Your Donations at Work
One Great Idea Can Change the World
Teachers and students from each public school in Westport — and our community — have benefitted from WEF grants for more than a decade. We are proud that teachers come to WEF to find that extra support for good ideas that can become transformative ones. We are especially proud to see the effect of innovative ideas carried through successive grades, building on knowledge gained from other students’ experiences.
Here are a few examples of donations at work.
The Production of "Little Shop of Horrors".
The Robotics Club
Boatbuilding
The Garden Club
Westport Middle-High School
A multiyear literacy effort aimed at encouraging families with preschoolers and first graders to read at least 1,000 books. Children who complete all 1,000 books before entering first grade receive a Medal of Achievement, a Book Award provided by Partners Village Store, and a Certificate of Merit. In the first two years of the program, 17 students completed 1,000 books and three students read 2,000 books!
Destination Imagination
Westport Elementary School
Westport Middle School
Westport High School
A fun, hands-on system of learning that fosters students’ creativity, courage and curiosity through open-ended academic challenges in the STEAM fields (science, technology, fine arts, engineering mathematics). Participants learn patience, flexibility, persistence, ethics, respect for others and their ideas, and the collaborative problem-solving process.
Music and Drama Programs
All grades
From quilt-making and puppet-making at the Macomber School to dramatic and musical productions at the elementary, middle and high school, the Westport Education Foundation supports the arts at every level of the Westport Community Schools.
Boat Building
Westport Middle School
Westport High School
A full-credit course that pairs classroom learning with carpentry skills in the workshop. While learning about Westport whaling, maritime history, navigation and river science, students build a traditional wooden rowing craft alongside master boat builders.
AP Biology: Field Study of the East Branch of the Westport River
Westport High School
In addition to visually surveying the river and its wildlife, students take water samples at two designated points in progression down the river. Tests are conducted to determine the presence of dissolved oxygen, nitrates, phosphates, pH, temperature, turbidity and fecal coliform levels. The data is used to determine the ecological condition of the East Branch of the Westport River and to gain insight into the local watershed’s health.
