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Grants

Every year, CEMS teachers and staff can apply for an MSPA Teacher Grant: funding for classroom supplies, special projects, and student experiences that fall outside the school’s regular budget. The MSPA sets aside approximately $4,000 each year for these grants, funded entirely through community fundraising.

Grants are awarded on a rolling basis throughout the school year. Browse what we’ve funded below and please consider making a direct donation to help the MSPA support students and staff through Teacher Grants.

If you’re a CEMS teacher or staff member with an idea, learn more about applying for a grant.

Questions?

Any questions can be sent to MSPA Grants Co-Chairs Eliza Matheson and Dana Kirby.

Grants Awarded

  • $176.57 to Allison Caruso (6th Grade) for a Stickerbox to make personalized stickers for students to provide encouragement or put important information on student papers and folders.
  • $20.80 to Erica Marcus (Civil Rights Team) for creating a Day of Welcome banner.
  • $110 to Charlie Carroll (6th Grade Homebase) for new pots for homebase UFO plants that are outgrowing their current pots.
  • $75 to Dana Bettez (Main Office) for gift cards for teacher recognition at upcoming staff meetings.

  • $118.06 to Allison Caruso & Josh Chase (Grade 6) for a homebase plant-care project.
  • $675 to Caitlin Ramsey & Missy Shabo (CEMS Band) to hire 9 area band directors for 5th Grade Instrument Day mini lessons.
  • $16.87 to Erica Marcus (Health & Wellness) for take-home “mind jars” to reinforce a mindfulness lesson.
  • $200 to Samantha Lemelin to stock a classroom incentive store.
  • $50 to Tabitha Eastman (8th Grade Team) for BINGO prizes as part of a monthly behavior-incentive program.
  • $126.39 to Sashi Kaufman for classroom fidget tools.
  • $27.41 to Erica Marcus (Health & Wellness) to restock indoor recess jewelry-making supplies.
  • $247.56 to Laura Ellis (5th Grade STEM) for a hands-on cardboard math-building project.
  • $61.13 to Erica Marcus (Health & Wellness) for bookmarks made by 6th graders serving as book buddies for Pond Cove 2nd/3rd graders.
  • $81.12 to Dan Eberle’s 5th Grade Homebase for acrylic paint for a grade-wide “kindness rocks” project.
  • $63 to Katrina Aspinwall (World Language) for prizes in the international “Manie Musicale de Mars” French competition.
  • $150 to Brigid Smith-Franey (Civil Rights Team) for a guest speaker stipend at the Civil Rights Team Teach-In.
  • $100 to Eric Huntington (Technology) for prizes for screen free week.
  • $250 to David Croft (5th Grade Team) for the “Gnome Project” — students build ~60 gnome homes and place them along the Cape Elizabeth trail system as a town-wide scavenger hunt, tying math, science, and literacy into a public art installation during Screen-Free Week.
  • $75 to Haley Malm (Civil Rights Team) for a “make-your-own rainbow tutu” contest.
  • $65.50 to Haley Malm (Civil Rights Team) for lollipops and tie-dye kits for a Pride celebration and fashion show open to all students, grades 5–8.
  • $250 to Sarah Jordan for a pizza party celebrating a class fundraiser that beat its $1,000 goal, raising closer to $1,700.
  • $250 to Aaron Filieo (7th Grade) for a class lunch between performances of “Seeking Socrates,” the 7th grade’s annual student-written play.

  • $605 to Caitlin Ramsey & Missy Shabo (CEMS Band) to hire 9 area band directors for 5th Grade Instrument Day mini lessons.
  • $240.67 to Sarah Gagne (Volunteer Services) to restock CEMS Mentor Program supplies and fund an end-of-year celebration.
  • $24 to Jennifer Helis (ML) for shipping on picture keepsakes for 3 students in need.
  • $45 to Jennifer Helis (ML) for reading-goal prizes for English language learners.
  • $25.99 to Jolyn McLaughlin (Extended Learning) for individual whiteboards for small-group instruction.
  • $99.99 to Jolyn McLaughlin (Extended Learning) for a rolling whiteboard used across grades 5–8.
  • $229.99 to Erica Marcus (Homebase) for button makers, gems, and dowels for a homebase flag project.
  • $200 to Tammy Carusone (Music) for materials for 6th graders to build invented instrument prototypes.
  • $146.27 to Samantha Lemelin (CEMS Sped) for classroom materials.
  • $49.96 to Sarah Hanson (Speech & Debate) for water and snacks at a CEMS-hosted debate meet.
  • $350 to Kathryn Toppan (Extended Learning) — matched by CAPEHSPA — for a two-day printmaking workshop for advanced art students.
  • $102.96 to Libby Heselton (Counseling) for snacks and tea to support small-group sessions.
  • $41.07 to Laura Ruel (Occupational Therapy) for jewelry-making supplies for indoor recess.
  • $128.74 to Lisa Lund (Special Education) for classroom-store incentive rewards.
  • $9.80 to Erica Marcus (Civil Rights Team) for button-making supplies.
  • $74.05 to Brigid Smith-Franey (8th Grade Science) for snacks for a positive-behavior incentive system.
  • $133.63 to Josh Chase (Math) for a pizza party celebrating the school’s Prodigy Math Club team.
  • $575 to Kathryn Toppan (Extended Learning/CEGAT) — matched by CAPEHSPA — for “Hometown Heroes,” an illustrated-storytelling project pairing art students with local veterans.
  • $229.79 to Eric Huntington (Visual & Performing Arts) for a t-shirt press and trophies used across a “Shark Tank”-style Explore session and other student clubs.
  • $135 to Erica Marcus (Screen Free Week Committee) for local-business prizes for Screen Free Week.
  • $45.95 to Jolyn McLaughlin (Gifted & Talented) for novels for a cross-grade book study.
  • $18.59 to Alana Trottier (Nursing) for nurse’s office supplies.
  • $260.09 to Katrina Aspinwall (World Language) for prizes in the international “Manie Musicale de Mars” French competition.
  • $48 to Dan Eberle (5th Grade Humanities) for extra novels for a book group.
  • $50 to Brigid Smith-Franey (Civil Rights Team) for a guest speaker stipend at the Civil Rights Team Teach-In.
  • $78.75 to Libby Heselton (Counseling) to restock snacks for small groups.
  • $250.95 to Missy Shabo & Caitlin Ramsey (Band) for an iPad and case for the band room.
  • $190.55 to Aaron Filieo for a class pizza celebration.
  • $37.94 to Erica Marcus (Civil Rights Team) for Pride Month craft supplies.
  • $96.12 to Sarah Jordan (Physical Education) to reimburse a pizza party for the top-fundraising homebase in the American Heart Association drive.

  • $50 to the ML Dept. to provide a snack for ML students who have difficulty accessing food in the cafe.
  • $130 to Ms. Arbour’s 5th grade class for STEM notebooks.
  • $33.68 to the 7th grade classes for a much needed popsicle break.
  • $505 to the Music Department to help hire 8 MS band directors to facilitate the increased number of students at instrument pickup day mini lessons.
  • $49.95 to the CEMS Chess Club to purchase additional chess boards, and to support teachers implementing chess into their unstructured times to promote forward thinking, a move away from screens, and an opportunity to engage in dialogue.
  • $116.63 to the 6th grade for supplies on their Gull Crest hike.
  • $533.58 to Mr. Bellanger for for pickleball supplies to be used over the course of late spring into this fall.
  • $400 to the Volunteer Coordinator/CEMS Social Work team for arts & crafts storage and a year end ice cream sundae mentor celebration
  • $250 to the Special Education team to to purchase a variety of games and puzzles for classrooms which will be used to build executive functioning skills such as planning/forward thinking, prioritizing and self-control.
  • $40 to Mr. Croft to purchase appropriate reading level books for his classroom.
  • $75.00 for Mrs. Moniz’s class to purchase materials for science lab activities.
  • $40 to World Languages for supplies to participate in the Journey North’s Symbolic Migration project.
  • $60 to Ms. Kaufman’s 7th grade Science class to purchase several sets of a magnetic game for the study of magnetic and electrical forces
  • $178.50 to the Counseling and Tech departments to purchase 10 books to use in a district wide study on Parenting in the Screen Age
  • $500 to the 7th grade Fileo/Moniz team to purchase tickets to “Christmas Carol” at Portland Stage as part of the language arts curriculum
  • $60 to the CEMS Debate Team for snacks and water for the participants of 3 visiting schools of a Debate Tournament that Cape hosted
  • $50 to the OT/SEL departments of beading supplies for indoor recess and the mentor program
  • $46.70 to Ms. Ellis to refresh her classroom standing table, which is a favorite work spot for her students and has taken a beating
  • $600 to the World Language team to purchase appropriately leveled books for each classroom which were not covered by the school budget
  • $260 to the Counseling department for a year’s worth of snacks, tea bags, and gum for students. Because of our challenging lunch scheduling our students are often too hungry to concentrate on their lessons, our counselors have been paying out of pocket for small, healthy snacks to tide them over. The gum is a great tool for our ADHD students to help with concentration. The teas help to make students visiting Counseling to feel calm and comfortable.
  • $125 to the Music Department to bring a guest artist to work as an artist-in-residence with the 8-12 jazz students.
  • $203.25 to Mr. Bellanger for 21 Ping Pong Paddles (with a few balls thrown in) and 2 pairs of sneakers.
  • $100 to Haley Malm for Fish Tank Supplies
  • $509.97 to Adam Kilip for Electronic weather stations
  • $600 to the 7th Grade Team’s Grant for 7th Grade Explorations
  • $30 to Laurel Ruel for Kinetic Sand
  • $200 to Aaron Filieo for Reading Challenge Pizza Party
  • $150 to Sarah Jordan for Jiu Jitsu instructors
  • $250 to Ms. Aspinwall for funds used to purchase prizes for students with high-scoring brackets in the international French “Manie Musicale de Mars” competition.

  • $1400 to send the entire 6th grade to a Sea Dogs game to support their unit on fractions, decimals, & percentages in a real world setting
  • $140 to bring Antonio Rocha to CEMS for a performance (and purchase his CD) of Malaga Slave Ship for the entire 8th grade to enable students to better connect with both history and our increasingly diverse Portland community
  • $472 for mini lessons for our 80+ incoming 5th grade band students 
  • $225 for a Pizza Party reward for extraordinary efforts in the American Heart Association fundraiser for a 5th and a 6th grade homeroom  
  • $122 to purchase chess boards for CEMS
  • $1000 to bring Primo Cubano to CEMS to teach all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students about salsa dancing and Cuban music to support the goal of Global Competency
  • $220 for the Civil Rights Team/Rainbow Lunch Club Retreat, which covered lunch and leadership training from the Holocaust & Human Rights Center and the Maine Youth Action Network for approx. 40 students
  • $262 for flexible classroom seating 
  • Up to $115 for a Pizza Party to celebrate the accomplishments of 7th/8th Honors Band & Chorus students
  • $200 for a subscription to IXL for Mr Whaley’s 5th grade Social Studies cohort 
  • $148 for a button maker and buttons. The short term project is to create gifts for the Civil Rights Team for their year of hard work. Long term is will be made available to the school for future projects that could be used by all: student council, mindfulness ambassadors, class projects, student achievement recognition, etc.
  • $400 in small grants to teachers for various requests (class incentive trips, pizza parties, etc)
  • $35 for a cake & plates for the Rainbow Lunch Club Pride celebration.