Acton Garden Club
Teacher Award Program


The Acton Garden Club has established, initially with memorial gifts from friends and family, a grant program in memory of two longtime members, Janet Bubier and Elinor Miller. This grant opportunity, in the amount of up to $500, is open to educators in the Acton Public and Acton-Boxborough Regional Schools. It provides funds for environmentally related programs or projects to enrich existing or develop new curricula. The grant is provided annually, subject to the approval of the Finance Committee and the Board of the Acton Garden Club. The Board determines the procedure for application and award.
Grant information and applications are sent via e-mail in October to all Acton and Acton-Boxborough teachers. The deadline is January 31 with March 1 notification.


2010
Teacher Award Presentations


The Acton Garden Club awarded three grants to local elementary school teachers for 2010. Three teachers from Gates School and one from Douglas School were the happy recipients. The first grant recipient was Gates Elementary School for the proposal of fifth-grade teachers Monty Grob and Becky Acheson, and third-grade teacher Sheryl Kokkinos for an ‘American Heritage Garden’ project. The project emphasizes the importance of the garden in colonial life. Students will grow and plant herbs, flowers, and vegetables valued by English ancestors as new arrivals in America and also those prized by many Chinese and East Indian students and their families who’ve joined the Gates community in recent years. The grant supports the purchase of seed, planting supplies, and materials to develop the garden.
The other grant went to CT Douglas Elementary School for second-grade teacher Anne Littlefield’s request for additional support of the on-going Douglas School Community Garden Project. The grant will support the purchase of gardening tools for the children and soaker hoses to work with the rain barrel collection system already in place.
The Acton Garden Club is pleased to be able to award funds for these worthy projects.

Douglas School second graders in Anne Littleton's class are eager to plant seeds they've started as soon as the threat of frost is past.

Acton Garden Club President Joan Yatteau (on left) and Sue Bricker, Teacher's Grant Committee Chair for the Club (on right), award a grant check to 2nd grade teacher Anne Littleton for Douglas School's community garden project.
Acton Garden Club President Joan Yatteau and Chair of the Club's Teacher's Grant Committee Sue Bricker present the award check to Gates School Principal Lynne Newman and teachers Mr. Monty Grob, Becky Acheson, Sheryl Kokkinos and staff at the school who helped with the development of the garden plot.

Gates School children created 'picket portraits' around their American Heritage Garden project.

2009
Teacher Award Presentations


The Acton Garden Club awarded two grants to local elementary school teachers for 2009.

Loretta Crumlish, Conant School – ‘Worms, Seeds and Growing’ – Highlights the importance of worms in our environment using various books, a Drumlin Farm Outreach program, pots, soil, and seeds and a Worm View ‘dirtarium’ that will allow the students to watch worm action. Karen Sonner, Parker Damon
Karen Sonner, Parker Damon Building – ‘The Big Backyard’ – Creating a program for every grade level at the school utilizing the Outdoor Classroom. The goal is to help students connect with, understand, and appreciate the natural world.



2008
Teacher Award Presentations


The Acton Garden Club awarded three grants to local elementary school teachers for 2008. Two teachers from Douglas School and one from Merriam School were the happy recipients. At the Douglas School, the AGC is funding two separate projects. The first will be done by Mrs. Kay's kindergarten class. With parental assistance, a trellis and planters will be installed and the children will plant flowers to attract the birds and butterflies outside their classroom window. This will help to camouflage the modular unit they currently see when they look outside. Mrs. Sharp's fifth grade class will be planting containers for four season interest on a deck and railing overlooking a popular entrance to the school. At the Merriam School, Maryann Brandt and three fifth grade classes are working together to clean up an area filled with invasive plant material. There are plans down the road for a Zen Garden.
The Acton Garden Club is pleased to be able to award funds for these worthy projects.

Maura Sharp – Douglas School 5th Grade – “A New Back Porch” – A seedling and gardening project that will enhance the back stairs leading to the playground.
Debbie Kay – Douglas School Kindergarten– “Enhancing Outdoor Spaces” The children will be planting seeds and watching and tending to them. The seedlings will be placed in planter boxes that will be installed on the side of a modular classroom that is blocking their view of the outdoors.
Mary Ann Brandt – Merriam School 5th Grade – “Outdoor Classroom Clean up and Services Project” – Cleaning up, weeding and removing invasive plants from the outdoor classroom area. This is a service project for the 5th grade, but the students will also be planning ways to improve the area with plantings that will attract birds and butterflies.

2007
Teacher Awards


No awards were given this year.

2006
Teacher Awards


The Acton Garden Club awarded one grant to a local elementary school teacher for 2006.
Robyn Harding, a fifth grade teacher at the Conant Elementary School for her ‘Colonial Garden.’ The hands-on approach of creating and cultivating a colonial era garden with plants and herbs common to that time period will enhance the students’ understanding of the importance of the garden as a necessity for winter survival. Additionally, the garden will offer a tangible connection to the studies of colonial history explored in Grades 3 and 4. Upon completion of the project, the Acton Garden Club anticipates receiving a brief summary of the students’ results.

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