APE Foundation – AHS Alumni

The 2021 Packer Classic was a rousing success this past Monday at the Austin Country Club. 25 teams came together for a beautiful afternoon of golfing in support of education and Austin Public Schools. When planning this event, many of the COVID restrictions were still in place, so we needed to forego our usual dinner and presentation where we typically announce the winners of our games and raffle prizes. So, instead, we are announcing those winners here.

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

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.

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.

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.

Earlier this week, we wrapped up our 22nd annual Packer Classic Golf Fundraiser. It was a hot but breezy day, making it an enjoyable afternoon of golf at the Austin Country Club. We want to extend our gratitude for our sponsors and golfers, particularly for their support of the Austin Public Education Foundation Grants. Each year, we are able to give grants totaling over $40,000 to teachers across the district for tools and resources that allow them to enhance student learning in their classrooms.

The 2019 Packer Classic is open for registration.

July 15th, 2019 – Austin Country Club

• 11:00 AM – Registration opens
• 11:10 AM – Putting contest begins
• 11:30 AM – Lunch at your leisure
• 12:30 PM – Shotgun start
• 5:30 PM – Light meal, awards presentation

Download the registration form below to sign up. Get a team of 4 players together or just sign up and we’ll connect you with a team. Even better – become a sponsor with prominent signage and recognition throughout the tournament.

For more information, contact:

Amanda Gafkjen, Executive Director of the Austin Public Education Foundation:
Phone: 507.460.1938 Email: Amanda.Gafkjen@austin.k12.mn.us