BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- The Massena Central School District's Raider Academy will be able to bring in Clarkson University mentors thanks in large part to a $20,000 grant from the Alcoa Foundation.

Superintendent Ron Burke told school board members the grant will allow the district to bring in Raider Academy mentors and support project-based STEM projects during the summer.

"I'd like to thank Danielle Chapman for securing that," he said.

Chapman, who work's as the district's director of education support services, was on hand for the meeting to request the board accept the grant funding.

“These funds will be used to pay for Clarkson University mentors to go to each elementary school for Raider Academy during the 2024-25 school year. The mentors will provide project-based STEM enrichment activities,” she said.

Chapman said all supplies and materials for the STEM activities and projects will be covered through the grant, along with a STEM field trip to the Children's Museum in Potsdam.

Chapman said Clarkson University will also be providing STEM summer camps for elementary students next summer. Students in grades three through six will be able to participate.

School board members also accepted a donation from the Class of 2024, which included two Spikeball sets, two extra Spikeballs, a full pickleball set, a set of pickleball paddles and balls, a Boss Toss set and a Kan Jam travel set.

Community Schools Director Kristin Colarusso-Martin informed the board of the donations, reading the extensive list off to board members.

Along with the game sets, the Class of 2024 also donated snow cone cups and 12 bottles of snow cone flavoring to the Nightengale PTO as a way to say thank you for lending their snow cone machine, officials said.

They also donated leftover squirt toys other than the Nightengale second grade and kindergarten classes.

The Class of 2024 also donated two, 120-can coolers to the main kitchen, as well as Slip 'N Slides for kindergarten students, as well as the Massena Recreation Department for the summer recreation program.