” Mr. Little shared. “This grant opportunity is so important because it allows staff members to be go-getters. If they want to try something new, be a risk taker, or do something that isn’t widely used, this is a great opportunity. Ultimately, it’s great for our students because they get to experience things they may not otherwise get to experience. It’s important for our kids to know that they have the chance to experience things that might not otherwise be experienced, because their teacher thought outside the box or challenged conventional thinking to try something new for them.”
 
Any SCSD teacher, new or seasoned, is encouraged to apply. Next year’s call for proposals will open in the fall – teachers who are interested in applying can reach out to Maureen Kendrick at the Syracuse Teacher Center!