The Lake Placid Central School District Educational Opportunity Fund met on Thursday, March 14 to discuss the student grant applications received in our spring window. Board member Mary Dietrich and the Fund’s Next Level Committee members considered each application and made their recommendations to the full board. We are delighted to announce the following …

¯ Emma Wylie’s grant application for $500 to support an Elementary School Earth Day celebration was approved. This event will expose all members of the elementary school to new ideas and innovations around the topic of sustainability and the environment.

¯ Colin Preston’s request for financial support for the school yearbook was supported to the tune of $500. This will help cover the materials needed to produce the yearbook and produce a winter carnival video, both of which will become valuable historical school records to be enjoyed over many generations.

¯ The board was very supportive of Abbey Light’s application for funds to support an Alzheimer’s Run/Walk event to raise awareness of this condition and help educate the community. $500 was awarded for this very worthwhile venture.

¯ Aliyah Smith from LPES requested up to $500 to install a small utility sink in the cafeteria to allow students and staff to clean appropriate containers for recycling. The board was very happy to support this grant application and looks forward to seeing the impact it will have.

¯ On a similar note, the Fund approved another $500 to build a recyclables bin to be used at school and for special events. Fiona Sullivan was excited to lead this project and the board members were impressed by the wide impact this initiative would have on the school.

¯ Gabe Sawyer’s application was centered around establishing a memorial garden at the Shipman Youth Center in memory of Dmitry Feld. The board was honored to grant up to $500 to establish this legacy project for a beloved member of the community who has done so much to help others.

¯ Lastly, the board approved a grant request from Robert Bowen for new uniforms for the LPHS robotics team. Up to $500 will be made available to purchase uniforms that can be used year on year in support of the team in their various competitions.

Combined with the teacher grant applications approved in November 2023, the Ed Op Fund is delighted to have allocated nearly $15,000 to over a dozen worthwhile school district initiatives and events this school year. We thank all of the students who took the time to apply for grants and wish them all the best in their endeavors. The Ed Op Fund is committed to helping ensure fair access to opportunities and experiences for all students in our district and we are also incredibly grateful for the support of the wider community in our work. For more information, please visit us at www.edopfund.org or see our Facebook page.

Yours sincerely,

The Educational Opportunity Fund Board

Roger Catania, president

Sibyl Quayle, vice president

Lynn Magnus, treasurer

Katie Volz, secretary

Betsy Baxter

Katie Byrne

Denise Calvert

Sandra Danussi

Mary Dietrich

Pam Leff

Peter Lynch

Patti McConvey

Donna Moodey

Nan Morse

Kristen Scanio

Susan Sheldon

Simon Shergold

Kate Wylie

Keith Clark, LPCSD member

Kaitlin Patenaude, LPCSD member

Alexa Angelopoulos, LPCSD member

John Hopkinson, LPCSD member