Bloomfield Educational Foundation Presents $68,984 to BOE

Nov. 19, 2019, BLOOMFIELD, NJ  —  Madeline Wollner, Vice Chairwoman of the Bloomfield Educational Foundation and fellow Board members, presented a check to the Bloomfield Board of Education this evening, for $68,984 to support innovative learning and teaching in the school system.

“We are so pleased to support the Bloomfield School System and to be able to enhance the educational experience for all students,” stated Wollner.

Included in this gift are payments for eight Joseph Kliminski Teacher Grants, five Extraordinary Grants, and the fifth of five $50,000 pledges to BHS to support the Bengal Pride in Educational Excellence Campaign.

Joseph Kliminski Teacher Grants fund projects costing $500 or less and support innovative learning in the classroom.  These grants funded Andera De Dance Workshops at Brookdale and Watsessing Elementary schools; Special Education Multi-Sensory Materials at Demarest; an Early Language Initiative and Outdoor Classroom at Forest Glen; an ELL Team Toolkit for Franklin Elementary; a Vocabulary Builder at Watsessing and an Increase Access to College program for V.E.S.T. (Vocational Education Student Training) at Bloomfield High School.

Extraordinary Grants are awarded for inventive and resourceful learning projects that cost $500 or more.  The programs funded in this round included: The BHS Freshman Football Tutoring Program; Students Excelling in Achievement and Learning (SEAL Team 6); Saturday STEM program at Carteret Elementary; a Bengalthon After School Healthy Initiatives Program at the Bloomfield Middle School; Recess STEM Legomania classes at Berkeley Elementary; and a Listening Center at Demarest Elementary.

In September, 2014, the BEF pledged $250,000 to BHS and launched The Bengal Pride in Educational Campaign.  Due to this gift, BHS has been able to offer the Kaplan SAT and ACT Preparation Courses to every student taking the SAT or ACT test; all AP students’ exams have been paid for; and BHS teachers’ costs to attend classes at The AP Institute have also been paid for.

Bloomfield High School Principal, Chris Jennings, reported that over the past 5 years, a total of 1,043 students participated in AP classes and 2,136 exams were offered to Bloomfield students.  College credits, achieved with scores of 3 or better on AP exams, were achieved by 565 students who qualified for college credit in a total of 1,085 courses.  The BEF grant funded a total of 16 SAT and ACT prep courses over a 5-year period.  As many as 755 BHS students benefitted from one or more of the SAT/ACT prep courses.  On average, 31% of the junior class participated each year.

“Chris Jennings has called this three-pronged approach a ‘game changer’ and an ‘equalizer’ for his students.  We are helping to remove the financial barriers so every student can succeed and that gives us great pleasure,” stated Madeline Wollner, BEF Vice-Chairwoman.

About the BEF

The Bloomfield Educational Foundation was founded in 1999 and is a 501-c-3 organization dedicated to enhancing the educational experiences for all students of the Bloomfield School System and to helping BHS alumni re-connect through events such as the Fall Tailgate Party, Winter Alumni Basketball game and Spring Gala.  For more information about the BEF, visit our website: www.bloomfieldeducationalfoundation.org