DIXFIELD – Tom Starratt was elated Tuesday morning after opening the mail.

The Dirigo Middle School principal received a letter stating that SAD 21 was awarded a three-year grant for a total of $384,330.

The 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant was one of two grant applications that he helped an administrative team write earlier this summer.

“I’ve been pretty much walking on cloud nine with this. The potential for use of this grant is just incredible,” Starratt said Wednesday afternoon.

The money – to be doled out by the state in $128,110 increments per year for each of the next three years – is to provide a variety of remedial and enrichment programs for students and parents of SAD 21’s four schools and Peru Elementary School.

In a consolidation move earlier this year, Peru merged with the district.

“We have a lot of kids who don’t have anything positive to do after school when school starts. Now, with this, every single kid in the district will be able to participate in all five schools,” Starratt said.

District Superintendent Thomas Ward was equally excited.

“This is a tremendous gift to the district. And it’s very timely coming in a very tight budget year,” Ward said Wednesday afternoon.

The grant money is to implement a comprehensive after-school program and summer school program.

After-school activities that district schools are expected to pursue at the elementary level include art, French, Spanish, science, technology and music clubs, and Blooming Book Works, a reading club.

At the middle school level, the clubs include art, French, science, technology, Study Buddies, math lab, Horizons, drama and music.

High school programs include art, math lab, culinary arts, environmental, Horizons and drama clubs.

Starratt said the middle school has Horizons, an art and technology club and Study Buddies, but, due to budget constraints, they’ve only been nurturing interest in a math lab and drama club.

“Last year the math lab kids only met twice, and the drama club did some improvisational skits. So with this grant, we are hoping that the drama club becomes a feeder program for the high school drama club,” he said.

Additionally, the new Access program, is to include evening classes for students and parents in such things as technology use and study skills.

Other programs include mentoring and counseling services when needed.

Both Ward and Starratt credited each other for helping the district win the grant.

“I told him that the only way we’ll be able to do anything extra is to pursue grants. So I give Tom a great deal of credit for taking the time to make contacts, develop the grant application and write it,” Ward said.

Starratt cited Ward’s vision earlier this summer, when, due to unexpected state cuts, the district began with a budget crunch.

“He said that we should start beating the bushes and apply for grants that could help supplement the very tight budget. So it was a good vision on his part,” Starratt said.