Grants and Awards
Estell Manor School: Straight off the Vine
The Estell Manor School district was awarded a garden grant through the AtlantiCare Healthy Schools program. The district was very excited to be awarded the funds and teacher and project leader Sarah Sharpe quickly applied them to purchasing hydroponic water based garden systems for the classroom. The district purchased five small systems and one very large system. The students together grew strawberries, kale, edible flowers, assorted herbs and tomatoes. The tomato garden did extremely well and it has yielded at least three dozen tomatoes. The students literally picked the tomatoes from the vine and ate them. As for the other gardens the herb garden was used in abundance by the school cafeteria. Cafeteria staff regularly picked fresh herbs from their herb garden and cooked with them. Over Memorial Day weekend the second grade harvested the kale for the fourth time and made kale chips and shared them at the city wide senior social.
The largest tower was the district's last purchase and the varieties planted took the longest to grow. The crops were harvested by the students. They harvested enough chocolate mint, basil, and tomatoes for the students to take some home with a recipe of choice. Can you believe it? They are actually growing eggplant and broccoli in 3rd grade. This was an incredible experience for all students, staff, and community. Many people have been curious about the new gardens and are considering a similar purchase for their personal health and enjoyment. The entire community was beyond happy with both the experience and the opportunity that the district received through AtlantiCare in regards to the Garden Grant the district was awarded. This grant was written and managed by the incredible teacher, Mrs. Sarah Sharpe.
Fiocchi Announces State Grant to Estell Manor School District for Construction Projects
2015-Assembly Republican Sam Fiocchi announced that approximately $800,000 has been awarded by the School Development Authority (SDA) to the Estell Manor School District for major construction projects. The projects were coordinated by Superintendent Noëlle Jacquelin, Business Administrator Rose Millar, and the Board of Education's Facilities Committee.
“The taxpayers and school children are the beneficiaries of this investment in Estell Manor’s schools,” said Fiocchi. “The state commitment eases the burden on local taxpayers for three major projects at the district’s elementary school, with a total construction cost of around $2 million. The grants help the district continue to provide quality education in safe, efficient schools.”
The heating, ventilation and air systems were replaced in the Estell Manor Elementary School in the most ambitious of the three projects, with a cost of more than $1.2 million alone for this work. The roof of the school was also replaced and a new, state-of-the-art emergency generator was installed.
The project was completed on time and under budget.