The Argyle ISD Education Foundation (AISDEF) is finishing out the year strong according to Board President, Robert Burns.
“This has been a tremendous year with support from our community. We’ve doubled the number of donors in our annual Back the Red & Black campaign and have continued to provide much needed support district wide to our teachers and students to help keep Argyle ISD an excellent district.”
Year to date the Foundation has provided over $55,000 in Grants to Teachers, Teacher Enrichment Grants and District Training support. As an example, AISDEF funds have helped Hilltop Elementary and Argyle Intermediate secure the use of a “Thinking Maps” curriculum and will provide training materials.
According to Argyle Intermediate principal, Renee Funderburg, “Thinking Maps are based on eight cognitive skills and can be applied across subject matters. Students connect concrete visual images with their abstract thought process, thereby creating a mental visual pattern for thinking.”
Hilltop Elementary principal, Mandi Pels, continued, “The development of critical thinking skills is so important to develop early. Thinking Maps help students learn to create visual patterns that their brains naturally detect and construct when thinking and solving problems. For kids – it’s drawing pictures of their thoughts!”
The Foundation’s Back the Red & Black annual appeal campaign raised $133,809 against a campaign goal of $125,000. Lisa White, Campaign Chair, noted that one of the most notable successes was the number of new donors. “The Argyle community really stepped up this year and showed their commitment to excellence,” stated Mrs. White, “Long time donors continued their legacy of support, while many first time donors were welcomed to the fold. We tried a Classroom Challenge this year for the first time at our elementary and intermediate school level and this helped bring greater awareness to the campaign.”
Zach Rozell, Vice President, Programming is finishing out the year with the exciting nomination process for Argyle’s Golden Teacher of the Year awards. Parents nominated deserving teachers and a committee determines the winners. Campus winners and overall District Winner will be announced at an end of year teacher banquet in June.
According to Mr. Rozell, various end of year scholarships are also available for application for deserving seniors who meet the appropriate criteria. “The Rudy Menn scholarship is awarded to a senior who has demonstrated service and volunteerism throughout the community. Mr. Menn has been a longtime volunteer in our community and region. Specifically, he served as past President of the Argyle ISD school board and was a founding member of the Argyle ISD Education Foundation. Another opportunity is the Deborah T. Combs-Cantrell Health Science Career scholarship that is awarded to a student seeking a career in the field of medicine. Dr. Debbie Cantrell, M.D., is a practicing Neurologist and Argyle resident, who was a ten year member and past President of the AISD board of trustees. She and her husband, Dr. Jeff Cantrell are Argyle residents, who have served the district and the community for many years and continue to lead with compassion and character.”
Planning is also underway for the Black Diamond Affair gala event, “A Night at the Ranch” for spring 2016 according to Judson Clark, Vice President of Development. “This event promises to be one that you will not want to miss.” If you are interested in ways you can help, sponsor or attend this event, contact Amy Williams at [email protected]
Mr. Burns notes that the Foundation is already gearing up for an even stronger 2015-2016 and hopes to partner more closely with the School District to identify unmet needs and opportunities. “There’s no doubt this is an exciting time to be a part of Argyle ISD and the Foundation is pleased to play a role in supporting and elevating this district in the years ahead.”
The Argyle ISD Education Foundation is a 501C3 corporation created to support and enhance the education of all students in the Argyle ISD. The purpose of the Foundation is to solicit, manage, and distribute funds for enrichment purposes in program areas not otherwise funded by the district. Funding is supplemental and does not replace or alter use of tax-based revenue. Donations to the Foundation are received from individuals, corporations, and other foundations to fund educational programs and operations including, grants, teacher professional development and recognition, and strategic initiatives not otherwise funded by the district.
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