November 10, 2004
ACE Fund benefits school
Fund provides means for special school programs
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
From geography to current events, exercise to fractions, students around the region benefit from the ACE Fund in many ways.
Sunday night, the Assisting Children's Education Fund added another $15,000-20,000 to their endowment fund, which feeds enrichment projects throughout the Traverse City Area Public Schools district.
More than 170 people attended the ninth annual gathering at Marshall Fields, which featured gourmet food and local wine, a raffle, shopping and a fashion show. More than 75 volunteers helped put on the evening, including food service workers from the district, Marshall Fields team members and a host of parents, teachers and administrators who support the fund.
Since 1995, teachers in all grades and subjects have tapped ACE Fund money annually for special programs not in the budget.
For example, grants last spring allowed students at Central High School to continue their multi-year study of the water quality of two area creeks. Another prompted third graders at Westwoods Elementary School to build miniature machines and learn the basics of engineering. A third grant provided 61 books on Latin, Central and South America and the Caribbean to the library at Norris Elementary School.
"Our books were so old they were no longer attractive or factually correct," said Connie Boylan, librarian at Norris. "Even though they are written at a sixth grade level, the other children love them, they love learning about other countries, the festivals of other countries."
Every spring, an ACE Fund advisory group of 15 parents, teachers and administrators sifts through grant applications from teachers. During the 2004 cycle, the advisory group winnowed more than 60 ideas down to 22 chosen recipients, who divvied up $22,000.
These grant recipients showcased their projects at ACE Night, eagerly describing them and the students' enthusiasm.
"It's been wonderful, they got so excited and it's been a great motivator," noted Patty Leibenguth, a physical education instructor at Silver Lake and Central Grade schools of 300 pedometers purchased with ACE funds.
Since 1999, the ACE Fund has given a total $125,000 to approximately 100 special programs throughout the district. The fund, which is managed by the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, has an endowment of $125,000.
Every fall since 1995, ACE Night adds to that sum and the following spring the advisory group disburses an average of $20,000.
"We wish it were twice that much," said Jeanne Snow, executive director of the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation. "If you could see the looks on their faces when they get those grants, they are so pleased - it is very, very heartwarming."
Snow has watched the relationship among teachers, the parents and the administrators alter over the years because of the ACE Night.
"It has turned out to be kind of a family gathering and so to me and the Community Foundation side, it is a happy coming together of all those sectors at holiday time and then the benefits come out in the spring," Snow said.
Attendees at the Ninth Annual ACE Night included many parents of students in the district, such as Theresa Brown. With two children, one in junior high and one in high school, Brown has been a regular attendee at ACE Night for years. It was only this fall, however, that Brown saw specific results of the program.
Her son's language arts teacher, Laura Wright at West Junior High, received an ACE Fund grant to upgrade Palm Pilot equipment she had previously received from a different grant. Wright has taught her 28 general language arts students to use these hand-held devices to take notes, manage their time and complete assignments.
"It is fascinating, he comes home and shows it [the Palm Pilot] to me and I really get a kick out of his enthusiasm," Brown said.