Panhandle Alliance for Education Annual Report 2019

ANNUAL REPORT

A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Is there a teacher or an event in your life that made an impact on who you are today?

In the stories that follow, you can see PAFE played a small role that provided those pivotal moments for our students and it’s reassuring. To be honest, I have days when I feel concerned that our schools don’t have the most basic funding, for example, to give teachers the professional development they need to comply with changing Idaho Core Standards. There is so much need, and just when it feels like what we do at PAFE is a drop in the bucket, I realize it takes only

Small acts, big moments

a small act, a small change, to provide that moment for our future generation.

When the grants we provide send someone to a conference, give another confidence because they can read, open someone’s eyes to the world of a commercial kitchen for the first time, or expose them to the wonders of virtual reality technology, we create opportunity with cascading effects.

I hope you’ll take the time to read these stories of students who benefitted from your generosity ten years ago and where they are today. Think about them as you read the stories from last

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

year’s grants and what effects they might have ten years from now. It gives me hope. I think it will for you, too.

Geraldine Lewis - President Panhandle Alliance for Education

The long-term impact of PAFE grants junior, I interviewed for the assistant editor position because what I loved is pulling together all the components and designing the overall layout.”

CHELSEA KARDOKUS

Sandpoint High School Class of 2009 Associate art director, TIME Magazine Washington D.C.

As a student at Sandpoint High School, Chelsea Kardokus was fascinated with the Cedar Post, the prestigious high school magazine. “It was a big deal,” said Chelsea, “and students who worked at the paper went on to do cool things. I took Journalism 1 and enjoyed reporting and writing. As a

Eventually, Chelsea became editor-in-chief for the Cedar Post. That same year, PAFE funded a grant for her and about 50 other Cedar Post and SHS students to attend the National Journalism in Education/National Scholastic Press Association annual conference. They were able to train in the most current techniques of newspaper, magazine, yearbook, writing, advertising, student press law, and photography production.

Ball State University was also at the conference, and Chelsea had the opportunity to have them critique the Cedar Post. “That’s when I learned about journalism graphics, and I thought wait, that’s a thing? I can make a living doing that? At that point, I decided I was going to Ball State. I didn’t apply anywhere else, and I got in.”

Ball State is one of the top schools in the nation for journalism graphics.

They offer immersive learning, and Chelsea did three internships (two of which were at Wall Street Journal and TIME). “I felt VERY PREPARED when I started my job at TIME Magazine.”

Now, Chelsea is one of six art directors at TIME and is responsible for telling the story through design. In 2017, she and a group of five designed the Person of the Year Issue locked away in a room for a month in privacy and confidentiality. That was the year TIME awarded the Silence Breakers, the people who came forward and essentially launched the #metoo movement, as Person of the Year. “I won my first professional award for that work - a gold medal in design from Society for News Design, the biggest entity for design in journalism.”

“I felt VERY PREPARED when I started my job at TIME Magazine, not nervous or afraid at all.”

“Field trips are vital to encouraging students to go on after high school either to school or to career. When our students have a plan for the future, they perform better and are happier in school,” Jeralyn Mire, Sandpoint High School post-secondary counselor.

KIAH HARRIS

Sandpoint High School Class of 2018 Second-year student North Idaho College Culinary Program

Kiah Harris was having difficulty staying focused in school. She was skipping class, missing homework deadlines, and generally lacking in direction. A field trip to North Idaho College funded by a PAFE grant changed that.

JAGGAR LINDGREN

Sandpoint High School Class of 2027 Northside Elementary Fifth-grade student

Jaggar Lindgren found reading to be difficult when he was in first grade. No one likes to work on something when it just makes them feel frustrated. Fortunately, Lucky the Puppy came to the rescue.

The PAFE Learning with Lucky reading program is a motivator for kids to read.

Each student receives a plush puppy reading companion, and Adoption Day every year is very exciting.

Along with the puppy, kids use their reading log to track how they read to their pup. The goal is to read 20 min-

Because the Idaho State Department of Education no longer funds field trips, a PAFE grant provided Mire the resources necessary to continue and expand these opportunities for all Sandpoint High School students. Almost half of SHS students qualify for free and reduced lunch programs. They would likely not be able to participate in these trips if the school had to charge them to attend.

“Students tell us all the time that what they experienced on one of those trips marked the beginning for them and gave them something to plan for in their post-high school career,” said Mire.

utes a day. As they earn points for more reading, they win prizes and treats for their puppy.

It’s all an excellent distraction to help kids improve their reading skills, and it seems to be working. Jaggar did exactly that. Being a lover of nature and animals to begin with, he loved reading to his puppy and simply couldn’t get enough of it.

Now in the fifth grade, Jaggar is excelling in school. You can often find him at home reading in his free time. According to his school teacher Carolyn Whalen, he is fascinated with anything in the natural world. He has blossomed into a great student and has aspirations to become an environmental biologist someday.

“Once I arrived on campus for our school field trip and took the tour, I was in awe,” said Harris. “I could not believe the beauty and the close-knit community. It was so amazing; I had to come back with my mom!” That is when she met the culinary advisor and toured the kitchen. “Seeing a kitchen of this size and knowing all the potential it could give me sparked something in me that has not gone out since.” The Culinary Arts Program has changed everything for Kiah.

Now in her second year in the NIC Culinary Arts Program, she has participated in internships at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. When she graduates, she plans to continue to work on campus in the cafeteria. I want to work to improve the food quality for my friends and future students. I’m just not ready to leave NIC, and this gives me the best of both worlds.

Now in the fifth grade, Jaggar is excelling in school.

You can often find him at home reading in his free time.

GRANT AWARDS HIGHLIGHTS

VR PREPARES SMS STUDENTS FOR CAREERS IN ENGINEERING AND FABRICATION Mary Marienau and Margaret Porter Sandpoint Middle School

Virtual reality technology excites students’ curiosity, engages learners, and enhances personal growth. The skills acquired strengthen students’ abilities to problem-solve, collaborate, and innovate, preparing them for careers in 3-D design, engineering, and fabrication.

Potentially, every student at Sandpoint Middle School (SMS) can benefit from the PAFE grant that purchased virtual reality (VR) equipment for their classrooms. VR helps to prepare for potential experiences like training for job tasks or sports skills. There is also a therapeutic element where repeated practice is available in a safe place to “fail,” something that comes in useful for students with special needs and anxiety.

SMS is in its second year of incorporating computer programming and coding into its curriculum. Current projects involve coding, simulations, and 3-D modeling; VR is a natural ‘next step’ in building their computer science education program. In its first year, a partnership with East Bonner County Library allowed the collaboration to reach beyond the walls of SMS.

INSPIRING KIDS TO BUILD FUTURE CITIES

Jeanne Warwick and Ann Dickinson Washington Elementary Future Cities is a national competition that incorporates all parts of STEM for middle schoolers grades six to eight. At Washington Elementary, sixth-grade students, led by teacher Jeanne Warwick, huddle into groups of four or five and work through an intensive curriculum that includes city design, research and essay, city narrative, model construction, and presentation preparation totaling 58 to 75 hours of work through the school year.

In December, a team of community members judges each group’s city based on a set rubric provided by Future Cities.

Thanks to a PAFE grant, the top two teams fly to Boise and compete at the State Future City competition on the Boise State University campus.

PAFE has funded this project for four years and will inspire 200 students during that time.

Every year that Washington Elementary has participated in the state competition, they have been awarded at least one award for their model cities.

PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS IN HIGH SCHOOL John Hastings Sandpoint High School

Students in John Hastings’ Horticulture and Advanced Placement Environmental Studies (APES) classes now have access to better data collection tools. A PAFE grant funded the purchase of three LabQuest2 digital probes to improve the level of accuracy in water and soil analysis labs currently used.

These college-level courses are rigorous and require precision when doing quantitative analysis. Further, the new probes give students hands-on experience with the type of testing equipment they might encounter in college or their first job in the field.

“This kind of experience with the new equipment is unusual at the high school level and will definitely give our kids an advantage in their future studies and careers,” explained Hastings. “When students use this equipment, they collaborate in small working groups much like real-world research teams, asking questions, collecting data, drawing conclusions, and then repeating that process to refine their understanding.”

GRANT AWARDS HIGHLIGHTS

REDESIGNING CURRICULUM TO MEET STATE STANDARDS Amy Yost Sandpoint High School

The Idaho State Department of Education adopted new science standards modeled after the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) at the national level. These new standards are dramatically different than the outdated Idaho science standards, in that they are based on “performance expectations” rather than simple content knowledge. Therefore, professional development is crucial to learn the best practices for instruction and assessment of these new standards.

A PAFE grant sent three biology teachers to attend the National Association of Biology Teachers Conference to learn how to adapt the curriculum to help students meet these new standards.

Upon returning home, the teachers piloted several ideas and met weekly to reflect upon their success. After modifying accordingly, they redesigned the curriculum for the 2019/2020 academic year.

“Student benefits will increase through the years as we get better at incorporating what we have learned,” Yost told PAFE in her evaluation, “and as the rest of the Science Department continues to adapt to the new standards.”

CLOSING THE READING GAP

A follow-up on English Language Arts

Research is clear: If children cannot read proficiently by the end of third grade, they face daunting hurdles to success in school and beyond. We knew the impact of supporting the new proposed English Language Arts (ELA ) program would be significant, as LPOSD has 1,900 students and 80 staff members in grades K-6.

So far, the results are promising.

In early 2018, when Andra Murray, Director of Teaching and Learning, submitted the ELA grant proposal, LPOSD’s K-6 reading curriculum was 11 years old and out-of-date with Idaho Core Standards. LPOSD students were struggling and not keeping up with the national average. Only 51 percent of our K-3 students entered the school year in Fall 2018 as proficient readers.

All elementary grades in LPOSD (grades 3-6) beat the state average on the ELA Idaho Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) test.

LPOSD’s K-3 reading proficiency score on the Idaho Reading Indicator (the state’s required reading assessment for grades K-3) increased from 51 percent in Fall 2018 to almost 78 percent in the Spring of 2019. A 27 percent gain!

Each cohort of LPOSD elementary students improved in reading proficiency from Spring 2018 to Spring 2019.

Together, we are closing the reading gap!

PAFE committed to funding $75,000 for K-6 ELA Curriculum and $20,000 for teacher professional development. The grant included three key components: •

A new curriculum (ReadyGEN) that would be implemented consistently throughout the schools and across the district.

•

A supplemental curriculum for grades K-2 to build foundational literacy skills.

•

Literacy training days for all teachers in grades K-2, which focused on foundational reading skills.

BUILDING OUR ENDOWMENT Securing the future for our childen.

The endowment is a secure financial strategy and ensures savings are invested wisely to produce cash flow for future needs in perpetuity. A portion of revenues are deposited each year into the endowment. Commitment to growing our endowment ensures the permanence of the Panhandle Alliance for Education and our commitment to the children in the Lake Pend Oreille School District.

The endowment now stands at $3,685,996. Our goal is to reach $5 million to help fund education in perpetuity.

Have you considered leaving a legacy to the children in our community?

Adding to your will or estate plan is a simple act with exciting consequences. In fact, legacy gifts generate much of the philanthropy that is at work today – right here in our community. When you leave a charitable bequest you create a personal legacy that endures forever.

For an informative brochure about adding charity to your will, call the Panhandle Alliance for Education at 208-263-7040.

Go online to read our Vision Statement. www.panhandlealliance.org/vision/

Special contributors

2018/19 Gala sponsors

Thank you Litehouse Foods for donating over $102,275 from the 2018/19 Litehouse Charity Golf Classic to the Panhandle Alliance for Education. The following community sponsors participated in the tournament including: Lewis and Hawn Excellence in Dentistry, Realm Partners Real Estate, Sandpoint Title Insurance, Trinity at City Beach, Farm Bureau Insurance and Financial Services, Clearwater Gear, and Pierce Auto Sales.

Litehouse Foods, Tomlinson Sotheby’s Real Estate, Trinity at City Beach, Mountain West Bank, Family Health Center, Spires at Schweitzer, and Lewis and Hawn Excellence in Dentistry.

Grants received Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Foundation, Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation, Equinox Foundation, Idaho Humanities Council, STCU (3), Steele-Reese Foundation

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Front row from left: Chris Blanford, Stefanie Nostdahl, Marcia Wilson, Pierce Smith, Susan Jordan, Dick Cvitanich, Toby McLaughlin, Shawn Keough.

Second row from left: Kelly Prior, Matt Gillis, Geraldine Lewis, Patty Staglund, Kendon Perry, Allison Gilmore, Julie Reister-Keaton, Wendy Dunn, Mary Weber-Quinn.

Back row from left: Shawn Woodward, Caleb Bowman, Read Tuddenham, Matt Mire,

The Panhandle Alliance for Education Board of Directors and staff is comprised of community & business leaders, educators and parents with a passion for public education.

Tom Puckett, Amy Longanecker.

Missing from photo: Tom Albertson, Christian Groenke, Erin Roos, Joe Williams.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS EXPENSES TOTAL

REVENUE TOTAL

799,354

759,768

$

Opti

2% 1 ADMIN

21%

$

23%

52%

ENDOWMENT FUNDRAISING

PROGRAMS

PROGRAM AND ENDOWMENT INVESTMENTS

2015-2019

$600,000

$500,000

$400,000

$300,000

$200,000

$100,000

$0

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

TEACHER STRATEGIC ENDOWMENT TOTAL GRANTS PROGRAMS CONTRIBUTIONS INVESTMENTS

Opti

8% 1 GRANTS

8% DONATION

20%

64%

ENDOWMENT

FUNDRAISING

GRANTS AWARDED TO TEACHERS SINCE OUR INCEPTION IN

2003

GRANT YEARS

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

GRANT AMOUNT

$35,000 $72,000 $100,000 $100,000 $125,000 $170,000 $147,000 $167,000 $111,000 $77,800 $77,340 $75,000 $100,000 $107,008 $109,320 $102,950 $118,723

TOTAL: $1,795,141

# OF GRANTS

15 34 35 33 51 57 52 65 48 45 41 42 52 46 42 34 44

736

Citizens, businesses and educators building an independent, community-based foundation for public schools.

MISSION

Our mission is to promote excellence in education and broad-based community support for the Lake Pend Oreille School District. As an independent organization, we will create and sustain an ­endowment to provide resources in support of effective teaching, learning and school management.

ABOUT THE PANHANDLE ALLIANCE FOR EDUCATION

The Panhandle Alliance for Education (PAFE) is the designated education foundation for the Lake Pend Oreille School District #84. PAFE was created in 2003 to promote community and financial support for our students and educators. The State of Idaho’s per capita funding for public education ranks 49th among the fifty states in the U.S. There simply are not enough dollars to keep Idaho public schools competitive with the rest of the country. The state is tapped out, and federal funding is a minor player at less than ten percent of the $32.8 million district budget. This discrepancy is a challenge that can only be resolved with individual and local support.

Stories by Lisa Gerber. Design and layout by Keokee media + marketing Panhandle Alliance for Education • P.O. Box 1675 • Sandpoint, ID 83864 • 208.263.7040 For information contact Marcia Wilson, Excutive Director. Or visit our website at www.Panhandlealliance.org