Thirteen years ago a group of port street dads recognized a fundamental need at Andersen Elementary. Although it was a good school, with great teachers, administrators, and volunteer parents, it didn’t have all the resources that it needed. This group of pioneering dads saw an opportunity to fill a gap of resources that the public school system couldn’t. Since 1997 these dads and many parents like you have raised over $3.5 Million dollars to improve Andersen Elementary. My hat’s off to all of you who have made a difference in this award winning school, which now boasts technology superior to any school in Orange County. Many of you have given generously and more importantly volunteered your time to this school and this community to make it a better place. The first of those 1997 kindergarteners that received the benefits of your generosity and compassion now stand ready to graduate from Corona Del Mar High School and move on to some of the best colleges in the country like: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley, USC, UCLA, Duke, Georgetown and many others that we dream about sending our kids to.
Last year the DEANS Foundation raised $420,000 from your membership and the various fundraising events scattered through the year. This allowed the DEANS to continue to fund teacher and teacher aide positions that would not otherwise be available to our school. These include additional staff to support Language Arts, Mathematics, Technology, Science and the new Spanish Language Program. Capital improvements like the Oasis Shade Structure are also funded with your DEANS dollars. The DEANS also continued to fund support for the significant technology upgrades made in the classrooms with every room being equipped with a ceiling mounted LCD player, Smart Boards and Digital Document Cameras. This focus on technology has been a key initiative of the DEANS strategic plan and Andersen continues to stand on par or ahead of any other public school in Orange County in terms of access to technology.
The DEANS Foundation spent $750 for every student at Andersen Elementary. The commitment shown from parents, teachers and staff continue to make Andersen Elementary the top school in Newport Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) and one of the finest public schools in Orange County as well as the entire State of California. As much work and effort that has been donated over the past years, this organization has much more work to do. The state of California has cut the education budget and continues to cut important resources from our schools. We can’t change the financial crisis of our time which is producing these budget cuts but we can work to minimize the harmful effects on our children’s education by continuing to support the DEANS with your charitable dollars.
Together we can make a difference!
DEANS President
Costa Harbilas
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