Each year, the Salem Education Foundation awards grantees who meet specific requirements with a “Named” award. These awards fall into two categories: Honorary Awards and Recognition Awards.
The Honorary Awards honor individuals who inspired SEF through their dedication to advance academic excellence in Salem. These include:
The Stephen O’Grady Award – Given in honor of Stephen O’Grady to recognize an individual or group who provide opportunities for leadership development and/or activities that involve student leadership within the Salem Public Schools. This award is presented with the hope that the spirit of Stephen O’Grady, school and community leader, will continue to inspire the youth of the Salem Public Schools.
The Rick Guttenberg Award – Given in honor of Rick Guttenberg of the Peabody Essex Museum and a former board member of the Salem Education Foundation. This award is given in memory of both Rick’s love for the arts, which allows anyone to participate and enjoy the creative process, and his avid support of civic responsibility.
The Ives Award – Given in honor of Marjorie Ives, an educator in the Salem Public Schools for 30 years. This award was established by her family in recognition of her love of literacy and is given to a project that promotes the use of literature within the curriculum.
The Betsey Award - The “Betsey Award” is given in support of an educational project associated with the Creative Arts. The process of creativity – in any form – inspires growth and therefore, widens the horizon of future possibilities. Resulting art contributes to culture and, as Giovanni Agnelli, Chairman of the Fiat Corporation said: “Culture is the common ground upon which ‘peoples from all walks of life’ may meet and walk together on the part of progress.”
The annual Recognition Awards are given in appreciation of those who go above and beyond in their support of our fundraising efforts and include:
The Hawthorne Hotel Recognition Award– Given in appreciation for the generous donation given by the Hawthorne Hotel for hosting our annual auction. The auction proceeds are the primary finding source for all grant funding.
The Dominion Salem Harbor Station Recognition Award – Given in appreciation for Dominion’s generous contribution as a sponsor of the Salem Education Foundation. As a critical source of energy for the Northeast, Dominion Harbor Station has requested this award be granted to a project that focuses on environmental awareness and conservation.
The Salem Academy Charter School Reach the Beach Award – Funded for the second year through a generous donation from SACS, this $1000 grant will again be used to support a project that focuses on Health and Wellness. Please consider submitting an application that seeks to address a need in this critical public health area. PE departments are encouraged to apply, but awards are not limited to this area. After school initiatives and classroom based activities tied to curriculum standards are also welcome. When submitting for this specific award, please indicate “SACS Award” in the title.
We encourage applicants to consider these categories when crafting grant applications. If aiming for a specific award, please refer to the named award in your answer to Question 1 on the application.
Please contact your teacher ambassador with any questions.
