Since crystal balls work only in fairy tales, no one could possibly have predicted how drastically our world at home, at work, and in the classroom would change in the past 25 years. Fortunately, a group of forward-thinking members of our community did have the vision to establish an entity that would be available to help with this unforeseen growth and its impact on our students and staff in Upper Arlington's classrooms.

Since it was founded in 1985, the UAEF has received more than $3.6 million dollars in donations and gifts and has returned $2.4 million to the school district in the form of grants, scholarships, and flow-through projects. This year was no exception. The UAEF was proud to partner with Barrington and Greensview's PTOs on projects in their schools. At Barrington, money was awarded for the school wide technology initiative, and for supplies for the Certified Wildlife Habitat, and at Greensview, the campus upgrade and refurbishment project received funding from the UAEF. Also at Greensview, a technology program using iPod Touches for reading intervention was launched and the UAEF was happy to help. The Windermere PTO established a Publishing Shop for all its students and the UAEF provided the supplies to get them up and running. When not in the publishing shop, students at Windermere tackle engineering challenges with NXT Robotics at weekly sessions held at lunchtime with teacher Dana Flowers. Funding was courtesy of the UAEF.

At one of the best events of the school year, the Senior Honors Assembly, where outstanding members of the graduating class are recognized and rewarded for their achievements, UAEF funds awarded a total of $15,050 to members of the Class of 2009.

Where does the money come from for these projects and scholarships? Two sources: Endowment Funds, and the Unrestricted General Fund.

Endowment Funds - The UAEF has 36 endowment funds - funds that were established for a specific purpose and are listed on the following pages. These funds have been set up for a variety of purposes and make a huge impact on the students and staff each year.

Unrestricted General Fund - When a grant request comes in that does not fit into the parameters of any of the designated funds, UAEF Trustees look to the Unrestricted General Fund as a source of funding for the grant. Additionally, grants that are large in dollar amount usually come from here because the endowment funds are not able to. To make sure that this fund has money available, UAEF Trustees and community volunteers hold the Golden Bear Bash! each year on the Sunday night of Labor Day Weekend. This casual end of the summer party is the primary fundraiser for the UAEF with half of the net proceeds going back into the school system that very same school year. Be checking our website www.UAEducationFoundation.com for details and to order your tickets!

What does the NEXT 25 years hold? One would be foolish to try and even guess, and that is why is it so important that the UAEF continue to grow its assets with partners like you. Never has it been more important to have at the ready a pool of resources for that yet unnamed project - probably something that our children and grandchildren will have to teach us to use. How can you help us grow that pool? In addition to your annual contributions and participation in the Golden Bear Bash! some out of the ordinary opportunities of support include auction items for the Golden Bear Bash! such as tickets to entertainment and sporting events, artwork, vacation homes, and electronics. Other supporters have purchased life insurance policies and named the UAEF as the beneficiary. Consider a gift of stock or a bequest in your estate planning and discuss your wishes with your tax consultant.

We are looking into the future with the knowledge that yet unnamed special projects are on the horizon, so we are working today to make those projects of reality of tomorrow.
     

From UA This Week, July 21, 2010:

The students and plants at Tremont Elementary are growing together.

Thanks to a $1,500 grant from the Upper Arlington Education Foundation, students, teachers and parents at the school have been working on a community garden to feed the minds and stomachs of the surrounding community.

It is considered a "learning laboratory" for students to learn about science, service and responsibility.

As part of the service learning aspect of the project, students and teachers plan to donate much of their produce to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.

Read the entire article here.

After receiving a grant from UAEF in January, one of our Upper Arlington High School seniors has scheduled a community lecture by Dr. Lisa Machoian, an expert on teenagers and mental health who consults to families, parents, teens, schools, programs, and organizations across the country. Dr. Machoian has authoried several publications, and her lecture at UAHS will focus on her most recent book, "The Disappearing Girl: Learning the Language of Depression."

According to TeenDepression.org, 20% of teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood. Dr. Machoian will discuss the signs of teen depression and help parents and teens alike understand what they can do.

The UAHS senior raised money for her senior Capstone Project through requests to several community organizations, including the Upper Arlington Education Foundation.

Dr. Lisa Machoian will speak at the UAHS auditorium on Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 7:30 pm. The public is invited.

The Upper Arlington Public Library, in conjunction with the Upper Arlington City Schools, has completed the enormous task of digitizing every page of every Norwester, going all the way back to 1923!

In addition to the yearbooks, the library also has digitized vintage Norwester magazines. This monthly publication served the Upper Arlington community from 1917 through 1922 as a resource for historical, cultural, architectural, and genealogical information. Now you can search these archives and read about and view photographs of Upper Arlington back in its formative years.

The UAArchives.org Web site is constantly evolving and will expand to include collections from the Upper Arlington Historical Society, as well as personal histories, letters and maps gathered from UA residents.

Joanie Dugger, '80, Executive Director of the UA Education Foundation and the UA Alumni Association, commented, "The Norwester projects the views and ideas of eighteen-year-olds from each year of UA Schools' long history, and through each yearbook's photos and commentary - even the advertisements - we see life as it was then, from a student perspective. It is the personal voice of the students for that year."

The Upper Arlington Library Staff has given us an invaluable gift in producing these archives, and at the Alumni Association, we hope that you will enjoy traveling back in time through these wonderful, beautiful old Norwesters, each of which presents an individual flavor of its era, and gives us the students' perspective on life during each year from 1923 to the present.

NOTE: Although ALL Norwesters have been scanned, the online collection goes up to 1999; the contract between the schools and the library provides that the most recent ten years of yearbooks will not be offered online. As a result, one new yearbook will be added per year. Currently, you can view yearbooks from 1923 through 1999 on UAAchives.org.

We recommend that you explore each button on the menu to the left, and read about how to use the archives to maximize your experience. We hope that you enjoy the UA Archives at UAArchives.org.

Visit the UAArchives.org Web site

Specifically, the gift will be used as follows:

$60,000 will be used to equip every classroom with a projector at the high school. Currently 30+ rooms already have projectors. This will equip the remaining 55 rooms.

$10,000 will be used to enhance a course management system. The Moodle course management system was demonstrated at the meeting, but the final decision on which system they will used has not been finalized.

$75,000 will be used to implement a "computers for teachers" program. This program is designed to "put technology in the hand of people who will hit homeruns." For qualifying teachers, a laptop will be made available with the understanding that these teachers will then act as mentors for other educators who wish to enhance learning with the aid of technology.

$30,000 will be used for professional (staff) development.

The UAEF has established a Technology Fund for any other member of the community who wishes to make a gift toward future technology in the K-12 program. If someone should ask you about making a donation, you may refer them to this web site for a donation form.
  

Charles Wade Moulton, Class of '77, was fatally injured in an automobile accident in November, 2003. As a tribute to this outstanding man, his family has created a memorial fund within the Foundation.

At the time of his death, Chuck was an orthopedic surgeon in Santa Rosa, California. He was known as "Midnight Moulton" because of his habit of visiting patients whenever they needed him, even if it was very late at night.

While a student at UAHS, Chuck was a member of the National Honor Society and the varsity swim team. He was an All-American Swimmer in four high school events. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of Princeton University, Chuck was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and was a varsity swimmer for four years. Chuck completed medical school and his residency at the University of California at San Francisco before entering private practice in Santa Rosa.

After attending the UAHS Cum Laude Society banquet last spring, Chuck's family designated the Cum Laude Society at the High School as the recipient of his fund's earnings. Very few public schools have Cum Laude Societies which recognize the highest academic achievements of high school students on a national level. High school juniors must be in the upper 10% of their class and seniors in the upper 20%. It is modeled after the college level Phi Beta Kappa and was founded in 1906.

Establishing Chuck's fund was suggested by his sister, Jennifer Look, Class of 1973, of Reston, Virginia. Also surviving Chuck are another sister, Alison Papanikos, Class of 1978 of Chicago, Illinois; brother Rick, Class of 1977, of Johnson City, Tennessee, and his parents, Dr. Edward and Joy Wade Moulton of Upper Arlington.

At times families and friends wish to give in memory of an individual but do not want to establish a true endowment fund with its $10,000 base gift. The Board of Trustees of the Foundation have recently created a new category named "Permanent Memorial" to answer this need.

If a gift of $1,000 or more is given to the General Fund of the Foundation in an individual's memory, that person's name will always be listed within the UAEF Permanent Memorials. As of the end of 2004 the following people are remembered in this way:

Harry Postle
Elizabeth Catalano
  

Upon her retirement, Ellen Erlanger, former dedicated UA teacher and Director of Student Development Programs, was honored by the establishment of an endowment fund in her name within the UAEF.

Ellen has gathered an advisory group to help her form the Upper Arlington High School Student Foundation. The purpose of this foundation is to not only teach students how foundations work and to fund various projects, but also to foster a lifelong habit of giving back to their community and school.

Ellen's vision is that students will develop and support student-initiated Service-Learning projects and review for funding projects brought to them by other school groups. Her goal is to offer new decision-making and leadership opportunities for UA students.