Two schools in the Hudson School District have received Robotics Education Development Program grants from the New Hampshire Department of Education, giving both Alvirne High School and Hudson Memorial School new opportunities to expand hands-on STEM learning for students during the 2026–2027 school year.
The announcement came during the correspondence portion of the most recent School Board meeting, where letters from the Department of Education were included in the agenda packet for public review.
In the letter addressed to Alvirne High School, Anne Wallace, Math/STEM Education Consultant for the New Hampshire Department of Education, wrote:
“It is my pleasure to inform you that a Robotics Education Development Program Grant is awarded to Alvirne High School in the amount of $5,700.00 for the school year 2026–2027.”
The Department explained that grant award letters are sent to the authorizing agent for the school and/or school district, ensuring that administrators and the School Board are formally notified of the funding and its requirements.
By accepting the grant, the school, district, and School Board agree to several conditions designed to ensure accountability and promote expanded robotics participation:
- Funds must be spent only on items identified in the grant award letter, no later than May 30, 2027.
- Schools must actively work to expand student participation in robotics programming, particularly among under represented groups.
- A year-end report must be submitted by May 30, 2027, detailing competitive events attended, demographic information about team participants, total number of students involved, and a final budget of actual expenditures.
- Monthly financial reports must be submitted through the Grants Management System (GMS) by June 15, 2027. Reports submitted after that date will not be reimbursed.
- The grant ends May 30, 2027, and any unspent funds will not carry over to the following year.
Hudson Memorial School received an identical Robotics Education Development Program Grant in the amount of $5,700.00 for the 2026–2027 school year. Its award letter was also sent to the district’s authorizing agent, confirming that both schools will have access to the same level of funding to support robotics education.
The grants are part of a statewide effort to strengthen STEM opportunities and encourage students to engage in competitive robotics, engineering challenges, and technology based problem solving. For Hudson, the funding provides a boost to programs that have grown steadily in recent years as more students express interest in robotics and coding.
In addition to the grant announcements, the School Board heard a proposal from Athletic Director Justin Hufft regarding a new fundraising initiative for several fall sports teams.
“The Alvirne athletic department would like to request permission to have the following fall teams engage in a challenge based fundraising activity with Vertical Raise,” Hufft wrote in his memo to the Board.
The teams participating in the proposed fundraiser include Golf, Cross Country, Girls Soccer, and Girls Volleyball.
According to the memo, the fundraiser would allow team members to voluntarily solicit pledges in exchange for completing performance based challenges related to their sport. Hufft noted that the request aligns with Hudson School District Policy DFGA on crowdfunding, and that the department is seeking formal permission to use Vertical Raise as the fundraising platform.
After reviewing the proposal, the School Board unanimously approved the request, allowing the athletic department to move forward with the challenge based fundraiser this fall.