On behalf of the board of trustees, I would like to share an update, which we’ve recorded and published. This update was intended to be shared with guests as part of our 9th annual Partnering for Education Lunch today. We would have preferred to gather to hear first hand from our superintendent, alumni and our student speaker, and distinguished alumni but the unprecedented circumstances have led us all to make adjustments in our lives. In the meantime, I would like to highlight some of the Foundation’s accomplishments and recognize yhose who have helped support our efforts.
First, a special thanks to our Partnering for Education sponsors who have demonstrated their commitment to our students by continuing their PFE luncheon sponsorship in this unusual circumstance. We appreciate both Land O’Lakes and Northeast Bank’s support of the MVSEF by allowing their support to extend beyond the traditional sponsorship. We have had a number of notable achievements this school year which I shared in our prerecorded video. You can also find them in the pages ahead.
Whether it be through the on-going support to our annual funding priorities – musical instrument program, Intentional Social Interactions, Laurentian Environmental Center or the Equity Promise Scholarship Program – or through dedicated funding initiatives like Mission StarLab or providing support during an unprecedented crisis, the MVSEF will continue to engage our community to invest in excellence in the Mounds View School District. We take pride in the work we have accomplished this year. We appreciate the generosity of the Mounds View staff, parents, alumni, and our community and business partners. Thank you for taking the time to learn about more about our efforts today.
The Mounds View Schools Education Foundation has a history of funding programs within the district. The innovative funding of the ACT exam to juniors at no cost, increasing access to school-owned music instruments (making music accessible for all families), and improving access to materials in STEAM labs are a few examples of these programs. We take great pride in this legacy and the impact we have had on all students of Mounds View Schools.
In February, we announced our first capital campaign – Mission StarLab. The current StarLab, the inflatable planetarium which has served generations of students, is being held together by duct tape and the ingenuity of our staff. We have secured just over $42,000 in commitments and anticipate we will reach our goal of $50,000 by June thus ensuring the staff can begin planning for the StarLab’s use for the upcoming school year. Thank you to the PTA leadership of Bel Air, Island Lake, Pinewood, Sunnyside, Turtle Lake and Valentine Hills for their commitment to the StarLab Campaign. Their respective early support of the project helped provide important momentum to the campaign. Learn more at MVSEFgive.org/donate.
The StarLab has touched the lives of thousands of elementary school students over the last three decades. Our campaign success will ensure future generations of Mounds View elementary school students will experience the new StarLab’s interactive and immersive science learning environment. It is noteworthy that this project has elicited significant response from our alumni community as many have been sharing their memories of StarLab and for this we are grateful.You can visit our website to share your StarLab memories and to learn more about Mission StarLab, including accessing the video of the Bel Air students sharing their StarLab enthusiasm.