By Erica Voolich

Many teachers have great ideas on how to make their classrooms a better place for their students to learn math. The teachers’ ideas frequently outrun the budget schools have for supplies and their own ability to subsidize their classroom. The Somerville Mathematics Fund tries to fill this need through the generosity of their donors with grants up to $500.

East Cambridge Savings Bank, Jeremy Gale, Will Kuhlman, Jasper Lawson PhD Associates, Mr. and Mrs. Donald McGoldrick, Spring Hill Dental, and Winter Hill Bank each sponsored a teacher’s grant. The rest of the grants were funded thanks to the Morris S & Florence Bender Foundation. Thank you to our annual donors who make these grants possible.

The following teachers won grants to encourage and support mathematics achievement in the classrooms of Somerville.

The Math Fund wants to thank the Morris S. and Florence Bender Foundation for generously underwriting the following teacher grants:

• Matthew Burch, Argenziano School (Math Instructional Coach K-2), Math Instructional Materials.
• Johanna Cooney, Brown School (1st), Math Enrichment & STEM materials.
• Katherine Adelaide Downs, Healey School (K), Number Sense Materials.
• Julie Gallardo, Healey School (3rd SEI-1), Math Workshop and Intervention Materials.
• Julie Jones & Lauren McGlashing, Capuano School (K), Math Night for Capuano and Winter Hill Community Innovation School Schools.
• Diana Garity, Argenziano School (2 SEI Newcomers), Geometry Materials.
• Anna Perham, Healey School (3rd), Math Materials.
• Charlotte Ross, Argenziano School (Math Interventionist), Math Manipulatives.
• Sabrina Soriano, Healey School (5th Math), Math Manipulatives.
• Katie Starbuck, Healey School & East Somerville Community School (Math Coach), Math Manipulatives

The Math Fund wants to thank each of the following for generously underwriting a teacher grant:

East Cambridge Savings Bank:

• Diana Quintanilla, East Somerville Community School (K), Math Manipulatives.

Jeremy Gale:

• Swetha Kalluri, Winter Hill Community Innovation School (Math Interventionist, 2-8), Math Games and Puzzles.

William Kuhlman:

• Nicole Alimena, Healey School (5th, SEI-1), Math Station Manipulatives.
• Marie Clevering, Healey School (4th), Math Games & Creation Supplies.

Jasper Lawson, PhD Associates

• Laura Peters, Somerville High School (STEAM & Robotics), Girls Who Code Club for Middle School

Mr. and Mrs. Donald McGoldrick:

• Andrea Palmer, Winter Hill Community Innovation School (K-8 Math Coach), Math Game Centers.

Spring Hill Dental:

• Filomena Arruda. East Somerville Community School (Pre-K), STEM materials.

Winter Hill Bank:

• Mary Beth Morgan, Winter Hill Community Innovation School (K), Math Games for the Winter Hill and Capuano Schools to share.

The Somerville Mathematics Fund was chartered in 2000 to celebrate and encourage achievement in mathematics in the city of Somerville, Massachusetts. Over twenty-three years, the Somerville Math Fund has awarded $154,614 in teacher grants supporting three hundred ninety teachers’ projects in the city of Somerville along with emergency grants to East Somerville teachers after the devastating school fire.

On April 7, the fund will be seeking applications from students who reside in Somerville for college mathematics scholarships. Over twenty-three years, the Somerville Math Fund has awarded a total of $631,000 in four-year mathematics scholarships to one hundred thirty students. Links to the scholarship application form is available at www.somervillemathematicsfund.org For more information, to volunteer or to make a tax-deductible contribution, please contact Erica Voolich (617-666-0666 or mathfund@gmail.com).