Beaverton Education Foundation

Category: News

  • BEF Intern – Emily

    BEF Intern – Emily

    We had the great privilege of having an intern on our staff this summer. Emily, a former Beaverton student helped out in many aspects over the summer from photographer to video editor and beyond. “Emily was a huge asset to BEF’s visual communications,” said Kelly Quashnie creative director at Studio Cue, BEF’s graphic design firm. “We were thrilled to have Emily join our team. Her photo and video support helped us achieve a thoughtful, well organized image library containing a variety of images that captured the essence of BEF programs and projects that take place all year long. It was great opportunity for Emily to continue to develop her design, project management and video/photography skills in a real-life setting while on break from Parsons School of Design.”

    Emily shared her thoughts on her internship with BEF:

    “I attended Beaverton Schools from Kindergarten through 12th grade including middle and high school at the Arts and Communications Magnet Academy where I specialized in visual arts. I am currently a sophomore at Parsons School of Design in New York City majoring in Illustration and communication design.

    This was an exciting opportunity for me to apply some of my background in visual arts specifically in the area of photography and I gained valuable skills that will benefit me in my future endeavors as an artist and designer. I photographed BEF summer events and tried to capture essence of the program and the students and teachers involved.  After capturing the photos I edited them to try to enhance the visual appeal of the images and also helped to organize the full archive of BEF photography to allow for better accessibility and for planned updates to the BEF website.

    From a broader perspective I was able to see the impact that the BEF has on schools within the district on multiple levels.  I was able to see the effect of their Camp Achieve program on summer slide in elementary school students and a new trade program for education at the middle school level.  I saw students learning and having fun and it made me appreciate being a part of a community that supports educational programs through a non-profit like the BEF.

    I’m grateful for this opportunity and for all of the donors who helped sustain the efforts of the BEF.”

    – Emily

  • Grant Update – Summer Construction Trades Exploration

    Grant Update – Summer Construction Trades Exploration

    Measure twice, cut once!

    The Middle School Trades Exploration Pilot Program students mastered design, demolition, drywall, carpentry, and concrete work, all while team building and creating a professional quality, useful installation.

    Summer Trades Exploration offered a four-week program connecting students to the construction trades. Thirty middle schoolers participated, and an additional fifty were on the waiting list to attend the pilot. The program was designed to bridge the opportunity gap for Beaverton School District students who may want to explore other high-wage, in-demand employment options outside of traditional college pathways as they move through their high school careers. In collaboration with industry partners, students designed and completed a construction project on-site at BSD Central Office, worked with multiple professionals in a variety of trades and visited real-time District building projects as part of this summer program. The program provided a hands-on educational foundation for students in the following areas:

    • Equipment safety
    • Industry safety procedures
    • Construction math skills
    • Basic drafting, design and building techniques

    Regional industry growth in the area of construction expects employment openings to grow by 31% through 2022. Current projections challenge economic expansion in our state beyond the 2022 mark with the expectation that the trades will lose 17% of the workforce as older workers retire. Industry partners agree that engaging students at the middle school level in non-college-bound careers is a gap to bridge in order to meet workforce demand.

    The pilot focused on three primary objectives:

    1. Develop skills that carry over into the traditional classroom

    1. Summer program participants developed a building design project focusing on teamwork, creativity, and professional work skills
    2. Construction Technology incorporates core content skills that are critical in increasing student outcomes in math and reading
    3. Students benefit from a conceptual application to real-world hands-on problem solving.

    2. Introduce Middle School students to CTE in our district

    1. This program helps build middle school interest in CTE programs across the district before students enter high school
    2. Nationally, 93% of all students who take one CTE class in high school graduate with their class
    3. We believe that a free summer program will attract families of all backgrounds.

    3. Expose students to alternative high-wage, high-demand careers in construction industry

    1. Provide our middle school students opportunities to explore careers that they are not ordinarily exposed to in the classroom setting so they might add that experience to their career exploration tool belt before they enter 9th grade
    2. Exposure to Construction Technology also leads to other related fields such as design and engineering

    Current partners in the work include:

  • I’d Like to Double My Gift!

    I’d Like to Double My Gift!

    We’re so proud that 190 community members have made 6 projects happen with their kind gifts during the month of May. All will be put to good use now and into our next school year. One community leader has stepped up in a big way – offering to double gifts made from contributors who have not yet given this year, up to $10,000. That means if 100 families new to BEF made gifts of $100 each, we would raise an additional $10,000 and meet our campaign goal.

    If you’ve never given to BEF before, or it has been a while since your last gift, here is a chance to double the impact of your gift!

    If you already give to BEF, thank you!

    Each of us coming together can have a meaningful impact on our students next year. Please make a donation today of any amount to make sure our classrooms are ready when students come back next fall.

    You can donate online here…Please make your gift today!