The Elmbrook Parent Leadership Council (EPLC) and the Elmbrook Education Foundation (EEF) are pleased to announce the recipients of 2012 Most Influential Educator Award.
This is a new program developed by Elmbrook parents, Jane Peavler and Kristin Urban. The Elmbrook Parent Leadership Council (comprised of leaders from building level PTOs across the District) and the Elmbrook Education Foundation are delighted to sponsor the program in an effort to honor educators who have made an impact on Elmbrook students.
Honorees were nominated by graduating seniors from both Brookfield Central and Brookfield East High Schools who have achieved academic excellence. Students were asked to nominate a teacher who had a significant positive effect on their K-12 education. The following educators will be honored at special banquets in coming weeks (student nominator listed in parentheses). The banquet honoring educators nominated by Brookfield Central High School graduates will be held on May 20th and the banquent honoring educators nominated by Brookfield East High School graduates will be held on June 3rd.
Please join the Elmbrook Parent Leadership Council and the Elmbrook Education Foundation in honoring the 2012 recipients of a Most Influential Educator Award!
Mr. Matthew Aslakson – BCHS (Daniel Buck)Ms. Sandra Aslakson – BCHS (Derek Schmidt)
Mr. Patrick Coffey – BEHS (Aditya Trivedi)
Ms. Jill Cook – BCHS (Seungjoo Lee)
Mr. Andy Farley – BEHS (Kathleen Browne)
Mrs. Christine Fitzpatrick – Dousman El., Retired (Sorabh Singhai, BEHS)
Mr. Denny Gillingham – BCHS (Mikayla Kelley)
Mr. John Harder – BEHS (Max Hoffmann)
Mr. Sean Harkins – BCHS (Abigail Rufer)
Mrs. Emira Hot – BEHS (Gabrielle Termuehlen)
Ms. Vickie Jakubowski – Hillside (Amir Alwin, BCHS)
Mrs. Kelli Kwiatkowski – BEHS (Chang Ge)
Mr. Jeff Ortman – BEHS (Christian Kreznar)
Mr. Patrick Perez – BCHS (Hasan Nadeem)
Mrs. Anne Peterson – BEHS (Chih-wei Wu)
Ms. Alice Rast – BCHS (Samuel Patchett)
Mr. Marc Stanke – BCHS (Kriya Patel)
Mrs. Bonnie Sullivan – Tonawanda (Amanda Kalupa, BEHS)
Ms. Louise Thompson – BCHS (Dee Luo)
Mr. Brian Truka – Marquette University (Advik Shreekumar, BEHS)
Does you know of an educator that has made a significant impact on their students? Please refer to the related links for additional information on opportunities for the community to honor educators.
The EEF is pleased to offer a summer internship opportunity! The selected applicant will assist with day-to-day office activities in event planning, data management, public relations and administration. Summer work will also focus on supporting the Foundation’s Annual Ladies Night event to be held in November which currently provides the EEF’s largest source of revenue. The summer intern will also be responsible for creating an intern manual to document instructions for completing all assigned tasks to aid in future internship transitions.
The EEF is a volunteer organization; consequently, this position is unpaid. However, a letter confirming placement and/or a recommendation to use in applying for college credit and/or seeking employment will be provided if intern fulfills stated expectations. This position offers the ability to advance the skills required for employment, gain experience in a non-profit organization, and provides a friendly and flexible work environment. Preference will be given to Elmbrook alumni; however, the opportunity may be provided to other qualified students/adults seeking opportunities that will aid in future employment.
For additional information, please refer to the full EEF SUMMER INTERNSHIP POSTING . To apply, please send resume, cover letter and recommendation letters (optional) to Jain Apple, Internship Coordinator, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it no later than Wednesday MAY 30TH. Interviews will be held on Friday JUNE 1ST. Applicants should mark their calendar in case they are contacted.
The Elmbrook Education Foundation promotes educational excellence throughout all Elmbrook Schools through its Educational Grant and Continuing Education Scholarship Programs. The Foundation’s primary areas of interest include Innovative Instruction, Teaching Excellence and Continuing Education. The Foundation administers endowed/restricted funds on behalf of the community to support these areas of interest to help sustain the quality of the Elmbrook School District. These funds are often developed through honorariums for those that have had an impact on Elmbrook or to support the Foundation's efforts to sustain the quality of the community's public schools.
Elmbrook staff make contributions annually as part of the District’s annual non-profit appeal. In addition, parents make contributions in honor of their graduates, a respected staff member, or a school program/activity that meant a lot to their student during their time in Elmbrook. Gifts from student and alumni groups (class reunions, etc.) are also sincerely appreciated. The Foundation also receives donations for the endowment via memorials and bequests.
Donors can currently direct their donation to the General Fund, the EEF Board Leadership Fund, the Elmbrook Staff Lead the Way fund, the BCHS Alumni Fund, or the BEHS Alumni Fund. Additional funds will be developed based on community interest. In 2011, the Brucker Family started a family fund in an effort to help sustain the Foundation’s grants programs. Please see the latest EEF Blog, Investing in Community Education, for additional info.
How to Make an Honorarium Gift
Honorariums can be sent to the Foundation at any time via P.O. Box 206, Brookfield, WI 53005 or made online via the Foundation website. Gifts can be made in honor of current or prior staff. A list of those employees retiring this year can be found on the Elmbrook Web Site. In addition, prior press releases also feature valued staff leaving the District to pursue other personal/professional goals. Honorees are notified of gifts received in their honor unless the donor would prefer to remain anonymous. All gifts are acknowledged for tax purposes. For additional information or to make an online donation, please refer to the Foundation’s web site at www.elmbrookeducationfoundation.com or send inquiries to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Related Links
In Honor of Bil Zahn
Bil Zahn, Principal at Burleigh Elementary School is retiring this summer. In honor of his 27 years of service in the Elmbrook district - 22 of those years at Burleigh Elementary School - the Burleigh PTO is organizing an honorarium appeal administered by the Elmbrook Education Foundation.
Bil Zahn has always had a passion for working with children. Consequently, Bil has asked the PTO to direct all gifts in honor of his retirement to develop the new 'Burleigh Student Scholarship Fund' to provide annual scholarships to Burleigh graduates who have demonstrated a passion for working with children that might also lead to a career working with children. Please help the Burleigh PTO recognize Bil's contributions to Elmbrook with a gift to this appeal.
Bil and his wife Jeanne, have 3 children that attended and graduated from the Elmbrook District. In honor of the excellent education their children have received, Bil is personally sponsoring the first scholarship to be awarded at Senior Recognition Night later this month.
Gifts to the 'Bil Zahn Honorary Burleigh Student Scholarship Fund' can be made online via the Foundation's web site at www.elmbrookeducationfoundation.com or by sending a check made payable to the EEF to P.O. Box 206, Brookfield, WI 53008. Bil will be made aware of all gifts made in his honor. Those received prior to June 1st will be included on his retirement card. All gifts will be acknowledged for your tax records.
The Elmbrook School District may be closing Hillside Elementary in Spring, but the past and present Hillside community is taking steps to make sure that Hillside is not forgotten in Elmbrook anytime soon. Hillside Elementary has established the "Hillside Student Scholarship Fund" on behalf of past and present students. The Hillside PTO is partnering with the EEF to develop the fund through the remainder of the school year.
Hillside staff, parents, alumni, and retirees are all encouraged to be part of developing this fund as the balance will determine how many scholarships can be awarded annually to prior Hillside students through 2024 .... the final year that Hillside's final kindergarten class will be graduating from Elmbrook. Please see the related post on the Foundation's blog, Investing in Community Education, for more information.
The School District of Elmbrook was proud to host a visit by the Wisconsin Technology Initiative (WTI) this week. WTI representatives toured Dixon and Swanson Elementary Schools, where teachers showcased technology tools including ipads, SMART Boards, SMART Document Cameras and SMART Response Systems. The Elmbrook Education Foundation, Elmbrook's Parent Teacher Organizations, and staff members who act as the District's technology leaders all play an important role in fostering innovation throughout our Elmbrook Schools. Additional information can be found on the Foundation's blog, Investing in Community Education. Make sure to 'like' the Foundation's facebook page and subscribe to the Foundation's quarterly newsletter to keep up to date.
The Elmbrook Education Foundation is looking for independently motivated individuals who are committed to sustaining the quality of our Elmbrook schools for the benefit of its students as well as the community at large. The Foundation values representation from all aspects of the Elmbrook community: residents, parents, staff, retirees, students, alumni, business owners, etc.. There are many ways to serve through the Foundation. This is a GREAT time to get involved. Planning for 2012-13 has already begun! Please fill out and return the EEF VOLUNTEER INTEREST FORM so that we can match your skills and interests to the appropriate contact within the Foundation.
The Elmbrook Education Foundation has established an Alumni page on their web site to help connect retirees and alumni to Elmbrook news and events that may be of interest to them! The EEF now maintains a list of reunion contacts on behalf of the Elmbrook School District. If you are a reunion contact (or know who it is for your class), now is the time to get connected! Please email the Foundation at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the name and email of the primary contact(s) for your class so that we can make sure that our records are up to date. Don't forget to 'like' the Foundation on facebook at www.facebook.com/EEFWI and subscribe to the EEF Newsletter on the Foundation's web site to stay up to date on information of interest to Elmbrook Alumni and Retirees. Please let us know if you have any questions.
The EEF has gone through many changes to continually improve and evolve in response to the changes in the economy, the needs of our schools, and the District as a whole. The EEF continues to grow annually thanks to the support of our Elmbrook community (residents, business community, parents, staff, retirees and alumni) and our dedicated EEF Board of Directors and volunteers.
Some of the more recent changes include: improvements in communication to Foundation supporters, improved event planning, a renewed focus on District-level grants to provide greater impact, retiree/alumni outreach, and the development of a endowment which provides the opportunity to honor those who have made an impact on Elmbrook and will position the Foundation to support needs that are more permanent in nature. Please refer to the article entitled EEF Succeeds Despite Changing Times for the complete article featured in the March 22nd edition of BrookfieldNOW.
The Elmbrook Education Foundation administers a community-wide scholarship program on behalf of community partners. The EEF strives to honor as many graduating seniors as possible by matching sponsor criteria to scholarship applicants.
The following community partners have pledged their support to award one or more scholarships to the graduating class of 2012.
- Fotsch Family Foundation
- Brookfield Rotary Club
- WaterStone Bank
- First Weber Group Foundation
- Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts
- McKinley Masonic Lodge
- Brookfield Junior Woman's Club
- Brookfield East High School PTO
- Pilgrim Park Middle School Student Senate
- Brookfield Central High School PTO
Honorary/Memorial Scholarships
- Jim Briscoe Honorary, BCHS Principal 1996-2002 (endowed)
- Charles Turner Memorial, BCHS Phy Ed/Coach 1965-2003
- Irven Hoesly Memorial, PPMS Principal 1966-1985
- Holly Christina Stahl “Love Life” Memorial (BCHS, Class of 2009)
- Bernadette (Bunny) Koenings Memorial (BEHS/BCHS Guidance, 1955-1982)
- Tonawanda Elementary PTO in honor of Nancy Marsho, Principal 1992-2004
- Northwestern Mutual Foundation obo/Sandra Botcher in honor of Nancy Marsho
- Brookfield Woman's Club, 1944-2006
A Leadership Gift to the Foundation’s Community Scholarship Program has also been provided by Roundy’s Foundation. Additional donations directed to the scholarship program are pooled to award additional scholarships.
The recipients of this year's scholarships will not find out about their award until Seniors Honors Nights in May. Recoginition will be also be provided at graduation. Additional information about the scholarship program can be found on the Scholarships page of the EEF web site.
The Elmbrook Education Foundation hosted our 4th Annual Winter Social at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts on March 3rd. Elmbrook residents, staff, parents and alumni showed up to offer support for EEF Programs and to meet Elmbrook's incoming superintendent, Mark Hansen.
Guests were treated to the talents of the BCHS Jazz Combo (member Julian Plant pictured on right) under the direction of Jason Gillette while they enjoyed delicious small plate buffets and desserts catered by Maxie's Southern Comfort and Blue's Egg. This event raised over $15,000 to benefit Elmbrook students and schools.
The EEF would like to thank all of those that attended, volunteered, donated items to support the fundraising activities at the event, or provided support in some other way. The EEF would be unable to host their annual events without support from the community.
Please refer to the following links for more information about the event:
- Photo deck compliments of Brookfield Patch
- Photo deck compliments of Babboni Photography on www.facebook.com/EEFWI
- Related post on EEF's Community blog, Investing in Community Education
Thanks again for your support!
Earlier this year, the Foundation kicked off a campaign to implement a SMART Document Camera in every K-5 classroom district-wide to support large group instruction for Elmbrook's youngest learners. The Foundation's initial plans provided for a 3 year campaign. However, due to community support and a $50,000 Lighthouse grant from the Wisconsin Technology Initiative, this campaign and implementation is now complete. All K-5 classrooms including special areas (i.e. Art, Music) received a SMART Document Camera in January. Staff training on how to use the new systems and integrate them into daily instruction is being provided by the District. Please see the related Investing in Community Education blog post for more information.
The Elmbrook Education Foundation kicked off the holiday season and finished 2011 with the party of all time .... the 8th annual Ladies Night at the Westmoor Country Club held on 11/29/11. This event was generously sponsored by Pasternak & Zirgibel, S.C.. and raised nearly $36,000 (a new record for this event) to help support Foundation programs which extend all of the great work that is going on in our schools thanks to committed staff, parents, PTOs, and booster clubs. Additional information about the event can be found on the Foundation's Blog, Investing in Community Education. Pictures from the event have been posted to the Foundation's facebook page on www.facebook.com/EEFWI.
Please mark your calendar for the Foundation's 2nd (and final event) of the school year ... The Foundation's Casino Social at the Wilson Center, Saturday 3/3/12, 7-11 p.m.. Please contact the Foundation at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
if you would like to help out with this event as a volunteer, sponsor, or raffle donor.
This week's edition of BrookfieldNOW featured a story on the Elmbrook Education Foundation. If you do not receive that publication, you may also view the story online.
Bernadette (Bunnie) Koenings passed away on April 7, 2011 at the age of 91. She was raised in Slinger, WI and graduated with a Masters Degree from UW-Madison. She spent her entire career in public education. She worked within Elmbrook from 1955-1982 as a guidance counselor at both Brookfield East and Brookfield Central High School.
The EEF depends on the generosity of the Elmbrook community to sustain and grow Foundation programs for the benefit of Elmbrook students and schools. We would like to thank all of those who volunteered, made a donation, supplied auction/raffle items, attended events and/or simply maintained a positive attitude during a time of tremendous change last year. Information about how to support the Foundation in 2011-12 as well as a list of our generous 2010-11 supporters can be found on the 'Supporters' page of our web site.
SMART Document Cameras have been proven to significantly benefit large group instruction in proof-of-concept classrooms. Consequently, they have become the focus of the current cycle of the Foundation's Super Grant Program.
In the fall of 2009, the Elmbrook Education Foundation embarked on a campaign to deliver SMART Response Assessment Units to all middle school math classrooms at both Wisconsin Hills and Pilgrim Park Middle Schools. Thanks to community support, all math classrooms had the benefit of this technology to kick off the 2nd semester of the 2010-11 school year.
On behalf of the Elmbrook Education Foundation, congratulations to the 2011 scholarship recipients and a sincere THANK YOU to all of our wonderful community partners that provide the financial support to the Foundation's Community-wide Continuing Education Scholarship Program. Best of luck to the entire Elmbrook Class of 2011!
