District students benefitting from over $23,000 in grants
Webutuck Central School District students will benefit from over $23,000 in grants awarded by the Webutuck Quest for Excellence Fund through the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.
The Quest board has awarded $147,000 over the last 12 years.
“The ability to have partners such as Quest and the Berkshire Taconic Foundation for our students to receive even more than what the district can offer them is priceless,” said Superintendent of Schools Raymond Castellani.
Castellani said these grants offer opportunities to students that they wouldn’t get without them.
“The support from Berkshire Taconic adds so much to the educational program and their educational experience,” he said.
EBIS teacher Ashley Lukach received a grant for a math at home program. On Jan. 29, Lukach organized Family Game Math Night in the library to build students’ math skills with funding from a previous grant.
“Families joined their students to play math-based board games together, creating a positive and supportive learning environment,” said Lukach. “The evening highlighted how math can be both enjoyable and meaningful when shared with others.”
Students were encouraged to borrow and bring home the board games for the weekend.
Recipients
Eric Wiener – Reeding! Let’s Grow! Purchase of Instruments
Danielle Friedstrom – 2026 STEAM Fair
Craig Wickwire – After school art club
Kaylee Kelsey (two grants) – Back to the 80s spring play, Broadway Experience
Thomas Monteverde – Math and science trip using physics and calculus at an adventure park
Christine Gillette and Kathleen Howard – Fun with collision and energy
Giana Kall – Webutuck Service Club (student recipient)
Kari Mahaffey – American Museum of Natural History and Hayden Planetarium
Leah Sprague (two grants) – 8th grade trip to Boston and Space Odyssey (theme day books for each student)
Ashley Lukach – Math at Home: Building Bridges through Board Games
Megan Langton – AIS family connections engagement evening
Taylor Price – First grade enrichment bins
Audrey Toonkel – Health and wellness for all
Skylar Fountain – Magnet manipulatives
Monica Baker – Portable microscropes for multilingual science exploration and family engagement
Sydney Cipriano – Reading Circle Project: Readers in Conversation, Minds in Motion
Martina Marchese – Two by Two Zoo assembly for school
Nicole Molinari – Third grade trip to the Science Museum and materials for classroom
Brianna Swart – Kinetic kids initiative
Community recipients
Cary Institute -- Multiyear educational partnership with Eugene Brooks Intermediate School
Wassaic Project – Third grade mnural and 3D installation
NorthEast Community Center – After school program’s readers and writers lab