SOUTHWICK – Four Dickinson School Trust grants were awarded to Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School staff Tuesday night.
High school music instructor Adam Call was awarded a grant to bring musician Charles Neville to the school.
Call said he has attended several workshops that featured Neville and said he would be an inspiration to students, both for his musical talent and his historical knowledge.
“He is really good with kids and has a lot of great stories,” said Call.
A friend of legendary bluesman BB King, Neville would host workshops with students and talk about his life as an African American musician who grew up during segregation and the civil rights movement, then perform with a local jazz band. An evening concert would be open to the public and feature Neville, with an opening performance by the high school jazz band.
Powder Mill Middle School teacher Caren Harrington received a grant to host a Revolutionary War encampment at the school.
“This is similar to a program she did this year with a Civil War reenactment camp,” said Dickinson School Trust Ken Haar. “This will be part of her eighth grade curriculum.”
Fellow middle school teacher Susan Pac was awarded a grant to conduct an intergeneraional problem solving program. For the program, students would work with senior citizens. Haar thanked the school department for helping make the grant possible by providing transportation for students.
The fourth grant was given to Woodland Elementary School Principal Kim Sasso for a multicultural Storytelling Extravaganza.
Sasso said the event would include two days of assemblies with author Rona Leventhal.
“She would present two assemblies each day,” said Sasso. “I hope to bring her in next year for a residency to work with our third and fourth graders to work on writing.”
Haar thanked the school department for its cooperation, and the staff for their creative grant ideas.
