Granting Wishes for Norton Public Schools

In the past 17 years, NEED has awarded grants over $238,000.

Thank You to Our Community

These grants are made possible through the generosity of Norton residents and supporters.
When you purchase a driveway N, participate in Art to Remember, donate to mini-grants, drop off clothing for Savers drives, or join our Spring Auction, you are directly funding opportunities like these.

NEED extends a heartfelt thank-you to the Norton community for your continued support of our teachers and students.

NEED Announces 2025 Grant Awards

Norton Embracing Educational Development (NEED) is proud to announce the recipients of this year’s grant awards, supporting innovative learning opportunities throughout the Norton Public Schools. Since the program began, NEED has awarded more than $238,000 to Norton educators. This year, thanks to strong community support, we are excited to distribute $27,217.45 across nine impactful grants.

2025 Grant Awards by School

L.G. Nourse Elementary School

Barn Buddies In-School Field Trip — $900
Submitted by: Julia Filaccio
A hands-on animal therapy experience brought directly to BEST and GRIT students, supporting emotional, social, and physical well-being.

Literacy Garden & Interactive Spaces — $4,158
Submitted by: Julie Durmis, Thomas Higgins & Linda Kabat
An outdoor literacy garden featuring planter beds, an interactive storybook mural, and a repurposed bus reading nook.

Yelle Elementary School

Mix and Math 360 Instructional Subscription — $1,176
Submitted by: Dianne Bruno
Four one-year subscriptions to a high-quality math resource that enhances hands-on, targeted instruction for grades 4 and 5.

Yelle Elementary & Norton Middle School

Unified Sports Uniforms — $1,200
Submitted by: Principal Hayward, Jennifer McCallister & Lily Williams
Provides new, high-quality uniforms for Unified Sports athletes, promoting inclusion, teamwork, and pride across both schools.

Norton High School

Industrial Arts Cabinet Saw — $4,780
Submitted by: Matt Bouchard & Rachel Pilotte
A new OSHA-compliant cabinet saw that improves safety and supports hands-on learning in the Industrial Arts program.

“Lens on the Future” Video Production Equipment — $6,668.60
Submitted by: Jennifer Skowronek
Forty student video cameras, a charging cart, and micro SD cards to expand the Video Production program.

Public Art Cubing Project — $2,971.15
Submitted by: Todd Kefor & Jennifer Young
Students will collaborate to design and build a large-scale cubing mosaic for the Attleboro Arts Museum’s “High Art” exhibition, using a custom-built display frame.

Pottery Wheels for Advanced Ceramics — $2,844
Submitted by: Robin Lewicki
Two new pottery wheels to expand opportunities for thrown pottery and enhance the annual student art show.

Graphing Calculators for Grades 9–12 — $2,519.70
Submitted by: Karyn Denningham
Thirty new graphing calculators to support math instruction across the high school.

Who can apply for these grants?

Any teacher/staff from the Norton Public Schools can fill out and submit a grant application.

How does the grant process work?

When the grant season opens, all teachers/staff receive an email from Dr. O'Neill/NEED linking to the grant application on Google Drive.

The application needs to be filled out in full and saved to the drive by the deadline.

Then, the school administration evaluates grant requests to identify those that may be eligible for already-budgeted funds and to ensure consistency with current curriculum goals.

Finally, those grants requests that aren't able to be funded through existing budgets are reviewed by NEED volunteers, who award grants based on available funds and a variety of other factors. We wish that we could fund every single grant application every year but we simply do not have enough money to do so.

Those whose grant requests have been awarded will be notified and the announcements will be made public at a School Committee Meeting.
Those whose grant requests have not been funded, please take a look on this page's Grant Resources section. There are local and national grant foundations that may be able to help you. And don't forget to check with your on-site Parent-Teacher Association! They may be able to help fund a request that NEED cannot.

What type of grants have been awarded?

Past grants that have been awarded include flexible classroom furniture, French & Spanish reading materials, an electric piano, STEM kits, standing FitDesks, multi-sensory items, iRig keyboards, iPads, a portable sound system, subscriptions for online learning pilot programs, Rubik’s cubes, and even Harry Potter-themed items & furniture for a library transformation!

What does N.E.E.D. do?

NEED (Norton Embracing Educational Development) raises funds to help Norton's classrooms provide enrichment programs to our students. Because local tax dollars barely cover the classroom costs, NEED helps to provide supplemental funding through charitable auctions, community events, raffles, corporate gifts, and local sponsorships!

Grant requests run the gamut- from traditional academic subjects and STEM, to art and music equipment, innovative pilot programs, and so much more. The foundation encourages programs that enhance standard curriculum in order to maximize benefits for as many students as possible. NEED does not provide funding for those costs that already have a line item in the annual school budget, like basic school supplies and annual subscriptions, but we do make it possible to bring in unique, innovative, and enriching activities for the school district.

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