Two groups of students at North High School in Worcester will take a significant step forward in pursuit of careers in health sciences and nursing, thanks to classroom mini-grants funded by the generosity of UMass Chan Medical School employees and students through the North Quadrant Support Services initiative.
North High School vocational education teacher Jennifer Carmona received a mini-grant to purchase scrubs and nursing shoes for 20 freshmen in the school’s Health Science Academy, which provides vocational training and career opportunities in health care.
“Receiving a grant is really a blessing for the students. It’s an amazing help to be able to provide all the freshmen students with quality scrubs and shoes, and it becomes one less thing the students and their families have to worry about buying at the start of the school year,” Carmona said.
A second grant was distributed to North High for the school’s Navigating Healthcare program that emphasizes career readiness, soft skills and effective test-taking strategies for seniors studying to become certified nursing assistants.
Additionally, elementary school teachers Christina Faria, Justine Wahlstrom and Chiara Ramos at Belmont Street Community school each received a mini-grant to host a traveling science workshop in their classrooms.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the North Quadrant schools to have this partnership with UMass Chan,” Ramos said. “The grants are giving us the chance to work together and help provide an extra learning opportunity that’s fun and exciting for the students.”
The science workshops will be held during STEM Week Oct. 21-25 and are presented by the Discovery Museum in Acton.
“The students get so excited when you tell them they’re going to do science experiments. When they know they’re going to get to do something hands-on, they really look forward to it,” Wahlstrom said.
Other funded projects at Belmont Street School include a color printer for special education teachers, reading instruction books and a kindergarten field trip to Davis Farmland in Sterling. North High teachers received funding for the expansion of the North High community garden, a life skills fitness program and sensory station, camera and video equipment for the school newspaper, a STEM robotics program, a field trip to the EcoTarium, and more.
More than $36,000 in grant funding from the UMass Chan North Quadrant Support Services initiative was awarded to 29 teachers and staff at eight North Quadrant schools in Worcester.
Funded projects at other schools across the quadrant included field trips, a petting zoo, specialized classroom furniture, robotics equipment for an after-school club, and the purchase of diverse books and learning materials.
“Each year we are thrilled to receive proposals to support health and science education initiatives in the North Quadrant. We have found these mini-grants can have a profound impact on students,” said John Erwin, vice chancellor for government relations at UMass Chan.
The grants were funded by students, faculty and staff who directed their UMass Chan Cares charitable campaign donations to North Quadrant Support Services.
The 2024 UMass Chan Cares annual charitable giving campaign will launch on Monday, Oct. 28.
By Pat Sargent
September 17, 2024