EANS Grant Funding

Holy Family was recently awarded $1.8M in funds from the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) funding program, which sends necessary assistance to private schools as they continue to ensure students' health, safety, and academic wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than $2.75 billion has made its way to private schools throughout the country, primarily religious and nonprofit schools, due to federal restrictions through the EANS program. Holy Family's Director of Facilities, Matt Montgomery, and Facilities Assistant, Mary Fountaine, were instrumental in the grant application process. There were restrictions on how grant dollars could be spent, and the duo worked internally to determine needs and then provided detailed explanations on how funds would be used. "You have to be strategic when money becomes available. Private schools rarely qualify for grant funding, so we jumped at the opportunity," said Principal Matt Hauptly. "We strive to take advantage of every possible opportunity to better our school, and we have been so incredibly blessed with these grant dollars." The pandemic created unique needs for all schools. The allowable uses for EANS funding were broad and included supplies for disinfection, ventilation system improvements, educational technology, connectivity, and curriculum development. Much of the funding Holy Family received was used on technology upgrades throughout the school and equipping teachers and students with the tools necessary to address learning deficiencies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tabletop shields.

Digital Microscope for Biology and Chemistry Classrooms.

EANS Grant #1 $509,159

Funds from the first EANS Grant were used to support the school as it moved through the pandemic and recoup costs incurred preparing it for in-person learning. Including an upgrade of school technology to better support in-person and remote learning. The grant also secured cleaning equipment to sanitize the school frequently throughout the school day properly. A vast majority of Holy Family's desktops were over a decade old, as was the WiFi infrastructure. To handle modern learning needs, especially with hybrid and remote learning, a significant portion of this EANS grant was used to upgrade the WiFi system and purchase new PCs.

Sample of Items Purchased or Reimbursed through EANS Grant #1 HEALTH

• A thermal camera system used to measure body temperature • Tabletop shields for desks/tables throughout the school • Walls and tables for creating classrooms in the cafeteria and gymnasium • Framed and walled tents to facilitate outdoor classrooms and locker rooms • Mobile floor cleaning units & disinfecting cleaning supplies

TECHNOLOGY

• Wireless Network Upgrade • Promethean Boards with document cameras • Dell OptiPlex PCs • Samsung Chromebooks • Webcams with microphones and USB extension cables for remote learning

Walled tent being used as a locker room for varsity football team.

EANS Grant Funding

EANS Grant #2 $1,287,400

Funds from the second EANS Grant addressed learning loss caused by hybrid and remote learning. They ultimately supported overall student learning and engagement with collaborative learning spaces and further upgraded the school's technological infrastructure. Funds were spread across several internal departments. Music/Theater: $54,370 (5%) Art: $77,244 (6%) Science: $154,488 (12%) Mathematics: $38,622 (3%) Language Arts: $51,496 (4%) Athletics: $25,748 (2%) All School: $875,432 (68%)

COLLABORATIVE LEARNING SPACES

• 664 collaborative classroom chairs and desks • Collaborative tables with whiteboard tops • Collaborative library and classroom tables

TECHNOLOGY

• Overhaul and security upgrade of the school's technology backbone • 31 HP Pavilion, 27" Windows 11,

Intel Core computers • 3 Promethean Boards

HEALTH

• Ventilation units • Disinfectant supplies • Medication cart & refrigerator

Sample of Items Purchased or Reimbursed through EANS Grant #2 STUDENT LEARNING

• 60 Oculus Virtual Reality systems • 60 compound microscopes • Chemistry equipment and glassware used to outfit four classrooms • Equipment for Biology and

Forensics labs • 6 digital microscope cameras • 11 Kawai digital pianos • Anatomy classroom models • 6 3D printers • Laser cutting system • 30 TI-84 graphing calculators for each Math classroom

Collaborative tables and chairs being utilized in school library.

Seeds of Hope - $50,000

In addition to the national EANS grants, Holy Family also applied for and received assistance from Seeds of Hope. Seeds of Hope primarily offers need-based scholarships to Holy Family students. They will also provide grants for school technology upgrades or building repairs. Holy Family applied for and received $50,000 in funding to add natural gas and venting for two Science classrooms which now enable the rooms to be used for Chemistry classes. The school has been challenged recently by the high number of students wanting to take Chemistry classes. However, we were limited by the number of proper Chemistry classrooms.