APE Foundation – AHS Alumni

It is an annual tradition for the Austin Public Education Foundation to provide grants to instructional staff within Austin Public School District support and enhance learning. Since 1992, the Huntting and Packer Endowments have made these grants possible, growing from a single $500 grant that first year to 55 grants totaling $45,588.20 in 2021!

Thank you, Hirsch Foundation – Building Level Grants

We are excited to still offer grants for building administrators funded through the Hirsch Foundation. The last few years, we have taken advantage of our new funding from the Hirsch Foundation to dream big and provide grants that impacted students at a broader level – benefitting all students within a building vs. a classroom or grade level. We will be able to continue on this year, with building administrators submitting their grant requests that enhance learning at their building.

In the midst of the ongoing pandemic, it is rewarding to be able to give back to the teachers and administrators of Austin Public Schools. They have worked tirelessly this year to continue providing high quality education to our students. We can’t wait to see your grant requests for this year.

Good luck!

Jennifer Boysen, Executive Director

Carolyn Dube, APEF President

The executive committee of the Austin Public Education Foundation would like to announce that Jennifer Boysen has been hired as the new Executive Director effective September, 2021.

“Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.”

– Les Brown

Game Winners

First Place: Team of Tom Wuertz, Jason Riles, John Riles, and Ron Bormaster

Second Place: Team Ameriprise Financial – Taylor Maxfield, Allison Bates, Mel Soderlund, and Amanda Sayles

Closest to the Cooler, Mens: Tom Wuertz

Closest to the Cooler, Womens: Katie Larson

Par 3 Challenge: Matt Ball

Putting Contest: 1st place – Tom Dunlop, 2nd place – Jeff Carney

Raffle Prize Winners

Basket	Winner
1 – Get Fit Together	Amy Mayers
2 – Par for the Course	Nick Wangen
3 – Through the Grapevine	Tom Wuertz
4 – Back on the Road	Todd Dube
5 – DELIcious	Cory Goetz
6 – Main Street Treats	Beth Hasley
7 – Downtown Delight	Brenda Landherr
8 – Sweet Reads	David Krenz
9 – Dog Spahhhhhh	Andrea Malo
10 – Remember to Hydrate	Morgan Schmitz

The Austin Public Education Foundation would like to thank everyone for coming out and enjoying a day on the links. We’ll see you at next year’s 24th Annual Packer Classic!

The 2020 Eberhart Night of Poetry was not able to be held in a face-to-face setting this year, but a virtual celebration has been made.  All 22 finalists made clips of themselves reading their poems and these were put together into a video celebration. 

All 22 finalists receive a book of poetry courtesy of The Friends of the Library.  One winner from each building will also receive a cash prize from an endowment the children of Richard Eberhart have established.  This year’s building winners were: 

• Woodson Kindergarten Center—Emmaline Dundas (Kindergartner) 
• Banfield Elementary School—Charlotte Bliese (4^th grader) 
• Neveln Elementary School—Sawyer Loucks (3^rd grader) 
• Southgate Elementary School—Sophie Kaercher (4^th grader) 
• Sumner Elementary School—Jacqui Delgadillo (4^th grader) 
• I.J. Holton Intermediate School—Pleh Meh (5^th grader) 
• Ellis Middle School—Nadia Hummel (7^th grader) 
• Austin High School—Wren Clinefelter (11^th grader) 

Congratulations to all the participants, finalists, and building winners! 

In the midst of a pandemic and navigating the sometimes tumultuous waters of distance learning, it is particularly sweet to be able to award grants to teachers and schools within the Austin Public School District #492.

This year, we have had the privilege of receiving funds from the Hirsch Family Foundation. This allows us to approve some larger, school level grants.

Building Level Grants

These grants are funded by the Hirsch Family Foundation.

Requestor & School	Request	Amount
David Brown – Ellis Middle School	Indoor/Outdoor Portable Scoreboard	$2,999.00
Eric Kossoris – Neveln Elementary	Gagaball Pit	$2,407.00
Katie Keller – Woodson Kindergarten Center	Self-Regulation Classroom Break Boxes for every classroom	$3,799.00
Ellen Verdoorn – Woodson Kindergarten Center	Monkey Bars	$4,326.00
Lisa Quednow – Austin High School	AHS Weight Room Equipment	$4,823.70
Deb Berg & Shari Michels – Community Learning Center	Indoor Preschool Playground	$11,570.00
Kate Holmes – IJ Holton	Art Supplies	$2,365.00
Jenny Compton – IJ Holton	Computer Programming & Language Building Table	$8,345.34
Megan Kraemer, Nicole Edwards, & Kendra Hotchkiss – Banfield Elementary	Sensory Path	$2,024.65
Julie Kakes & Jason Boe – Southgate Elementary	Walking in Snow – Snowshoes	$2,503.00
Jenna Manggaard – Sumner Elementary	XACTO school pro pencil sharpeners for every classrom	$728.00
	Total	$45,890.69

Teacher Grants

These grants are funded by the Huntting and Packer Endowments. Annual interest earned through these endowments determine the amount that can be distributed to teachers each year.

Austin High School
Lisa Peters & Jordan Reim	Novel studies	$449.40
Jacy Bodi	DAPE Scooters	$1,655.10
Kathy Sforza	National Geographic Independent Reading	$883.00
Alexa Dolan	AHS Student Resource Room	$854.00
Bobbie Stone	ASD Sensory Materials	$300.00
Darla Bernard	Horizons Movement Enrichment Supplies	$652.69
Emily Hovland	9th Grade Classroom Library	$500.00
Jesse Smith	Pottery Hand Extruder	$750.00
Colleen Owens	Giant Floor Continent Map & Materials – North America	$2,210.00
Banfield
Sue Conway & Kendra Hotchkiss	Kindness Initiative	$575.00
Kendra Hotchkiss	Sensory Tools	$800.00
Nicole Edwards	1st Grade Literacy Enrichment	$455.49
Community Learning Center
Lindy Hagstrom	Social Skills Kits – ECFE	$862.30
Kim Potter	Special Education – Early Childhood Sensory Tools	$750.00
Judi Needham	Fraction Manipulatives	$283.79
Colleen Olmsted	Kindergarten Social Studies Library Set	$277.92
Sarah Wermager	Kids Korner SecondStep Bullying Prevention Unit	$1,129.00
Ellis Middle School
Rhonda Regan	Silhouette Cameo Cutting Machine	$399.00
Juliana Pena-Marconi & Violet Osmonson	Sensory Overload	$1,002.00
IJ Holton
Tina Henely	Kagan Material	$435.00
David Brown	Indoor Movement Break Materials	$596.28
Cori McRae	Classroom Light Filters	$99.98
Kristen Wilker	5th Grade Language Arts Supplies	$632.98
Marianne Davidson	High Interest – Low Leveled Phonics Chapter Books	$552.00
Jenny Madsen	Makerspace Cricut Machine	$489.75
Ethan Wightkin & Leah Motl	Rubber Band & Elastic Orchestra Arrangements	$1,729.00
Michelle Swank	5th Grade Special Education Literacy Games	$223.79
Laura Marreel	5th Grade Alternative Seating	$1,029.00
Neveln
Maria Mickelson & Janene Lunning	Making Math Meaningful	$500.00
Clint Phillips	VEX IQ Super Kits	$758.00
Amber Rochat	1st Grade Math & Reading Center Enrichment	$275.01
Julie Nelson, Erick LaRock, & Shelly Weinmann	Games for Reading and Math Skills	$259.56
Katie Tharp	15 Glockenspiels	$663.00
Katie Tharp	STEM Supplies & Pictures	$322.84
Oakland Education Center
Jessica Bernand	Focus Room Tools	$251.74
Southgate
Jason Boe	DAPE Tricycles	$439.99
Erin Schoen	ATD and STEM Games	$300.00
Christy Halsey	Decodable Readers	$606.70
Traci Braaten	Lego Educational Sets	$247.48
Julie Kakes, Darcy Heimermann, Evelyn Napton, & Chelsea White	Zuma Chairs	$1,569.00
Jennifer Sims	Zones of Regulation Book Nook	$350.00
Jason Boe	Bison 6-1 Easy Up Youth Basketball Goal	$669.00
Sumner
Jenna Manggaard & Jessica Dammen	Early Reader Books	$2,855.00
Jessica Dammen, Renee Gogolewski, Fernando Garcia, & Joelle Mayers	ELL Classroom Library	$1,316.00
Nancy Braaten	Hands-On Manipulative Kits	$672.00
Nikky Tolde	Critical Thinking Games	$384.00
Woodson
Alisha Galle	Math Mats	$590.00
Brian House	Number Line Floor Mats and Alphabet Arcs	$999.68
Sarah Sathre	Recess Accessories	$528.28
Erin Heinlen & Morgan Schmitz	Physical Education Equipment	$1,269.05
Multi-Site Requests
David Hovland, Katie Tharp, Nikky Tolde, & Kim Zerke	Elementary Music Puppets – Banfield, Neveln, Southgate, & Sumner	$496.25
Maureen Noterman	PBIS Behavior Support Resources – Neveln & Sumner	$267.69

Total: $37,166.74

Between the Hirsch Foundation and the Huntting and Packer Endowments, the Austin Public Education Foundation was able to provide 63 grants totaling $83,057.43! Congratulations to this year’s recipients. We look forward to seeing your grants in action during the 2020 – 2021 school year.

The Austin High School Alumni and Friends Association, along with Austin High School, would like to announce the 2019 recipients of its Distinguished Alumni Award.  This award recognizes graduates of Austin High School for outstanding achievements and contributions to society following graduation. It also promotes positive role models for currently enrolled students in Austin School District #492. The three alumni selected this year are as follows: 

Duane Napp, PhD, Class of 1951

Napp, a retired college chemistry professor and IBM engineer, generated numerous patents throughout his career, including with IBM, where he directed and managed many critical projects to assure the introduction of new products. In 1986, he received an invention achievement award from IBM related to work on component self alignment.After retiring from IBM, he also volunteered in numerous ways for Boy Scouts and youth sports, worked for the Digital Equipment Corp. and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences. He lives in Houston, Texas. His message to students is to “never quit learning, continue to improve your knowledge and education at every opportunity”.

Mier Wolf, Class of 1958

Wolf, a retired attorney for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), has received awards from the U.S. Congress, State of Maryland and other governmental agencies for his achievements, which have involved serving as a legal advisor to grant programs that improved communities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. He has been an active volunteer throughout his life and served for nine years as mayor for Chevy Chase, Md., where he still resides. His message to students is “our success should be measured as much by our humanity as it is by our careers”. 

Dennis Bray, Class of 1973

Bray, of Austin, is an award-winning, retired Austin High School girls hockey coach who served as union president during his 36-year career as a machinist at International Paper in Austin. As a coach, he also coached various levels of boys hockey and softball, took the Austin High girls hockey team to the state tournament three times and has received numerous awards for his leadership, including being inducted in 2016 to the Minnesota Girls Hockey Association’s Hall of Fame. He also has volunteered for various Austin High events and other athletic programs. His message to students is to “consistently give 110%. Work hard! What you lack in ability can be made up with desire, dedication and determination”.

Congratulations to this year’s recipients!

It is a balmy summer…. err… fall morning in September and the kids have been back to school for a couple weeks now. As everyone is getting back into their school year routines, so is the Austin Public Education Foundation. We are actively seeking a new member of the foundation board. Board members can expect to be involved in the following activities:

• Attend monthly board meetings on the 1st Tuesday of the month in the AHS Musuem.
• Provide input regarding teacher grants that are approved annually.
• Participate in planning the annual Packer Classic Golf Tournament that occurs the 3rd Monday in July.
• Advocate and be a Champion for the Foundation within the community.

Board members can be any community member who support Austin Public Education and want to see teachers receive funding for classroom resources that would not otherwise be available through regular budgeting.

If this is something you are interested in, please contact Board President Carolyn Dube at 612-272-8653 or via email at carolyn.dube@austin.k12.mn.us.