Over $1.5 Million in Grants Awarded

Thanks to your support, the Ladue Education Foundation & Alumni Association was able to donate $100,000 to the Ladue Middle School for a large-scale renovation and update of its Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) classroom! The FACS room was not part of the Prop L funding that recently passed, but its renovation was at the top of the list of other projects to be completed.

Ladue alumna Mary Pillsbury Wainwright ('65) made a generous donation in honor of the high school music program. The high school's Chorus Room will be named in her honor.

Ladue Horton Watkins High School is home to a new Steinway grand piano, thanks to a generous donation by alumna Mary Pillsbury Wainwright ('65). In addition to being a jewelry designer and the owner of Mary Pillsbury Fine Jewelry Company, Pillsbury Wainwright is a professional singer and dedicated supporter of the arts and arts education. Her grant enabled the Ladue Education Foundation & Alumni Association to purchase the piano.

Speaker Scarlett Lewis offers her guidance on how to create a culture of choosing love in your home, workplace, and community. On Jan. 4, Scarlett Lewis, founder of the Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement, led a presentation for Ladue Schools families focused on creating a consistent message of choosing love with four character values: courage, gratitude, forgiveness, and compassion-in-action. This was one of the highest rated PD sessions we have ever had. Her message was timely and meaningful to staff.

Cornelius Minor is a Brooklyn-based educator. He works with teachers, school leaders, and leaders of community-based organizations to support equitable literacy reform in cities (and sometimes villages) across the globe. His latest book, We Got This, explores how the work of creating more equitable school spaces is embedded in our everyday choices—specifically in the choice to really listen to kids. Cornelius will share his message as a keynote speaker and then give specific examples and more concrete action steps through a break-out session. Finally, he will share his message with the community as part of community event.

Pivot Interactives are lessons that help students conduct science labs online from home. Teachers use Pivot to create labs and questions or make use of a catalog of options created by others. Guided instructions, integrated data tables and graphing enable students to conduct authentic science investigations online. Runpeng Liu, a 2013 graduate, made a donation to the LEF to purchase Pivot Interactive licenses to enhance virtual learning, impacting 391 students, 312 biology and 79 Anatomy & Physiology students.

Author Jarrett Krosoczka’s book Hey Kiddo is a profoundly important graphic memoir about growing up in a family grappling with addiction and finding the art that helps you survive. This grant provides for three sessions for students across the district to hear Mr. Krosoczka speak.

Project Bridge Building and Empowerment (PBBE) serves a two-fold purpose. It seeks to directly address the needs of LMS's young ladies of color and provide tools for LMS teachers to improve resilience of all students and build culturally competence instructional practices to implement in every classroom. PBBE has two focus areas. Pilot programming launch for students is twelve weeks called "I Define Me". The Professional Development will be implemented on district and building Professional Development days during second semester.

With students learning from home, this grant was awarded to ensure elementary school students had access to creative materials. Not only did this grant allow for consistent instruction by providing the same supplies to all students; it also enabled students to engage in hands-on activities and to get a break from technology.

The SEED fellowship is a six-month cohort experience that equips leaders with strategies to redesign inequitable systems in their schools or district. Cohorts will consist of 18 passionate leaders who will engage in a series of workshops over the course of six months.

The Meeting Owl, a smart conference camera that captures 360° video and audio, turns any classroom into a hybrid learning. Distance learning and hybrid learning can be accomplished even more successfully when teachers and students can connect face-to-face, even if they can't be together in person. The camera automatically shifts the camera to focus on whoever is speaking and provides an experience that nearly feels like sitting in the classroom. Eleven Meeting Owl cameras have been purchased through an LEF grant, one for each elementary school and the Fifth Grade Center, as well as three for the middle school and three for the high school. These units will give each school an opportunity to test out the technology before committing to a larger investment.

The Ladue Education Foundation & Alumni Association is pleased to support the track and field team by contributing to the purchase of new pole vault poles. By joining our funding with that of the High School PA, we hope that our pole vaulters' experience is positively impacted this season and for years to come.