Changing Futures 2011-2012
acsf.org P.O. Box 3196 Asheville, NC 28802 828-350-6174
From the Director
Dear Friends, It is my pleasure to share with you the results of your investment in 2011-2012. Our board of directors, former Co-Director Leah Ferguson, partners throughout the community, and donors deserve praise for the strong foundation they provided that quickened the impact of our work and enhanced the success of our children. The Foundation Fellows program empowered teachers to be learners and innovators. Gaelyn Evangreene wanted to spend more time teaching, and less time disciplining her kindergarteners. With a Fellowship from ACSF, Gaelyn studied a strategy for improving self-control that helped children monitor their own behavior and learn more. The results? Vast improvements in pro-academic behaviors like attention and time on task. New skills in conflict resolution and anger management will have benefits that last a lifetime for these children. Asheville High Fellow Jerome Hughes saw low SAT scores as a barrier to the future success of his students living in poverty. Mr. Hughes studied and integrated new strategies into his classroom. As a result his students raised their SAT scores by as much as 400 points, bringing a better college education within reach. After school, lives were changed at Asheville Middle through the In Real Life (IRL) program. Students explored opportunities like computer game design, civil rights, and hiking. With a gold standard assessment, we found that students were more committed to learning, had more positive values, and felt more empowered after participating in IRL. One teacher told me about her most difficult student, “IRL turned a statistic into a success.” The network of community support for schools was strengthened. Friendships become partnerships as local businesses joined forces with ACSF to launch the Go Local discount card -increasing the resources of our schools while strengthening our local economy. Enhanced collaborations meant more kids experienced the arts during the school day, and more struggling learners were paired with tutors and mentors. I look forward to expanding our work with your help - as an advocate, volunteer, donor - we can meet the challenges with innovative, effective solutions. Kate Pett Executive Director kate@acsf.org
Staff
Michelle Robinson- Development Manager Travis Herbert- Campus Director IRL Jay Lively- Volunteer Outreach Director Tiffany DE’Bellott- Prog. Coordinator IRL Miranda Bailey-Foundation Administrator Maddie Davis- VISTA Volunteer IRL Carlye Gates- VISTA Grants Volunteer
Changing Futures
ACSF helps children get what they need to discover their abilities and open doors to a brighter future.
Ensuring Academic Achievement ACSF coordinates an extensive tutoring program, placing trained volunteers with 142 students at all grade levels in 2011-12. Tutors become more than just academic aides. They often serve as mentors, sounding boards, and advocates.
Making College Possible
ACSF administers a number of scholarships that make college affordable for first-generation attendees. In Spring 2012, we awarded $191,600 in scholarships to 38 students.
Focusing on Equity
Poverty can wreak havoc on a child’s ability to concentrate and perform well in school. A family illness, homelessness or inability to purchase needed supplies can make the difference between school success or constant struggle. ACSF Equity Fund provides emergency assistance to families in crisis, so that children can remain focused in school. It also provides extra support to classrooms that serve high-need students, so that everyone can achieve more. In 2011-12, we awarded $5,000 from the Equity Fund.
Re-Imagining Classrooms ACSF supports innovative teachers and enhanced experiences, inspiring students to excel.
Supporting Great Teachers
Great teachers never want to stop learning themselves. The ACSF Foundation Fellowships inspire teacher innovation and enthusiasm by allowing teachers to design and conduct real-time research projects in their classrooms aimed at increasing student achievement. The Fellows regularly share their learnings with other ACS faculty. ACSF awarded $30,000 in Fellowships to 29 teachers at 6 schools in 2011-12.
Investing in Ideas
Cutting edge ideas come from a number of teachers, not just Foundation Fellows. ACFS provides smaller grants to support innovative classroom projects that will enhance the experience and performance of students. In 2011-12, we provided $42,000 to 43 classrooms spread across each school in the district.
Elevating the Art of Learning Creative learning experiences often come from outside the classroom. Teaching Artists Performing in Asheville Schools (TAPAS) trains and places local artists in classrooms to create hands-on, engaging learning activities. ACSF created and operates TAPAS in partnership with LEAF in Schools and Streets, UNC Asheville, and the local arts community. In 2011-2012, 21 artists worked with more than 1000 students in our schools.
Inspiring Community ACSF actively engages Asheville in the success of our schools so that we can maintain a vibrant, thriving community.
Getting Real
The In Real Life program, created in partnership with dozens of community organizations, provides safe, relevant and fun afterschool learning opportunities for Asheville middle schoolers. In 2011-12, IRL networked 21 community organizations and served 219 middle-school youth.
Connecting PTOs
ACSF brings together Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) representatives from all of Asheville’s public schools to share ideas and experiences that can help make PTOs more effective and collaborative.
Going Local
2012 saw the launch of ACSF’s new Go Local partnership, a fundraising and awareness building effort with the Asheville Grown Business Alliance that makes supporting local schools and local businesses easy, affordable and rewarding. More than 800 Go Local discount cards were purchased as of August 2012.
Reaching Farther
ACSF coordinates the local VISTA program that places 11 civic-minded people in positions that help students excel in and out of school. Thousands of children were impacted at 9 community-based sites.
Learning from Low-Income Families
Thriving public school systems include the voices of all families. But the voices of those with fewer resources are often lost. In 2012, ACSF conducted a “listening project” targeted at parents in low-income communities. We will use what we learned about the hopes, frustrations and needs of these families to help shape our grant making programs going forward.
Thank You To Our Donors
The ACSF would like to thank the more than 300 individuals and families, both new and long-time donors, who support our work. Our donors span the depth and breadth of our community. Many of you are teachers, school administrators, PTO leaders, volunteers, business owners, and community leaders. You all care about the needs of our children and are creating brighter futures. We could not carry out our mission without your support.
Thank you!
Sponsors: 11 North Market Street A-B Tech Asheville City Schools Benefit Brewing Biltmore Estate CarePartners Foundation Catholic Daughters Of The Americas City of Asheville Class of 1966 David Gantt Law Office Dixon Hughes Goodman, PLLC Equixnox Environmental Erie Indemnity Forest Commercial Bank Fraternal Order of Police Futch Foundation Gallery M.I.A. Grove Stone and Sand Co High Touch - High Tech Inc Hometrust Bank ImageSmith Ira B. Jones PTO Isaac Dickson PTO Jennifer Jackson, DMD Johnson and Vollmerhausen, PLLC Keith Black, DDS
Keith Hargrove Architect PC Land of Sky Regional Council Lee Edwards Class of '65 Mark Knollman, DDS NCRSP Asheville-Buncombe Chapter Parsec Financial Management, Inc. Pepsi Cola Bottling Corporation Progress Energy Foundation R. Stanford Webb Agency Retro-Fit-Design, LLC Roots + Wings School of Art State Employees Combined Campaign Target Ten Thousand Villages The Abell Flute Company The Bio Network Bio Business Center The Hop Ice Cream CafĂŠ The Wine Studio of Asheville UNC Asheville Unison Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville Van Winkle Law Firm Verizon Foundation Walnut Cove Members Association Whole Foods Market You Get We Give
Financials
Revenue Contributions
$492,312.00
Grants Fee for Services Other Total
$132,542.00 $44,953.00 $43,200.00 $713,007.00
Expenses Student Scholarships Teacher Supports After-School Program Volunteer Outreach Program Staff Other Program Activities Other Program Expense Program Total
$184,725.00 $86,101.00 $89,063.00 $60,715.00 $34,073.00 $24,633.00
Asheville City Schools Beattie Foundation Bradham Family Foundation Community Foundation of WNC I Have a Dream Foundation Ferguson Charitable Foundation NC Arts Council Progress Energy Foundation Richard Eckerd Foundation Sisters of Mercy of NC Foundation Sutherland Foundation United Way Wells Fargo Foundation Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
$21,054.00 $500,364.00
Management & General Fundraising Total
Thank you to our Funding Partners:
$43,088.00
$25,441.00 $568,893.00
Board of Directors
Betsey Russell- President Monica Koerschner- Past President Steve Dykes- Vice-President Peggy Hughes Weil- Secretary Jean Wauford- Treasurer Tangela Bowman Joyce Brown Ron Bradford
Shelagh Byrne Garvin Deters Cynthia Grady Matt Maultsby Tracy Moore Randy Nuss Kern Parker Tanya Presha Beth Russo
Dan Shaw Denise Turner Sasha Vrtunski At Large: Allen JohnsonSuperintendent Peggy DalmanACS School Board
Our mission is to promote the success of all students in the Asheville City Schools by mobilizing the community to support teachers, students, and their families.
P. O. Box 3196 Asheville, NC 28802