Learn about our past campaigns.
Acorn Blackberry Crocus Campaign
(2022)
SUMMARY
Thanks to the tremendous generosity of individuals and businesses in Leverett, we raised $19,000 to help fund outdoor learning & nature-based education at LES in 2022, through our Acorn, Blackberry, Crocus Campaign. We received contributions from 120 Leverett households and the following area businesses and organizations:
Apollo Contracting, Grass Roots Landscaping, West Branch Capital, Jamrog HVAC and Plumbing, Johnson Scholarship Foundation, Leverett Picklers, Wright Builders, Cambodian Temple Society of Western Massachusetts.
GRANT UPDATES
JUNE 2023: LEF awarded five grants totaling $19,000 to strengthen outdoor education curricula and encourage innovation at LES. These grants support the following projects and activities:
Maintaining and expanding the Greenhouse & Garden Program
Rebuilding the LES low-ropes challenge course, the only elementary school program of its kind in the Pioneer Valley
Creating a Bird Nook in the library, including outdoor feeders, bird guides and texts, and the opportunity for students to contribute to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Project FeederWatch
Launching the Summer @ LES Garden & Nature Program
Establishing a Principal’s Discretionary Fund to enable LES to take advantage of unanticipated opportunities to connect Leverett's children with the natural world
BACKGROUND
The “nature” of teaching in Leverett.
Leverett Elementary School teachers regularly utilize the forest, fields, and streams around the school campus in an innovative effort to extend and expand classroom instruction. Drawing inspiration from forest kindergarten programs in Europe and from Antioch University’s nature-based early childhood program, they infuse abstract science concepts with hands-on experiences and explore new contexts, materials, and perspectives for art, writing, even math.
We are inspired by the work of these teachers and their larger vision—to engage students with nature in deeper, more impactful ways, and help them develop an understanding of the environmental challenges we must all navigate in the years to come.
To help fund outdoor learning and nature-based education at LES, the Leverett Education Foundation launched the Acorn Blackberry Crocus campaign in fall 2022.
LES Greenhouse Fund
(2021)
SUMMARY
Thanks to the generosity of Leverett residents and businesses, we raised over $17,000 in fall 2021 for the LES Greenhouse Fund, created to support the enhancement of the LES greenhouse facility and program. We received contributions from more than 120 individuals and households, and major donations from Grass Roots Landscaping, People’s Bank, Dean’s Beans, Earthworks, West Branch Capital, Jamrog HVAC, the Friends of Leverett Pond, and Rattlesnake Gutter Trust.
GRANT UPDATES
LES Greenhouse Fund
DECEMBER 2021: LEF made a grant of $13,000 to LES to cover the cost of a new greenhouse roof and irrigation system ($650), a storage shed, shelving, and outdoor seating ($4,000), gardening tools and teaching materials ($2,150), soil amendments and seeds ($200), and to support the Greenhouse Program Director’s stipend for FY 2022-23 ($6,000).
BACKGROUND
There’s something (special) in the soil at the LES Greenhouse.
The LES Greenhouse Program introduces students to the wonders of the natural world, helps them learn in practical and tactile ways, and teaches them about the responsibility we have to protect our environment.
At no time in its ten-year history has this program and facility been as valuable, or demonstrated better its remarkable potential. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect our world, and especially the lives of children, outdoor learning programs and spaces have new value.
To secure the future of this unique resource, and to shore up the greenhouse structure after a decade of wear and tear, the Leverett Education Foundation created the LES Greenhouse Fund.
The Many Safe Returns Fund
(2020)
SUMMARY
Thanks to the generosity of Leverett residents, and contributions made by organizations, businesses, and individuals both inside and outside of Leverett, the Many Safe Returns Fund exceeded its goal of raising $30,000 to help Leverett Elementary School respond to the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in fall 2020.
GRANT UPDATES
Many Safe Returns Fund
NOVEMBER 2020: LEF and the LES PTO made an initial grant of $20,000 to meet 17 specific requests from LES and Union 28 for expenditures related to remote and in-person learning, including technology hardware ($7,500), software ($4,260), professional development ($3,000), curriculum and instructional materials ($5,955), and in-person learning resources ($1,735).
MARCH 2021: A second grant of $4,200 was made to LES to support the rental of three tents for outdoor learning activities.
BACKGROUND
We have never had a school year like 2020-2021.
Leverett Elementary School faced an unprecedented challenge with COVID-19.
A pandemic was not in the budget.
Our school needed to be able to pivot on a dime, without interrupting the education and well-being of its students, teachers, and staff. It needed to create accessible outdoor classrooms and also ensure remote learning did not leave our most vulnerable children behind.
To meet this need, the Leverett Education Foundation and the LES PTO launched the Many Safe Returns Fund in September 2020, with the goal of raising $30,000.