November 1, 2024

Big Check Day As Foundation Approves 21 Grants

At its October board meeting, the East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation approved ten classroom enhancement grants and 11 mini-grants (mini-grants are for $1,500 or less) totaling $84,847.61. The grants will benefit students at all three elementary schools, the middle school, and the high school. Grants include funding for:

High School Marching Band
EGRMS School Store
Theater Tickets for Stratford Festival Trip
Professional Development for Middle School Math Teachers
New Non-Fiction Books for Middle School Library
Listening Stations for Kindergarten Read-Aloud Books
Field Trip to Junior Achievement BizTown for Elementary Students
High School Robotics Program
Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra Experiences for Elementary Students
March Madness Books for Elementary Students

In addition to the grants and mini-grants, the Foundation will also fund program support requests from the district (for the Elementary Learning Commons Coordinator and High School Drama Director positions and additional support for drama productions), along with student scholarships, teacher awards, staff professional development, and more. Altogether, thanks to our donors, the Foundation is prepared to contribute more than $700,000 to our schools this school year. Thank you for making all this opportunity available to our students! Watch the video above to see the happy faces on Big Check Day!

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink Speaks to Students Before Being Honored at Awards Dinner

On Wednesday, October 16, U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, EGRHS class of 1987, spoke to students in a special assembly at East Grand Rapids High School. Ambassador Brink was in town to receive the East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

After speaking to the entire student body, Ambassador Brink ate lunch with faculty members before meeting with two smaller groups of students for informal question and answer sessions. Later in the afternoon, Ambassador Brink attended swim practice, where she told this year’s team she credits her experience as a swimmer in high school with helping her handle stressful situations.

Brink has served under presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden. She has been the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, and is the first woman ever to be appointed as a U.S. ambassador in a war zone. You can learn more about Brink in the alumni interview we conducted with her earlier this year.

Following her day at the high school, Brink was honored that night at the Foundation’s Awards Dinner along with Community Service Award recipients Leslie Hooker and Suzanne Wilcox, who were honored for their years of work and advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities, and as the founders of Beer City Dog Biscuits.

Thank you, Foundation donors, for helping make this incredible opportunity available to our students. Here's a highlight video from the dinner:

On the Horizon

11/1 No School for Students K-12
11/4-11/8 Wealthy Book Fair
11/8 Veterans Day Assemblies at Wealthy and Breton
11/8-11/10 Friends of the Library Used Book Sale
11/11 Veterans Day Assembly at Lakeside, Middle School, and High School
11/9 Academic Boosters "Food for Thought" Fundraiser
11/11-11/14 Breton Downs Book Fair
11/21-11/23 High School Fall Play, "Treasure Island"
11/22 and 11/23 Schoolhouse Arts and Craft Show at High School
11/22 and 11/23 Middle School Fall Play, "Cinderella"
11/27-11/29 No School for Thanksgiving Break

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