EAST BRUNSWICK — Members of the public are being asked to contribute to the latest school district fundraiser.

But residents need not reach for their checkbooks — in this case, their support is as cheap as a click of a mouse.

The East Brunswick Education Foundation (EBEF) has been heading an initiative through June to receive as many votes as possible in hopes to win a $50,000 grant in the nationwide Pepsi Refresh Project. The grant would fund the purchase of 44 SMART response interactive systems for shared use in the district’s eight elementary schools.

“This is a great way to bring some money into the district,” said EBEF President Jack Levitt. “The message is that this is easy and free, and we’ll be able to bring $50,000 into the district at a time when the budget is tight.”

Each month, Pepsi gives away 10 grants each for $5,000, $25,000 and $50,000, as well as two $250,000 grants, for a total of $1.3 million, for projects associated with health, arts and culture, food and shelter, the planet, neighborhoods and education. Participants are asked to submit a “good idea,” which is reviewed and accepted based on the criteria of being beneficial, achievable, constructive and “shovel-ready,” meaning it can be finished within 12 months of funding.

Once approved, a month-long voting process begins, during which people from across the country vote for the projects. The top 10 in each grant bracket at the end of the month are award the respective funds.

“We’re competing with ideas from all around the country,” Levitt said, noting that residents could vote on a daily basis to improve the EBEF’s rating. “So we need as many people involved as possible. This would be a great program to put in the schools.”

The $50,000 grant, if won, would bring SMART Response systems to 4,800 students. The interactive systems are designed to increase student involvement and participation during lessons while monitoring student performance by implementing interactive lessons and questions sets that students respond to with handheld wireless devices.

“Teachers can immediately see what the students understand and don’t understand, and students don’t have to be afraid to get the wrong answer in front of their classmates,” Levitt said.

Levitt said that second-grade Warnsdorfer Elementary School teacher and EBEF member Susan Mizerak, who spearheaded the grant campaign, is already using the system in her classroom due to a donation by the EBEF.

“My class loves using the SMART Response system,” she said. “They actually cheer when I pass out the voting pads. Every student is involved in the lesson and receiving immediate feedback privately on their voting pad. I am able to track and monitor progress. This technology has greatly enriched the motivation and involvement in my classroom.”

Levitt encourages residents to vote daily, and to ask their friends and family members to vote as well.

“You don’t need to be an East Brunswick resident to vote for our idea,” he said.
Levitt said that the EBEF has been actively campaigning, and sent information home with students, as well as taken to social networking sites and message boards to spread the word. He also noted that East Brunswick has formed alliances with other school districts, with each promising to vote for the other’s ideas.

“We really need to kick this into high gear,” he said. “It’s essentially one big popularity contest, and we need to up the ante if we want to win this.”

Levitt said that the Pepsi Refresh Project is one of many ways in which the EBEF is looking to raise money.

“With the budget cuts, we’ve needed to find new ways and sources to raise money. The district is relying on us more and more for funding, and we want to do everything we can to help,” Levitt said, noting that the EBEF is also looking into grant programs offer by Best Buy and Bank of America.

The contest was scheduled to end at 11:59 p.m. on June 30. Residents over the age of 13 can register and vote at www.refresheverything.com/ebefsmartresponse.