Andover Townsman, Andover, MA

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May 17, 2007

Engineering excitement, advancement and a new solution

Some of those crucial, active people who keep Andover humming have been affected by a malaise: fundraiser fatigue.

Because of tight budgets, the last several years have been chock full of events created to raise money for worthwhile causes. For some, it could mean a dance, poker tournament, golf outing, auction, wine tasting or dinner nearly every weekend. Sure, most everyone supports the causes. But after a while, even those most happy to donate can become a little tired of organizing or attending the events. That's fundraiser fatigue.

Now, a group of youth and education supporters seem to have found a way to break through this problem | while also finding a way to support exciting programs that affect a larger number of Andover kids.

The Andover Coalition for Education, the Doherty Middle School Parent Advisory Council and the Andona Society | organizations that all support school programs | have banded together to bring an engineering lab to Doherty Middle next year. Importantly, Superintendent Claudia Bach says the program is fiscally sustainable within the school budget, as the donations are helping with the initial costs of setting up the lab. Merrimack College has also donated enough to pay for the teacher, and Principal Bruce Maki says, with a computer-lab teacher retiring, the school does have the ability to maintain such a teacher in its budget.

An engineering lab and course have been enormously successful at West Middle School the last two years, and parents and teachers want to see the pilot program extended to all three town middle schools. Thanks to such efforts, it should happen. They hope to expand the program to Wood Hill Middle School as soon as the 2008-09 school year.

The program seems to grab kids, helping them connect the skills they learn in math and science with real world items they can appreciate. Sixth-graders perform "toy surgery." They take apart simple toys to see how they work and can design their own. Older middle-school students are involved in the same type of rocket-building that Andover educators saw when they visited Olin College's engineering school.

"It was kind of striking that it doesn't have to be super advanced computer technology that you're dealing with," said Maki.

Doherty Middle PAC Co-President Shari Wilson talks about the engineering lab being "the latest example of the Andover Public Schools staying on the vanguard of math and science curriculum."

And it's the type of advancement that encourages parents and other school supporters to get involved. Often parent groups at schools in town are raising funds for basic school supplies.

"How exciting is that? It was almost demoralizing," said Superintendent Claudia Bach. "How can you hit up any organization and say, 'Can you fundraise for some pencils?'"

But by working together, the groups not only eliminate a few fundraisers, but also create bigger bang. They can have impressive, systemwide programs to show for their efforts. That beats having pencils and chalk. It also encourages more donation, more involvement and a better community.

"We can say, 'Do you see? When you go to the game or buy a hot dog [at Clown Town], here's where the money goes,'" said Andona President Paula Colby-Clements.

Three cheers to the groups for finding a way to expand a worthwhile program, and showing a way to help put the fatigue problem to rest.



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