Westfield Education Fund Honors 200 Teachers
Through End-of-Year Teacher Appreciation Fundraising Effort, Local Families Donated More Than $10,000 to WEF in Honor of Teachers Across the District
Submitted by Jenn Albano
The Westfield Education Fund, a non-profit that aims to be a driver for innovation in the Westfield Public Schools, today announced that 200 educators throughout the Westfield School District have been honored with placement on the Westfield Education Fund (WEF) “Teacher Honor Roll” and received two “Pins For Heroes” custom-designed by two elementary school aged children (@Pins4Heroes).
Through this end-of-year teacher appreciation fundraiser, families across the district contributed monetary donations totaling more than $10,000 in honor of the teachers of their choice to recognize their incredible efforts and dedication to Westfield students during this challenging school year.
“During this unprecedented school year, we have been inspired by the resiliency and agility of all the teachers across the district and recognize all they have done to continue to make a lasting impact on Westfield students,” said Nicole Breslow, WEF President. “We are incredibly grateful to them, and at the same time, we are truly blown away by the support from Westfield families in making this a successful fundraiser that will enable us to continue to power innovation in our schools.”
The teachers honored represent each of the district’s nine schools, with 35 teachers honored at Edison Intermediate School, approximately 20 each at Westfield High School, Lincoln School and Franklin, McKinley, Tamaques and Washington Elementary Schools, and more than 10 at Jefferson and Wilson Elementary Schools. Some teachers were nominated several times by different families, bringing the total number of submissions to more than 300.
Honored teachers received “Pins For Heroes,” which include illustrations by two brothers, ages seven and ten, who use their art and positivity to inspire happiness. The pins feature a caped hero, with the words “Teacher Honor Roll” and “Teach Love Inspire” to recognize the heroic efforts of the incredible Westfield teachers who persevered to build classrooms filled with energy, inspiration, smarts, and warmth.
Teachers also received a tribute letter informing them of the nominating family and building principals were notified of the teachers’ honor. The full Teacher Honor Roll is available on the WEF website at westfieldedfund.org/teacher-honor-roll.
Donations to WEF are used throughout the school year to fund district-wide efforts that strengthen and enrich students’ academic experience, like the Racial Literacy Initiative the organization funded during the 2020 – 2021 school year. WEF partnered with the Westfield School District to provide nearly $40,000 to support the district’s important new educational initiative aimed at improving discussions of race in classrooms across the district. This included funding to support professional development, community learning and classroom materials. For an update on how these funds have been used to support Racial Literacy across the district visit westfieldedfund.org/racial-literacy.
About Westfield Education Fund (WEF)
WEF is run by a Board of Directors comprised of Westfield parent volunteers and was established in 1991 by community members, in partnership with the school district and Board of Education. It supports innovative projects that strengthen and enrich students’ academic experience but fall beyond the school district budget. Visit westfieldedfund.org to learn more about the WEF and its mission “to promote a culture of innovation and enrich students’ academic and social emotional learning.” WEF is a non-profit and relies completely on donations from the community to fund such initiatives.
