Author: BEF Author

Art teacher at the International School of Beaverton, Sarah Hawks, tasked her students to create a sculpture based on someone important to them. The catch? They must use a book significant to their chosen person as the foundation of the sculpture and transform it, symbolizing an altered mindset.  

Keeping personal and societal topics at the forefront, students also needed to consider how the sculpture would be structurally sound, visible, and interesting – a tall order to say the least. 

Unfortunately, the events of last spring put a brief pause on the assignment, but Ms. Hawks was not about to let school closures and pandemic conditions get in the way of her students’ creative process. That is when she turned to BEF for help providing students with a set of sculpture supplies for home. 

One student explained, “This piece was difficult for me to make and write about. I had to face memories that I had kept locked away for a long, long time. Real tears fell into the pages of my sculpture,” adding, “While I think the craftsmanship is lacking, I know that this piece isn’t just a simple cookie-cutter sculpture, and this is why I am proud of it. Like a real artist, I poured a part of my soul into this piece, and like a real artist, I feel lighter for it.” 

Finished projects addressed powerful, meaningful topics, appealing to the students, while also helping them tap into greater themes of society and politics through their artistic creations. Topics ranged from sexual identity to remembrance of a grandparent and the immigration story of their parent. 

The COVID lockdown took away many things, however it did offer an abundance of time for self-exploration and reflection, leading to complex personal understanding and overall insight. These experiences offer valuable avenues for healing and acceptance, regardless of studio skills.  

Thanks to donors like you, students were able to further their sculpture studies and have a critically important outlet for self-expression during a time when most things in the world were put on hold.  

Support even more students through Beaverton’s Choice today. 

Join the Innovation Challenge to Help Create a Cleaner, Greener, Healthier Planet!

WHAT: KATU Innovation Challenge
Sponsored by PGE Project Zero, Daimler Trucks North America, Frist Tech Federal Credit Union, and Intel, powered by Construct
WHEN: March – May 2021
WHERE: Virtual! All resources and coaching sessions available online.
COST: No cost to participate for a chance to win cash prizes

Middle & High School teams will:

• Compete as a team for fun, recognition, and up to $2,500!
• Receive (4) optional, virtual coaching sessions in design thinking
• Use the design process and gain entrepreneurial skills

How to get started:

1. Form a team of 1-4 students
2. You can choose one of our problem starters or bring one of your own ideas forward.
   (Eliminate Single-Use Plastic, Expand Access to Electric Vehicle Systems, Ensure Clean Fresh Water is Available, Make Cities Safe and Fun, Be a Responsible Consumer)
3. Register your team online between March 1-31 to access resources and coaching sessions
4. Develop and submit your innovations by April 9

More info available at: www.constructlearns.org/katuinnovation

Over the past year, the Foundation, working in tandem with teachers, District staff and student support organizations partnered to provide 1000 students with music and fine arts educational opportunities that would have otherwise not been a reality. Whether receiving an instrument or at-home art kits, our connected community responded quickly to the put tools in the hands of students. 

Early last spring Raleigh Park Elementary School’s annual poetry writing program featuring resident poet, Turiya Autry, was able to continue thanks to funds used to transition the work online. Sculpture students at the International School of Beaverton were able to further their creative development after they received supplies for home. 

In January, the Foundation assisted Fir Grove Elementary in providing all their students with an instrument to use at home during music class and last spring we helped Beaver Acres Elementary School purchase specialty instruments for 27 special education students to continue their weekly music studies. 

“Our special needs students absolutely love music and you have given them a great gift,” said Beaver Acres Music Teacher, Casey Albelo. “The instruments I was able to purchase will survive dropping and throwing, can be more easily held and used by the students, and are colorful and inviting to use.”

Most recently we aided Aloha High School and Conestoga Middle School bands successfully expand their instrument inventory and meet the needs of their rapidly growing programs. We are also currently helping the Southridge High School band repair many of their marching brass instruments. 

Thanks to the generous support provided to the Foundation by community members like you, student interest groups, the Juan Young Trust, and the Harvest Foundation, teachers were able to adjust, adapt, and continue their curriculum to deliver valuable music and fine art lessons, providing a sense of stability and self-expression during a time when our students need it the most.

Help support exciting projects like these. Learn more today!

Did you know that more than $2 billion is donated to non-profits through employee matching programs each year? Many employers match employee donations and some even extend matching opportunities to part-time employees and retirees too. 

From funding small projects to supporting key programs, your matched donation can help twice as many students in Beaverton’s schools at no extra cost to you. Thanks to employee match funds last year we supported nine critical programs and nearly 3,000 students.

Matching programs are available to employees in a wide range of businesses – from Nike and Intel to smaller and local partners like The Standard and Vernier Software & Technology, LLC.

In the last year we received matching funds from the following generous employers:

• Abbott Laboratories – EGC
• Amazon
• AWS Elemental
• Cambia
• Columbia Sportswear Company
• First Technology Federal Credit Union
• Intel
• Kaiser Permanente
• Microsoft
• Nike
• Pacific Power
• Pepsico
• PGE
• Power Integrations
• RBC
• Shell Oil Company
• Synopsys
• The Standard
• Thermo Fisher Scientific
• Tokyo Electron US Corporation
• Umpqua Bank 
• US Bank 
• Veritas Technologies
• Vernier Software & Technology,LLC
• Wells Fargo 

Check with your employer today to enroll in your Employee Match Program. 

Thanks to our generous donors including: Dave Gettling Technology Fund, Intel Corp., First Tech Federal Credit Union, The Spirit of New Seasons Market Awards, AHS Go Warriors! Opportunity Fund, and the BEF Building STEAM 4 All Program, we have awarded $69,347 funding 31 classroom projects so far this academic year.  

William Walker Super Sensory Bins
Staff: Catherine Sementelli and Amy Wood

Tactile Tubs for Kids at Scholls Heights
Staff: Karleta Reierson and Vernon Tionquiao

The Sensational Sensory Studio at McKinley
Staff: Julie Seitz

Summer CTE/STEM School for All Middle School Students
Teacher: Jeffery Crapper

CDL Student Engagement Team for All BSD Elementary Schools
Staff: All Elementary Principals and the members of Behavioral Health and Wellness Team

Thanks to your generous contributions, the dollars raised are enabling enrichment programs in Beaverton schools that otherwise would not be possible. For current programs, and to begin your application, please visit Beaverton’s Choice, the hub that brings community and classrooms together.