Have you ever had an awesome idea for a classroom activity, trip, or addition that you’ve then realized you don’t have the money for? The Rice Memorial High School Student Life Fund might just be your answer!
A generous donor has been giving to Rice for the Student Life Fund since 2021, and they will continue to do so for three more years. They love to help “enhance the vibrancy of student life and academics at Rice,” according to Nancy Viner, the Director of Leadership Giving at Rice Memorial High School.
Students at the Rice summer reading event on Anthropocene Reviewed August, 30, 2024. (RiceMemorialHighSchool/SmugMug)
One of the major projects that is made possible by the Student Life Fund is Rice’s annual Book Day. This year’s Book Day was inspired by the book Anthropocene Reviewed, authored by John Green. All of the day’s activities were created with the help of the Student Life Fund. This article offers an in-depth review, pun intended, of the day.
Many classes receive money from the Student Life Fund to make outside learning opportunities possible.
“The Student Life Fund provides our students with an opportunity to see, in person, some of the concepts that we are talking about in class,” says Shanna Barnicle, a science teacher at Rice. “[W]e use the Student Life Fund to pay for a field trip to the fish hatchery in Grand Isle…[It] is also helping AP Biology raise trout in the classroom, and they will pay for the release party that is happening in the spring, tying celebration with learning.”
The Rice Drumline is a prominent feature of school pep rallies and sports events. The Student Life Fund bought new uniforms for the drumline a few years ago, allowing Rice Memorial High School’s Knights to look all the more official.
The Student Life Fund also bought all Rice students Adobe subscriptions for a year. Students now get to experiment with Adobe tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and more. These applications could help students with schoolwork and this opportunity exposes them to new and interesting technology.
French III and French IV took a trip to Montreal earlier this year, taking a walking tour and visiting the Old City and the Biodome. This entire trip was funded by the Student Life Fund.
Campus Ministry’s annual retreats to Saint Anne’s Shrine, as well as Campus Ministry Night In is supported by the Student Life Fund. Also, a new potter’s wheel for the art room, new books for the RMHS Library and cameras for the Digital Photography classes were all provided by the fund.
Freshmen students at Forest Lake Camp September 19, 2024 (Genevieve Trono/Photo).
The Sophomores and Juniors both took their class trips to Spare Time on November 7th, and this outing was entirely funded by the Student Life Fund. They went bowling, played laser tag, and used the arcade.
The grants proposed to the Fund are evaluated based on a few criteria by a committee composed of several students from different grades as well as administrators. The Student Life Fund provides grants for non-athletic related student enrichment activities only. The committee tries to fund many different departments of the school, such as music, art, language, science, etc.
The committee also looks into whether the grants can be covered by a school budget item. If it can, that is the suggested route to receive funding. The committee determines which proposed grants/activities benefit the students most. According to Viner, the grants are evaluated on their cost, impact, and student experience.
So, if you have a class activity idea, or even need funds to start a club, you should check out the Student Life Fund! Details for grant applications can be found on the Rice Memorial High School website, www.rmhsvt.org.
