| News
2008 elethon coverage in the local news:
The following articles appeared in the
Spring 2006 edition of Spotlight on Schools, published by the
Fremont Unified School District.
FEF takes
“Sentimental Journey” for teacher grants
The Fremont Education Foundation
hosted its Fourth Annual Excellence in Education Gala on Feb. 24 at
the Fremont Marriott Hotel. The theme of the gala, in keeping with
Fremont’s 50th Anniversary, was “Sentimental Journey.”
The event featured auction
items and entertainment with a Fremont theme. Proceeds from the
gala provide funding for Innovative Education Grants to Fremont
Unified School District teachers.
FEF traditionally honors two
individuals at its gala for their outstanding contributions to
educational excellence in Fremont, one from the Fremont community at
large and one who is affiliated with the Fremont Unified School
District. This year the foundation honored retired Fremont
City-Alameda County Library Director Sandi Pantages as its community
honoree and Irvington High School social studies teacher Cheryl
Cook-Kallio as its district honoree.
Pantages has contributed generously
to Fremont children during her 32-year career with the Alameda
County Library and in retirement. She was instrumental in founding
the Alameda County Library Foundation and has served for many years
with the League of Women Voters, the Fremont Symphony Guild, the
Niles Rotary Club, the Fremont Police Department Citizens’ Advisory
Committee and the Fremont Downtown Advisory Committee. She also
served on the FEF Board of Directors for 13 years.
Cheryl Cook-Kallio
led her "We the People" Constitutional debating class to a
fourth-place finish in the National Finals in 2005. She has been
teaching in FUSD since 1979 and has received numerous professional
honors, grants and fellowships for her teaching, mentoring and
excellence in the area of social sciences. She is a nationally
recognized leader in teaching American Government and the U.S.
Constitution. In 2004, she was named Woman of the Year by State
Senator Liz Figueroa.
FEF provides grants to teachers in
amounts up to $3,000 for innovative approaches to teaching core
academics, visual and performing arts, and programs that foster
creativity, critical thinking and leadership. This year, the
foundation announced two new categories of grant eligibility: health
and physical fitness, and conflict resolution and diversity
education.
Captain Robert Nelson of the
Fremont Police Department served as master of ceremonies for the
gala. Lee Glover led the Mission San Jose High School Chorale in
singing "Sentimental Journey" and "Chatanooga Choo Choo".
In keeping with the 50th
anniversary theme, the entertainment featured songs about Fremont,
and the entertainers wore giant hats representing each of the five
historic districts and one hat representing Fremont as a whole.
Students from Cook-Kallio's "We the People" classes for the past
five years presented a skit honoring their teacher and coach.
The major sponsors for the event
were Fremont Bank, Greenstein, Rogoff, Olsen and Co., Regis Homes,
Kaiser Permanente,
Washington Hospital and NUMMI.
It’s not too late to donate and
increase next year’s grant fund. To read about previously funded
grants or to learn more about the program, visit the FEF web site at
www.fremont-education.org or call (510) 659-2561.
2006
Innovative Education Grants available
Do you know a district teacher with
a wonderfully creative idea that will excite and inspire students to
learn but who needs money to make the idea a reality? The Fremont
Education Foundation Innovative Education Grant program may be the
answer. FEF awards grants to Fremont Unified School District
teachers to support innovative programs or projects that can help
students reach and exceed their educational potential. FEF invites
students and community members to encourage teachers who have great
ideas to apply for an IEG this year.
Grant applications are available at
www.fremont-education.org. The deadline for applications
is April 24.
Managers and staff of the Happy Fish
Swim School present a ceremonial check to Fremont Education
Foundation President David Bonaccorsi and FUSD Board of Education
member Guy Emanuele at the Dec. 14 Board meeting. The swim school
contributed more than $16,000 to FUSD and the FEF Guy Emanuele
Sports Fund from their Oct. 16 Run for Education. More than 300
children and adults participated in the run, which the company plans
to make an annual event. Pictured from left to right are Emanuele,
Bonaccorsi and Happy Fish staff members Liz Elliott, Jennifer Moore,
Scott Schroeder and Tom Montoya.
Annual
elementary band fundraiser set for April 4-6
In a world where music is all
around us every day and the greatest compositions and performances
in history are available at the touch of a button, it is easy to
take for granted the time and energy required for musicians to
master their craft. Besides talent and dedication, the best of them
have one thing in common: they started early.
Because California provides
virtually no funding for elementary school band programs, however, a
whole generation of talented kids could be denied the chance to
start music lessons before junior high school. For the past six
years, the Fremont Education Foundation has been working to change
that bleak prospect by raising funds to provide after-school band
programs for students free of charge in all Fremont Unified School
District elementary schools.
The FEF After-School Band Program
is open to all interested fourth-sixth graders at all FUSD
elementary schools. More than 1,200 students are participating in
the program this year.
To maintain that level of participation through the end of the
school year, FEF will need to raise about $106,000. Because the
After-School Band Program receives no financial support from the
school district or any other government source, community support –
your support – is essential for the bands to play on.
The primary source for providing
that support is the Annual Music Telethon, which is scheduled this
year from April 4-6. The telethon will be presented each of those
three evenings from 7-9 p.m. on EdTV, Cable Channel 26, the FUSD
public access channel.
Each year the telethon features
Fremont students from the first day they hold their instrument to
their performance live in the studio. Students from all FUSD
elementary schools are scheduled to participate. The telethon also
will include local celebrity volunteers who will be answering the
phones and occasionally displaying their own musical talents.
Please help support music in FUSD
schools. Watch the telethon and visit the FEF web site at
www.fremont-education.org for details about the After School
Band Program and how to contribute. You may contribute by credit
card or send a check payable to the Fremont Education Foundation to
FEF Music Telethon, PO Box 14415, Fremont, CA 94539-1115. Please
write "band" on the memo line.
 You
can also support the telethon by answering phones and calling
contributors during the event. Parents, high school students and
other community members are needed with good verbal communication
skills in English, Spanish, Mandarin and other languages. Please
call 659-2561 or e-mail Lara York at
LMYork@comcast.net for more information.
(at right) Ardenwood Elementary School
After-School Band Program student Ananya Singh concentrates on her
flute as director Gabe Eaton rehearses the group for the 2006 Music
Telethon in April. |
