HOMEWOOD CITY SCHOOLS FOUNDATION INC

The Homewood City Schools Foundation is a private, not-for-profit organization that raises money to enhance the curriculum of all five Homewood schools.

We return the money we raise back to the school system in a number of ways. First, we fund Action Team Projects, or ATP grants. These are collaborative grants given to teachers creating innovative programs in the classroom. ATP grants are marked by collaboration between teachers. Some involve entire grades or subjects across grades—some even involve collaboration between teachers in different schools.

Over the past few years, ATP grants have included travelin art programs at Edgewood. This unique program included study of Freda Khalo, Vincent Van Gogh and a unique study of African art. One of the outocomes of this grant, students produced a wall-sized mural, made from bottle caps, of Van Gogh's Starry Night for the Edgewood lunchroom.

A separate grant from 2011 helped teachers at Hall Kent study a new program in Mindsets. Based on groundbreaking research by professors from Stanford University, Mindsets gives students and teachers new insights into how children learn, and works to enahnce each childs capabilities in the classroom. While this grant has only just been funded, we're eager to see the results that it might produce in the classroom.

The Foundation, over the years, helped launch a number of programs through ATP grants that are now seen as significant assets for the school system. At Homewood High School, we funded the launch of the popular ACT Prep class that has helped a number of students improve their ACT scores, whether they were trying to get accepted into college or qualify for more scholarships.

The Foundation also helped launch the very popular Robotics program at the Middle School. HMS' robotics team has consistently competed agains (and beaten!) high school teams all across the state. The Foundation has since helped extend this program to the High School and all five elementary schools.

In addition to the ATP grants, the Foundation also supports the professional development of our faculty and staff. Over the years, we've helped a number of teachers apply for National Board Certification. This is a year-long, extensive process. Few teachers make it through successfully, but to date, 45 teachers in the Homewood system have completed the process successfully, including five that the Foundation supported in 2011.

Because the school system is such a fundamental part of the Homewood community, support the Foundation ensures that our community remains strong. A strong schools system also ensures that property values remain high, and businesses continue to thrive.

Supporting the Foundation is an investment in our community, whethere one has children in school in Homewood or not. A donation to the Foundation supports all five Homewood schools with one contribution.

If you are vested in the strength and success of Homewood, the Homewood City Schools Foundation is an excellent way to ensure the continued prosperity of our community.