News from the Spring Branch Education Foundation - Thank you for a great year!

Our Mission: Spring Branch Education Foundation is committed to supporting our students and educators. We partner with the district and community to fund programs that enhance education and prepare our students for the future.

Here is how SBEF has helped SBISD and its 35,000 students.

Thank you to the SBISD community for a successful 2014-2015 year!

Awarded $207,368 in grants to campuses and district          

• Bendwood Elementary - Functional robots for SPIRAL Gifted and Talented students
• Cedar Brook Elementary - Percussion instruments for the music program
• Edgewood Elementary - Cross-age tutoring in reading and math
• Frostwood Elementary - Gardening skills education
• Hollibrook Elementary - Portable hands-on science labs for K-5
• Hunters Creek Elementary - Campus gardens and a school-wide recycling program
• Landrum Middle and Northbrook Middle - Graphing calculators for 7th and 8th graders
• The Lion Lane School - A young reader program that includes siblings and family
• Meadow Woods Elementary - A Fall Prep Program for 30 students
• Memorial High - iPads and college-level coursework apps for Language Arts III students
• Northbrook High - A Chromebook Classroom to promote digital learning
• Nottingham Elementary - An Itty Bitty Book Club to promote reading
• The Panda Path School - Science-related staff development for Pre-K teachers
• Pine Shadows Elementary - An action-based learning lab for K-2 students
• Rummel Creek Elementary - iPads and creative techniques apps for music classrooms
• Sherwood Elementary - Drying racks for the art classroom
• Spring Forest Middle - A multi-sensory lab for Life Skills students
• Spring Oaks Middle - A school-wide literacy program
• Spring Woods High and Stratford High - Student academic planners
• Valley Oaks Elementary - The school library opens to the public during June
• Westchester Academy for International Studies - 6th grade field trip to Pine Cove Institute of Wilderness Studies
• Westwood Elementary - Netbooks for 3rd graders & 21st-century problem-solving
• District-wide projects

• Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum - Road Shows for 1st grade and Study Trips for 2nd grade
• Houston Prep Summer Camp - Transportation for 80 students to learn science, technology, engineering and math at UH Downtown
• J. Landon Short Mini-Grants for Educators
• Kinesthetic classrooms on seven campuses to help K and Pre-K students strengthen gross motor skills that correlate with academic brain function
• National Hispanic Institute Freshman Project - a 4-year program to promote college-readiness
• SpringBoard Mentor Program - matches adult mentors with students
• SBISD Council of PTAs - student scholarships 

Added to SBEF's Endowment

Fund for the Future is a permanent endowment that provides a perpetual source of income to the Foundation. Earned income is now funding education-enhancing programs, while the principal is preserved. Endowment funds are being conservatively invested with the Greater Houston Community Foundation.

Raised funds for grants and scholarships

• The 19th annual Spring Classics golf tournament, co-chaired by Doug Goodson and Rob Stewart, raised nearly $86,000.
• The 4th annual Style Show and Luncheon, co-chaired by Susan Griffin and Debbie Slack, featured Trina Turk fashions and raised more than $41,000.
• SBEF's 3rd annual Sporting Clay Tournament, co-chaired by Kirk Guilanshah and Pat Zadow, raised $24,000.
• The 2nd Legacies of Spring Branch Gala, co-chaired by Duncan and Marissa Klussmann, raised $134,000 for SBEF and an additional $7,900 for scholarships. The event honored Mallory and James Shaddix with the SBEF Lifetime Achievement Award, Chief Judge Diane P. Wood with the SBISD Distinguished Alumni Award and Mike Feinberg with the Susan and Larry Kellner Champion for Education Award.
• The 23rd annual Running for the Arts celebrated 2,243 registrations and participation from 41 SBISD's schools. The event benefits SBISD's Fine Arts and Health Fitness departments and the Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum.

Save these dates for 2015-2016 special events - you're invited!

• Friday, October 9, 2015 - Style Show and Luncheon, co-chairs: Patty Busmire, Lara Bell
• Saturday, November 21, 2015 - Legacies of Spring Branch Gala, co-chairs: Melissa and Mano DeAyala
• Thursday, February 18, 2016 - Sporting Clay Tournament, chair: Kirk Guilanshah
• Sunday, April 3, 2016 - Golf Tournament, co-chairs: Rob Stewart and Doug Goodson
• Saturday, April 30, 2016 - Running for the Arts
• Friday, May 13, 2016 - Bright Stars of Spring Branch, co-chairs: Michelle Majewski, Leanne Newton, Casey Rowe

SBEF awarded 89 scholarships in the amount of $118,000. The Foundation hosted the second annual Bright Stars of SBISD, Celebrating Academic Excellence event to recognize a record number of scholarship recipients as well as Teachers and Principals of the Year.

SBEF Employee Campaign Scholarship   

Thanks to very generous employees, SBEF's 2014-15 Employee Campaign had a banner year! Scholarships of $1,500 were awarded to 32 graduates, children of SBISD employees.

• Memorial High School - Molly Balderach, James Iler, Mason Montgomery, Nathaniel Morgan, Richard Reese, Alexandra Younger
• Northbrook High School - Joshua Lee Castro-Donathen, Cristina Ochoa
• Spring Woods High School - Miguel Angel, Carly Batterson, Natasha Camarillo, Zasha Cantu, Makayla Franco, Megan Greer, Hannah Harlow, Christopher Rice, David Romay
• Stratford High School - Clay Addison Barden, Abigail Boessling, Jack Brasher, Autumn Crawford, Emily Demeris, Jonathan LaBaume, Hildamari Marin, Julia Matteucci, Nathaniel Scott, Callie Terrell, Kendall Ward
• Westchester Academy for International Studies - Alexus McNeil, Alyssa Mahabir, Alex Schmidt, Elizabeth Ucles

Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum Scholarship, $1,000: Stratford High School - Christina Gregory

Mike Feinberg Scholarship, $1,000: Stratford High School - Riley Green

Friends Scholarship, $1,500: Memorial High School - Sarah Salas

Frostwood PTA Scholarship, $1,000: Memorial High School - Jason Walker

Goldstein Altman Scholarship, $2,000: Memorial High School - Rebecca Grekin, Hudson Lorfing, Madeline Margraves, Jisoo Park, Sarah Thomas, Elvira Tobias, Kaela Todd

Dr. Hal Guthrie Scholarship, $1,000: Stratford High School - Jacob Frenza, Polina Golikova

Houston Westchase Rotary Club Scholarship, $4,000: Stratford High School - Abigail Jackson, Justin Todes

Hunters Creek PTA Scholarship, $1,000: Spring Woods High School - Rebeca Castro

Meadow Wood PTA Scholarship, $1,000: Stratford High School - Matthew Martin

Memorial Middle PTA Scholarship, $1,000: Stratford High School - Timothy Purvis

Monica Neubauer Scholarship, $1,000:Memorial High School - Laura Aguilar, Soraya Pashaei-Marandi

Northbrook High School Scholarship, funded by Stratford High PTA, $1,000: Northbrook High School - Maribel Paredes, Genaro Uriostegui

Prosperity Bank Scholarship, $1,000:

• Spring Woods High School - Lauren Vierling
• Westchester Academy for International Studies - Filipe Sanchez, Nancy Tran

Rachel Pendray Scholarship, $1,000: Spring Woods High School - Bram Sebio-Brundage, Lesley Campos Cruz, Luis Fernando Sanchez

Rummel Creek PTA Scholarship, $1,000: Stratford High School - David Humphrey

Mallory & James Shaddix Scholarship, $1,000, Stratford High School - Reginald Green

Shadow Oaks Elementary Scholarship, funded by Valley Oaks PTA, $1,000, Spring Woods High School - Morgan Jump

Shantamboo Charity Scholarship, $1,000:

• Memorial High School - Inchan Hwang
• Westchester Academy for International Studies - Konnie Le

Spring Branch Education Foundation Scholarship, $1,000:

• Memorial High School - Andrea Olvera
• Spring Woods High School - Christopher Hivnor
• Stratford High School - Charles Boyle, Michaela Cherry, John Goss, Harper Jones, Emily Lindsey, Griffin Rathgeb

Spring Branch Lions Club Scholarship, $1,000: Academy of Choice - Regina Salazar

Valley Oaks PTA Scholarship, $1,000: Memorial High School - Alexandra Kaldis

Judy Weisend Memorial Scholarship, $1,000: Stratford High School - Noah Garcia

Chief Judge Diane P. Wood Scholarship, $1,000: Stratford High School - Adrian Sanchez Lohff

Also at the Bright Stars event, the SBISD Council of PTAs awarded scholarships:

Duncan Klussmann Legacy of Leadership Scholarship, $1,000: Stratford High School - Kory Casanover, Reese Davis, Benjamin Johnson, Tucker May, Kristen Peck, Jacob Peter

SBISD PTA Council/SBEF Scholarship, $1,000:

• Stratford High School - Kylen Chen-Troester, Alexandra Hayes, Emily Hunter, Sarah Nash
• Spring Woods High School - Natalie Elizondo, Lillian Monteiro

Wells Fargo Scholarship, $1,000: Stratford High School - Anna Whitmire

Now, we're preparing for next year   

Lisa Schwartz will lead the Board of Directors as chair, with J. Carter Breed serving as secretary-treasurer. The Board welcomes new members Jennifer Cobb, Becky Fenn, Sheri Gross, Tamma Howell, Daniel Irving, Marc Magness, Jeff Majewski, Vincent Montalbano, Kristi Robishaw, Warren Sloan, Laura Stein and Dmel Tatum.

The SBEF Board and staff work throughout the summer to prepare for the next school year. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation. You may send a check to SBEF, 955 Campbell Road, Suite 206, Houston, TX  77024, or click here to make a donation electronically. For information about upcoming events, or to volunteer, e-mail sbef@springbranchisd.com.