FOUNDATION NEWS
Thank you from Teacher that received $100 in Fall Teacher Lottery
March 2025
Dear Alumni Foundation, Thank you so much for your donation to my Spanish 1 & 2 classes. We share our materials, so your generous gift of$100 benefits our entire Spanish program. We were able to purchase 35dictionaries. When we write in class and take writing assessments, our students are grateful for them. World Language Department Department Chair Julianna Danner-Vera
Update on the Microscopes for the Natural Science Class Rooms
March 2025
Megan Thaler, WHS Science Teacher, came to the Alumni Foundation in the fall with the wild hope of replacing 1960 era microscopes that were still in use. The Foundation began with an initial donation that allowed her to purchase 22 student microscopes. Additionally, one was purchased with a donation from an individual alumnus, one microscope was purchased with the science department budget, twelve came from monies from the Venture Foundation and another 23 came from money provided by the Fremont Elks Lodge #2121. The Alumni Foundation is now working to purchase the last 13 microscopes to make up the total of 72 microscopes, her original ask, enough for 4 classrooms to use concurrently. Even more exciting is that every student at WHS will use these microscopes at some point in their education. The department and Foundation also were able to purchase four teacher microscopes that have additional capabilities to project so teachers can use them while teaching.
Teacher Lottery
November 2024
In August, Board members Charmaine Stroud, Gail Pagan and Doug Rogers gave a short presentation to the WHS staff at their beginning of the year training. They provided a short history of the Foundation and promoted the Classroom Grant Program. They also introduced our latest way we support the WHS staff – a gift card lottery, which the staff entered by sending an email to the Foundation. At the September Board meeting, 15 teachers names were drawn and awarded $100 gift cards to help with classroom expenses. Staff could chose between Amazon, Staples or Target. This new program was well received by staff. Lottery Awardees Madeline Ewers, Science Mlisa Kelley, Culinary Arts Shikha Sharma, Science Nina Lim, Special Education Juliana Danner-Vera, World Languages Lisa Duncan, PE Ruth Bauer, Health Education Kevin Bermudez, English Salvador Lopez, World Language Dolores Vera-Valdez, Counseling Laura Amador, Art Garima Mittal, Math Mariah McClellan, English Matthew Hagmann, English Steven Hwang, Science An assortment of the responses we received from the staff. Laura Amador, Art – “Since we'll be making clay dominoes, your gift card covered 8 sets of example dominoes (1 for each group), Special ceramic tools for pressing round indents, XL sponges for clay cleanup, and a longer projector cord for demonstration display. They worked on these collaboratively in groups, incorporated math along with ceramics techniques, then had fun playing with their custom sets at the end of the project. Thank you again.” Shika Sharma; Science – “Thank you so much for the $100 Amazon gift card. I purchased a spiral binding machine to bind the AP Biology review books that consist of all past released questions.” Mlisa Kelley, Culinary Arts – “I have used it in Culinary Arts to purchase this amazing chocolate to make chocolate croissants this year!”
WHSAF Helps Science Department purchase new microscopes
November 2024
18-year veteran teacher (2nd year at WHS) Megan Thaler came to the September WHSAF Board meeting and made a presentation related to the purchase of new microscopes. She brought with her a microscope currently being used that has been in the classrooms of WHS since the 1960’s! Each year, there are four science classrooms each with 36 students per period and at some point every student at WHS will take a science class requiring the use of a microscope so effectively this request impacts every student at Washington. The request was for help to begin replacing the microscopes with new models, 18 for each classroom. The Board allocated $2,400 to begin purchasing new scopes. Three alumni heard of the request and each pledged $1,000 to add to the purchase. Our funding provided 3 teacher’s projection microscopes (the Science purchased an additional one) and 22 student microscopes. Ms. Thaler was able to obtain additional support from the Fremont Elks Lodge #2121 and a from a scientific philanthropic group. The WHS Alumni Foundation is very happy to have helped the Science Department make great strides towards their goal.
ALUMNI NEWS
Tony Gemignani, WHS Class of 1991
November 2024
Tony Gemignani is adding locations to his branded Slice Houses by Tony Gemignani. The pizza restaurant which currently has 19 locations throughout California and Nevada, is looking to expand beyond the current footprint with the first of the new locations to open in Salt Lake City in December. Tony’s pizza is a staple in San Francisco’s historic Italian neighborhood of North Beach, where the original Slice House is known for its award-winning New York, Sicilian, Grandma, Detroit, and California-style pizzas.
