An expanded and renovated library at the Slackwood School.
The purchase of 100 Chromebook laptop computers for the Lawrence Township Public Schools students.
The creation of an outdoor chessboard so Eldridge Park School students can learn to play.
Five iPads and cases to encourage Lawrence Intermediate School students to film, edit and produce short movies.
Those are among the special projects and items funded by the Lawrence Township Education Foundation – none of which would have been possible without the support of donors such as The Lawrenceville School, according to the nonprofit foundation.
Representatives of The Lawrenceville School presented a check for $75,000 to the Lawrence Township Education Foundation, bringing the private boarding school’s total contributions to the foundation to more than $1.6 million since 1995.
Headmaster Steve Murray presented the check to Karen Faiman, executive director of the Lawrence Township Education Foundation, and Vessy Dusichka, president of the foundation’s board of trustees.
“This year, more than ever, educators need to find innovative solutions to support our children, and the foundation’s support of the district’s teachers is critical,” Murray said.
The Lawrenceville School has increased its annual donation from $65,000 to $75,000 per year. Murray said he is pleased that the private boarding school can continue to help the Lawrence Township Education Foundation provide “an outstanding education” to the public school students.
Faiman, the foundation’s executive director, said members are “extremely grateful” for the partnership between the foundation and The Lawrenceville School. It is an example of the private school’s commitment to the public school district – which is attended by many faculty children – and to the well-being of the community, she said.
During the 2019-20 academic year, the Lawrence Township Education Foundation approved more than $200,000 in grants to the Lawrence Township Public Schools for 76 new programs and projects, including money to buy the 100 Chromebook laptop computers to address the COVID-19 pandemic and school closures, as well as assemblies and field trips that occurred before the schools were shut down.
In addition to its $75,000 annual contribution, The Lawrenceville School provides event sponsorship and numerous in-kind services, including office space on Phillips Avenue in the village of Lawrenceville, across the street from the school.
The Lawrenceville School’s contributions, along with donations from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and the Educational Testing Service and contributions from local businesses and residents, has enabled the foundation to approve grants to the public school teachers for special programs.
More than 900 grant requests have been approved and awarded since the Lawrence Township Education Foundation’s inception in 1992.
