Kinds: All Categories
KIM BECKER TEACHER APPRECIATION ENDOWMENT FUND
Kim Becker was a teacher in the Dubuque area for many years! She retired from Kennedy Elementary school and her family wants to ensure that Kim’s passion and excitement for teaching can be carried on in the elementary classrooms of the Dubuque Community School District. This endowed fund will go towards classroom supplies for elementary teachers. Teacher will be able to fill out a short application at the beginning of each trimester and request up to $75 to spend in their classrooms. This is their way of continuing to honor the work that Kim did with students during her 40 years teaching in the classroom.
Hempstead High School Fund
The Hempstead High School Foundation is working to ensure that all students have the opportunity to feel more connected to the Mustang Community by attending school-wide events such as athletics, musicals and plays, school concerts, homecoming and prom and more, through the purchase of activity passes for students. This fund will also go towards classroom field trips that bring students out of the classroom to continue learning as well as introduce them to college campus and post-secondary planning. Hempstead students, staff, families and community will be impacted by gifts made to this fund.
DCSD Student Support Foundation Fund
Through a grant from the Morgridge Family Foundation, The Student Support Foundation – Morgridge Family Foundation, students at Hempstead and Senior High School have formed Student Support Foundations to make an impact in their school communities.
Students work together to approve grant requests made from school staff that support one or more of the following: Classroom Projects, Students Engagement, School Clubs/Activities, Student and Staff needs, and Brain Health. Students also complete service projects throughout the year, as well as fundraise.
Read More
Senior’s SSF oversees the Giving Room and raises money for items such as personal hygiene items, school spirit clothing, school supplies, snacks, and more. Hempstead’s SSF will also be working in their Care Closet to ensure that students have items they need to attend school every day, such as period products, cleaning supplies, and more. Gifts to this fund will go directly back to Hempstead or Senior High School! (You can designate in your notes if you are a Ram or Stang!)
DUBUQUE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT (DCSD) ROBOTICS FUND
The mission of the DCSD Robotics Program is to motivate young people by creating an inclusive community where STEM is celebrated and values of confidence and excellence can grow! This fund covers costs of Robot materials, competition fees, travel expenses, community outreach materials and growth for more students in the following programs:
- First Lego League: 4th-6th grades
- First Tech Challenge: 7th-8th grades
- First Robotics Competition: 9th-12th grades
Sponsors Are Needed!
Joe and Sue Kaesbauer Memorial Scholarship Fund
Weidemann Family Washington Visual Performing Arts Fund
Seiffert Family Teacher Appreciation Fund
The Seiffert Family Teacher Appreciation Fund has been established to honor exceptional teachers at Hempstead High School in Dubuque, Iowa. The Seifferts are a family of educators. Bill Seiffert taught sociology at Hempstead for 37 years, retiring in 2010. His wife, Deb, was the librarian at Northeast Iowa Community College for 36 years, retiring in 2016. Their son, Andrew, is a social studies educator, and his wife, Alex, is a special education instructor, in Minnesota. Their daughter, Betsy, formerly an engineering professor in Florida, is now a research scientist at the Livermore National Research Lab in California.
Read More and Nominate a Hempstead Staff Member today!
It is the Seiffert family wish to recognize educators who have gone above and beyond their job description to reach students and support their learning. In light of that mission, the family has created the Seiffert Family Teacher Appreciation Award to honor teachers at Hempstead High School with dollars for: Purchasing items for their personal use in the classroom Purchasing items for their department such as guest speakers, professional development seminars, etc. Purchasing items that would benefit students in the classroom such as software, novels, manipulatives, etc. A program they feel strongly about at Hempstead, such as a club, organization, team, etc. A program they feel strongly about in the district A speaker/presenter for the student body A donation to a nonprofit organization of their choice.
Past Recipients of this grant award are:
- 2019 Rita Crotty, Math Dept.
- 2020 Hempstead Care Closet-Covid Relief
- 2021 Janie Houselog, English Dept.
- 2022 Karen Weires, Math Dept.
- 2023 Natalie Nemmers, Counseling Dept.
- 2024 Glenda Davis, Science Dept.
Nominate a Hempstead Staff TODAY!
Seiffert Family Teacher Hempstead Teacher Appreciation Award
The Seiffert Family Teacher Appreciation Fund has been established to honor exceptional teachers at Hempstead High School in Dubuque, Iowa. The Seifferts are a family of educators. Bill Seiffert taught sociology at Hempstead for 37 years, retiring in 2010. His wife, Deb, was the librarian at Northeast Iowa Community College for 36 years, retiring in 2016. Their son, Andrew, is a social studies teacher, and his wife, Alex, is a special education instructor, in Minnesota. Their daughter, Betsy, is an engineering professor in Florida. It is the Seiffert family wish to recognize educators who have gone above and beyond their job description to reach students and support their learning. The purpose of the Seiffert Family Teacher Appreciation Award is to recognize exceptional teachers at Hempstead High School with an annual award. Starting in the spring of 2019, the recipient of this award will receive a $500 gift that they will be able to use to enhance their professional development or classroom, as an acknowledgement of their expertise and service both in and out of the classroom. This award is not renewable.
Sandra L. Beisker Scholarship Fund
Lesley A. Stephens Endowed Fund to Support Students with Disabilities in the Dubuque Community School District
We lost such a precious gem June 23, 2020, when Lesley passed away unexpectedly. Lesley Stephen’s exceptional leadership with the Dubuque Community School District spanned 36 years. Without exception, wherever Ms. Stephens served in the District, she brought educational excellence and complete focus on the highest quality programming possible for students and staff. She began as a district-level reading consultant; moved on to being a learning resource center teacher; and ultimately led as an outstanding principal of a succession of elementary schools: Franklin School, Anne Sullivan School, Helen Keller School, and Bryant Elementary School.
Read More
Tenacity, innovation, creativity, compassion, determination, persistence, and devotion characterized her career as Lesley worked, unwavering, for the education of children all children. Lesley was the administrator who brilliantly pioneered Dubuque’s development of critical school and district programming for students with moderate and severe disabilities. That new view of education for students with disabilities opened doors of opportunity and inclusion that had not previously been opened profound changes that re-shaped student programing! Lesley’s educational sphere of influence then expanded to Bryant Elementary School. While principal at Bryant, she also pioneered the teaching and learning design of Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound. Bryant was one of Dubuque’s groundbreaking Expeditionary Learning schools when that teaching and learning school improvement model was just starting to emerge across the country. In fact, children, no matter who, and their families, the school staff, our community, and beyond were indeed blessed to experience the passionate advocacy and outstanding leadership provided by Lesley Stephens.
Thank you for your contribution to the Lesley A. Stephens Endowed Fund. Your donation will continue the work Lesley began by providing support to students with disabilities through annual grants to directly benefit students with special equipment needs, personal needs, and/or programming needs.