DEF FALL UPDATE 2020
New Challenges, New Ideas 2602 | #660099
Four Pantone colors
A Different New School Year!
W
hen City Schools of Decatur announced that the school year would begin virtually, our Step Up Sponsors and local community supporters found new ways to lend a hand. Decatur City Church sprang into action to collect donated school supplies and other items to enhance at-home learning. They delivered more than 40 boxes of crayons, markers, activity books, flash cards, Lego sets, sidewalk chalk and even slime! DEF Step Up sponsor Amy Widener of Keller Williams Realty Metro Atlanta sponsored DEF facemasks for every CSD staff person – all 980 of them. DEF Step Up Sponsor Heather Tell of Heather Tell Realty and her family volunteered several hours to sort and stuff more than 65 bags to be distributed to families in our community.
DEF’s Step Up Circle is a group of major annual donors who represent the very best in our community. Step Up Circle members include current families, alumni, individual community members and businesses that have pledged their continued commitment to supporting DEF’s mission. Without them, the successes and achievements found in these pages would not have been possible.
Decatur Education Foundation 2019-20 MEMBERS TOP SPONSOR: $10,000+
$7,500-$9,999
$5,000-$7,499
$3,000-$4,999
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| Decatur Education Foundation 2020
Thank you to each and every one of our Step Up Circle members for making a difference in the lives of Decatur’s kids. If you would like to join DEF’s Step Up Circle, email leah@decatureducationfoundation.org.
$1,500-$2,999
$3,000-$4,999
Paige Brown Cathy and Matthew Carlomagno Gretchen and James Cobb Gayle Gellerstedt and Bill Funk Karen and Donald Horace Chenika and Robert Jeffrey Cindy Lamons and Marc Wisniewski Michele and Bart Lester Margaret and Viraj Master Cheryl and Eddy Nahmias Kerri and Todd Ohlandt Elizabeth and Charlie Orth Alexa and Matt Oster Karen and Fisher Paty Lauren and Jay Pelissier Maria and Joseph Pinkelton Gail Rothman and Doug Altizer Carla and Chris Stanford Lynda and Bob Wilson
Anonymous Jenna and Clanton Black Leah and Nick Humphries Linda Nalley Naomi and Stan Orkin Courtney and Matt Sollie Jill Wasserman and Stephen Devereaux Natalie and Patrick Williams
$5,000-$9,999 Lois and Larry Curry Margaret Graff and Richard Higgins Shannon and Anthony Scalese
$10,000+ Anonymous Molly and Scott Marrah Hilda and Pat Patrick Lynn Paxton Shelley and Andy Rogers Donna and Bill Woolf
Amidst Covid-19 Crisis, DEF Connects Community
COVID-19 LEARNING INITIATIVES
DEF continues to receive an outpouring of concern for those in the community who are adversely affected by the pandemic. Since March, our Lighten the Load emergency fund has raised more than $100,000, of which 75 percent has been distributed as grocery cards to families in need. In the midst of a crisis, our community has shown that together we make a difference, and together we will get through these hard times. Both individuals and local companies have hosted fundraisers and found unique ways to give back to their community through DEF.
$30,325
$113,316
$100K RAISED FOR EMERGENCY GROCERY ASSISTANCE
75% OF FUNDS DISTRIBUTED AS GROCERY CARDS
Despite the cancellation of the annual Madison Ave. Soapbox Derby due to COVID-19, the ambitious do-gooders on Madison Avenue channeled their creative energies into establishing Ramp to Success, a fundraiser that benefited DEF’s COVID-19 learning initiatives to help CSD students and families face the challenges of virtual learning. At press-time, the fundraiser had raised more than $10,000. Thank you to Madison Avenue and to Oakhurst Market, which provided tantalizing gifts for each donation level. Their contribution is helping DEF support families in need of financial assistance for childcare and will provide funds to support virtual tutoring.
GENEROUS GIFTS HELP NEIGHBORS IN NEED
$18,655
MADISON AVENUE SOAPBOX DERBY — RAMP TO SUCCESS
2018-19 2019-20 2020-21
Donations to DEF’s Lighten the Load Fund
HONOR THE HELPERS
Since March, DEF has been working on programs that support students and families during virtual learning: • DEF has established a childcare coalition and is working with childcare providers to offer scholarships for parents who need it due to the virtual learning environment. • Virtual Pals Tutoring will provide students in grades 2-8 with homework help and tutoring and we already have 72 volunteer tutors waiting to be matched. • DEF has granted funds to support Growing Readers is a DHS initiative that will train high school students who are part of the education career track in structured literacy. Students will then be paired with early readers who need some extra support. Readers will be identified by CSD educators, and training modules will be provided by Reading is Essential for All People.
In the spring City of Decatur essential workers kept vital services running so that Decatur families could safely shelter in place. Oakhurst resident Kerri Shannon came to us with a great way to show our gratitude and support businesses that have supported our kids. We created the “Honor the Helpers” campaign, which raised funds to provide gift cards from local restaurants and markets to the 150 essential fire, police, EMTs and Public Works employees in Decatur.Through generous community contributions, we gave every city employee a $25 gift card.
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Equity and Anti-Racism DEF’s Two Mentoring Programs
DEF’S REACH GROWS
COVID-19 COOKING CLASSES
For more than six years, DEF has funded and facilitated REACH Georgia at City Schools of Decatur. REACH Georgia is a state-run mentoring and scholarship program that provides support to rising high school students. Due to a change in the funding formula, DEF can now support five new students each year instead of three! DEF Step Up Business partner Rob Townley of Townley Kenton generously sponsors the program and will be on hand when the new REACH Georgia scholars are announced later this fall. REACH Scholars are paired with adult mentors who help them navigate high school and the college admissions process. Currently nine REACH scholars are in the program who, upon program completion, will receive college scholarships to Georgia schools – up to $30K!
In summers past, AIM scholars enjoyed camps, trips and other enrichment experiences. Due to COVID-19, in-person activities were canceled, but DEF offered some cool online, virtual opportunities. Jennifer Weissman, a registered dietician and longtime supporter of DEF, helped us organize a virtual cooking experience with four sessions. AIM scholars prepared granola bars, bean dip, turkey tacos, and a peach crisp using ingredients and equipment supplied by DEF. Adult supervision was required for the safety of the kids. “Once the aroma of our turkey tacos took over the house and we heard our siblings rushing downstairs to devour them, we knew that we were good cooks,” said AIM Scholars Yasmin Osman and Sacadiyo Sheikh. DEF is pleased to support creative solutions to keep our students active and engaged, especially during this challenging time.
Mentors Needed
DEF is currently seeking 15-20 adult mentors who can commit two to four hours per month to be paired with this year’s third-grade cohort. For more information, visit decatureducationfoundation.org/mentoring.
Stamped Makes an Impact We are so grateful for the great ideas that come from our community! Pearl McHaney, a retired literature professor who taught at Georgia State University came up with the idea to purchase a copy of Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism and You, by Jason Reynolds, for every seventh grader, seventh grade teacher, and administrator at Renfroe Middle School. Geared toward young adult readers, Stamped is a remix of Ibram X. Kendi’s adult best-seller Stamped from the Beginning: The History of Racism in America. 4
| Decatur Education Foundation 2020
When asked what gave her this idea, Pearl said, “My Decatur neighbors and I were talking about the current social climate and wondering what ‘good trouble’ we could get into during quarantine. That’s when I envisioned the potential impact of all of the CSD seventh graders reading Stamped. I reviewed the education standards for seventh grade and believe that the book could be integrated with all the disciplines. I believe it
would give the seventh graders something special just for them, and it would help them become model anti-racists for the younger students.” We agreed with Pearl and put a campaign in place to collect funds. The campaign was so successful that almost $7,000 was raised for the books in just a few days. The extra funds allowed us to purchase I am Every Good Thing, a book celebrating Black boyhood, for every K-2 classroom in Decatur.
SEEING WHITENESS Racism and white supremacy have resulted in significant disparities for our students. As part of DEF’s commitment to dismantle both, we hosted and sponsored another two-day Beyond Diversity seminar for 80 community participants in February. After the event, participants were clearly eager to continue their work to examine and deconstruct their inherent bias. So, using the model that has been developed by the Seeing Whiteness for Anti-Racist Action Project, DEF piloted a Seeing Whiteness group. Small groups meet virtually for six weeks to learn and practice how to address white fragility, build stamina for cross-racial engagement, and challenge white solidarity. Haqiqa Bolling, former Renfroe Middle School counselor and current DEF board member, is one of the session facilitators. She feels that these sessions are being offered at the perfect time. “People are waking up to the role that race and white privilege plays in our daily lives,” she said. “Participants are becoming more aware of their learned social conditioning that centers ‘whiteness’ and are committing to the practice of anti-racist actions instead.” If you are interested in learning more about these groups, email info@decatureducationfoundation.org.
I AM EVERY GOOD THING DEF is an annual supporter of the Decatur Book Festival, and this year we sponsored two virtual presentations – a children’s book and a young adult panel. The kidnote presentation featured Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James, authors of I Am Every Good Thing, an uplifting picture book that celebrates Black boyhood. DEF purchased a copy of the book from longtime supporter Little Shop of Stories for every classroom teacher in our five K-2 City Schools of Decatur. The second presentation, Raise Your Voice, brought together five YA authors to discuss how young people can make their voices heard and use their personal power in the world. DEF partnered with the CSD Black Parent Alliance to purchase copies of the books featured in those sessions from Brave + Kind, a locally Black-owned bookstore.
RACIAL HEALING PROGRAMMING As part of our equity initiative, DEF has invested in racial healing programming at Decatur High School, which will include a series of group workshops to be conducted throughout the fall months. Students at RMS and DHS will also participate in SEE Equity, an ongoing program designed by Dr. Mari Banks, in which they will watch the film Race: The Power of Illusion, a three-hour series that explores the concept of race from a scientific, historical, and sociological perspective. The series will serve as a tool to better prepare students for facilitated, synchronous discussions related to race, privilege, policy, and justice. DHS staff will be trained to facilitate sessions weekly during advisement.
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Extraordinary Class of 2020 Every May, DEF awards more than $50,000 in college scholarships to 25 hard-working DHS seniors. With Covid-19 causing university shutdowns across the United States, starting college this year has been different from any other. Here is an update from two of our Class of 2020 scholarship recipients. AMAYA BENNETT, recipient of the Rotary Club of Decatur Scholarship, is a freshman attending Savannah State University: “I have two classes that I go to once a week; the rest of the week is on Webex. I am able to meet classmates at a social distance, but we mostly have Groupme and iMessage group chats. I am different, I actually like online better than face to face! It’s not the college experience that I was looking for, but it’s okay for right now. My school has been doing events that have helped make Amaya Bennett college exciting. For example, we had a silent headphone party in our dorm rooms, and just had a great time dancing by ourselves or with a roommate.”
Alix Wagner
after we use them, and we have to get tested twice a week. If you break these rules, the consequences are severe. “Given the strict restrictions, the only people I have really been able to meet are the 15 girls in my hall. With that, we are missing out on some fun freshman activities such as the outdoor activities fair, the carnival, the traditional rope pull, etc. This is not what I pictured college would be, but I am so grateful to be on campus and that I have a few in-person classes. All I wanted was to physically be on campus and attend at least a few classes, so I am absolutely thrilled.”
REMEMBERING RACHEL BRITAIN
ALIX WAGNER, recipient of the Sarah Lynn Woolf Memorial Scholarship, is a freshman at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts: “WPI is taking the virus very, very seriously. I am so happy with how they are handling it. We are required to wear a mask anytime we are outside of our room, we cannot congregate in groups larger than 10 (even outside), everything is reservation-based (we must make a reservation for the gym, food, etc.), we must clean our work surfaces
We awarded a new scholarship this year to honor DHS graduate Rachel Britain from the Class of 2008 whose gifts to the world included intelligence, a strong work ethic, enthusiasm, the ability to bring people together, and a commitment to service. The Rachel Britain Memorial Scholarship Award was given to Class of 2020 graduate Isis Harrow who shares these qualities.
MARKING THE MOMENT
SPECIALIZED SALUTES Typically, our scholarship recipients are honored at our Celebration of Excellence. This year, because we couldn’t gather in person, we wanted to find a way to make our students feel special. Volunteer (and new board member) Lauren Pelissier came to our aid and designed and assembled personalized gift packages for each scholarship winner. They included photos, monogrammed items, a sweatshirt to the college they would be attending and a variety of treats. The gifts were delivered by Decatur High School staff. Above: Angel Johnson receives her gift package from DHS Assistant Principal Jessica Sturm.
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| Decatur Education Foundation 2020
In May, DEF Step Up Circle donors Carla and Chris Stanford came to us with a creative way to support our Class of 2020 graduates. Chris, a nationally renowned professional photographer, recognized that our students were missing out on all of the year-end activities and milestones. Ryan Murphy photo by Laine Marrah photo He helped us recruit an John Taggart by Chris Stanford amazing group of talented and generous photographers from in and around Decatur, and together we created Marking the Moment – a COVID-19-safe photo shoot that allowed students to celebrate or memorialize their personal experiences this year. Each of our photographers brought a keen sense of artistry to their work and each portrait was a unique expression of the student. Huge thanks to this group of wonderful photographers: Lynette Clark Davis, Lance Dreesen, Virginie Drujon-Kippelen, Octavia Elease, Deana Kingsbury, Arthur Ratliff, Beate Sass, Chris Stanford, and John Taggart.
Classroom Support We look back wistfully on the beginning of the 2019-20 school year when everything was still proceeding as planned – teacher grants had been awarded and classrooms were full of students engaged in learning. Here are a few of the teacher grants in action before Covid-19 hit in the spring and changed everything. We look forward to the day when our kids and their teachers can get back to learning and growing in the classroom together.
FRUITFUL WINTER GARDENS Fourth grade teacher Ms. Guest wanted to give her students the opportunity to take ownership over their school landscape while also giving them a hands-on learning experience – so she created a garden. Through a DEF grant, Ms. Guest purchased plants, gloves, and tools that her students used to cultivate and grow a variety of crops, including garlic, strawberries, Asian greens, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, snap peas, arugula, romaine, and collard greens. Gardening provides an enriching activity for students and allows them additional time outside, working to beautify their campus and engaging together in meaningful (and nutritional) work.
RENFROE PHOTOGRAPHY RMS art teacher Ms. Boswell wanted to provide her 6th and 7th grade photography students the opportunity to step away from point-and-shoot cameras and into something more challenging: a DSLR camera. Students in Ms. Boswell’s class learn about different camera modes and photography composition, giving them the ability to get the perfect shot. Ms. Boswell also plans to print the young photographers’ images so they can showcase their work to their friends and family. With the help of a DEF grant, the program was able to purchase two Canon Rebels to give even more students the opportunity to be inspired by the artform.
A NEW HORN FOR A GROWING BAND DHS Band Director Robert Truan has been in the process of replacing old instruments and buying new ones as the number of band members grows, but instruments are expensive. “I am encouraging students to buy and rent their own instrument as much as possible, and I am still barely maintaining the instruments, based on the growing number of students taking band. DEF has helped immensely,” he said. Last year, he wrote a grant request for a baritone saxophone to replace two of the three school-owned baritone saxophones that were beyond repair; the instruments were more than 40 years old! (The normal life span of an intermediate instrument is seven years.) DEF helped purchase a new baritone saxophone with funds raised through the Mead Road Mardi Gras Parade, a local event that supports the music and theatre programs in CSD. “Having a bari sax player increases the overall musicianship and sound needed to meet the needs of the band program, as well as the national standards for high school bands,” he added. The Mead Road Mardi Gras Parade has been cancelled for 2021, but look for this event to come back bigger than ever post-Covid-19.
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New and Noteworthy DECATUR STUDENT CENTER EXPANDS TO RENFROE
WELCOMING NEW FACES AT DEF
In our efforts to address the behavioral health needs of all of our students, DEF has partnered with CSD to expand the Decatur Student Center, already established at Decatur High School, to Renfroe Middle School. To that end, DEF provided a grant to the school system to cover salary costs for a Student Success Counselor, and Sabrena Shields, formerly the RMS Student Engagement Teacher, was hired for the job. As a licensed social worker, Sabrena has experience in working with students who are navigating the challenges of moving through adolescence at a time when connections via technology often leave kids feeling disconnected. “The Decatur Student Center at Renfroe will be a designated safe space that students can visit when they need a mental health break, where one-on-one and group counseling can take place, and where students can find necessities like snacks and hygiene products,” Sabrena commented. Dianne Andrée, CSD Student Success Coordinator, is pleased about the new center opening. “While 2020 has had its challenges, it is ushering in a new era for the Decatur Student Center as a true K-12 initiative,” she said. “The expansion allows for greater collaboration amongst the mental health professionals both within and outside of CSD. It helps us to broaden our work to include both proactive as well as intervention work at all ages and stages. I’m proud to be a small part of this progressive work and thankful for the partnership with DEF.”
DEF welcomes two new student interns this school year. Jaania Raj joined the team in August as our program intern. She is a senior at Agnes Scott College majoring in psychology with a minor in biology and will work remotely from her home in New Jaania Raj Caroline Putman Muslimo Sheikh Jersey. Caroline Putman is a senior at Decatur High School and is DEF’s new communications intern. Muslimo Sheikh, previously DEF’s student intern, has joined the staff as part-time program coordinator. DEF also welcomed two new board members this year – Decatur residents Lynn Paxton and Lauren Pelissier. Lynn began volunteering with DEF shortly after retiring as a captain in the Lynn Paxton Lauren Pelissier Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service. She holds both an MD and MPH and has held multiple leadership positions at the CDC in the field of infectious diseases. She recently came out of retirement to serve as the medical director for Fulton County. Lauren, in addition to owning and managing her own event design and production company, has worked for many years in youth-centered nonprofits. She founded S’more Smiles, an organization that provides summer camp experiences for children receiving medical treatments. After resettling in Decatur two years ago, Lauren immediately looked for community groups to plug into and found DEF, bringing her creativity to the Supper & Sips event and creating one-of-a-kind, personalized gift packages for DEF’s scholarship recipients. In the spring of 2020, we bid farewell to Natalie Williams and Marc Wisniewski. Marc served as DEF Board Chair and was active on the executive committee. Natalie helped DEF launch the PTA Council and served on the executive committee. They really understood that together we make a difference for our kids. Visit decatureducationfoundation.org/team for a complete list of the board and staff profiles.
Plug into DEF 2602 | #660099
Four Pantone colors
During the 2019-2020 school year, and through the pandemic, our community said yes to supporting the work of the Decatur Education Foundation in so many different ways. We are here to connect people, ideas and resources to eliminate the problems that our kids face so that every child can learn and thrive.
DONATE, VOLUNTEER, MENTOR, LEARN MORE No matter where our students are learning – whether it’s in the classroom or at home – your support matters! If you are inspired by the stories in these pages, consider making a gift in any amount so that we can ensure that all children in Decatur have opportunities to reach their full potential. Visit decatureducationfoundation/donate. 8
| Decatur Education Foundation 2020
Decatur Education Foundation 500 S. Columbia Drive Decatur GA 30030 404-377-0641 One color (in this case, white on a color background)
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