FOUNDATION News District 214 Community Education Foundation Newsletter
Summer 2014
Foundation trustee’s memory lives on
Mural by Vanguard School students captures essence, spirit of Community Education’s women’s & children’s center What started out as a contest at the start of the school year has turned into a beautiful piece of art that captures and honors the legacy and memory of the woman that the center was named after. The Catherine M. Lee Women’s & Children’s Center, located in Room A205 at Forest View Educational Center, now proudly displays a 40 ft. x 6 ft. mural that was painted by Vanguard School’s Natalie deMeo and her 10 students. In early spring, the Vanguard School mural team was presented with a challenge of capturing the essence and spirit of the center that was created in 2000 for disadvantaged female immigrants who live in the area. Part of what was asked of the team was to depict the center in a positive light and to include the Community Education tag line, “Building Learning Communities,” and the center’s slogan: Happy Moms = Happy Kids Moms Learning = Kids Learning Moms who Read = Kids who Read “The mural is amazing,” said CE Director Mike Field. “There are no words to describe how wonderful it is. We could not thank Natalie and her students enough for what they have created.” For DeMeo, it meant a lot for her and her students to do this project and collaborate with Community Education. “Thank you for the opportunity to do something fun and meaningful with our
Blue Sky and Butterflies
The Catherine M. Lee Women’s & Children’s Center mural depicts what the center is all about: a haven for learning, parent education, employability, computer literacy, self-help, and much more.
students,” she said. DeMeo’s mural team included the following 10 students: Jasmine Solano, Miguel Marin, Nick Glatczak, Brad Henning, Kyle Schaerli, Jackie Simons, Zorayda Trujillo, Dianna Santiago, Destiny Romo and Ruby Pasillas. The mural was completed in less than two months, an extraordinary feat considering DeMeo and her students’ schedule. They submitted a
rendering in early March, started painting in April, and completed the project on June 6. An official unveiling is planned in the fall. Catherine M. Lee, the center’s founder and longtime CE Foundation trustee, passed way in January. Lee was a visionary who created the center to provide low-income women with marketable skills and economic independence.
The mission of the Foundation is to secure and allocate financial and other community resources that support lifelong learning opportunities provided by District 214 Community Education.