The 10th Annual AEFI Hall of Honor Banquet and Ceremony is set for Friday, May 4, 2012 starting at 6pm at Holy Family Parish Hall in downtown Amesbury.

Each spring this event honors former Amesbury students, former Amesbury educators or friends of Amesbury schools who have made extraordinary contributions to their community or profession.

In addition to honoring these three outstanding individuals, AEFI also awards thousands of dollars in grants to teachers and administrators to encourage innovation, collaboration, and support the mission, objectives and strategies of the Amesbury Public Schools’ Strategic Plan.

Every school in the district has been awarded AEFI grant money to fund programs that reach all students at every grade level.

Click here to see all of the prior grants that have been awarded.

THE NOMINATIONS:

The AEFI Hall of Honor program has three objectives: (1) Provide role models for students by honoring former students who have distinguished themselves; (2) create excitement about education in Amesbury Public Schools; and (3) honor those educators and friends who have made extraordinary contributions to public education in Amesbury.

The nomination deadline has passed for the 2012 Hall of Honor.

To see who has received this honor in the past, click here.

THE GRANTS:

To date, AEFI has awarded a total of over $260,000 in grants to Amesbury Public Schools.

Grant applications for this year’s Hall of Honor event are now available to teachers and administrators, and must be submitted by March 26, 2012.

Click here for the Grant Application.

Click here for General Grant Information.

2012 General Grant Information

2012 Grant Application

Grant Scoring Rubric

To see what types of programs have already received our support, you can read about our past AEFI grant recipients here.

AEFI has also just added a “Spruce It Up” Mini-Grant to support and maintain past grants. Click here to submit an online application.

Return to main Grant Programs page

A $10,000 math grant, poker, an amazing gift with an incredible story, another amazing gift with another incredible story, great selection of beers……. a random list?

The Amesbury Educational Foundation, Inc.’s 2^nd Annual Autumn Evening of Giving is the common thread in the list above.  It was a fun and rewarding night as Holly Shay presented the 2^nd annual Sgt. Jordan M. Shay Memorial Grant for “Making Math Accessible” for all Amesbury High School students, authored by AHS Math Department director Barbara Leary. In the grant application, Ms. Leary wrote: “What would it be like if math class was fun…what would it be like if every student could experience some success in math class, regardless of the topic…what would it be like if no student received a failing MCAS letter from the state or had to take a remedial math class in college?” Those are the lofty goals for grades 9-12 math teachers, now armed with new tools to help all students strive toward these goals after the awarding of this grant.  In addition to receiving the $10,000 grant, The Sgt. Jordan M. Shay Memorial Grant trophy is now displayed at the high school.  This trophy travels from school to school as this grant is awarded each year in honor of Jordan, who graduated from Amesbury High School in 2001.  He went on to serve in the United States Army and was killed in Iraq in September of 2009.  His mother, Holly Shay, awarded the math grant, and told a packed Ale House crowd about Jordan’s wish to create this memorial fund to encourage students to pursue their dreams and make a difference in the world.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as another incredible story unfolded, as our very own Board member Woody Cammett (Cammett Engineering) and his wife Marcia, made a $10,000 donation to AEFI in honor of Sue Deorocki.  As Sue stood next to Woody, he expressed that she was the epitome of “giving,” as last November she donated her kidney to Woody.  He further noted that honoring Sue also made sense due to her strong connection to the Shay family. We are thrilled and deeply touched by Woody and Marcia’s gift of sponsoring this annual event.

Once again, AEFI is overwhelmed by the generosity of the owners of the Ale House in downtown Amesbury, Jeff Nahas and Greg Haley and of course Kelly, Matt, Lisa, Eric and the entire exceptional wait staff.  The grant itself would not be possible without the extraordinary gifts from The Jordan M. Shay Memorial Fund, The Provident Bank, and Heat Events Management.  Special thanks also goes to Healey, DeShaies, Gagliardi and Woeffel; Shaheen Brothers; and Paula Blair for their generous donations.

The event planners are an exceptional crew!  We express thanks to Cathy Toomey and Paula Blair who put together a winning night.  Much thanks also goes to Carol Bartlett, Karen Cassidy, and to the AEFI Executive Board of Directors (and their spouses/significant others) who did whatever they were asked to do, and to big check creator Marianne Curry!  Behind the scenes are the members of the Grants Committee, and we are grateful for their commitment of time and energy:  Laurie Knapp, Chair; Murray Bailey; Teresa Axten; Deborah Smith; Mary Ellen Duffy; and Barbara Knapp.  Thanks to our Social Networking Team leader, Meryl Goldsmith, and photographers Ralph Noon and Carol Bartlett. We certainly would not have had a Silent Auction without Ann Gagne leading the charge, and we offer our gratitude to the following exceptional donors: Bruce Arlington; Laurie and Jay Knapp; Cathy Toomey; and Woody and Marcia Cammett.

Those in attendance enjoyed a delicious seasonal buffet dinner with an excellent beer selection. AEFI Poker continues to be a huge success as the best poker hand winner walked away with $1,000!

Thanks to everyone who came out on a Monday night – it is wonderful when doing good is so much fun!

Thank you for attending the 9th annual AEFI Hall of Honor Ceremony and Banquet. We awarded $25,000 in educational grants and inducted three outstanding individuals into our Hall of Honor:

Jay Gould – AHS Class of 1971

Luke Parkin – AHS Class of 1997

Deborah Smith M. Ed., – Friend of Amesbury Education

To read more about the honorees, click here.

There are now funds available, up to $250, and you can submit an application on line by clicking here.