By MHS Students Obenewaa Frimpomaa, Sophia Li, Michelle Luo and Sarah Mathew
What is the Millburn Education Foundation?
Since 1993, the Millburn Education Foundation (MEF) has supported educational excellence in Millburn. We act as a catalyst to enhance and support learning opportunities for our Millburn Public School District students. One of the ways MEF supports our community is by providing financial grants for educational programs and resources. The money supports various causes throughout Millburn High School, Millburn Middle School, and Millburn's Elementary Schools. This past year MEF committed over $160,000 in total grants to Millburn Public Schools. A substantial portion of these grants went to various departments within the High School, including the Science and Art Departments.
Brand New Microscopes for Biology Classes!
Of the total money, approximately $40,000 was allocated to the purchase of new microscopes for biology classes at the High School. Many of the microscopes needed to be updated, ranging from 30 to 60, maybe even 80 years old. As such, these outdated microscopes had many problems, often breaking and interfering with class and labs.
“[The old microscopes] are all different types that operate in all different manners, so it's difficult for me to instruct students as a whole on how to use a microscope if they’re all using different types of microscopes”, said Ms. Clinton, a biology teacher at Millburn High School. “They constantly broke and we would have to pay to get them fixed. I’d have to plan for lessons that did not include my microscopes”.
Ms. Clinton (left) and Ms. Parlavecchio (right) with the new microscopes funded by the Millburn Education Foundation.
This problem wasn’t uncommon. Some of the oldest microscopes date back to the 1950s, and over time many had been broken or replaced. The biology classes as a whole had ancient microscopes of various models and years. So when Ms. Paralvecchio, a biology teacher at Millburn High School, was teaching summer classes at Newark Academy and noticed the microscopes they were using, she recommended them to the Science Department. The science teachers agreed unanimously that it was time for an update.
“[The microscopes are] so user-friendly”, said Ms. Parlavecchio. “When I taught over the summer at Newark Academy, that’s where I first started using these, we used the microscopes and not one student questioned how to use it. They were able to just get going with the work. [The microscopes] are easy assembly and very easy to work with. I’m very excited. It’s just time we have some modern updated equipment”.
The new microscopes funded by the Millburn Education Foundation for Millburn High School’s biology classes.
Both Ms. Clinton and Ms. Parlavecchio anticipate that the new microscopes will greatly improve the learning experience for their students. The new microscopes are a lot easier to use, with features such as moving stage clips, bigger lenses, and adjustable brightness. These features will help keep the specimen in focus and decrease the amount of time students would typically spend fiddling with the microscope while conducting a lab. Overall, this investment marks a significant step forward for the biology classes, promising a more effective and engaging learning environment.
Reach out to the Millburn Ed Foundation!
If you have questions, if you would like to donate, or if you are interested in working with MEF to enhance the student learning experience, please refer to our website link here: https://www.millburnedfoundation.org. Please also reach out if you are a student club or club advisor at MHS and you would like to get involved.
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