By Tara Mitchell and Carolyn Dwyer
Refresh, expand, appreciate, ignite, reconnect… these are all words that L-S faculty and staff have used to describe how they felt after being supported by a FELS grant. The Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury (FELS) is a nonprofit organization that exists to support the aspirations and passions of L-S teachers and staff.
The motto, “Inspired Teachers Inspire Students,” is what drives the committee. Funds raised are awarded as grants to faculty and staff to pursue an interest, sharpen a skill, explore the world — all with the intent that what they have experienced will flow back into the classroom either directly or indirectly.
This summer, FELS grant recipients gained inspiration by studying ancient texts in Ireland, refreshment and reconnection while attending a painting retreat, and a sense of personal accomplishment by solo backpacking in the Alaskan wilderness, just to highlight a few. Whether recipients chose to develop a personal interest, pursue a new challenge or explore parts unknown, these impactful experiences reignite passions and provide inspiration in ways that pay big dividends not only for teachers but for the students they interact with.
Last year, 12 high-quality grants were submitted. Due to funding constraints, and in an effort to support as many deserving applicants as possible, FELS was only able to award 47% of the funds requested, which resulted in some partial awards.
We need your help to support even more high-quality grant applications this year. Consider making a tax-deductible donation to FELS to help meet our 2026-27 fundraising goal of $15,000. Donations can be made by check and mailed to the address above, or via PayPal here.
Please visit our website, www.FELSGrant.org, to learn more, review our grant history and see our 2026-27 schedule of events including our Thanksgiving pie sale in October and prom flowers sale in the spring.
Thank you for investing in our L-S faculty and staff and their continued growth and development!
Mitchell and Dwyer are writing on behalf of the FELS board.
“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnians. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.
Leave a Reply