A baker’s dozen of area food businesses provided their signature dishes to attendees of Legendary Evening, a Niles Education Foundation fundraising event meant to celebrate the movers and shakers of the Niles Community Schools community.
Live and silent auctions; drinks from bartender Samantha Beck and Iron Shoe Distillery; and boogie-worthy music dished out by DJ Adam Roark all occurred at the 6 to 10 p.m. event. The height of the evening, however, was in its recognition of community leaders.
Resident Jane Brandstatter still has the tenacity, toughness and metaphorical ragged beard of the Niles Viking in her blood. She said being a Viking stays with a graduate forever.
Amy Gourlay provided two words to describe this year’s reading store at Ring Lardner Middle School’s library this March: “absolutely fantastic.”
“On my Facebook page, I said, ‘I never thought I could be so exhausted and exhilarated all at the same time,’” she said. “Every single student … came through my library and picked a brand new book of their choosing.”
Thanks to a Niles Education Foundation grant, she will be able to host the program again in 2020.
When Sara Grishaber’s fourth-grade Howard-Ellis Elementary students enter her classroom Monday mornings this fall, they might pick up a board game rather than a textbook.
Late last school semester, Grishaber was awarded a $500 grant from the Niles Education Foundation to create a classroom program she saw a fellow Instagramming teacher implement: a period of play to start and close the school week.
Kindergarten through fifth-grade students of Niles Community Schools this fall will be able to take part in programming meant to encourage critical thinking and exploration in science, technology, engineering and math.
The district was awarded $6,000 to buy STEM testing kits for high-achieving students to use after core math programming at Ballard, Eastside and Howard elementary schools. Another $6,000 will be matched with district curriculum funding.
The foundation will honor Viking Jane Brandstatter.
Jane is a 1980 graduate of Niles High School. After graduation, Jane continued her education at Kalamazoo College where she received a bachelor of arts in psychology.
Brandstatter is a member of the Niles-Buchanan YMCA. Brandstatter has been on the board for more than 25 years and was the first female board president at the Niles-Buchanan YMCA.