HFEE - Hayward Foundation for Educational Enrichment

Wishing all students, teachers, and staff a fantastic last day of school and well-deserved summer break! 😎

Stay tuned for our Teacher and Support Staff of the Year winner announcements tomorrow. 🍎🍏

We would like to take a moment to recognize all of our wonderful golf event volunteers for their time, energy, and support in making the day a success! 🙌

Thanks to Erika Anderson, Dave & Libby Bauer, Tommy Cebulla, Colleen Graham, Hayward Girls Hockey, Ashley Kamla, Sandy Livingston, Lucy Malcolm, Lydia Martin, Stephanie Martin, Liz Menigo, Dave & Snook Sanders, Haley Stellmacher and Warren Thompson.

Congratulations to the winners of our May 15th golf event! Winners received engraved cut-glass trophies donated by Apple Awards, a round of golf at Hayward Golf Course, engraved water bottles and stickers made by the Storm students, and gift certificates to various local businesses. 🏆

📸 Men’s Team Champions: Pinewood Properties
Adam Bodenschatz, Adam Garden, Adam St***on, and Derek St***on

📸 Women’s Team Champions: Squalls Dolls
Jill Bonicatto, Peg Dobbs, Tali Johnson, and Abbe Veldhuis

📸 Mixed Team Champions: The Abbe Veldhuis Team
Sofia Bonicatto, Tara Eckes, Blake Loder, and Chase Loder

🍎 The Northern Waters Environmental School nominee for Teacher of the Year is Christina Wondergem. She was on the board of the charter school for several years and then became the Middle School Advisor and Lead Teacher four years ago. Her innovative thinking and work on projects such as the Climate Youth Labs Grant provides students with hands-on activities and unique learning experiences.

It has been an honor to recognize the nominees from schools across the Hayward area. Our students are truly fortunate to be supported by so many outstanding educators!

There are six nominees for Teacher of the Year, including both charter schools in the Hayward Community School District. These individuals will each receive $250 for use in their personal classrooms, while the winner will be given $1000 for their classroom use beginning next fall. The winner also receives name recognition on a traveling plaque and an engraved golden apple paperweight.

🍏 The Hayward Area Center for Individualized Learning Virtual Charter School has nominated Administrative Assistant Kim Stevens for Support Staff of the Year. As the first point of contact for most students and parents, her competence, heart and humor make HACIL a better place every day.

🍎 Teacher of the Year nominee Abigail Yoder for K-9th Grade challenges her students and holds them accountable for their work. Her dedication to the HACIL Pod podcast through learning the hardware and software and guiding students through the production process has been a remarkable learning experience for many students at the school.

The Hayward Community School District adopted an initiative for staff a few years ago, encouraging them to "Be The 1" who students look forward to seeing at school each day. Staff are recognized by their building principals each month at the School Board of Education meetings. These individuals are often the recipients of HFEE's Teacher of the Year and Support Staff of the Year awards as well, as the qualities and characteristics align.

🍏 The Support Staff of the Year nominee for the High School is Liz Gay. As the Lead Administrative Assistant for the District, she has many roles and tasks and performs them with great professionalism in a kind, caring demeanor. Her extensive knowledge and operation of the Skyward system affects every student, parent and staff member in their educational journey.

🍎 High School English Teacher Karen Duffy is another of our fantastic nominees. As the English Language Arts representative on the High School Building Leadership Team, she is up-to-date on the latest curriculum ideas and possesses a thorough knowledge of her content area. It is evident that her many years of experience help produce excellence in her students.

HFEE has been presenting a Teacher of the Year award since 2014 to an outstanding educator in the Hayward Community School District. In 2022 we began giving an award for the Support Staff of the Year as well, as we wanted to recognize the dozens of staff members who may not play the role of educator but are so important in the lives of our students and their educational experiences.

🍏 At the Middle School, the Support Staff of the Year nominee is Administrative Assistant Ashley Martinson. Through phone calls, reports, documents, logs and announcements, she communicates with hundreds of parents, students and staff daily. She also volunteers many after-school hours for athletic events and activities.

🍎 6th Grade Science Teacher Shannon Judy has been nominated for Teacher of the Year. She often gives up her lunch time to assist students who need extra help and offers many engaging ways to learn in her classroom, including various animals, alternative energy solutions, plants and flowers.

It’s a beautiful day for golf, and we are so thankful to all of our Team Sponsors for their generous support of the organization and our school district! 🙌🏌️‍♀️

Today’s the big day—we’re ready for our golfers and looking forward to an incredible day on the course! ⛳️

If you’re not golfing with us, be sure to stop by the clubhouse and check out our raffle baskets and silent auction items. You do not need to be present to win, so everyone has a chance to take home something special. 🎁

Someone will be available in the clubhouse from 12–5 PM selling raffle tickets.

Here's a preview of some of the amazing items up for grabs!

The five Support Staff of the Year nominees will receive "Chamber Bucks" from the Hayward Area Chamber of Commerce to be used at local businesses, and the winner will also receive local restaurant gift cards, their name recognition on a traveling plaque and a silver engraved apple paperweight created by Apple Awards.

🍏 The nominee for the Intermediate School Support Staff of the Year is Administrative Assistant Mary Jo Goetsch. She is new to the district but has already demonstrated great attention to detail, problem-solving skills and efficiency in the office, all with a kind and helpful attitude.

🍎 Katie Housel, Art Teacher, has been nominated for the Teacher of the Year Award. She creates stunning visual elements for Homecoming floats, Winter Sing concerts and her highly-anticipated door displays, and passes that creativity to all of her students.