Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Spring Branch Education Foundation partners with Spring Branch ISD to host free community-wide event celebrating 75th anniversary

 

 

Come one, come all to Spring Branch Super Saturday: Unity in Our Community from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 23.

The free, Spring Branch community-wide event, held in the north parking lot at Tully Stadium Complex, 1050 Dairy Ashford, celebrates the anniversary of SBISD’s 75 years of excellence. Designed to showcase the best of the Spring Branch ISD family, the festival will feature student and community booths, food trucks, live student performances, arts and crafts, a petting zoo, hayrides, representatives from the Houston Dynamo and many other attractions.

“Spring Branch Education Foundation (SBEF) is the sole sponsor of the festival, which has been planned by students for Every Child and family within our district,” says Abby Walker, SBISD’s Director of Community Engagement. “We want everyone to come and be a part of it.”

To help encourage attendance, free shuttle buses will take SBISD families to the festival from SBISD zoned middle schools throughout the morning.

The idea for the festival sprang from an 80-member student advisory group formed from all five district high schools. Students brainstormed ideas to help celebrate the district’s 75th anniversary and then agreed that holding a festival showing everything the district has to offer students and families was an ideal approach.

Student members of campus organizations representing art, journalism, books, culinary arts and robotics will provide some of the many displays that will be on view. At the same time, other students will perform on the main stage. Some of these groups include elementary school cheerleaders, a middle school dance team and a high school jazz band and orchestra.

Community partners also have been invited to staff booths at the event. Partners include such organizations as Houston METRO, Spring Branch Community Health Center, Memorial Assistance Ministries, Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum, Children’s Museum of Houston and Spring Branch/Memorial Public Library.

“Planning this event has even been an educational experience for the students, who have been learning about marketing, logistics, site planning and more,” Walker explains.

“We’re so thrilled to sponsor and partner with the district for such an amazing event,” says Cece Thompson, SBEF Executive Director. “We support our students and teachers every day, and we’re glad to be able to share what we do with the entire Spring Branch community.”

SBEF is committed to supporting SBISD students and educators by collaborating with the district and community to fund programs that enhance education and prepare students for the future.

“All foundation dollars—whether donor designated or unrestricted—are used to support only programs that align with our mission of funding teacher grants, district grants and scholarships for SBISD students,” Thompson explains.

Since its founding in 1993, SBEF has donated more than $16 million to the district.

SBEF support includes its annual “Project School Supplies,” which provides school supplies to every economically disadvantaged child within the district.

“Every year we can give students all the supplies they need to have a successful school year. Support for this effort comes from donations from corporations, individuals and non-profits,” she adds.

SBEF also gives annual scholarships to high school seniors throughout the district. Last year the foundation gave $120,000 in scholarships to 117 students.

“Last year we received 217 applications. Applications this year have doubled to 432. Ultimately, our goal is to raise enough money to give a scholarship to every child who applies,” she adds.

Last year SBEF supplied $216,000 so that every teacher generated grant was funded in full. Among other gifts, SBEF provided $31,000 in a grant to donate journals to every district child in Kindergarten through fifth grade and a $34,000 grant to the Altharetta Yeargin Art Museum.

At its spring 2022 gala, SBEF raised more than $304,900. Of this total, nearly $23,000 was raised specifically for scholarships.

“These examples help illustrate how vital fundraising is to the foundation. Gifts to SBEF enable us to continue to provide teacher grants, district grants and scholarships that benefit every child within SBISD,” she says. 

Visit the website to learn more about Spring Branch Super Saturday: Unity in Our Community

Learn more about Spring Branch Education Foundation at sbef.springbranchisd.com