Early dismissal days across Bennington elementary schools are now even more engaging thanks to High Ability Learning (HAL) teachers Calena Ohlson, Abby Fitzgerald, and Missy DeHart. Their well-established push-in program brings interactive STEM/STEAM projects directly into classrooms—and with support from a BPSF Classroom Grant, they’ve taken it to the next level.
"Each early dismissal, the HAL facilitators push-in to the elementary classrooms to do a project (often STEM related) related to what they've been (or will be) studying," said Ohlson, "with the goal of pushing in to each elementary classroom at least once."
The grant funded a collection of reusable, low-prep STEM supplies designed to make these classroom visits more efficient and impactful. These ready-to-go resources help HAL teachers maximize instructional time and minimize prep on shortened school days.
“It’s so beneficial because we don’t have a set budget like regular classrooms do,” Ohlson shared. “We also do a lot more ‘extra’ that often requires purchases. Without the Foundation grants that we’ve been awarded over the years, we wouldn’t be able to do many of the projects that we currently do.”
Impact Highlights:
- Reached 2,168 elementary students this year alone
- Built a reusable collection of low-prep STEM materials
- Streamlined prep time to focus more on student engagement
- Supported district goals for innovation and critical thinking
- Sustains engaging learning on early dismissal days for years to come
Thanks to this teacher-led initiative and BPSF support, early dismissal days aren’t just shorter—they’re smarter.
