The Ashburnham Westminster Foundation for Academic Excellence recently awarded nearly $20,000 in academic excellence grants to classrooms in the Ash-West schools. I’ve been on the board of the foundation since the beginning. In 2009, a very small group of people—superintendent Michael Zapantis, Westminster icon Ron Hurd, lifelong Ashburnham resident and Oakmont alumni Chris Wells, and myself got together with the goal of creating a non-profit organization that would raise private donations which would be used to fund academically excellent ideas submitted by teachers and administrators throughout the Ashburnham Westminster Regional School District.
The foundation has had some amazing and supportive members over the years, with our current board of directors being a mix of residents of the two towns, and others with a connection to the district—parents and grandparents of alumni, scientists, business people, former teachers and school administrators, just a well rounded mix of people who care about academic excellence and are putting money (and time) where their mouth is.
We have one grant cycle each year, and we decide going into that grant cycle an approximate maximum of how much we will be awarding that year. The amount is largely based off of the results of our fundraising initiatives, but we consider all grants for their merit, without us considering the amount of the request.
Our criteria first and foremost is that grants that we award raise the bar on academic excellence, and that the grant request is for something that would never be funded in the school budget. We aren’t here to fill in gaps. We’re here to encourage teachers to really think outside of the box with creative ideas that inspire students, and then we fund those ideas.
We recently met to review the grant applications from this cycle, and are thrilled to have voted to fully fund these 5 grant requests, which total just about $19,340.
Side note: How do we raise money to support our mission? A major fundraiser is our annual A Night for Excellence, to be held on Friday, November 21, 2025. The 2025 event will be held at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area. We’re excited to roll out details, coming soon!
Thanks to AWFAE President Chris Wells and AWFAE Grants Committee Chair Dave Uminski for making the rounds and handing out checks to the 2025 grant recipients (Chris and Dave are pictured below with the respective grant recipients). Grant descriptions below are excerpts from the grant applications.
Greg Secino, Alex Thibeault, Peter Jones
Oakmont
CNC Machining: Upgrading Onefinity Router for Production
$1,062.89
This grant application is the follow up to our CNC (Computer Numerical Controlled) Machining/Automated Manufacturing grant from 2021-2022. The Ashburnham Westminster Foundation for Academic Excellence has been instrumental in our goal to implement CNC manufacturing in our classrooms, including two Onefinity CNC Routers which are used to automate woodworking. These two machines have had an amazing impact on our woodworking classes. These machines are being used in the woodworking classes we teach for individual projects, but we believe that students should be exposed to the use of these machines on a larger production scale. Upgrading the spindle would allow the machines to work faster, improving cutting speed, giving students the ability to gain transferable skills to bring with them after their time at Oakmont. The purpose of this grant is to purchase upgrades to some of our CNC machines to better integrate them in to our curriculum. This project continues to take the students into the world of CNC machining /automated manufacturing and 21st century skills. Automation (CAD, CAM, and CNC machines) are at the heart of almost everything we do. As we have used the Onefinity CNC machines, we are pushing the machines to their limits, but we believe that there is more educational value to find in even more integration of the machines in the curriculum. This upgrade would allow for the machine to do more work at a higher rate. As more automated manufacturing is implemented in the world, student exposure, and training in this technology is essential. Our department has always strived to stay with or ahead of the curve when it comes to preparing students for life after Oakmont. The goal is to try to prepare them for anything they may encounter, including jobs that don’t exist yet.
Nick Kostich
Oakmont
Modern Biotechnology Tools and Equipment
$9,302.95
Looking at many of the current scientific advancements that are being made in healthcare and genetics, most involve the use of biotechnology and its related techniques. At Oakmont, we haven’t made any significant investments in adding to or updating our biotechnology equipment in well over a decade. We’re unable to do any CRISPR work, which is the modern workhorse in genetics, and our current electrophoresis machines have become difficult to use due to a need to safely access direct current power sources. A barrier to modernizing is the upfront cost to get tools and equipment to work safely and effectively with a whole class. By purchasing thermocyclers, a -20 freezer, an icemaker and updating our electrophoresis machines, microcentrifuges and micropipettes we will be able to teach students current biotechnological techniques, help all students better understand life science and get them ready for the modern life science lab. This will also allow us to offer students the ability to attain micro certifications that can show they have job ready skills for a field that is estimated to add 30,000 – 40,000 new jobs over the next decade.
Katrina Bunting
Overlook Middle School
Revolutionizing Computer Science Education
$7,550
The goal of this proposal is to integrate the VEX AIM robot into 7th and 8th grade classrooms to provide an immersive learning experience that enhances students’ understanding of computer science concepts. By using the robot’s versatile capabilities, students will engage in coding through both block and Python programming languages, participate in interactive problem-solving activities, and collaborate with their peers to build critical teamwork and communication skills. As technology continues to shape the future, it is essential for middle school students to develop strong foundational skills in computer science. In grades 7 and 8, students are at a pivotal stage in their academic journey, and providing them with engaging, hands-on learning opportunities in computer science can spark their interest in STEM fields. The VEX AIM robot, which has an AI Vision Sensor, omnidirectional drive, and advanced robot-to-robot communication capabilities, offers a unique opportunity to revolutionize the way students engage with coding, robotics, and collaborative problem-solving. By integrating VEX AIM robots into middle school classrooms, this project will transform the learning experience for 7th and 8th grade students, providing them with the tools and skills needed to succeed in an increasingly technology-driven world. The hands-on, collaborative nature of the VEX AIM robot will not only make learning computer science fun and accessible but also equip students with critical skills that will benefit them in their academic and professional future.
Sheena Swanson
Oakmont (Oasis)
Experiencing the Arts
$325
We would like to take our students to the Hanover Theater and Conservatory for the Performing Arts in Worcester to experience a live theatrical event. By offering this as a field trip we are providing our students with an experience that they typically would not have the opportunity to enjoy outside of school. Over the course of the school year we read many novels in class and by attending a live theater performance students get to see the characters from the novels come to life before their eyes which deepens their understanding of the text and often the context of the time period. Our students have also been working diligently on practicing their social skills, frustration tolerance, and coping skills and attending a theatrical performance gives them the opportunity to generalize these skills in an unfamiliar setting with staff they know and trust. Additionally, attending an event like this supports our job skills exploration as students are witnessing all the different jobs and careers that they may be interested in and had not even considered as a possibility. Without this grant many students would likely not be able to cover the admission to attend.
Alanna Toomey
Overlook Middle School
Bee Club
$1,100
I want to start a Bee Club at OMS. A Bee Club is a great way to connect 21st century, screen-focused students with nature while educating the community about the importance of pollinators and improving the human-pollinator relationship. I will also be applying for “The Bee Cause” grant which will help cover the cost of implementing a beekeeping club and allow the school access to educational resources. Depending on the success of the program, there could be a honey fundraiser to help recoup the grant money. What could be sweeter than that? Bees play such an important role in pollination and food production. By joining Bee Club, students are able to learn for themselves just how important bees are and hopefully gain a respect for the important biodiversity of our planet. The Bee Club will be a cross-curricular experience by allowing students to observe hive behavior, collect data, and explore topics like sustainability and climate change. It could even strengthen OMS’s community ties through partnerships with local beekeeping groups or providing opportunities for service projects based around the community and environment. Ultimately, the club would inspire a new generation of environmentally conscious students who can take what they learn in Bee Club to change the world.
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