Ridgewood December 21, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 17 From a pilot project pairing iPads with fifth graders to a Boston String Quartet-led workshop for high school musicians and an anti-bullying seminar for middle schoolers, Ridgewood students will benefit from 22 curriculumenhancing classroom grants beginning early next year. Funded by the Ridgewood Education Foundation, the grants totaling $34,700 reflect the non-profit organization’s commitment to enriching the academic experience through teaching, technology and timely programs addressing pressing social issues. “Again this year we saw a tremendous number of truly innovative and creative grant applications written by both parents and teachers,” said Jennie Smith Wilson, president of the REF Board of Trustees, who presented the check to the board of education. “Since the inception of the foundation in 1989, the programs have resulted in curriculum enhancements that have a positive impact on a student’s learning experience.” This year, the grants included using holography to study physics and applications to health related sciences at Ridgewood High School, a grant to fund school-wide antibullying seminar at George Washington Middle School, the use of iPads at a fifth grade program at Somerville, and a grant to fund a good nutrition assembly to teach healthy dietary choices at the R.E.D. program. “This year we are pleased to announce that two separate grants to fund workshops at RHS were made possible by donations to the foundation in memory of Anne Zusy. In the grant for RHS Chamber Choir, students will work with composer Nathan Jones to learn and perform a piece titled ‘I Would Live in Your Love.’ The second grant will bring the Boston String Quartet to RHS to work with the student string players, choir, and orchestra,” added Smith Wilson. Through classroom grants, the REF funds programs that build upon the curriculum and complement the educational experience for all students district wide. The foundation is also a sponsor of community-wide educational programs like Super Science Saturday, the RHS College Speakers Series, and the Reel Voices Film Festival at the library. The foundation receives no government funding and is solely sponsored by parents, alumni, and friends of the Ridgewood Public Schools. The REF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. All contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. For more information about the classroom grant program, visit http://www.ridgewoodedfoundation.org. Foundation funds 22 classroom grants in seven schools Jennie Smith Wilson (middle), president of the Ridgewood Education Foundation (REF), and REF trustee Elizabeth Gordon present a check to Ridgewood Schools Superintendent Daniel Fishbein for classroom projects. Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ridgewood invites boys and girls in grades three through 12 to participate In the Net for Nick benefit on Jan. 16. This free-throw fundraiser, which will be held in the gymnasium at the church from 2 to 6 p.m., will benefit the family of Nick Tsiskakis, an eighth grade student at George Washington Middle School in Ridgewood, who was hit by a landscaping truck this fall. Tsiskakis, son of Mariel and John from Ridgewood, is a typical 13-year-old boy who loves to ride his bike and listen to music. On Oct. 11, he was riding his bicycle to school and was struck by a truck. He suffered severe damage to his head and body. Since the accident, he has undergone several surgeries on his skull and leg. Presently he is at home receiving extensive therapy for his head injury. The In the Net for Nick fundraiser is being organized to Local church hosts ‘In the Net for Nick’ help ease the ongoing financial burden the family is facing. Registration is required. E-mail gen829@gmail.com with the participant’s name, grade, school, phone, and estimated time of arrival. Be sure to mention In the Net for Nick in the subject line. Free throw participants may use the sponsor form to request donations, shoot the basketball to make as many baskets as they can, and collect the donations from the sponsors, and present them to the church. Those who are unable to participate but wish to make a donations may send a check payable to Nick Tsiskasis to: In the Net for Nick, c/o Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church, 155 Linwood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450. In the Net for Nick is sponsored by Bethlehem Lutheran Church in cooperation with Upward Basketball and Goatgear Basketball.