Glenelg Country School Awarded Prestigious Grant for Advancing Best Practices in Teaching & Learning

Ellicott City, MD, July 6, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Glenelg Country School (GCS), a leading independent college preparatory school for age two through grade twelve, is awarded a $75,000 grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation to spearhead its innovative Exploratory Learning Initiative.  The Edward E. Ford Foundation supports the best independent, secondary schools (grades 9-12) throughout the country, with a particular focus on advancing best practices in teaching and learning.

This forward-thinking initiative and pedagogy will drive students to work as a team, collaborate, and apply their critical thinking skills. Beyond the classroom walls, the funding for the Exploratory Learning Initiative will enhance and support the development of these STEAM-related resources:

·        GCS Observatory — GCS is the only school in the Baltimore/Washington area with an observatory that boasts a research-grade refracting telescope and tracking dome. A full curriculum designed for viewing deep space objects will propel exploratory opportunities to the highest competitive level. Students will map the moon’s surface, as well as track and calculate the velocity of sunspots with computer-aided astrophotography. Employing a spectroscope, students will also study the composition of the Sun.

·        High Altitude Balloons — launching, tracking, and interpreting payloads from High Altitude Balloons will give students a hands-on method to explore weather and space science, and computer programming and engineering mechanics. Students will also master the basics of electronics/circuitry, electromagnetism, and the radio wave spectrum bands.

·        Micronet System — the Micronet program will deploy professional grade weather monitoring units across campus to measure rainfall, wind speed, temperature, humidity, pressure, and electric field strength. Through this program, students will study what influences weather and climate on our 92-acre campus.

In keeping with the Edward E. Ford Foundation’s grant policy, GCS is required to match the $75,000 grant dollar-per-dollar from within our community.

Greg Ventre, Head of Glenelg Country School said, “It is an honor to be included among this year’s Edward E. Ford Foundation Grant recipients and we appreciate this significant support and recognition. The grant affirms our approach to integrated learning and the Exploratory Learning Initiative (ELI) will not only provide a unique STEAM experience for our students but will complement our well-established integrated humanities core program. We look forward to presenting the program to prospective donors and are confident we will raise the required matching funding.”

Media Contact:

Rosa Brantley

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410-531-7336

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About Glenelg Country School:

Founded in 1954, Glenelg Country School is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian, college preparatory day school for students age 2 through grade 12. The school is located in Howard County, with bus transportation. The 90-acre campus boasts four academic buildings, a performing arts center, two gymnasiums, a turf field, observatory, outdoor classrooms, amphitheater, saline pool, campus pond, and more. Our balanced, holistic education philosophy and project-based learning programs incorporate multiple disciplines that help children grow into exceptional adults. Visit, www.glenelg.org to learn more.

About Edward E. Ford Foundation:

For over 55 years, The Edward E. Ford Foundation has made grants to independent schools throughout the United States. Over 800 different schools have received over 2,100 different grants from the Foundation totaling well over $118,000,000. The Foundation has long encouraged, and now requires, matching funds to be raised as a part of its application process so as to leverage even greater philanthropic support for independent schools. These matching grants now exceed an additional $110,000,000 in total support generated for NAIS schools. Visit, www.eeford.org to learn more.

Source: Glenelg Country School