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Ideas to Impact, Your Gifts at Work
One Book One Community
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Books hold the intangibl
e power to engage, inspire and connect people. The Park City Education Foundation and Park City High School harnessed this power to create the One Book One Community (OBOC) program. OBOC, which built on the success of the Author in Residence program launched in 2009 by
PCHS English teacher Roger Arsht
,
facilitates a shared reading experience among 10 - 12 graders at Park City High School (PCHS).
"The origin of this program was to give students access and exposure to writers; to give them a chance to ask questions of people who have made a living at this," noted PCHS Instructional Coach Ed Potts.
This year's book,
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
, chronicles the unlikely uniting of three refugees fleeing WWII Prussia. Sepetys will be visiting PCHS on January 8-9, 2018 to share her insight on the inspiration for the book and the writing process as well as facilitate a Q&A with students and faculty. A series of
local community events
around the book and author are also scheduled, culminating in a free Community Conversation with the author Tuesday, January 9 at 7 pm in the Jim Santy Auditorium.
Salt to the Sea
has received overwhelming critical acclaim. The book received the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Young Adult Fiction and the Golden Kite Award for Fiction.
When asked about the impact the program has on students' learning experience, PCHS English teacher and co-coordinator of the program, Kelly Yeates, said "
They have had a front row seat to learning about how to construct historical fiction, develop characters and edit their writing. I love that students take away the extensive process that is required to be a good writer."
OBOC is made possible thanks to support from the Tom Wilson Foundation, the Promontory Foundation, and individual donors. As a PCEF Signature Grant, it receives a three year funding commitment.
Read the December 5 Park Record article in the Park Record!
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End of Year Giving
Looking for ways to give this holiday season? YOU can empower every PCSD student! Consider a year-end gift to PCEF and support over 100 programs that directly impact academic achievement and student success in Park City schools.
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Want to Know More About PCEF?
Be sure to check out the
PCEF Website for all kinds of information on the $1.5 million in programs you fund in our district. Keep up with the latest PCEF news on
Facebook, and
Twitter, too!
Happy Holidays from the PCEF Board, Ambassadors, and Staff!
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The Perfect Holiday Gift! VIP Registration Opens January 8th!
Running with Ed,
Park City's Best
Athletic Competition and Fundraising event,
is May 19th, 2018!
In addition to early-bird pricing, the first 50 team captains will receive extra goodies from
Park City Running Company and Jaybird! Look for details coming soon!
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Donor Spotlight: The Promontory Foundation
For the past several years, the Promontory Foundation has donated a generous matching grant to PCEF's One Book One Community (formerly Author in Residence) program.
"The Promontory Foundation is a 501c3, started by
Promontory Club owner Francis Najafi," says Executive Director Beth Armstrong. "He believes strongly that philanthropic efforts build community. The Foundation's vision is that by involving Promontory members in the good works of Park City's non-profits, our community will become more fully integrated into the work of making the Park City area a more enriching and special place to live
The Foundation, started in 2005, holds an annual fundraising event to benefit non-profit organizations, typically the week of July 4th. The Foundation is staffed entirely by volunteer Promontory members with no overhead expenses so that 100% of the proceeds benefit Park City area charities.
The beneficiary organizations range from local arts and theatre production groups to food banks, free clinics and women's shelters in the Park City area, with about 60% of the funds going to the arts and 40% to the humanities.
"Many of the families that live in Promontory attend school in the Park City School District and we feel it's important to honor that attendance with a grant from the Foundation. In addition, all of our members can enjoy the free Community Conversation with the author," notes Beth. "We're excited to hear from Ruta Sepetys in January!"
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Teacher Spotlight: Kelly Yeates
- Began teaching at PCSD on 2001
- Teaches 12th grade English and AP Language and Composition. Has served as yearbook advisor and student council advisor.
- University of Utah: BS (English and History) with a teaching certificate. Westminster College: MA (Community Leadership). Endorsements in ESL and Technology.
- Married to husband, Matt, and has a daughter, Megan, and late son, Christopher.
- Loves to read, hike and spend time with family and friends. Movie buff with a weakness for rom-coms.
Kelly credits two of her high school English teachers with inspiring her to teach. "Virginia Slicox was one of my favorites. She was the most proper woman ever and cared so deeply about language and characters. The other was Shirley Collins, who was the hip, edgy, cool teacher. I just wanted to see the world through her eyes."
She cited her colleagues and students as the main reasons she loves teaching. "I love the energy and youth of my students. They challenge me every day to be a better person and a better teacher.
I love "geeking out" with them, talking about favorite books, characters, plot lines and surprises. My colleagues are the best. I could not function without my English team. We share, discuss, debate and listen to each other and truly love spending time together. I consider them my closest friends."
Kelly serves as the co-chair for PCEF's One Book One Community and says, "The program has allowed our students to have access award-winning authors, many of whom have taught writing at prestigious institutions such as Stanford.
"With PCEF, students extend their learning from the classroom to real-life experiences, whether that be investigating robotics design, to writing clinics, to competing in academic events. Our students are lucky to be in a district that nurtures their curiosities."
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Scholar Circle at Glenwild!
PCEF Scholar Circle members and their guests enjoyed an evening of friendship and support, hearing from students and teachers about how their generous gifts provide project-based,
hands-on STEM learning.
Scholar Circle is comprised of families who invest $1,000 annually in Park City schools. To learn more or become a member, click
here.
For the Facebook album, click here.
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Get Info Straight from the District Office
It's easy to keep up with the everything going in PCSD!
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District News Blog
: Once you subscribe, you will receive an email every time new information is posted. The blog includes news stories, announcements, statements issued by the District, Board meeting summaries, and links to news
coverage.
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Two-way texting
: Text your first and last name to 435-602-4444 and receive texts from the district.
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December EVA Lesson
American sculptor Alexander Calder was the featured artist for this month's EVA lesson. The lesson gave students an opportunity to construct and paint a kinetic sculpture.
EVA is a collaboration between the
Kimball Art Center and PCEF. PCEF donors provide $90,000 to fund EVA.
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Park City Education Foundation | 435-615-0235 | www.pcef4kids.org
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