OPEF AWARDS MORE THAN $86,000 IN EDUCATIONAL GRANTS

Impact will be seen at all Oconomowoc public schools

OCONOMOWOC, May 15--The Oconomowoc Public Education Foundation (OPEF), a non-profit foundation that supports innovative educational opportunities in the Oconomowoc Area School District (OASD), presented a record $86,795 in grant awards for the 2012-2013 school year at the May 15 OASD board of education meeting.

This represents a 70 percent increase over the total amount the foundation awarded last year. In just four years since it began awarding grants in 2009, OPEF has contributed more than $169,000 to support educational enhancements not covered by the taxpayer-funded OASD budget.

“We are thrilled to be able to contribute $80,755 in educational grants and more than $6,000 for drug and alcohol awareness education through the Jennifer Bukosky Fund,” said Maribeth Bush, OPEF Grants Committee Chair. “We couldn’t have raised this money without literally hundreds of volunteers and donors from our area communities, including teachers and corporate sponsors who helped make our Haunted High and Haunted Ball fundraisers successful. OPEF is proud to offer a way for supporters of education to make tax-deductible contributions that will help continue Oconomowoc’s long tradition of educational excellence.”

The seven educational grants awarded this year from the OPEF General Fund, and two grants from the Jennifer Bukosky Fund, have the potential to impact students at all grade levels and schools, and to touch all public school families in the district. Grant recipients were selected from 31 different grant applications, requesting more than $341,000, which OPEF received from OASD staff members this year. Applications were reviewed by the OPEF Grants Committee and approved by the OPEF board of directors. Selections were made based on key criteria including the impact on a large number of students, creativity and long-term impact on curriculum, and alignment with the OPEF mission of encouraging leadership, fostering excellence and nurturing a sense of belonging in the public schools.

The grant recipients, along with the grant titles and brief descriptions, are:

Jennifer Bukosky Memorial Grant Award

Comprehensive AODA Programming

Education of students through Too Good For Drugs curriculum assemblies, Red Ribbon Week activities and strengthening relationships with community groups that educate our youth and parents.

Presented to:Brenda Barker and Peihua Reinke, Nature Hill and Silver Lake Intermediate Schools

Impact: 1,550 intermediate school students

Jennifer Bukosky Memorial Grant Award

Get Connected – Parent Info Meetings & Resources

Monthly parent information meetings throughout the 2012-2013 school year to provide direct service to parents of K-12 students.

Presented to: Katie Westerman, coordinator, Oconomowoc Parent Education Network

Impact: 3,500 families/5,000+ students district wide

Educational Grant Award

Connections with a Touch!

Creating local, national and global connections with audio, photo and video capabilities; including interacting with student ePals and resources from around the world

Presented to: Laura Busch, Greenland Elementary

Impact: Greenland student body of 400 students, K5 through 4^th grade

Educational Grant Award

Smart Music, Smart Board, Smart Classroom!

Integration of Smart Music and Smart Board technology in music classroom to enhance current music curriculum and increase student achievement and interest in music

Presented to: Beth Kauffeld, Nature Hill Intermediate School

Impact: 500 students each year in 5^th through 8^th grades

Educational Grant Award

Students Designing Mobile Apps and Educational Games

Students take creativity, innovation, logic and challenge inherent in game design further as they develop educational Apps for mobile devices and Smart Board technology

Presented to: Patrick Stinnett and Dani Herro, Oconomowoc High School

Impact: 200-300 OHS students designing apps and 200-300 intermediate school students testing apps/games

Educational Grant Award

21^st Century Language Lab

Creation of a 21^st Century Language Lab with hand-held technology that allows students to learn world languages at their own pace, interact with partner schools around the globe and participate in virtual field trips, debates and international service projects

Presented to: Danielle Chaussee, Oconomowoc High School

Impact: 1,120 students in 9^th- 12^th grades studying French, German, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish

Educational Grant Award

Innovative Collaborative Classroom

A continuation grant to help English classrooms become 21^st Century learning spaces by adding projectors that enable student groups to work collaboratively, using technology to demonstrate their learning of literature and composition.

Presented to: Holly Myhre, Oconomowoc High School

Impact: 1,200 students in 9^th – 12^th Grades

Educational Grant Award

Piano Power – Phase II

Bringing pianos to the fingertips of all students at Silver Lake, incorporating into existing music curriculum and technology initiatives

Presented to: Lynne Carlstein, Silver Lake Intermediate School

Impact: 682 students in 5^th – 8^th Grades

Educational Grant Award

Kindle Fire Pilot

Each K-8 library will receive 10 Kindle Fires to help improve student technology literacy and enable greater access to various media formats and electronic resources.

Presented to: Cathy Daane on behalf of all K-8 Library Media Specialists

Impact: All OASD elementary and intermediate students

OPEF is a charitable foundation created in 2007 to allow for private, tax-deductible contributions and to encourage innovative educational opportunities in the Oconomowoc Area School District. OPEF focuses its efforts in three areas: awarding grants to teachers and administrators annually based on criteria determined by its Grants Committee; raising funds for its commitment to the Performing Arts Center Enhancement (PACE) Fund to support enhancements built into the Oconomowoc Arts Center; and managing and awarding grants for the Jennifer Bukosky Fund, a memorial fund that supports alcohol and drug abuse prevention in honor of the past Oconomowoc High School associate principal.

2012 OPEF Grants Summary

7 General Educational Grants = $80,755

(67% increase in educational grants over 2011)

2 Bukosky Fund grants = $6,040

(More than double Bukosky Fund grants awarded in 2011)

Selected from 31 applications totaling more than $341,000

TOTAL: 9 grants valued at $86,795 

OPEF Grants: Impact Since 2009

• Thousands of students
• All Oconomowoc Area School District schools
• 26 general educational grants
  • English and foreign languages
  • Science
  • Music
  • Physical education
  • Health
  • Special needs
• 7 drug/alcohol abuse prevention grants (Jennifer Bukosky Fund)

TOTAL: 33 grants awarded, valued at $168,794