Upcoming Events
Thank you to the businesses that participated in our 2nd annual Shopping Day for the schools. And thanks to those who got out and shopped! Because of your support, the foundation was able to raise over $3600 for the public schools!
SHAKESPEARE-IN-THE-SCHOOLS IS COMING BACK...
Save the date! Shakespeare returns to Driggs on April 10th. Teton Valley Education Foundation is once again hosting the Utah Shakespearean Festival's Shakespeare-in-the-schools program at Teton County High School. This year the performance will be "Romeo & Juliet". The will be a morning performance for students and a 7pm performance open to the public. Tickets are $5 and will be available for sale at local businesses and at the door.
In The News
October 2007
Doing Good, One Search at a Time - New Yahoo-Powered Search Engine and Shopping Mall Helps Fund Teton Valley Education Foundation and Thousands of Other Nonprofits and Schools
What if even a fraction of the $20 billion generated by search engine advertisers* and online shopping was directed towards bettering our schools?
That is what is happening with GoodSearch.com! GoodSearch.com, powered by Yahoo, donates 50% of its revenue, approximately a penny per search, to the charities designated by its users. You use it exactly as you would any other search engine and the pennies add up quickly. By just 500 people searching four times a day, one can earn around $7,300 in a year!
In addition, GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates a percentage of each sale to the charities designated by its users. More than 100 merchants, including The Gap, Target and Best Buy, are featured on the site.
Teton Valley Education Foundation recently registered with the site, giving its supporters a chance to raise money for the cause every time they search the Internet. The goal is to earn $2000 through the site this school year, which will be used to meet some of the educational needs of our schools.
More than 45,000 nonprofits are now actively generating revenue via GoodSearch and more than 100 charities and schools are registering daily. GoodSearch has quickly spread via word-of-mouth and the blogger community. Examples of other organizations listed on the site include: The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which has earned more than $5,100; The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, the country's largest habitat refuge for endangered elephants, which has raised over $4,700; and The Bubel/Aiken Foundation, which supports children with disabilities and has earned more than $4,900.
Using GoodSearch is simple. Because the site is powered by Yahoo, users are assured of high quality resultsâ€"but each time you search, money is generated by the advertisers for your favorite charity or school.
"Every penny counts," says Lori Kramer, Chair of the Teton Valley Education Foundation. "While doing a search or shopping online, why not raise money for our schools? There is absolutely no reason not to use GoodSearchâ€"it's so easy.â€
"We know there are a lot of people who want to do good, but may not have the time or the money to help out, said Ken Ramberg, co-founder of GoodSearch and former president of MonsterTRAK, the largest online career site for college students (now a division of Monster.com). "GoodSearch makes it as easy as possible. We've taken something people do every day searching the Internet and shopping online and have turned it into doing good."
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August 2007
Students Return to School with New & Improved Technology
When Teton High School Art students come back to school, they will be able to work on their art projects via the computer, thanks to a donation of nine computer art tablets by Teton Valley Education Foundation. The art tablets allow students to draw and paint just like traditional methods, but on the computer. Students use a stylus on a tablet and the information is transferred to the computer screen. This technology is used by professional artists and graphic designers.
Teton Valley Education Foundation donated the tablets to help the art students learn on the latest technology before they go off to college. Colleges often use these types of tablets to teach art. "Our goal as a foundation is to provide opportunities students may not otherwise get that helps them compete in the real world," said Lori Kramer, foundation board chairman. "These tablets are utilized by professional artists and graphic design professionals on a daily basis, so those students who pursue art as a career will be gaining knowledge of technology in use today and get a heads up on what will be taught in college," Kramer added.
In addition to the art boards, the foundation also received a grant from Teton Springs Foundation for the purchase of 30 new computers and a printer for the Tetonia Elementary School lab. With this acquisition, all the elementary schools in the district now have new computers in their labs within the last two years. Additionally, Victor and Tetonia Elementary schools now have enough computers in their labs to allow an entire classroom to work together. Until now, the two schools' classes with more than 25 students had to double up on the computers or split their classes to use them. Additionally, these computers will come in handy during the ISAT testing that occurs in the fall and spring.
A recent donation from Land Equity Partners provided new reading software for the entire school district. This donor has also pledged approximately $35,000 in additional funding towards the purchase of new middle school computer lab and other technology needs.
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May 2007
School District 401 Commits to "Stewards" Child Abuse Prevention Training
Teton County Schools will join Family Safety Network and other area youth serving organizations in training all district personnel in the Stewards of Children child sexual abuse prevention program. "Stewards" provides specific child safety strategies for schools, churches, child care centers, youth groups, and parents.
"It's important to teach children how to keep themselves safe, but that's not enough. Parents should ensure they don't place their children in risky situations. At the same time, our schools and other youth oriented organizations should have child safety policies that minimize the opportunity for these situations to occur", said Susan Fenger, Family Safety Network executive director.
The school district will provide Stewards training to its board members, administrators, teachers, aids, busdrivers, custodians, and all other staff. The $10 per person workbook fee will be paid through the Teton Valley Education Foundation. "The foundation board is very excited to help bring this to all the school district employees," said Lori Kramer, Teton Valley Education Foundation board chairman. "The Foundation board felt this training was very important to help ensure our children are provided the safest learning environment possible and didn't want the financial obligation to be an impediment to getting this training," Kramer added.
School Superintendent Gordon Woolley plans to have close to 200 district personnel complete the program prior to fall break 2007.
"The safety of children is an ongoing concern in our schools and one we take seriously. We currently have a number of practices in place that help lessen each student's risk, and we look forward to expanding these as a result of this training," Woolley said. He invites other community schools to sign up for the training as well.
Stewards of Children is a nationally recognized prevention program developed in Charleston, South Carolina. The 2 ½ hour training uses a DVD presentation and group discussion to help adults learn to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.
The program was created in response to the U.S. Department of Justice's estimates, claiming that one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually assaulted before their 18th birthday, and in 93% of these cases, the child knows their abuser. Communities who train 5% of their adult population can make a significant impact in child safety.
Unfortunately, people who sexually abuse children look and act just like everyone else. They are drawn to settings where they can gain easy access to children, such as sports leagues, faith centers, clubs, and schools. They often go out of their way to appear trustworthy, in order to expand their access to children. Most abusers are individuals a family knows and trusts.
"Stranger danger is something we should teach our children to be cautious of. However, for most children, the monster is someone they know", Fenger said, noting that more than 80% of child sexual abuse cases happen in situations where a child is left alone with an adult or an older child they know.
The Stewards of Children training will help organizations develop policies and practices that keep children safe. Local groups may also benefit from lowered liability insurance premiums upon completion of the training. Parents will learn how to talk with their kids about abuse and what to do if it should occur.
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January 2007
Teton Valley Education Foundation Awarded Grant for Elementary School Computers
The Teton Valley Education Foundation was recently awarded a $13,000 grant from The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole. The funds will be used to purchase much needed computer equipment for Victor Elementary School.
The new equipment will consist of twenty-five 17 inch flat panel monitors, keyboards, and mice. All the monitors will be connected to a single server, thus eliminating the individual CPUs currently taking up valuable work space in the computer lab. This new system will replace the current ten-year-old computers that were donated by the Forest Service more than five years ago.
Teton Valley Education Foundation is also currently raising funds to provide Tetonia Elementary with the same new technology. Approximately $11,000 in additional funds is needed to get Tetonia Elementary on this new system.
Since its inception in September 2005, Teton Valley Education Foundation has raised over $70,000 for needed programs, equipment, and materials for Teton County School District #401. The foundation, an autonomous not-for-profit corporation with its own bylaws and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, is separate and distinct from the Board of Trustees of Teton County School District. It is comprised of a volunteer board of concerned citizens interested in ensuring the youth of Teton County receive the best possible educational advantages that allow them to compete in our global community.
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November 2006
Teton Valley Education Foundation awarded Funds For New Band Instruments
The Teton Valley Education Foundation recently received two grants totaling almost $27,000. These funds will be used to purchase new band equipment for the high school band program.
The funds are made available through two separate grants. The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole awarded Teton Valley Education Foundation a $16,860 grant, which will be available January 1, 2007. A second, $10,000 grant came from CHC Foundation based out of Idaho Falls. Money for this grant is available now. "With these two grants and private fundraising, the foundation is very excited to be so close to our goal of $31,000 for new band instruments," according to Lori Kramer, Teton Valley Education Foundation Board Chairman. "We believe this money will go a long way to enhancing the band program in the school district and hope it will get more students interested in music", Kramer added.
The instruments purchased will be percussion instruments and the larger horns, such as French vibraphone, baritone, tuba, trombone, baritone saxophone, bassoon, and French horns. Most of the current instruments at the high school are over 20 years old and in need of major repairs or replacement. Additionally, the high school simply does not own many of the instruments necessary for a full symphonic orchestra.
Teton Valley Education Foundation was created in 2005 by a group of private citizens to raise funds for supplemental programs and equipment not currently funded by the Teton County School District. The foundation, a not-for-profit corporation with its own bylaws and 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, is separate and distinct from the board of trustees of Teton County School District. It accepts gifts in the form of cash contributions, bequests, insurance policies, memorials, and tributes, all of which are tax deductible.
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