News Detail
WASD Education Foundation Holds 2nd Cherry + White Appreciation Night: A Night of Inspiration, Celebration
District Wide
September 23, 2024 | WASD Education Foundation
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
Photo credit: Emily Shaffer, EMC Media
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (SEPTEMBER 23, 2024) — The Williamsport Area School District Education Foundation (WASDEF) held its second Cherry + White Appreciation Night, an evening dedicated to honoring the invaluable contributions of WASD educators.
Held at the Michael Ross Event Center on Sept. 19, the event was marked by the induction of this year’s Williamsport Area High School Distinguished Alumni and a presentation by keynote speaker Dr. Adolph Brown.
“On behalf of the education foundation board of directors, I want to express our appreciation to the educators in this room and for recognizing us as a vehicle by which to help enhance the educational experience,” said WASDEF Executive Director Greg Hayes.
Hayes reported the education foundation provided over $170,000 in grant support to district programs in the 2023-2024 school year, benefiting more than 4,000 students.
“And, for the first time, our scholarship distribution reached the six-figure level with more than $105,000 awarded to graduating seniors,” he said.
Additionally, WASDEF received nearly $231,000 in contributions from more than 350 donors.
Over the past five years, Hayes said, the education foundation has granted over $1.1 million to programs and scholarships, while also securing about $1.3 million in donations.
“Your dedication shapes the lives of thousands of graduates who go on to achieve remarkable success,” Hayes said, “like the individuals we’re about to honor.”
WASDEF President Dr. Brooke Beiter presented this year’s cohort of Distinguished Alumni: Frances Tipton Hunter ’14, John Maietta ’67 and Joe Person ’88.
Hunter, a 1914 graduate, posthumously received a Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award for her celebrated career as an American illustrator. Known for her illustrations of children and their pets, she gained widespread recognition with 18 covers for “The Saturday Evening Post,” solidifying her as one of the top female illustrators of her time.
Maietta ’67 received the Distinguished Alumni Humanitarian Award for his exemplary military service and public relations career. Over 38 years, he served in the Army, earning numerous honors, while also supporting nonprofits and community organizations; since retirement, he has become a passionate educator and community leader in central Pennsylvania.
Person ’88 received this year’s Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award for his accomplishments in sports journalism. A former standout tight end at WAHS and William & Mary, Person has spent the last 32 years as a prominent sportswriter, currently covering the Carolina Panthers and earning the 2022 North Carolina Sportswriter of the Year award.
A dynamic keynote speaker and advocate for self-care and leadership development, Brown is a career educator and mental health professional of over 30 years. His message, “Two Backpacks: Unpacking the Unseen, Trauma-Informed Teaching,” left educators in attendance inspired and feeling motivated to create positive changes in both their professional and personal lives.
“This year, the foundation celebrates a remarkable milestone: our 20th anniversary,” Beiter said as the evening ended. “Over the years, this foundation has awarded over $3.5 million in grants to the district, supporting countless educational, cultural, athletic and scholarship opportunities for our students. Tonight, we are thrilled to announce the creation of the Founders Grant for Educational Excellence.”
Beiter explained the one-time, competitive $40,000 grant opportunity — made possible by $20,000 from WASDEF and a matching contribution from the school district — will be available to district educators to fund an innovative, collaborative project or program that aligns with the organizations’ shared mission of educational excellence.
“We will announce the recipient of this prestigious grant at next year’s Cherry + White Appreciation Night,” she said. “We cannot wait to see the innovative ideas our educators bring forward.”
WASDEF also gave away $3,000 in unrestricted classroom grants as prizes to the following winners: Molly Forney, a third-grade teacher at Jackson Primary School, won $1,500; Dr. Amy Wolfhope-Briggs, the district’s special education director, won $1,000; and Charisse Sick, a first-grade teacher at Hepburn-Lycoming Primary School, won $500.
WASDEF is a recognized nonprofit affiliate of the Williamsport Area School District. The education foundation facilitates charitable giving and permanent legacies based on individual areas of interest in educational innovation, the arts, athletics and scholarships. For more information, visit www.wasdeducationfoundation.org.
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