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. The Apple Tree Fund, CliffordLarsonAllen Foundation, Jay and Jasper, William Kuhlman, Winter Hill Bank, and Rebecca Wood-Spagnoli each sponsored a teacher’s grant.

The rest of the grants were funded thanks to the combined generosity of everyone who contributed to the Math Fund’s annual fundraiser. The following teachers won grants to encourage and support mathematics achievement in the classrooms of Somerville.

These Teacher Grants were funded by the many generous donors who together contributed enough in our annual fundraiser to support all of them. There is power in donations of many sizes coming together to support the larger whole.

• Julia Allen, East Somerville Community School Unidos (1st), 1st grade team math night
• Christopher Ames, Kennedy School & West Somerville Neighborhood School (Math Instructional Coach), 2nd-5th Problem Solving Program
• Allie Bahn, Argenziano School (4th), Math Games and Materials
• Charlene Buckley, West Somerville Neighborhood School (4th), Math Closet Materials for 3rd & 4th
• Caroline Martha Burkard, East Somerville Community School (4th), math games and materials
• Maureen Cronin, Winter Hill Community Innovation School (2nd), Time & Money
• Donna Driscoll, Argenziano School and East Somerville Community School (Math Coach), Math Center Materials
• Michael Fitzpatrick, St. Catherine School, (1st), STEM problems solving activities
• Julie Gallardo, Argenziano School (3rd), Think Tank Measurement & Geometry
• Diana Garity, Argenziano School (4th), TouchMath
• Cathy Hughes, Kennedy School (1st), Reckenreks
• Debra Hurley, Kennedy School (2nd), Bee Bots
• Erin McGovern, Argenziano School (3rd), Think Tank Number Sense & Mental Math
• Holly McMahon, Winter Hill Community Innovation School (1st), Math Materials
• Andrea Palmer, Winter Hill Community Innovation School & Healey School (Math Coach K-5), Math Manipulatives
• Hannah de Souza Rodrigues, Argenziano School (3rd), Think Tank Problem Solving
• Roxanne Scrima & Sharon Cuddy, Kennedy School (K), Reckenreks

The Math Fund wants to thank the Apple Tree Fund for generously underwriting the following teacher grants:

• Samantha Song, Kennedy School (1st), Math Manipulatives & Containers
• Barbara Strell, Healey School (K – 2nd Resource Room Teacher), Math Manipulatives
• Emily Voigt, Brown School (1st), Blocks

The Math Fund wants to thank CliffordLarson Allen Foundation for generously underwriting the following teacher grants:

• Erik Roberts, East Somerville Community School (6th-8th Self-contained ELA & Math), Math Centers
• Angela Rodriguez, Argenziano School (1st), Math Centers

The Math Fund wants to thank Jay and Jasper for generously underwriting the following teacher grants:

• Danielle Shulman, West Somerville Neighborhood School (4th), 3 Chrome Books
• Gina Yarmel, Argenziano School (3rd), 3 Chrome Books

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

William Kuhlman:

• Leah Jaenicke, Argenziano School (4th Integrated – SEI), Math Games & Materials

Rebecca Wood-Spagnoli:

• Brittany Sullivan, Winter Hill Community Innovation School (5th, SEI), Math Manipulatives

The Winter Hill Bank:

• Julie Jones & Lauren McGlashing, Capuano School (K), Math Take Home Bags

The Somerville Mathematics Fund was chartered in 2000 to celebrate and encourage achievement in mathematics in the city of Somerville, Massachusetts. Over seventeen years, the Somerville Math Fund has awarded $104,060 in teacher grants in the city of Somerville.

In early April, the fund will be seeking applications from outstanding math and science students who reside in Somerville for college mathematics scholarships. The Somerville Math Fund scholarships are $1,000/year for up to 4 years for students who lived in Somerville while in high school. 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).