HAMDEN, CT, July 10, 2025 — Arts for Learning CT (AFLCT) is pleased to announce it has received a $5,000 grant from the Erwin C. Bauer Charitable Trust to support nature-based arts learning programs at Polson Middle School in Madison. This grant continues a four-year partnership between AFLCT and Polson, bringing creative, curriculum-aligned programming to all students at the school.
The grant will fund a five-session after-school visual arts program focused on sustainability, and two school-wide performances that highlight themes like environmental stewardship, climate change, and conservation. The gift will also support a week-long arts-integrated residency for 7th-grade students that explores the science of the water cycle, including a field trip to Bauer Park.
All 537 students at Polson will benefit from the programming, which is designed to connect the arts with science learning while inspiring creativity, curiosity, and community engagement. Teachers will also benefit from collaboration with professional Teaching Artists trained in culturally responsive practices.
This program holds special meaning for AFLCT leadership, as Executive Director John-Michael Parker is both a Madison native and a former science teacher at Polson Middle School, deepening the program’s connection to the local community and its values.
About the Erwin C. Bauer Charitable Trust
The Erwin C. Bauer Trust supports charitable purposes of education, conservation, agricultural programs, medical care, public health, housing, and social services for the residents of Madison, CT.