NEWS
PAEF Board President and Grants Chair Michelle Turner presents checks to AmeriCorps Director Michell Gentry and Port Angeles School District Business and Operations Director Kira Acker
PAEF Presents 2022-23 Grants
The Port Angeles Education Foundation recently presented checks to the Port Angeles School District in support of the AmeriCorps tutor/mentor program, and for school and teacher grants, which encourage educators to seek out and deliver dynamic, creative, and innovative projects to stimulate student interest and learning beyond standard school curricula.
S.P.I.C.E Grants awarded to 36 projects totaling $67,902
Supporting Projects of Innovation, Creativity, and Excellence, 36 SPICE grants were awarded to Port Angeles School District staff in 2022/23 for enrichment opportunities for students in the classroom and beyond.
Multi-Building Grants
1. All schools – submitted by Carmen Geyer – Youth Day at the Juan de Fuca Festival of the Arts- $3,000
2. All Elementary - submitted by Vicki Helwick - Seattle Opera Tour - $1,310
3. All Elementary general music - submitted by Dan Cobb - recorders - $800
Dry Creek Elementary
4. Ridge - submitted by Karen Doran - Indigenous Treaty and Art Connections - $3,008 Trudy Kindler Native American Studies Grant
5. 4th Grade - submitted by Katrina Leslie - Learning our Community’s History - $950 Trudy Kindler Native American Studies Grant
6 & 7. General music - submitted by Jesse Reynolds - keyboards and marimbas - $4,500
8. All students - submitted by Lambert Grimes - Everybody Dances, Everybody Shines theatrical production - $750 Rich Boyd Grant for the Arts
9. All students - submitted by Jarom Packer - Disc Golf course - $3,500
10. 2nd grade - submitted by Patricia Hopkins - author Mary Truly presentation - $500
11. Preschool/kindergarten - submitted by Kaitlin Alderson - social/emotional tool kits - $1,987
Hamilton Elementary
12. All students - submitted by Janet Vaughan - library fiction collection - $2,500
13. 3rd/5th grades - submitted by George Kheriaty - rocketry - $1,020 - Joe Glatz Rocket Man Grant
14. 6th grade - submitted by Kahle Dietz - to Seattle Museum of Flight - $1,165 - Joe Glatz Rocket Man Grant
Jefferson Elementary
15. 6th grade - submitted by Jessica Bruning - to Seattle Museum of Flight - $1,200
16. 4th Grade with Dry Creek - submitted by Raena Young - Farm to School - $985
17. 4th grade - submitted by Raena Young - swimming lessons - $1,012 - Patti Reifenstahl Memorial Grant
18. 4th grade - submitted by Raena Young - classroom art supplies - $530
19. 4th Grade - submitted by Raena Young - to Seattle Aquarium - $70
Roosevelt Elementary
20. Kindergarten with Dry Creek - submitted by Meagan Sheahan - to Point Defiance Zoo - $3,000
21. 3rd - 5th Grades - submitted by Erika Kuch - to Seattle Children’s Theatre - $4,320
Stevens Middle School
22. 7th & 8th Grade Spanish - submitted by Debbie Tiemersma - Spanish non-fiction resources - $254
23. Tech students - submitted by Hannah Reed - Technology Student Association drone project - $876 - Joe Glatz “Rocket Man” Grant Fund
24. All students - submitted by Melissa McBride - Positive behavior reinforcement - $2,000
25. 7th grade - submitted by Rylee Horton - classroom library - $1,500
26. CTE Medical Detectives - submitted by Heather Titterness - equipment and whiteboards - $1,000
27. 7th grade - submitted by Susan McDonald - classroom library focused on Native and global stories -$2,500 - Trudy Kindler Native American Studies Grant
Lincoln High School
28. All students - submitted by Angela Tamas - to Chihuly Garden & Glass Seattle - $3,275
Port Angeles High School
29. International Culture Club - submitted by Allison Evans - shared culture through cooking and events - $1,500
30. Science Club - submitted by John Gallagher - science field trips - $2,939
31. Special Education - submitted by Shirlene Fitzwater - Budget Challenge: Road Test for Personal Finance - $500
32. Civics/Political Science - submitted by Stacey Sanders - to State Capitol in Olympia - $1,025
33. Guitar class - submitted by Jarrett Hansen - acoustic and electric guitars - $4,300
34. English 10 - submitted by Brooke Hoefler - ViewSonic Smart Board bundle - $4,177
35. Chemistry/Biology - submitted by Rodger Johnson - supplemental lab equipment - $580
36. ELA Special Ed - submitted by Deziree Greenstreet - whiteboard technology - $4,739
Academic Achievement Awards
Two students in the Port Angeles High School Class of 2023 persevered through COVID-19 to meet the requirements of the Academic Achievement Award. Students must achieve at least a 3.5 grade point average each semester during their freshman through junior years at Port Angeles High School.
In addition, AAA students must have completed at least nine credits in Honors, Advanced Placement, or University of Washington classes. Congratulations to Lily Halberg and Liberty Lauer for their hard work and dedication to education.
Port Angeles High School Class of 2023 Academic Achievement Awards recipients with PAEF Board Members
Port Angeles Education Foundation and Port Angeles School District Get Creative in Solving the Internet Connectivity Gap
PAEF Board President Ray Chirayath (center) and Past President Lynn Bedford present a check to Port Angeles School District Superintendent Marty Brewer in the amount of $50,000 to help low-income students acquire and maintain internet access at home for distance learning.
2021 - The Port Angeles Education Foundation (PAEF) and the Port Angeles School District (PASD) are excited to announce a partnership to provide free internet access to low income students. With COVID-19 related school closures continuing since spring 2020, school districts have faced significant barriers, including the lack of consistent internet, which limited access to online instruction for some students.
Bringing the vision of Distance Learning 2.0 to life required finding a solution for the internet connectivity gap our District’s students faced. While the District provided Chromebooks for student use at home, not all homes could afford internet services. This issue was exacerbated by the lack of infrastructure to provide adequate connectivity, given the expansive geographic area the District serves.
To provide much needed access, PASD and PAEF are providing WiFi or hotspots to more than one hundred families. This enables those students to access the internet and do schoolwork during Distance Learning 2.0. The District has capacity to add data and hotspots to their plan in order to help more students.
“PAEF’s willingness to work alongside the District was a game-changer; being able to use the internet at home removed one of the key barriers to student success during Distance Learning 2.0,” said PASD Superintendent Marty Brewer. Brewer added, “We’re closing the gap between all students; they now have access to what they need.”
The non-profit Education Foundation will donate up to $80,000 to the District’s internet connectivity project. PAEF’s funding is essential to closing the connectivity gap for students in our community.
Ray Chirayath, PAEF Board President said, “The goal of the Ed Foundation is to reduce barriers that limit a student’s ability to attend school, participate, and be ready to learn. We are pleased to use our resources for this critical need.”
Chirayath reports that PAEF received an additional $20,000 commitment from United Way of Clallam County’s COVID-19 Crisis Fund which supports non-profits in delivering their missions during the pandemic. Up to $100,000 is now available to the Port Angeles School District to meet student internet needs.
PAEF also distributes school and teacher grants for enrichment projects in Port Angeles public schools.