Programs

Pittenger Grant

Grants

For Principals

The OEF awards a Pittenger Grant each year, in a competitive process, to a school building principal. The Grant commemorates the work and vision of John C. Pittenger, who helped create the Foundation. John believed passionately in the importance of education, having served as PA Secretary of Education, as a Professor at Harvard, and as Dean of Rutgers Law School. The Pittenger Grant funds important educational goals that can impact an entire building.

Grant Winners

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2021: Dr. Nicole Addis, Principal of Hopewell

The Pittenger Grant was awarded to Hopewell Elementary school, where Dr. Nicole Addis proposed a cooperative recreational space for her students. The space will be available for mentors to spend time with their students and for therapists and counselors to work with their children. Additionally, Dr. Addis plans to incorporate the recreational room into Hopewell’s School-wide Positive Goals Program. As students receive “Stinger” tickets for good behavior such as showing respect for others and good school citizenship, they will earn the right to socialize in the room and play with the table and electronic games.

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2021: Dr. David Hamburg, Principal of Jordan Bank Kindergarten Center

Principal David Hamburg and his staff will use the Pittenger grant to pilot sensory paths in Jordan Bank elementary school. There has been increasing awareness that students need more physical activity during the school day. Sensory paths, or neurological tracks, are a series of guided movements for kids to follow in the school hallway. As students follow the path and complete the movements, they work off excess energy and develop their gross motor skills. The various movements on a path engage different parts of the body and brain and help students release stress and refocus their energies. They can then ready themselves to return to learning.

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2020: Tami Motes, Principal of Hopewell

The Pittenger grant will provide up to $5000 for Forensics Kits that will provide hands-on learning and problem solving for eight grade students. Forensic Science is a multidisciplinary field that requires critical thinking skills, teamwork, and a knowledge base of math, science, and language arts. The kits will enhance the approved science content and encourage possible opportunities in STEM fields.

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2019: Herbert Hayes, Principal of Elk Ridge Elementary School

Principal Hayes used his $5,000 Pittenger Grant to purchase “Breakout Kits”. The kits incorporate STEM activities in a novel game that builds skills in critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration.

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2018: Lisa Yingst-Pyle, Principal of Nottingham Elementary

Nottingham School gained a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) room with the support of a Pittenger Grant. The STEAM room is a highly engaging environment that helps students get excited about learning