At the end of my daughter’s first grade year at Salem Elementary School, I asked her what she thought would make nice end-of-year gifts for her teachers. Hoping for a solid idea I could duplicate several times over, I prompted her with, “What are some things that they particularly like?” She responded, “Clorox wipes.”
She’s 20 years old now, but I never forgot that conversation because it was both funny and sad.
For as long as she was in our Apex schools, I delivered to her classrooms not only Clorox wipes, but Kleenex, anti-bacterial gels, pencils and markers, craft items, glue sticks, and other items suggested on the colorful poster hanging beside the door where parents couldn’t miss it. Graduating to higher grades meant less time volunteering in the classroom, and more checks being written to PTA fundraisers.
The requests for funds and supplies for our children’s classrooms are constant. We’ve all seen on the news the salary averages for North Carolina teachers and empathized with their pleas for raises. But that’s only part of the issue. North Carolina is one of 12 states where per-student funding has yet to recover from dramatic education budget cuts made in response to the 2008 recession. Between then and now, our per-student funding has declined 7% in spite of lawmakers’ attempts to improve the situation after our teachers demanded action. [Picchi, A. (March 6, 2019). 12 states spend less on schools now than before the recession. Retrieved from www.cbsnews.com.]
Our superhero teachers are expected to do more with less, spending their own dollars every year to purchase materials that our school system is not providing. Just imagine if nurses had to stop at Costco to purchase Tylenol to give out to patients at our local hospitals. Or if commercial painters had to buy their own brushes and rollers to use on the job.
Taking Steps to Fill a Void
When former teacher Barbara Conroy moved to the Triangle in 2015 and enrolled her oldest child in elementary school in Apex, she saw first-hand how WCPSS teachers were scraping by. Anxious to help out, she asked PTA members about their greatest needs and learned that funds were at the top of the wish list. Funds for classroom supplies. Funds for student programs. Funds for staff education. Funds for providing engaging experiences to bolster all levels of learners in a class. And so much more.
Conroy had moved from a school district with a strong education foundation available to support that area’s schools, so when she asked if Apex had its own foundation, she realized she had stumbled onto a significant void. There were partnerships and foundations in and around Wake County to support other clusters of schools, but nothing of its kind in Apex.
She joined forces with Laurel Park Elementary School PTA President Stephanie Mitchell and the two women started talking in their professional and social circles about the idea of forming an education foundation for Apex schools. Enthusiasm for the idea was overwhelmingly positive and, in just 18 months, Conroy and Mitchell created the Apex Public School Foundation (APSF)—an apolitical, volunteer-run nonprofit established to provide funds to all WCPSS schools with an Apex mailing address.
The Apex Public School Foundation’s Leadership and Vision
The APSF’s Board of Directors and team of advisors are all respected community servants who bring to the Foundation a high level of experience in education and business as well as a passion for Apex schools. In addition to Conroy (President) and Mitchell (Secretary), the board consists of Danny Mamo (Treasurer), Susan Evans, and Jacques Gilbert. Advisors are Mel Leach (Scotts Ridge Elementary School Principal), Ashlie Thompson (WCPSS Southwestern Area Superintendent), and Matt Wight (Apex Friendship High School Principal).
Their vision is sure to have teachers and administrators feeling hopeful:
“To provide or fund programs, not included in the WCPSS district budget, that will enhance learning opportunities for students and/or educational training and resources available to educators in areas including, but not limited to, academics, the arts, technology, and enrichment.”
To carry out this vision, the APSF is seeking enthusiastic volunteers to build the committees that will be responsible for faculty grants, educational programs, and communications—in addition to fundraising, which Conroy and Mitchell hope will be a collaboration with the Apex community as a whole.
“We’re relying on community members who believe in our public schools and who believe in our mission to help us get the word out,” says Conroy. She and Mitchell see the Foundation, and its fundraising efforts, as a continuous winning cycle that will boost involvement in our schools, increase appreciation for our teachers, showcase our citizens as investors in public education, and, ultimately, benefit all students.
Apex is already a desirable place to live and raise a family. Think of the story we can tell if our residents and employers take an “all-in” approach to the WCPSS schools in our area. Access to resources promotes a rise in student performance and graduation rates. The reputation of our schools would increase the value of our homes and businesses. And when our students choose to stay in Apex and send their own children to our schools, they re-invest in the community that gave them an exceptional foundation and reinforce the ongoing prosperity of our town.
How Can You Help?
There are currently 18 WCPSS schools with Apex mailing addresses. That’s a lot of students who stand to gain from the work of the Apex Public School Foundation which will begin in earnest with the 2019-2020 school year.
So, what can you do to support the Foundation and, in turn, support our schools?
Spread the word. Tell others about the APSF. Every Apex resident can be a strong advocate for our schools, whether they have students enrolled or not.
Join your school’s PTA. The APSF is working in conjunction with local PTAs to act on behalf of students and staff. Becoming a PTA member, through a dues donation or more active participation, shows that you value public education.
Volunteer. Whether you get involved in a PTA or help out in the classroom, giving your time and talent to your child’s school is a great gift to teachers and students alike.
Serve on an APSF committee. Share your expertise and ideas as part of the team meeting the needs of our schools.
Attend APSF events. Follow APSF on social media to learn about programs and activities scheduled throughout the year to support Apex area schools.
Donate to APSF. Your contribution is tax-deductible and will directly benefit students in our schools. Don’t forget to ask your employer about donation matching.
Conroy and Mitchell rave about the amazing resilience of Apex teachers and staff and eagerly praise them for the endless ways in which they already do more with less. Now, with the creation of the Apex Public School Foundation, their wish is to bring some relief to the funding gap so that these educators can focus less on the need for things like Clorox wipes, and spend more time creating meaningful moments of insight in the classroom.
To donate to the Apex Public School Foundation, or to learn more about APSF, visit www.helpapexschools.org. Connect with them through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, or contact apexpsf@gmail.com.
