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New musical instruments for Conestoga Middle School students is part of a larger BEF initiative expanding music education across the district. 

Band director Jeremy Kane had a problem, a great problem: he had 80 families requesting instruments for their Conestoga Middle School students. The overwhelming interest in the band this year thrilled him, but he didn’t have nearly enough instruments for all of them. 

So he turned to the Beaverton Education Foundation for support. Through the Beaverton’s Choice fundraising hub and BEF’s matching grant, he led one of BEF’s most successful fundraising campaigns, Don’t Let the Beat Stop. It raised more than doubled the initial goal, totaling more than $6,000 in just 4 days. 

“We faced a massive shortfall of available instruments for these students who deserve equality in music education,” says Kane. “We can now ensure every Conestoga student who wants to can be a part of our band program.”

“The outpouring of support has been tremendous! We are so thankful,” he continues. “With these new funds, we will buy 25 new instruments — flutes, clarinets, and trumpets — and provide beginner books for students who need them.”

Starting small, then music for all

Music is a core subject that provides opportunities for expression and a creative space to build problem-solving skills. With STEAM-focused curriculum, the arts are known to lead to increased overall academic achievement, creativity, and positive self-worth during school and beyond.

Yet Beaverton’s teachers and students need more resources to increase student participation and maximize hands-on music education. 

That’s why in 2014, BEF launched Beaverton Band Together to expand musical opportunities for students in Beaverton public schools. In that time, Band Together has repaired and purchased more than 1,500 instruments across the schools, and the programming extends well beyond musical instruments. It also facilitated bringing music mentors to ten schools, giving unprecedented access to leading local artists and helping students refine their musical knowledge and abilities. And by providing seed money for Beaverton High School’s digital musical production club, students learn the intricacies of digital musical creation and participate in community art events, even leading some students to land music jobs throughout the city. 

“The power of BEF is that we work in partnership with the district and our community to help tackle emerging issues and smooth out inequities,” says Kristine Baggett, BEF’s executive director. “Beaverton’s Choice awards are one way educators bring to our attention opportunities for BEF to help leverage community support. In this case with Conestoga Middle School and our Band Together program, we’re proud to help students boost their creativity and lead them on a path to success.”

You can support band and music programs in ALL Beaverton schools through BEF’s Beaverton Band Together, helping expand music education opportunities for all Beaverton students.

Who benefits: Sunset High School students who need homework support

About the program: Homework Club teaches the value of a regular homework routine and provides the skills and community to make that a reality. Educators work one-on-one and in small groups to help students complete their homework. 

Results: Students make a stronger connection to school, leading to better attendance and increased grades. 

How it inspires: 
“Homework Club helped me develop into a better scholar.” —Sunset 10th grader

“Homework Club helped me achieve my goal of graduating high school.” —Recent Sunset graduate

Why parents love it: 
“This program has been my daughter’s saving grace. After meetings, she comes out feeling confident and positive.” —Parent of a 9th grader 

One secret to its success: Snacks!

Learn more about BEF’s innovative after school programming across the district.

Thanks to our generous donors including:  AHS Go Warriors! Opportunity Fund, the Anne Kelly Ofstun Tubby Fund, BEF Building STEAM 4 All Program, First Tech Federal Credit Union, Intel Corp., and the Mike Osborne Memorial Award Fund we have awarded $19,630, funding 15 classroom projects this summer for the upcoming 2021-22 academic year.

Mirrors & Windows: Help Sato Build Inclusive Classroom Libraries!

Sato Elementary School
Students Served: 750
Recipient: Tammy Fry
Award: $2,015

Funding provided through the BEF New Project Match

Money raised allowed for the purchase of diverse books for 32 classrooms, ensuring libraries are as diverse as the children who use them. Books written by #ownvoice authors challenge readers to learn, explore and celebrate one another and are crucial to creating an inclusive classroom community and strong thinking and reading skills.

Nancy Ryles Early Readers

Nancy Ryles Elementary School
Students Served: 200
Recipient: Erin Osborne
Award: $1,500

Funding provided through the Anne Kelly Ofstun Tubby Fund

During Distance Learning book bundles provided our earliest readers with a variety of books needed to build a strong reading foundation and were a big hit with kindergarteners and first graders. Thanks to funds raised through this project, Nancy Ryles can purchase enough books to continue book bundles as permanent function of the library.

Tumwater Middle School Takes the Stage

Tumwater Middle School
Students Served: 300
Recipient: Mikaela Gladstone 
Award: $3,500

Funding provided through the BEF New Project Match

Tumwater Middle School Theatre is open to all students who wish to participate, regardless of ability. Funding from this project breaks down the financial barriers that often stand in the way of students wanting to participate in extracurricular activities.

Creating the “Westview Den” – a Wellness Room for the Wildcats

Westview High School 
Students Served: 240
Recipients: Mitzy King & Tina Myers
Award: $1,205

Funding provided through the BEF New Project Match

Funds raised through this project helped Westview High School create the ‘Westview Den’, a calming space to help teach students how to self-regulate their emotions in healthy ways and re-engage in their learning, ultimately missing less school due to mental health issues. 

Cultivating Curiosity and Creativity

Vose Elementary School 
Students Served: 30
Recipient: Flor Medina
Award: $1,500

Funding provided through The Mike Osborne Memorial Award Fund

Dual language learners will grow their curiosity and creativity with art projects and exciting new educational toys to enjoy during recess time and for indoor brain breaks. Additionally, each student will have a low-maintenance plant to care for to alleviate stress and use for math, writing and science. 

The Van Gogh Experience

Aloha High School 
Students Served: 13
Recipient: Elena Chiovaro
Award: $517

Funding provided through the Go Warriors! AHS Opportunity Fund

Aloha High School AP art students will explore their own minds and inquiries in the process of creating work for their AP portfolio as they visit the Beyond Van Gogh multimedia experience, taking the viewer on a journey through over 300 iconic artworks including instantly-recognizable classics “The Starry Night”, “Sunflowers”, and “Cafe Terrace at Night”, freed from their frames. 

4th grade Rocket Readers

Rock Creek Elementary School
Students Served: 91
Recipients: Grace Dilworth, Tricia Peerenboom and Avi Huelskamp
Award: $2,305

Funding provided through the BEF New Project Match

Rock Creek’s 4th grade teachers will help students fall in love with reading thanks to funds raised to purchase books for their beginning level readers that include a cover, design, characters and story that engage a 10-year-old’s mind. 

Take the Whitford Times to the Next Level

Whitford Middle School 
Students Served: 60
Recipient: Travis Rooke Ley
Award: $1,500

Funding provided through the BEF New Project Match

The Whitford Times, an 8^th grade student-driven newspaper, will grow their journalistic knowledge and take their publication to the next level with daily print editions of The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The Oregonian in class each day. These copies will serve as references, mentor texts, annotations and research. 

Monthly Math Magic

Hiteon Elementary School 
Students Served: 120
Recipient: Helen Chandler
Award: $1,000

Funding provided through the Building STEAM 4 All Program

Hiteon’s 5th graders will benefit from daily calendar math resources filled with patterns and complex problems. The activities and games give students ongoing practice with key skills and build a solid understanding and love of math.

Help Amplify Our Voices!

Cedar Park Middle School 
Students Served: 120
Recipient: Heidi VandenHooff
Award: $100

A Karaoke Machine and multiple microphones will help masked students get excited to speak and share their ideas and ensure educators will be heard loud and clear at Cedar Park Middle School. 

The World Needs to Hear YOUR Voice

Sunset High School 
Students Served: 210
Recipient: Rebecca Larson
Award: $395

Sunset High School students will read stories with personalized manner that mirrors their own life and see first-hand that “The world needs to hear your voice”. Students will then take their own stories beyond senior literature class and into the bigger world during a unit that focuses on the New York Times “Personal Narrative Writing Contest”.

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, Beaverton Education Foundation’s online resource that brings community and classrooms together.  

Dave and Christine Vernier combined Dave’s creativity and passion for science education with Christine’s business acumen, and founded Vernier Software & Technology about 40 years ago in Beaverton. Their award-winning interfaces, sensors, software, and lab books help engage and excite students around the world through hands-on scientific investigation, and their products are used across Beaverton School District classrooms. We sat down with Dave and Christine to learn why they’ve supported BEF for more than 20 years and how it helps their business. 

Why is supporting public education in Beaverton important for our community and economic development?

Beaverton has one of the best reputations for public schools in Oregon, and we need to keep it that way. Good public schools are critical, and as a country we have not been funding them as well as we used to. And solid public schools are especially important when we’re recruiting high level employees like programmers and executives. The world is changing, and maybe all our employees don’t need to live near our office. If our employees — or anyone, really — can live anywhere, it’s all the more important to make Beaverton a great place to live, work, and raise a family, so people want to stay. 

Why do you support BEF instead of individual schools?

BEF makes it simple to give in the most valuable way. It could be our full time jobs to review proposals and decide who really needs the money most. Instead, we trust BEF to identify and evaluate the most critical projects, ones that will make the most difference. We appreciate that BEF funds projects that get kids excited about learning, promote new ideas, and help programs become models for other schools. 

Why is hands-on learning so important? 

When I was a teacher in Hillsboro about 40 years ago, I quickly learned that lectures don’t work for most students. They learn much more when they are engaged in a project or a lab exercise or working in a group. So we’re big fans of having kids act like scientists and do what scientists do, which is investigate things and make conclusions. We’re proud to make products that inspire and enable interactive learning for students, and to have our products used in Beaverton public schools.

How does supporting BEF benefit your business? 

First, like we said earlier, the better our public schools are, the better employees we can attract and retain to work here in Beaverton. 

Second, our employees tell us they appreciate that we support their kids’ schools. We encourage them to give to BEF and other great local causes through our matching giving program. This is another way we attract and retain the best employees.  

Lastly, we need skilled employees and by helping ensure everyone gets a good high school education, we’re feeding our pipeline. From managers and programmers to shipment packers, they all need good computer and communication skills. Well-equipped and well-funded public schools can provide that education.

“We use Vernier products in our physics, chemistry, and biology courses because our students engage more with the lessons and learn quickly and in a more meaningful way. In our science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) lessons, they use sensors to collect real data and learn how to analyze it with a simple interface. 100% hands-on learning like this puts an emphasis on technology skills, and students see how they can be applied in real life.”  
—Carlie Harris, science teacher at Beaverton Academy of Science & Engineering (BASE)

When Southridge High School launched its Brassy and Bold Beaverton’s Choice campaign, it never imagined it would be funded more than 2x over in a matter of days. The result was not only the music supplies they needed, but the knowledge that BEF and the Beaverton community stand behind them — supporting their immediate needs and their dreams for the future.  

With the $7,540 they raised, including a $500 matching gift from BEF, the band purchased supplies that will be used for years to come — like field frames for glockenspiels and vibraphones and services that were previously out of reach, bringing the symphonic and concert bands together for the first time in over a year.  

Band Teacher, Cameron Jerde, explained that while he initially came to BEF with an urgent and immediate need to help students who play brass instruments, the overwhelming support allowed him to think strategically and improve playing conditions for even more members of the band for an extended period of time.

“This project impacted our total band program and will have a positive affect for years to come,” added Cameron.

Understanding the power of BEF’s connected donor community allows our educators to think big. Knowing there is support ready and willing to fund their ideas, gives staff a safe and supported space to explore and wonder. It’s this environment that fosters innovation and meaningful impact for all our students. 

Stay connected to BEF and learn about all the great projects in schools and classrooms throughout the District – like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and Twitter and join our mailing list. 

See all Art + Music programs and projects funded through Beaverton Education Foundation.