In 2008, a dynamic group of parents, staff, alumni, and community members committed themselves to improving Grossmont High School through the GHS Educational Foundation, a nonprofit 501©3 entity.

The purpose of the Foundation is to enhance the overall educational experience of the students by raising funds to support the needs of the school. The Foundation encourages parents, students, alumni, and community to “Take your memories…Leave your footprints.” Appropriately, footprints are the Foundation logo.

Fifteen years later, the impact of the foundation is found throughout the campus, including awarding mini-grants to fund special projects and needs to senior scholarships.

2022-23 Teacher Mini-grants

Various departments have benefitted from the mini-grants to fund projects that enrich and facilitate student learning; here are some of them.

Auto Shop: $2,000 for tools and shop upgrades

ASB: $4,000 for replacement of GHS Gus mascot costume: funds for Senior Prom and Graduation

AVID: $1,000 Tickets to Cabaret at the Old Globe Theater for Fall 2023

Baseball: $3,000 Replacement of field CIF Banners

AP Calculus: $1,000 2 buses to the SD Zoo for 100 AP Calculus students; color printer

Drama: $1,000 special effects make-up for Tech Theater and mini-pro makeup kits

Digital Arts: $2,000 Digital Arts 16 x16 inch heat press

Engineering: $1,000 Zero Energy Housing Design Challenge building supplies

(recycled rubber, foam board, black fabric)

Football: $4,500 replacement of football practice equipment

Girls Water Polo: $1,000 replacement of aquatics equipment storage shed

Math: $300 organizational materials for ninth graders, including 3 ring binders, 2 pocket folders, dividers

Peer Listening: $2,000 training and support materials and informational swag for the over 700 students who visit the Peer Listeners in the office each year seeking a listening or mediation

Wrestling: $3,673 replacement of the practice room’s wall padding.

AP Calculus Trip to the Zoo, Funded by Mini-Grant

After their field trip in May, Math teacher Kristen LoPrell shared, “Our field trip was a blast! I took 102 AP Calculus AB students to the zoo to collect data for their final project. After some planning and thought, the students focused on population accumulation.

Students, who signed up in teams, counted the number of visitors entering or exiting exhibits for a minute at the polar bears, elephants, and the new Wildlife Base Camp. All 42 teams of data were used to do analysis of populations during the hour of 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Students used calculus to determine the maximum number of people at each exhibit and what time that “max” occurred. They found the approximate total number of visitors in the exhibit and the average number of visitors leaving the exhibits and the rate at which they leave. Finally, each student completed a written summary of their findings, which I will share with the zoo!”

This unique experience enriched the students’ learning as well as connected them to the zoo, just one of the many impacts from the Foundation’s staff mini-grants.

2023 Student Scholarships

For several years, the Foundation has funded senior scholarships, mostly from their Endowment Fund at the San Diego Foundation. However, in the past few years, the number of parent, alumni, and retiree sponsored scholarships has grown. Overseen by the Foundation board, the recipients of these scholarships are selected through a spring application process.

$2,000 GHS Foundation Scholarships

Academic Improvement: Domineece Silvels

Alumni: Stephen Abkin

Art/Music: Austin Mitchell

Athletic Obstacle Overcome: Camden Conrad

Auto Shop: Jackson Harris

Community Service: Paula Winkler

$2,000 YKE Lilienwald Aquatics Scholarships

4 scholarships for Water Polo and Swim seniors were funded by the Niskey Foothiller family: Anthony Asaro, Brandon Case, Camden Conrad, Elizabeth Weeks.

(In addition, the Niskey family generously supports the aquatic program through funding the purchase of aquatics equipment.)

Principal Dan Barnes reflects that “The Grossmont High School community, staff, and students are very fortunate to have the support of our Grossmont High School Educational Foundation and Alumni. Each year our board and alums generously give to our students and staff through scholarships for students and mini-grants for teachers. Without the work of the foundation board and President, Amy Conrad, and our museum directors, Connie and Lynn Baer, this tremendous support would not be in place. This is one more huge reason Grossmont High School is such a fantastic place to work and learn.”

In the past 15 years, the financial impact of the GHS Educational Foundation has grown each year. Its non-profit status has been the impetus for donations that impact the entire Foothiller community in countless ways. However, without the continued support of Grossmont’s parents, retirees, alumni, staff, and community, none of this would have been possible. We thank them for their support.

If you would like to sponsor a scholarship or mini-grant, contact Amy Conrad at [email protected] or Dan Barnes at [email protected]. If you would like to donate to the GHS Educational Foundation, visit their website at foothillerfoundation.com and use the donate button on the home page.

Upcoming Reunions

Anyone is welcome to join us for campus tours on July 29 or Aug. 5 at 10 a.m. Meet at the high school office, where the tour begins. Visit a campus that treasures its past while embracing its future. Class of 1973 50th Reunion: Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023 email [email protected] or visit https://www.classmates.com/siteui/reunions/. Campus Tour at 10. Class of 1983 40th Reunion: Friday, July 28. https://reunion-specialists.com/reunion2.php?reunion=948.

Class of 2003 20th Reunion: Sept. 2, 7-10 Urbn Pizza, El Cajon.

Class of 2013 10th Reunion Weekend: Aug. 4-6, docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVg7_lRvMHUGtBUMKyczgNDS3CvWnpraFPWt1q7eZE7XlNpw/viewform?usp=send_form. Campus tour Aug. 5 at 10.

Visit our website at foothillermuseum.com to learn more about GHS, past and present.

Contacts: (619) 668-6140 and [email protected].

CAPTION 1: (Main photo): Aquatics scholarships notables include Andres and Yvonne Bello, Anthony Asaro, Sarah Niskey, Camden Conrad, Brandon Case, Elizabeth Weeks, Coach Gary Hull (Courtesy photo).

CAPTION 2:Foundation scholarship recipients include Domineece Silvels, Stephen Abkin, Austin Mitchell, Sarah Niskey, Camden Conrad, Jackson Harris, Paula Winkler. (Courtesy photo).