Regina M. Pratt Grant Fund
Regina's true passion was science. Whether she was bringing her class
outside to learn about trees or helping them learn about the life cycle
of mealworms (which graced each child's desk in the spring) she made
science fun and interesting. In 1994 Regina received a Natick Education
Foundation Grant on the life cycles of animals. Regina planned to have
the children watch chicks hatch from eggs, tadpoles grow into frogs and
caterpillars turn into butterflies. Regina never got to teach these
lessons about life cycles.
Instead she taught us a much more real lesson about the circle of life.
In the summer of 1995 after battling cancer for a year, Regina was told
that her condition was terminal. Regina knew she was dying yet she
worried about us-the colleagues and students she would leave behind. So
she did what she did best, she helped plan and organize her death.
Regina had a hospice worker come in and speak with the staff so that we
would be better prepared to deal with our feelings and the feelings of
our students. Regina taught us a lot about life-and-death that summer.
Regina is still helping people learn, even now. Before she died she set
up the Regina M. Pratt Grant Fund. She established this fund to help
support teachers. Regina's two requests were that the money be used to
pay for science projects that may not otherwise have funding and to help
new teachers set up their classrooms. Over the years some of the grants
have included a greenhouse, an incubator and supplies to hatch chicken
eggs, and supplies for a composting project. The first grant idea came
from Regina's own family-bulb planting. After Regina's death every
member of the Johnson School population planted a bulb in her memory.
Each year the class of incoming kindergartners adds to the growing
garden and every spring we have a living reminder of our dear friend.
Each year we host a Walk-a-thon to support the Regina Pratt Grant
fund or a Community Service Day to support our Outdoor Classroom
Project. We want all of our students to benefit from Regina's memory
and understand how to give back to their community in a positive way.
Regina wanted the grant money to be used by teachers and she wanted
it to be easily accessible. The application shows how user-friendly the
grant is. Our hope is that teachers will take advantage of this money to
enrich their science programs and that new teachers will get some much
needed help in the cost of setting up a classroom!
Please include the following information when submitting a grant request:
Regina M. Pratt Grant Fund - Grant Application
Title:
Name(s) of Applicant(s):
Grade level(s):
Description of Grant:
Funds Requested: