
GARDNER — An original Norman Rockwell painting that hung for years outside the principal’s office in Gardner High School continues to be the gift that keeps on giving.
Members of the Williams-Rockwell Educational Gift Fund Committee met on March 1 to distribute this year’s round of grants to applicants from the Gardner Public Schools system. The committee distributed more than $190,000 for 16 different projects, which will take place over the remainder of the year and beyond.
The fund, which was established in 2015, stipulates that any grant funding must be split evenly between arts and general educational purposes.
The largest mount awarded from the fund this year went to Gardner High School band director Doug Lepisto, who received $100,000 for renovations to the school’s Landry Auditorium.
“Auditorium renovations are something (Gardner High School chorus teacher) Joanne…