THE NEWS
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY:
Ed Op Fund Provides Books to Students
“Youngsters become readers of books in assorted ways and at different rates, and a major goal of the Educational Opportunity Fund has been to foster stronger connections with written words through a variety of partnerships. Books are a worthy alternative to the ever-present “screens” that pervade our children’s lives.
In its early days, the beginning step for the newly formed Ed Op Fund was to help promote information about the Imagination Library, a nationwide project initiated and supported by Dolly Parton. Working from the well-established fact that preschoolers who are read to consistently are more successful in school, the Ed Op Fund helped local agencies spread the word about this opportunity for children from birth until they begin school to receive books in their homes.
Since then, the Ed Op Fund has continued to provide financial help for this all important life skill by supporting efforts of the Lake Placid Central School District.
Their Summer Reading Initiative is the umbrella program for elementary through high school students. It has been designed and refined by Laura Coffin, Laurel Riehs, Rhiannon Adsit and Kaitlin Patenaude. Recently, these four educators shared a passionate and innovative presentation with the Ed Op Board. They explained how they have been promoting reading at every grade level for the 10 weeks of summer break, a time when the reading skills of many of our district’s students decline. Board member Simon Shergold described their presentation as an “inspirational reminder of the crucial work” the Ed Op Fund supports.
Coffin is the reading specialist for the elementary school. Since 2016, Ed Op has been helping to fund her efforts. In both Lake Placid and Wilmington, she has …”
Link to Full Article Here: Lake Placid News Article
Helping Students Explore New Heights: Fall College Tour!
Providing Opportunities to Dream: Lake Placid Soccer Girls Visit LSU
Lake Placid Marathon Donates to EdOp Fund!
Each year the Lake Placid Marathon identifies two causes to support through race registration entry fees. This year the Marathon chose the Educational Opportunity Fund as one of the two supported groups! Due to the generosity of the Lake Placid Marathon as well as an additional generous race participant, the EdOpFund received $2,250! With these funds we are excited to continue our mission to provide cultural, social, and educational capital to the students of the Lake Placid Central School District! Thank you LP Marathon owner, Greg Borzileri, for all your support and thank you too the whole marathon community!
2nd Annual Night at the Races: Article Excerpt
The race horses are warming up, and soon fancy hats will be streaming into Generations restaurant at the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort for a fantastic night of mint juleps at the open bar, horse racing, hors d’oeuvres, and good friends — all to benefit the Educational Opportunity Fund for the Lake Placid Central School District.
On May 6, the Holderied family will be hosting the second annual Night at the Races fundraising event after a wildly successful first run last year. Long time owners of the Golden Arrow, the Holderieds had been looking for an opportunity to both gather the local community and support a worthy cause. They found a perfect match in the Night at the Races party.
“An event that supports the teachers is always something our family is proud to stand behind. The fact that we get to dress up and it’s open bar just adds to the joy,” Jenn Holderied said of the upcoming festivities.
Because of the generosity of the Holderieds, the Night at the Races raises money for the Educational Opportunity Fund, a non-profit that partners with school administrators and staff to identify and address economic, social, and cultural opportunity gaps facing students in the Lake Placid schools.
Elementary Math Night!
Families gathered in February for night of fun, friendships, and learning!
College Tour!
In February, 10th and 11th graders hit the road to tour Skidmore, SUNY Albany, and Hudson Valley Community College. They also had time to grab a bite to eat at Druther’s and catch a period of the RPI/Princeton hockey game! The EdOp Fund considers it a privilege to support trips like this one, exposing students to the educational possibilities beyond graduation.
Classroom Awards:
The classroom awards aim to support and expand educational opportunities in the classroom.
PATRICIA DAMP has been awarded funds for four sets of virtual reality goggles. These allow all students to participate in virtual field trips, vastly expanding learning possibilities by visiting places otherwise unaccessible to local students.
KARYSSA MERRIHEW has been awarded funds for robotic equipment for use in teaching STEM education. These will be used in Middle School computer classes and will also be integrated in the curriculums of other classes.
AMY KRAMER and VICKI KIRCHNER have been awarded funds for purchase of headphones and computer mice for all 4th grade students. This allows all students equal access to the same quality headphones and mice and removes the stigma for students who are unable to bring these items from home. The headphones and computer mice are used for educational programming.
HAILEY FREMANTE has been awarded funds for a kit to be used when hosting Family Math Night for elementary school parents and students, a night of fun, education, and community building.
Arts Programming Awards :
Arts programs bring together students from all walks of life and are very effective in communicating an interdisciplinary connection with other school subjects. Funding these experiences allows all students to participate without cost.
KATHY BRIGGS has been awarded funds for hosting music, dance, theater performances at the elementary school. Bringing a variety of performing artists to the school allows kids to interact with the medium in a much more intimate and interactive environment.
TAYLOR PROSPER has been awarded funds to bring the Potsdam A Cappella group to the middle/high school for performances and workshops. This opportunity exposes students to a new medium of song and performance and gives them a chance to interact with college students about their arts and education goals.
BRENDEN GOTHAM has been awarded funds to take theater students as well as other interested students to see a show at Proctors Theatre.
EdOpFund Awards $9500 In Grants To Local Teachers
The EdOp Fund showed their support of our LP middle and high school students with donuts and cider from Rulf’s! Yum!
Hailey Giles, Class of 2022 and future EMT, talks about the EdOpFund-supported art field trip she attended this past June…
"The trip to New York City was nothing but phenomenal and very educational. Having the opportunity to go on this trip was incredible and I am beyond grateful. Being able to go and see all of the artwork at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with my art class was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Museum was breathtaking and I will definitely be going back at some point in the near future. For me personally going to New York City and to the Met was a new experience as I had never been. Mr.Robonson, Mrs.Huber, and Mr.Flannigan did an absolutely outstanding job with guiding us and showing us around. They were so much fun and I am glad I got to share this experience with them. I would also like to point out that my classmates were absolutely wonderful and I got to know them on a different level than what I normally only see in the classroom. I would like to thank everyone who made this possible. I am beyond grateful for this experience and I am so glad I got to have one last amazing trip before I graduate high school. So thank you for making this possible and giving me lasting memories."
We are so glad Hailey benefited from this opportunity and can’t wait to cheer her on as she pursues her EMT certification!
Derby Party Celebrates History and Mission of EdOpFund
Clips from the Lake Placid News story…
On Saturday, May 7, the horses were not only running to win the Kentucky Derby, which resulted in one of the greatest upsets in its storied 148-year history. Unknown to them, it also helped raise funds for Lake Placid Central School students through the district’s Educational Opportunity Fund.
“The purpose of the Derby Party is to raise additional funds for the school, so the Educational Opportunity Fund is focused on addressing the opportunity gap facing kids here in Lake Placid,” said parent Lynn Magnus, chair of the Kentucky Derby benefit. “We’re focused on providing kids with more opportunities from a cultural and social perspective. I feel very strongly about helping to ensure all kids have equal access.”
The Holderieds, owners of the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort, agreed to host and sponsor. They provided a space, Generations restaurant, an array of appetizers and other goodies, and an open bar with plenty of mint julips to quaff. Fund volunteers decorated, marketed and managed the party, which was a smash.
“The Fund helps us provide great experiences for all our kids, said Fremante. “As an example, every spring, we take all the fifth graders to attend a Broadway show at Proctor’s Theatre in Schenectady. This year they’re going to see ‘My Fair Lady.’ They get to see the show for free and have a free dinner after. For many, it’s the first time they’ve ever seen a professionally produced performance in a beautiful large theatre.”
The good news is that the Derby Party worked; they raised over $17,000, and the Holderieds agreed to hold it again next year.
Derby winner Rich Strike was not the only one who won big this past May; the students at Lake Placid Central were even bigger winners. They received a gift of a quality education that will benefit all of them throughout their lifetimes.
(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley. He has been covering events for the Lake Placid News for more than 15 years.)
College Visits!
The Ed Op Fund recently funded the Spring College Tour Field Trip for juniors which included 4 regional schools: SUNY Canton, SUNY Potsdam, St. Lawrence and Clarkson.
Some students had already visited a few schools, but many had not. Some felt like they were in a Harry Potter movie while touring Cole Hall at St. Lawrence. Others became interested in Criminal Justice programs as they toured the labs in the forensic science building and spoke with a professor at SUNY Canton. Some got excited about campus life as they met with an LPMHS alum and watched the Men's Lacrosse game at SUNY Potsdam. The trip helped students figured out what programs they were drawn to - some were attracted to more technical programs, while others found themselves more interested in the liberal arts.
Sending out a huge thank you to Amy Spicer, 10th Grade English Teacher, and Connie Hammacker, High School Guidance Counselor, who led the trip....on a Saturday no less! Thanks ladies for going above and beyond to help our students.
A Night At The Races!
Over $17K raised at the inaugural Night at the Races!
Over $17k was raised from ticket sales and the silent auction at the first annual Night at the Races event. Horses were cheered, hats were elegantly worn, Mint Julips were sipped, and lots of fun was had by all!
A huge thank you goes out to the Holderied family, who hosted the event, and to the community members who were able to join us for the epic night out!
The funds raise will go towards addressing the opportunity gap facing district children by offering teacher and student grants, summer reading programs, college tours, 5th grade trips to Albany, guest authors, and individual need grants.
Ed Op Fund raises $43K for Lake Placid students
Lauren Yates, Adirondack Daily Enterprise
February 24, 2022
The Educational Opportunity Fund, spearheaded by a local organization that raises money for student field trips and programs in the Lake Placid Central School District, has raised more than $43,000 to fund activities for the 2021-2022 school year.
The Ed Op Fund’s board of trustees announced a capital campaign last November to raise $45,000 that would support school trips, reading programs, career opportunities for district students, and teacher and student grants. The board of trustees agreed to match up to $25,000 in donations.
When the coronavirus pandemic first reached the North Country, the Ed Op Fund board took a break from fundraising. Members of the board instead formed the Next Level Committee, which set out to assess the Ed Op Fund’s achievements and goals going forward. Board member Mary Dietrich said the committee went through a sort of “strategic planning process” and created five initiatives in the district for the board to support. The committee identified those initiatives as costing around $42,000 annually, and they created the capital campaign last November based on that projection.
Although the fundraiser didn’t meet its $45,000 goal, it has just exceeded what’s needed to fund all the planned initiatives. By the Ed Op Fund board’s last meeting, the fundraiser had reached well over $21,000 in community donations that will be matched by the board.
The bulk of the donations will fund the district’s reading programs. The Ed Op Fund sponsors summer reading programs for district schools. The fund’s board is interested in funding an author series and a guest reader series, where authors and readers from the community could talk to students about their career or read a book together. The board also wants to create a summer lunch and library program that would invite students to be bussed into school to grab lunch and a book during summer break.
Another part of the donations would go toward funding an annual trip to Albany for fifth graders, where they could see a show at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady and visit Capitol sites. The Ed Op Fund board is also working on a new program that will help juniors at LPMHS visit regional colleges to help them envision their career paths. Additional funding would go toward student grants, teacher grants and individual opportunity grants for students who don’t have the money to achieve an academic goal.
The Ed Op Fund was created in part to help district students who are experiencing economic hardship. Treasurer Lynn Magnus said last November that 43% of Lake Placid students participate in economic assistance programs, and the Ed Op Fund was created by a few locals who wanted to help those Lake Placid students, and the schools, to overcome “economic hurdles.”
In the past six years, the fund’s board of trustees, now led by president and former LPCSD Superintendent Roger Catania, has raised $60,000 to provide grants for Lake Placid teachers and students. The Ed Opp Fund raised the additional $43,000 in just the last couple of months. A letter of appeal for community donations was sent out for the fundraiser just before Christmas, and the Ed Op Fund has received 84 donations ranging from $25 to $1,000 since then.
The donations came from a wide range of community members, according to Dietrich. She specified retired teachers and parents in the district as notable stakeholders who donated, but she said she didn’t want to attribute the effort’s success to one demographic since the contributions came from a variety of people.
“We cant really express our gratitude in terms of the generosity of the community, that they really looked at what we’re doing and trying to accomplish and how we’re trying to help the students of Lake Placid and Wilmington,” Dietrich said. “The community, I think, is very generous where our kids are concerned.”
While the capital campaign has ended, Ed Op Fund Vice President Sibyl Quayle said the fund is always accepting community donations. Donations can be made to the Ed Op Fund on the group’s website, www.edopfund.org.
Educational Opportunity Fund Announces Capital Campaign to Benefit the Children of LPCSD
November 10, 2021
The Lake Placid Educational Opportunity Fund has quietly been helping district children since 2015. Over the past 6 years, the Ed Op Fund’s Board of Trustees has awarded over $60,000 in grants to support teacher and student innovations and help students overcome economic hurdles. The Ed Op Fund’s mission is to advance educational opportunities and enhance the learning and life chances of LPCSD children. For the 2021-22 school year, the Ed Op Fund continues to dream big and has identified $45,000 in key initiatives they would like to support across the district, with many anticipated to be recurring annually. These initiatives will cost approximately $45,000. The Ed Op Fund board has issued a challenge to the community and alumni near and far – they will match dollar for dollar the first $25k in donations received toward the 2021-22 capital campaign.
While discussing their mission, Roger Catania, President of the Ed Op Fund Board, shared a quote from Kennedy Odede: “Talent is universal, but opportunity is not,” stating that, “the Ed Op Fund is working to address the second half of that statement.” The Board seeks to sponsor the 5th Grade trips to Albany to see the Capitol, tour the NYS Museum and see a Broadway show at Proctor’s Theatre; the Fund hopes to endow this trip through a multi-year fundraising campaign. To help minimize the “summer slide” and foster a love of reading, the Ed Op Fund will be sponsoring summer reading programs (free books given to students) at the elementary, middle and high schools. Additionally, we plan to sponsor college visitation trips and support an annual a career shadowing day. They also have future plans for mentorship and internship programs.
The children of our district need your help! Did you know that 43% of LPCSD students participate in economic assistance programs? The Ed Op Fund seeks to help by providing district children with economic, social and cultural experiences that enhance their learning and life chances.