Beaufort school district foundation hosting fundraiser, awards mini-grants (update: retail outlets to sell tickets for April event)

Student poster contest winner Emily Wilbourne with Jan Davis-Vater, president of the BCSD Foundation for Educational Excellence and HHI Elementary Principal Jill McAden.

Updated March 3: The Beaufort County School District Foundation for Excellence has selected a winning poster for the April 2011 fundraiser and has named mini-grants for area school teachers.

The foundation conducted its student poster contest by asking student artists to design a poster for the theme "Celebrating Food Around the World." Announcing the winner, representatives made a surprise visit to Hilton Head Island Elementary to present Emily Wilbourne, a fifth grader at the school, with the honor.

Emily's artwork is shown to the right and is featured on the Celebrate Inspiration website and will be used in all collateral material for the April 29th fundraiser.

213 (Scroll down to the first report for details on the fundraiser.)

Several other student works were recognized:  2nd Place, Pilar Kayser, 5th grade, Hilton Head Island School for the Creative Arts Elementary; 3rd Place, Walter Wheeler, 5th grade, Red Cedar Elementary; 4th Place Lady's Island Elementary Arts Students (TACT Class) Grades 2, 3, 4; 5th Place, Keri Lyn Flora, 12th grade, Battery Creek High School.  

Sixteen schools participated in the contest.

The foundation also distributed mini-grant funds totalling $4,786.17 to twelve school teachers in the Beaufort County School District.  A total of sixty mini-grant applications were received from district instructors.  

The projects funded include:

  • Battery Creek High, Jason Whaley for Pediatric Manikin awarded $500
  • Hilton Head Island High, Kim Saul for Math/Science Connection awarded $450
  • HHI School for Creative Arts, Gretchen Mando, Reading Fluency Aids awarded $381.64
  • Lady's Island Elementary, Patience Russell-Gordon for Building Health & Self Esteem awarded $142.92
  • Mossy Oaks Elementary, Miriam Kelley for Learning Patriotic Symbols awarded $294.49
  • Okatie Elementary, Julie Fletcher for Literacy Enlightenment awarded: $479.03
  • Port Royal Elementary, Theresa Merchant for Sequencing Software awarded $500
  • Pritchardville Elementary, Yvonne Small for Mobile Readers awarded $388
  • Red Cedar Elementary, Sheila Smith for Language Learners' Software awarded $239.85
  • Robert Smalls Middle, Cindy Sullivan for Rain Garden awarded $500
  • Whale Branch Middle, Connie Singleton-Murphy for Butterfly Garden awarded $500

First reporting February 11: Supporting innovative instruction by teachers in the Beaufort County school district is the primary objective of a local foundation.

The Beaufort County School District Foundation for Excellence is a fund of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry and annually conducts a spring fundraiser to support student enrichment activities and projects that are beyond regular school budgets. 

On Friday, April 29, 2011 the foundation hosts its annual fundraiser Celebrate Inspiration at 6:00 p.m. at The Mall at Shelter Cove~Center Court.  The event is sponsored by SODEXO features food demonstrations and music by  Reggie Deas & Friends, serves Lowcountry cuisine and includes a live and silent auction. 

The event will also recognize and honor one of the school district's graduates, Chef David Young of Roast Fish & Cornbread.  The chef, author and entrepreneur is the second to be honored by the foundation.  The cost to attend the event on April 29th is $35 per person and can be purchased through the Community Foundation's event website.

In 2010 the foundation celebrated art, artists and honored Jonathan Green.

For more information call (843) 322-2306.