Category: academic enrichment

44 Grants Awarded in 2021-2022 School Year

In 2021-2022, SchoolPower awarded $111,751 for 44 grants to educators, counselors, and coaches to support innovative ideas from the classroom to the playground and beyond. Top of the World Elementary Magnetic drawing boards for 3rd grade math STEAM lab takeaways for TK-5 Volleyball nets and pads for PE and recess Ogo disks and badminton rackets for PE and recess Coding & computer science books for K-3 Board games, art supplies & science center materials for Mrs. Davidson’s classroom Mystery Science Packs for 1st grade Library maker space to encourage career exploration Ozobots for Mrs. Gibson’s classroom Manipulatives for K-5 [...]

Ideas to Fill Long Summer Days

Summer sessions with the high school coaches for students in grades 3 to 12. Choose from volleyball, basketball, soccer, weight training, and more. Learn more. Interactive workshops focused on healthy, meaningful, Drama-Free Friendships. Including activities like baking, DIY beauty hacks, and upcycling old clothes. Fridays in July with sessions for ages 8-11 and 12-14. Learn more. Art, basketball, skateboarding, bunkerball, legos, STEM, and so much more. Plus, your child can join a club field trip to rock climbing, bowling, Big Air, Knott's, and many other fun destinations. Learn more. [...]

Happy Summer! Thanks for an impactful year.

This school year, thanks to our generous community... We awarded $110,000 in grants to educators, counselors, and coaches to support innovative ideas from the classroom to the playground and beyond. We supported students and families throughout the year as needs arose, including assistance for flood victims, holiday baskets, scholarships to enable all graduating seniors to enjoy year-end activities, and Boys & Girls Club scholarships to help kids access summer fun. We partnered with Thrive to provide parent education, student workshops, and mental health support for LBUSD families. Looking forward to next year... We'll administer robust after-school programs at [...]

Happy 40th Birthday, SchoolPower!

Thanks to our generous donors, we've supported over 10,000 students with over $13,000,000 since 1981. We are honored to be recognized by the District for 40 years of partnership and support.

The first day is worth celebrating.

Spotless shoes. Freshly cut hair. Brand new backpacks. Empty notebooks. The first day of school is filled with excitement and possibility. At SchoolPower, we remember the joys (and fears) of the first day of school. Today we are energized and hopeful. As always, our mission is to enrich the education and support of the well-being of all children in the Laguna Beach Unified School District. Last week, we worked with the district to distribute backpacks filled with school supplies to ensure all students can start the year ready to learn. Our SchoolPower grant application is open to allow our [...]

Together, we helped students thrive…

In 2020-2021, thanks to our generous community... We awarded over 50 grants to educators, counselors, and coaches who are engaging students in creative ways. We deployed assistance to district families to help with basic needs, including groceries, gas, and clothing. We funded programs including suicide prevention training and peer mentorship to support kids during this tough year and beyond. We granted camp scholarships to ensure all students have access to summer fun. We are proud of what we accomplished in as school year like no other. And we look forward to the year ahead!

Breakfast with Phil Kaye & Sarah Kay

LBHS students and teacher enjoyed a special live performance with two world-renowned spoken word poets, ​Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye, this morning through Project VOICE​.​ The duo has collectively performed in 30 countries on stages from TED Talks to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and garnered over 20 million views online. Their most recent poetry books have both been Amazon bestsellers: ​All Our Wild Wonder,​ by Sarah Kay, and​ Date & Time,​ by Phil Kaye. Their work was featured in Uniqlo’s “Poetry Beyond the Page” artist series and sold in stores around the world.Next, Phil and Sarah will meet [...]

Thurston Students Program Robots

Sixth graders in Andy Crisp’s computer class, a 6-week long course on the Exploratory Wheel, are reaping the benefits of Mr. Crisp’s recent SchoolPower teacher grant, which funded two different types of robots that are programmable with Swift. The SchoolPower Endowment awarded over $110,000 to fund grants in diverse areas including outdoor education, athletics training, reading intervention, science and technology for implementation in the 2019-2020 school year. “It is such a joy to watch my students build robots from scratch, learn how to program the robots almost entirely on their own, and then use their creativity to have the robots [...]

Fund-a-Need Update: Navigating the Information Age

This fall, LBUSD hired a Digital Media and Library Specialist and two part-time teacher coaches to improve digital literacy and bring coding and computer science to our classrooms. Teachers Brian Kull and Carrie Denton have been active in the elementary classrooms, exposing kids to the basics of coding through hands-on activities as well as a block-based language that teaches the logic and foundations of Python. In high school, Stephanie Gamache works with students to help them develop strong research skills, including keyword search logic and database navigation.The $185,500 raised by SchoolPower at our annual Dinner Dance made it possible for [...]

A Dreamy Night for Laguna Beach Schools

SchoolPower held its 33rd Annual Dinner Dance Catching Dreams on February 10 at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel. The magical event grossed over $320,000 for Laguna Beach schools. $185,000 of this money will go directly toward the annual Fund-A-Need. Remaining funds will assist SchoolPower’s year-round efforts supporting academics, music and the arts. SchoolPower President Kristin Winter welcomed the spirited crowd, setting the stage for the real purpose of the night’s festivities by saying, "Your presence here tonight is everything...it shows that you understand that community support is the way we set Laguna Beach public schools apart." The crowd warmly applauded [...]