September 1, 2024

Excellence in Teaching Honorees

The excitement at the East Grand Rapids Public Schools’ “Opening Day” celebration at the start of the school year is hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t been there. The enthusiasm from teachers and staff is incredible, and it peaks when the Foundation announces the recipients of our teaching awards.

This year’s Excellence in Teaching Award recipients were Breton Downs Elementary teacher Christy Gast, Wealthy Elementary teacher Christen Sarjeant, and East Grand Rapids Middle School teacher Kristine DiVita. Lakeside Elementary teacher Kristen Lecours was honored with the James and Georgia Nicholas Endowed Award for a Teacher of Math, Science, or Technology.

The presentation of the Excellence in Teaching awards kicked off an extraordinary year for the Foundation. This year, thanks to our donors, the Foundation is prepared to provide $700,000 for our students and schools in the form of program support, classroom grants, professional development, and teacher and student scholarships. It’s the largest donation the Foundation has ever made from its endowment in a single year. In students’ time in East Grand Rapids Public Schools from kindergarten through graduation, the Foundation will contribute more than $6 million to their education.

Foundation Board Helps with Library Inventory

On August 27, the EGRSF board had the opportunity to help Foundation-funded Elementary Learning Commons Coordinator Sarah Webber take inventory of books at Breton Downs Elementary. The project was part of the board's first meeting of the school year.

In all, Foundation board members counted 7,646 books, many of which were origianlly purchased through EGRSF grants. "Thank you for all your help last night," Webber said the next day. "The Foundation's work last night will mean that I have more time to spend on what I love...getting kids excited about books."

This year, the Foundation is welcoming three new board members: Marissa Clark and Kelly Plawinski, who both have children in East Grand Rapids Public Schools, and our class of '26 student board representative, Tanyon Sanders.

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink '87 Will Be Honored at Foundation Awards Dinner

The Foundation's Community Service and Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner will be Wednesday, October 16. This year's Distinguished Alumni honoree will be U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, who graduated from East Grand Rapids High School in 1987. The Community Service honorees are Leslie Hooker and Suzanne Wilcox. Hooker and Wilcox are being honored for their years of work and advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities. In 2018, Hooker and Wilcox founded Beer City Dog Biscuits, a West Michigan company whose core mission is empowering people with disabilities one dog biscuit at a time. Register to be a sponsor or get your tickets for this exciting event on our Awards Dinner page at https://egrsf.org/events/awards-dinner.html today!

On the Horizon

9/3: Wealthy Elementary PTO Back to School Picnic
9/4: Pioneer Picnic on Memorial Field
9/4 & 9/5: Elementary Parent Information Nights
9/6: Football home game vs South Christian
9/11: EGRHS Parent Open House
9/13: Breton Downs PTO Bravo! at Grand Rapids Yacht Club
9/20: EGRMS Regatta in John Collins Park
9/20: Football home game vs Northview
9/27: Lakeside PTO ROAR Fundraiser
9/27&9/28: "Radium Girls" Student-Directed Play in EGRHS Little Aud

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