GloucesterTimes.com, Gloucester, MA

Despite our city's difficult fiscal predicament, community support for Gloucester public schools continues to grow. On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Gloucester Education Foundation, I wish to express our warm thanks to all those who have contributed during our second year of fundraising.

So far, more than $200,000 in donations, pledges and grants have been received by the foundation from a great number of parents and other community members, from the Tower Foundation and from many businesses, including major sponsorship by Cape Ann Savings Bank, Rockport National Bank, Gloucester Cooperative Bank and Comcast.

This generous support has enabled the Gloucester Education Foundation to fund programs for all grade levels. In the elementary schools, the foundation is supporting the introduction of a small-machine and robotics unit for fifth-graders and fieldwork opportunities for third- through fifth-graders to study local vernal ponds and tidal pools and lava flows, the glacial, botanical and archeological aspects of Dogtown Common and the geology of West Gloucester's Mount Avalon. After-school elementary school music and movement opportunities are funded for band, strings and fifth-grade ballroom dancing. Also supported are staff and equipment for the after-school Clubhouse Program.

Spanish, Italian and German language studies are offered as after-school opportunities at O'Maley, as well as an after-school robotics program. In addition, $10,000 worth of much needed science equipment is being provided to middle school science labs and classrooms.

Again this year, the foundation is providing substantial support for the robotics team at Gloucester High School. The foundation is also providing $20,000 to support a number of Gloucester High School extracurricular activities, including the Docksiders, summer band, chorus, the Flicker, the Elicitor, the Gillnetter, drama, National Honor Society, community service, Student Council and class advisors for grades nine through 12.

The foundation is also pleased to provide modest unrestricted grants to each of the schools to be administered by their respective site-based councils.

As the foregoing funding of current needs demonstrates, the foundation is working toward its "5-in-5" mission to make Gloucester one of the five best school districts in Massachusetts in five years.

We also recognize, however, that it is important to provide a sustainable source of support for our schools in future years. For this purpose, the foundation has established an endowment fund which, with the support of the community, will grow, and at the same time provide an annual income to help the school district fund our students' needs long into the future.

It has been extremely rewarding to witness Gloucester's support for the foundation in its first two years and to see that support translate into new opportunities for our students.

The foundation board is convinced that this is just the beginning.

Your foundation is hard at work on some exciting initiatives that you will be hearing and reading about in the coming months. We are counting on Gloucester to continue to appreciate the importance of a top-quality education for every Gloucester student and to recognize the need for private sector support to help Gloucester public schools accomplish their mission "for all students to be successful, engaged, lifelong learners."

Robert W. Cunningham is a member of the Board of Director of the Gloucester Education Foundation.