Ocean City Education Foundation Grants $17,822

At what Chairman Dave Allegretto called the group's "favorite" event of the year, the Ocean City Education Foundation gave away $17,822 in educational grants on Friday.

The Foundation is a group of citizens, parents and business leaders that holds fundraisers throughout the year to "enhance and expand opportunities for the Ocean City School District students."

Grant awards announced on Friday in a morning ceremony at Ocean City High School covered all three Ocean City schools — ranging from a new dance floor for the dance fitness program in the high school's successful School Choice program to a new scoreboard for use in Intermediate School and community athletic events and classes to laptop computers for use by first-graders at the Primary School.

Ocean City teachers had made more than $75,000 in grant applications to the Foundation.

In the immediate aftermath of Superstorm Sandy in October, with so many students displaced from their homes, the Foundation purchased a breakfast for the entire district. The expense kept Friday's grant awards from being even larger this year, Allegretto said.

He encouraged the public to continue to support the Foundation by participating in the group's events throughout the year. For more information: ocnjef.com.

The grant awards are as follows:

Ocean City High School

• Barbara Daniel, Social Studies: For sophomore class field trips to the Ocean City Historical Museum
• Alyssa Preis and Dr. Christine Lentz, Physical Education: For a dance floor for the new School Choice dance fitness program
• Thomas Frederick, Special Education: For portable exercise equipment for life skills students
• Nicole McMaster, Special Education: For field trips to museums for the life skills students

Ocean City Intermediate School

• Mikenzie Helphenstine, Matthew Lane, Renee Bendig and Jesse Parker, Athletic, Health and Physical Education: For two new scoreboards in the school gymnasium
• Christine Franckle, Language Arts: For a document camera
• Lindsay Morris, Mathematics: For a document camera

Ocean City Primary School

• Kathleen Woodring, Special Education: For six Boogie Board LCD Paperless Writing Tablets
• Jennifer Eget and Mary Beth Libro, First Grade: For laptop computers
• Janet Romano, Music: For musical instruments
• Edward Hirsch, Third Grade: For a document camera