Group aims to support NYM School

By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

The New York Mills Education Foundation, which was founded in 2017 by staff and alumni of NY Mills High School, has reached a new era in its short history as a totally new group of board members continues the mission of its founders.

“I was fortunate to be heavily involved with the formation, including by-laws, policies, procedures, etc., which to me creates a sense of sustainability throughout the organization, even when there is great transition,” reflected founding member and former treasurer, Latham Hetland. “I was fortunate enough to transition over the last year to Hailey Muehler, who is our new treasurer. There are currently no members of the original board that are on it anymore. We set up term limits intentionally to allow new ideas and perspectives to be heard, which we believe will bring this organization forward.”

Hetland is a 2013 graduate of NY Mills High School and after a few years being involved in the community, he figured it was time to find a way to expand that involvement to his alma mater.

“I was a relatively recent high school graduate from NY Mills Public Schools and I had a really fantastic experience, so I figured it was my time to give back,” he said. “After initial conversations, I looked into what other schools have done with education foundations, and I thought, wow, we could really do some great things with this organization.”

Through the initials steps of forming by-laws, policies, procedures, and starting a 501c3 non-profit, Hetland said that the entire board put forth an enormous amount of effort in the foundation’s organization.

“It’s not a small feat,” he said. “My favorite part has been all of the fantastic people I’ve got to work with. Some of the events we ran had me laughing non-stop the whole time. One time, we did a split the pot and forgot to split it. We had a bean bag tournament that had a net income of $4. There are so many memories that we look back on so fondly. The best part of all of this was working for this great goal of helping our school, educators, and students get a better experience. It has been so worth it.

“I am really excited to see what these new, fresh perspectives will bring,” he continued. “We are very proud of the work we did and yet we recognize that the next generation of this board is going to lead us to heights not yet seen!”

President of the current board, Julie Lake, joined because her daughter recently started Pre-Kindergarten and has seen the effects of the foundation’s work over the past year.

“It was really neat to see the grants that were approved this past year and to know those resources will be available for her as she continues her education,” said Lake. “It is important for me to be a part of providing support to our educators as they play a major role in the development of our youth.”

Lake looks forward to continue to build the foundation’s current fundraising efforts as well as coming up with new fundraisers in the future to increase their ability to provide additional grant funding in the coming years.

“The impact that schools have on our youth is tremendous and to be able to provide additional support to staff who can turn around and provide enriched, innovative learning experiences for our youth is an awesome feeling,” she said. 

Those feelings are shared with the eight other board members. An opportunity for six other community members with that shared enthusiasm for the school is open to all as the Education Foundation has a board capacity of 15 members. One of those members finds importance in the little things in life.

“I’m new to the board, but the crew is fabulous to work with, they know what to do and they get it done,” said member Nicole Lalum. “It’s the little things that make school so special for kids. The enhancements to the curriculum that the Education Foundation provides can help spark a child’s imagination, have them see themselves doing things they never thought possible and opens their world to all the possibilities that are out there.”

Lalum looks forward to meeting parents, raising funds for future grants and also helping the staff and students at the school reach their full potential while funding educational opportunities district-wide.

“I want to be involved in shaping our school to be a place of excellence for the students, teachers and community,” said Lalum. “What we have in NY Mills is special and being a part of that fulfills me.”

Another member sees the effects of the Education Foundation’s efforts in her children each and every day. She joined the board in order to continue those efforts.

“I could see the direct impact that the foundation has had on my kids classrooms and I wanted to be a part of it,” said PTO/BET Team representative Stephanie VonRuden. “My kids are big into STEAM and reading. Seeing some of the grants funded to their classrooms to increase these opportunities for them is huge to me as a parent!”

VonRuden especially looks forward to being able to bring new ideas to the table. She can often be seen at the school on behalf of the Education Foundation and Parent’s Nest Association.

“I never want to see a classroom not be able to provide additional and innovative resources to their students,” said VonRuden. “Through our grant process we can help bridge that financial gap to be able to offer extraordinary opportunities.”