Celebrating

Author: Mark Bieler

Please Support Our Annual Appeal!

We are so grateful for the support of so many over the past 29 years. If you’re able to make a donation this year, we send our warmest thanks!

If you would like to donate online in support of WEF’s general fundraising appeal, please click here.

Congratulations to Tara Rice, 2023 Founder’s Award winner!

The Weston Education Foundation (WEF) is pleased to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week by bestowing the 2023 Elizabeth W. Stokes Founder’s Award on WIS teacher Tara Rice.

The Founder’s Award recognizes each year one teacher from Weston Public Schools who has created an innovative and educational out-of-classroom experience impacting one or more students. Any current student and/or parent can nominate a teacher.

In reaching its decision, WEF examined a multitude of nominations from students and parents who shared their experiences of teachers they’ve had from Weston High School, Weston Middle School, and Weston Intermediate School. The nominations for Ms. Rice detailed her creativity in using outside the classroom activities and tools to inspire learning and to create meaningful relationships with her students and their families. We were especially impressed with the nominations that came directly from former students of hers (now 4th graders!).

Ms. Rice utilizes many teaching strategies such as moving the learning physically outside the classroom whenever she can, and leveraging the use of technology, via email and a free App. With these many strategies, she’s able to rally her students and their families around student learning, creating meaningful, long-lasting experiences. Please join us in congratulating Miss Rice!

Brainy Bunch fundraiser is a success!

We’re so thankful for everyone who made the 2nd Harlem Wizards v. Weston’s Brainy Bunch fundraising basketball game such a success! A near sellout crowd was treated to trick hoops and alley oops (and a little bit of Baby Shark and other favorites), along with performances by Weston Cheer, WHS band “Fever”, and the Westones, who sang the National Anthem.

Thank you to the Boosters Club for running the concession stand and to @westoncthoops, @westonsoccerclubct, @westonadultsoccer, @westonlacrosseclubct, and our PTOs for helping us spread the word. And thank you to our sponsor @westonracquetclub for its support!

Special thanks to our WHS student co-chairs Noel and Gavin Villepigue and the rest of our WHS volunteers, our adult volunteers, the wonderful custodial and security staff, WHS Athletic Department, the Town of Weston, and – last but definitely not least – the teachers and staff who were brave enough to face @worldfamousharlemwizards on the court, the Brainy Bunch. All for the great cause of raising funds for WEF’s school-based grants – thank you all!

Harlem Wizards vs. Weston’s Brainy Bunch

Don’t miss the FUNdraiser!

Weston’s Brainy Bunch (aka, our wonderful K-12 teachers, staff and administrators) are taking on the Harlem Wizards on Saturday, November 19 at 4pm in a fast, fun-filled basketball game to raise money for school-based grants. The game will take place in the Weston High School gym.

The event will also feature performances by:

  • WHS Band “Fever”
  • the WHS Westones
  • Weston Cheer

Concessions will be provided by the Boosters Club.

Get your tickets here – don’t miss out! https://harlemwizards.thundertix.com/events/203355

If you’d like to become a sponsor of the event, please email president@westoneducationfoundation.org. Thank you!

 

WEF Sponsors MLK Day of Service at Lachat Farm

January 2021

WEF was honored to be a sponsor of the visionary MLK Day of Service planned by @lachattownfarm to commemorate MLK Day 2021. WEF provided funding to help purchase the children’s book “A Ride to Remember”, which was co-written by the first African-American child to ride a carousel in a Baltimore amusement park. Sharon Langley’s ride coincided with Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, DC, in August 1963. The book will be given to all families who participate in the Day of Service and has also been given to every teacher at Hurlbutt and WIS to share with their students. A recorded reading of the book by Hamilton’s Renee Goldsberry was made available on the Lachat Town Farm website on MLK Day.

WEF Contributes to Weston Historical Society Outdoor Signage Project

December 2020

The fall of 2020 saw the installation of new outdoor signs on the grounds of the Weston Historical Society. WEF provided funding for the Wayfaring Sign, a detailed map of the grounds that also includes an overall history of the Coley Homestead. Four additional signs provide in-depth information on the various buildings on the property.

For more information on how to enjoy the Coley Homestead signs, you can read this : Weston Today article

WEF Funds Diverse Books for Weston High School

October 13, 2020

For its first grant of the 2020-2021 school year, WEF was pleased to provide funding for culturally diverse books for Weston High School. These texts will be used to ensure that all English classes have access to at least one culturally diverse text.

In the words of Christine Cincotta, English Curriculum Instructional Leader for Grades 6-12, “our students, in both focus groups and on mid- and end-of-year surveys, have expressed their passion for reading more titles by diverse authors.” She notes that with the WEF grant, “we can guarantee that every single student at WHS will read at least one full-length text that addresses inclusion and representation.”

Kate O’Keefe Named as WEF’s 2020 David Trigaux Award Recipient

The Weston Education Foundation (WEF) is proud to recognize Kate O’Keefe, photography, studio art, drawing and painting teacher, as the 2020 recipient of Weston Education Foundation’s David Trigaux Innovation Award. Since 2001, WEF has given this award annually to a teacher who demonstrates a unique level of originality and dedication toward creative teaching. The $2,500 award may be used in any way that fosters educational innovation, including travel, studies, or work outside the classroom. “WEF’s objective is to enable recipients to pursue their work with increased vigor,” said WEF Grants Chair, Sandy Hart.

Mrs. O’Keefe’s colleagues tell us that students talk about how they sign up for one of her art classes to fulfill a credit – but come back for a more advanced class due to her way of nurturing a creative ability that they never know existed. Ms. O’Keefe strives to share her love and passion for the arts with her students and give them the confidence to visually express themselves. Mrs. O’Keefe says, “I have found that as students have watched me create a body of work, they have become more apt to take creative risks and push themselves to the next level. Showing students, discussing my work and artist statements with them has helped the AP students streamline their bodies of work and written statements. Because I too switch between many different media and artistic techniques, I believe it has inspired many of my students to try new media or techniques, take risks with concepts or ideas, work on a larger scale, and have more confidence in their own talent.”

The Award is named for David Trigaux — teacher, principal, program administrator, and former superintendent of the Weston Schools — who was widely recognized for encouraging creativity in education and for his support of teachers who brought it to their classrooms. He also played a critical role in the creation and early evolution of the Weston Education Foundation.

If you’d like to learn more about WEF, our work, and those that we support, we encourage you to have a look around our site.

WEF FUNdraiser: Harlem Wizards vs Weston’s Brainy Bunch on Saturday, Oct. 5 @ 5PM

Come watch a team of K-12 Weston teachers and administrators (aka Weston’s Brainy Bunch) “battle” it out on the basketball court against the world famous Harlem Wizards! The game is guaranteed to be fun for all ages, with tricks, skills and amazing shots coupled with fan participation and lighthearted fun. And some very lucky “Wiz Kids” will also get on the court with the Harlem Wizards during warmups! Advance purchase necessary.

General Admission tickets are available at all of Weston’s Back To School Nights, online, and at the door on game day. For full information on our event and to purchase tickets at any level, including how to be a Wiz Kid, click here.

General info on the Wizards can be found on harlemwizards.com. All net proceeds will be devoted to Weston Education Foundation’s school-based grants. Concessions will be available at the game, thanks to the WHS Boosters Club.

Doors at Weston High School gym open Saturday, October 5 at 4pm. Game time is 5-7pm. See you at the game!