Gardner Public Schools received nearly $290,000 in grants to fund 35 projects, according to a community announcement.
The Williams-Rockwell Educational Gift Fund Committee distributed $208,856 to the district, according to an announcement from the city.
The fund was established in 2014 after the auction of Norman Rockwell’s “Willie Gillis in the Convoy” painting. The city awards up to 90% of the annual income of the fund as grants to Gardner Public School staff through an annual application process.
The fund was set up to provide financial assistance to projects and programs requested by the faculty and administration of Gardner Public Schools to enrich the experiences of Gardner’s students. The grants are funded by the interest and capital gains earned from investments of the sale price of the painting.
To date, the committee has awarded $818,980, according to the announcement.
Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson, who also serves as the chair of the Rockwell trustees, said he is proud of the grants that have been awarded to support innovative programs in the Gardner Public Schools.
“These grants will provide essential resources to help inspire and engage students, with positive contributions to their personal and academic growth,” Nicholson said in the announcement. “From advancements to our band programs, to field trips that enrich classroom lessons, to advanced academic materials, this year’s grant cycle provided some really cool initiatives for our students to take advantage of.”
More: The Gardner Scene: How Gardner High School got the Rockwell original ‘Willie Gillis in Convoy’
More: Norman Rockwell painting keeps on giving to Gardner schools: what they got this year
Gardner Superintendent Mark Pellegrino said the district is thrilled with the support the Williams-Rockwell program provides for the schools.
“These grants help to make the experience for our students exceptional,” Pellegrino said in the announcement.
Council President George Tyros said the Williams-Rockwell Gift is a unique opportunity Gardner has each year to fund projects and programs that might otherwise not be available to students in the community.
“I want to thank those who took the time to ideate these programs and the trustees for their dedication to ensuring these funds are put to their best use,” Tyros said in the announcement.
How the funds were distributed this year
As required by the fund’s governing statute, awards were given out to both arts-related applications as well as applications that promote athletics and academics in the schools.
Doug Lepisto, Gardner High School band teacher, said he is grateful the band program will be able to purchase a new marimba, xylophone and vibes.
“The ones we currently have are about 20 to 25 years old and have seen many repairs over the years,” Lepisto said in the announcement. “This will be a huge help to the program as our numbers continue to grow after bringing back the elementary school band position a few years ago. It’s great to be part of a community with leadership that supports the art and music programs both with staffing and equipment.”
Annette Lussier, Gardner Middle School science teacher, said the grant money will be used to subsidize the tuition that students will need to pay to attend Outdoor Classroom (formerly known as Nature’s Classroom) as well as paying for all transportation.
“This year we were able to reduce tuition by 30%,” Lussier said in the announcement. “We are working very hard at GMS to make this experience attainable for all students in the sixth grade and the money from the Williams-Rockwell Grant is instrumental in helping us attain this goal.”
By law, the membership on the Board of Trustees who votes to award the grants is made up of three members appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the City Council, the city treasurer, the superintendent of schools, a member of the School Committee, the City Council president or their designee, and the mayor or his designee who serves as chair.
A full list of the grants can be found on the city’s website.
This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Gardner schools use sale of Norman Rockwell painting to fund programs
