The LCSD2 Education Foundation continues to expand on their programs in support of the students and staff members at Lincoln County School District #2 (LCSD#2). Community Scholarship funds for next spring are welcome this fall. Star Valley High School Residential Construction students have begun construction on a new home in the Honeybee residential development South of Afton. LCSD#2 teachers are encouraged to explore use of the Gateway program to serve the students in acquiring college credit while in high school.

Tim Hale, outgoing Chairman of the Foundation discussed current projects in an interview on the SVI Radio Network Monday, opening with an invitation for community members and businesses to consider donating to the Community Scholarship Fund. Hale featured the Foundation’s “flagship program,” referring to it as a “legacy” program with “how long the scholarship program has endured.”

“We had a wonderful year this last year with the scholarships,” Hale said. “We raised over $200,000, thanks to this wonderful community and Kim Dockstader’s efforts.” Dockstader serves as Executive Director to the Foundation, and her work is an integral part of the program. “We are hoping to keep that momentum going. We really don’t usually hit on scholarship [fundraising] efforts until a little bit later, but this is the time when plenty of businesses out there may be looking for some different ways to donate to community organizations to potentially reduce their taxes. And coming up on Thanksgiving, it’s just that time of year to give, so anyone within earshot here today, we would invite you to reach out to the foundation and let us know if you would like to support some students with scholarships.”

SVHS Residential Construction students completed a home last spring, and that home is currently on the market. “That is listed for sale in the Honeybee Development. It’s a beautiful home, very well built, well supervised. These students have just done a great job.” The program has allowed construction on another home. Built in collaboration with the Bank of Star Valley, these homes offer students an opportunity to learn about the construction process, from financial planning to accounting to construction and marketing. Our “Star Valley High School Students are out there building and swinging hammers. We are filling up Honeybee with these awesome Foundation homes.”

Hale acknowledges the role of the community in this program as well. “We just love this program so much and want to thank those in the community who have supported it financially or just through word of mouth — the Bank of Star Valley, their tremendous support providing tools and very economical financing to make this project happen for the students.”

The Foundation’s Gateway Program continues in support of educators in the district who are interested in obtaining a masters degree in targeted subjects so that they have the necessary credentials to teach courses that support students who wish to enroll in concurrent enrollment courses, allowing them to earn college credit while in high school.

“We are looking to identify…any faculty members who is interested in pursuing a masters degree in those particular disciplines that we have need of within the school district.” Specific science and mathematics fields are needed. “We really could use someone to earn a masters degree who can teach those higher level courses that these students can get credit for. We have teachers who have masters degrees in other areas, but those aren’t the key areas that we are pursuing.” The Gateway Program helps fund a masters program for district faculty members who want to expand into teaching the concurrent enrollment courses that the school hopes to offer. “We want to help you get your masters degree in this field because it’s a really high need to help students earn more and more college credit within the high school program.”

To learn more about supporting the LCSD2 Education Foundation, visit LCSD2Foundation.org.