Messages from the Board, Testimonials

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

It is my pleasure and honor to report this past year the Byram Hills Education Foundation awarded thirteen grants totaling $234,921. I hope you will join me in celebrating this accomplishment, as these grants span a wide variety of learning disciplines including reading, science, math, technology, art, sustainability and more. We extend special appreciation to all who helped make this possible, from teachers, administrators and school board members, to parent volunteers and of course our generous donors.

During these difficult economic times, when local, state and federal government budgets are stressed, supporting our public school district and investing in the future of our children is more important than ever.  The Foundation plays a special role in supporting public education by enabling our school district and its teachers to obtain programs and equipment that are not funded by the school budget. The initiatives made possible by the BHEF provide our teachers with cutting-edge tools and resources to enhance our children’s education.  Your generous support enables the Foundation to make a positive impact on every child’s education here in our community.   

On behalf of the Foundation Board, I would like to thank all of our donors for your generosity and commitment, as well as all of our volunteers and school partners for your tireless efforts. Your support truly makes a difference for every school, every day.

Most sincerely,
Michael Sanders
BHEF Chairman

Dear Friends of the Byram Hills Education Foundation,

Each school year our faculty, staff, administrators and the Board of Education bring renewed inspiration to the table as they devote themselves to once again supporting our students to have a great school year.  In this year’s opening day message to faculty I challenged all to dedicate themselves to “develop the capacity to inspire.”  The district’s partnership with the Byram Hills Education Foundation is, as it has been for 18 years, a key resource to reaching this goal. Byram Hills Education Foundation grant funding is behind many of the programs, technologies, equipment and resources that have been imagined, then lovingly developed and implemented by our faculty. 

A tour through our schools showcases this inspiring partnership in action:

• a beautiful wall mural depicting the life science units that are studied at the Coman Hill School. Coman Hill students worked collaboratively with their teachers and an artist to develop this mural;
• our fourth graders at the Wampus School are building robotics and exploring the cross-curricular learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
• our H.C. Crittenden Middle School students taking part in a national program called Rachel’s Challenge, a program that integrates social studies, health and English language arts and promotes social tolerance and respect;
• our Byram Hills High School math and science students using hand held graphing calculators to enhance their conceptual understandings and technology literacy.

These, as well as dozens of other innovative and inspiring projects, have been delivered to our students thanks to our teachers and administrators thinking “outside the box” to study, plan and then implement Byram Hills Education Foundation grant awards to enhance education in each of our schools every day. 

It is within our capacity to inspire each other.  We are devoted each day to reach the potential of each student and develop the synergy to continue to make Byram Hills a great place to learn.  I send my sincere thanks and appreciation to the Byram Hills Education Foundation for their dedication to building a community of wonder for our children.  It is this commitment that continues to grow a great school district.

My Best, 
Jackie Taylor
Superintendent of Schools