East Lansing Educational Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports East Lansing Public Schools in a variety of ways. (ELi file photo)

EL Educational Foundation Awards $71,000 in Grants

The East Lansing Public Schools (ELPS) Board of Education heard reports from the superintendent, the East Lansing Educational Foundation (ELEF) and about community engagement at Glencairn Elementary School during its Dec. 11 meeting. 

Student reps update the board about news from ELHS.

In news from East Lansing High School (ELHS), relayed to the board by student representatives Jennifer Rairigh and Holyn Walsh, the annual Collage Concert and Art Show was held Dec. 16 and Dec. 17. The 2023 theme for the event was Broadway. Portrait, the student newspaper, published its final issue of 2023 on Monday (Dec. 18). Full issues of the student paper can be found here and individual articles can be found on Portrait’s website. 

There will be no ELPS classes on Feb. 13, the one-year anniversary of the MSU shooting.

Superintendent Dori Leyko told the board in her superintendent’s report that class will be canceled for the district on Feb. 13, which is the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Michigan State University (MSU). 

“This allows our staff, students and family to honor this day in a way that is meaningful to them,” Leyko said.

Educational Foundation announces 2023-2024 grant awards.

Representatives from the ELEF, Julie Thomas-Beckett and Scott Carney, joined the board of education to announce 2023-2024 grant awards for ELPS teachers. ELEF offers additional financial support to teachers in East Lansing in hopes of providing resources that help “educators and students to excel and innovate.”

ELEF President Julie Thomas-Beckett (left) presents a grant to Red Cedar Elementary teacher Gavri Yares for the World Music Drumming Program in 2022. The 2023-2024 grants are going to 40 ELPS staff. (Courtesy photo)

ELEF provides funds to teachers on an application basis. This year they received a record number of grant requests with 54 teachers submitting applications. Of the 54 requests, ELEF was able to grant 40, donating a total of nearly $71,000 to ELPS classrooms. 

“It really affects every student across the board from K-12,” Thomas-Beckett said. “At some point in their career here [students] have been impacted by money we have provided.”

Glencairn principal and teachers present about daily morning celebration.

This is the opening slide from the presentation by the Glencairn Elementary School principal and two teachers to the board of education on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023.

As a part of an effort to connect the board of education more directly to individual schools in the district, Glencairn Principal Lorraine Ware and two Glencairn teachers presented to the board about the school’s daily morning celebration. Board members said they were happy to hear that parent engagement and attendance at the morning celebration was back up after decreasing due to COVID-19 safety measures.  

This is a slide from the Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, presentation by ELPS Superintendent Dori Leyko.

The board then entered a closed session in a discussion “related to collective bargaining strategy,” before approving action items and ending the meeting. 

The next ELPS Board of Education meeting will be 7 p.m. Jan. 8 in the lower level of ELHS. This will be the board’s annual organizational meeting, when officers are elected for the 2024 year. 

Correction: The amount of ELEF grants being provided to 40 recipients is $71,000. The headline has been corrected.

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