aids and opportunities throughout the year .
With a main purpose to raise funds so they can help teachers help students , Jeffrey said their goal as a foundation is to give back .
Working hand-in-hand with Duncan ’ s Central Office as well as principals and teachers at each site , Jeffrey said it ’ s great to have the same end-goal , “ which is to make a good student – a student who is going to prosper in society and come back to Duncan , because they have a good memory and they have a good feeling of what Duncan is .”
To get a good student , you have to put in time , effort and resources . That ’ s where the Foundation comes in to play .
“ We ’ re just a tool that the teachers can use ,” he said .
But that tool is multifaceted , and runs the gauntlet from providing teacher and classroom grant funding through DEx awards , putting on an annual teacher appreciation breakfast to kickoff the school year , running the supply closet open to district teachers and jump-starting fundraising efforts for extras like the soon-to-be eSports program .
THE DEx AWARDS
As the school year progresses , DPSF DEx Awards surface and give teachers the opportunity to apply for grants .
DEx Awards , which function as a reinvented teacher grant program , are designed for student and teacher enrichment . Three awards exist through the program , which includes the classroom award for $ 1,000 , the collaborative award for up to $ 3,000 and the professional development award for up to
$ 2,500 . Jeffrey said their DEx Award committee looks at direct student contact .
“ Our main focus is to look for those grants ,” Jeffrey said , and “ figure out how we ’ re going to get the biggest impact for our dollar ” so the students impacted “ can be better students tomorrow and give back to the community when they become adults .”
“ That ’ s why I like the Demon Excellence ( DEx ) Awards ,” he said .
According to Jeffrey , these funds are donated by community members and the committee looks closely at each opportunity to make sure students are getting what they need to thrive in education .
With the opportunity available twice a year , Jeffrey said the awards routinely open in mid- August and close at the end of September in the first round . Then the awards open back up just after winter break and close in January .
Jeffrey said teachers can reach out to DPSF and get any necessities they need , from chairs , to raised gardens , books , curriculum and more .
Jeffrey said previous DEx Award recipient and teacher Jamie Rowell gave each one of her kids a book each month .
“ Her DEx award bought 20 books a month for those kids ,” he said . “ There ’ s a lot of kids in the community that don ’ t have their own book , they go to the library , check out a book and have take it back . So for them to be able to have their own book means a lot to them .”
Those books led to more engagement , Rowell said .
“ After we had read the book together we would do a fun activity that centered around something from the book , such as a directed drawing of one of the characters ,” Rowell said .
After finishing the book , each student could take their copy home to keep in their own personal library .
“ For many students this was the beginning of their at home library and hopefully a love of reading ,” she said .
Jeffrey said they use the DEx awards for outreach .
“ We want the teachers to be able to get products that they need to succeed in their classrooms ,” and in turn , Jeffrey said “ the community gets to see what we do and understand that they can make a difference in a kid ’ s life .”
“ If you get one or two kids that you make a difference on , that ’ s a success ,” he said . “ If we can help that teacher reach that one kid – that ’ s what makes me feel cool . To give that kid a personal ( feeling ) that someone cares about me . That means a lot to me .”
TEACHER APPRECIATION BREAKFAST
Each year , DPSF begins each new school year with its annual teacher kick off , in effort to promote unity and confidence for the upcoming year .
Jeffrey said DPSF has 13 board members who help raise the funds to sponsor tables at the breakfast . That sponsorship comes from local businesses as well as local individuals who want to show their appreciation for all DPS teachers , staff and administration and what they offer to the community .
DUNCAN MAGAZINE | FALL 2022 15