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The private Andover Coalition for Education primary focus during the new school year will be its "ACE 500 Challenge." Over 275 donors to date have supported ACE projects, but the group wants to reach 500 donors in celebration of its fifth anniversary.
"By reaching out to the community through the school Open Houses this fall and giving more people the opportunity to become familiar with this community group, ACE will continue its support of important programs in all our schools," it said.
If ACE can reach its goal of 500 donors, it will qualify for a Reward Pool of $15,000 made available by community members who have pledged to fund the Reward Pool as an incentive for others to donate.
ACE is preparing to celebrate its fifth anniversary on Nov. 5 at a gala party, acknowledging its successes such as the new language lab that opened at Andover High School last spring, the engineering program at the elementary and middle schools, and the addition of a grants coordinator who helps bring money to the school system.
ACE has given over $285,000 in support of Andover public schools since its launch in 2005. Through the work of Grants Coordinator Lisa Glickstein, Andover schools have been awarded state and federal grants totaling over $1.2 million since 2006, said ACE. Her position was fully funded by ACE for two years.
ACE states its goal as supporting "innovative systemwide initiatives that will inspire our students to succeed in facing today's global challenges." For more information about ACE, visit aceandover.org.
