Just around the corner from your Boerne backyard, your local community has generously been giving to the next generation. These often unseen, behind-the-scenes heroes have been cheering on and championing the Boerne educational system for decades—all working to make sure Boerne students get the best educational resources possible. This cadre of heroes isn’t clandestine or unknown. In fact, you may have heard of them already. They’re the Boerne Education Foundation.
Founded in 1997, the Boerne Education Foundation—also known as the “BEF”—is a nonprofit organization created to raise money and support for all of the diverse educational efforts BISD students need—all the way from kindergarten through high school. The BEF finances everything they can help with, from basic classroom supplies all the way to state-of-the-art technology. Remarkably, the foundation has distributed over $4 million to BISD schools since its inception.
“BEF has totally changed our classrooms,” says Jordan Moellendorf, the Science Department Chair at Boerne Middle School South. “Most of our classrooms would not run as efficiently as they do without their support.” Moellendorf says she has four checks on her wall from BEF that have all gone to support her classroom, teaching, and students in various ways.
The BEF distributes money throughout the district in a number of ways. Each fall, the BEF gives money to each campus on a per capita basis to use as needed. The nonprofit supports district-wide initiatives to supplement BISD’s normal operating budget, and some of the funds are reserved in a permanent endowment that generates income to power giving in future years.
One of the more exciting ways the BEF gives is through Teacher Innovation Grants or “TIGs.” Teachers are invited to apply for individual grants that are—as the organization puts it—“funded to transform classroom experiences in order to develop future leaders through critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity.” Through these TIGs, Boerne teachers have been able to acquire everything from everyday supplies to sophisticated classroom technology, providing students with a new layer of learning. “We were awarded $25,000. We chose to transform our physics,” says Moellendorf. She adds that through BEF grants, they were able to purchase highly sophisticated sensors that allow students to actually visualize physics interactions on a screen in front of them as they happen.
Meanwhile, at Champion High School, welding instructor Dorman Vick says that they were able to purchase a full welding table for students to use, something Vick says you would normally only find in a high-end welding shop. Vick—who founded the agriculture and mechanics department at Champion back in 2006—says that one of his favorite parts about BEF is that they’re able to help make educational purchases that will last for generations, not just for a year or two. “At the end, it creates a stronger student,” says Vick. “It allows them to apply through their hands the knowledge that they’re learning”
This month, the BEF will hold its “Rock On” fundraising event, one of their biggest of the year. On this fun-filled night, the BEF will honor individual teachers for their passion for educating Boerne students, and they’ll enjoy dinner, live music, and a live and silent auction. Supporters are welcome to donate year-round, but the foundation also hosts multiple campaigns throughout the year to raise funds for Boerne educators and their students.
“What I think is so neat about BEF is that they support every kid in this district, not just pockets of kids,” Vick says. Through the fall campus disbursements, all students can experience the educational benefits of the BEF. “Whether it’s core classes or other classes, they cover it from A to Z,” he says. Vick makes it a point to express gratitude and give back to the BEF: he and his welding students have actually built projects that are auctioned off at the “Rock On” event. “I can’t thank them enough for believing in the future tradesmen and tradeswomen of our country.”
Moellendorf says her favorite part of the BEF is the strong and generous community that has given so much to the education of Boerne’s students. “It’s the silent backing of them,” she says. “It’s a smile. It’s a wave. I feel their support whenever I see them in the community.” Or as Vick puts it: “BEF has changed many, many students’ lives. It’s more than a ‘thank you’ can say.”
boerneisd.net/community/education-foundation | 830-357-2008 | 235 Johns Rd.
Event Information
----------
Boerne Education Foundation Presents
Rock On In Music City
Saturday, March 29
7 p.m.
Kendall County Youth Agriculture & Equestrian Center
648 FM 289, Comfort
“What I think is so neat about BEF is that they support every kid in this district, not just pockets of kids. Whether it’s core classes or other classes, they cover it from A to Z.” —Dorman Vick, Welding Instructor at Champion High School