Holland Educational Foundation

09/23/2026

Let's hear about another grant - some happy news to get your through Wednesday!

Ann Jackson (HHS, HMS, West Elementary, HHE, HLA, Jefferson, HEC) received HEF funding for "Enhancing Student Emotional Regulation and Resilience Through Biofeedback-Informed Social Work Practice" Biofeedback is a technique in social work where practitioners use real-time physiological data—like heart rate, breathing patterns, or muscle tension—to help students recognize and manage their stress and emotions. By seeing how their bodies react to stress in real time, students learn concrete strategies (like deep breathing or grounding techniques) to calm their nervous systems, build resilience, and handle tough situations better.

"The benefits of the program are evident and the staff, now trained in implementation and utilization, are excited for the upcoming school year. Data on impact will be collected."

Thank you, HEF donors, for making this incredible grant possible!

09/21/2026

🍎 Grant Spotlight: "Educator Wellness Support through Coaching" through Opportunity Thrive, a non-profit who believes that healthy staff cultures and resilient educators are the keys to dynamic, innovative, and successful schools–where all children can grow and flourish. This grant was for all Public Schools.

states "Those who received coaching were some of the most at-risk educators in the district for burnout with initial wellness scores that put them in a category that suggested coaching would be beneficial. Wellness evaluations are offered to each educator, and the ones who take the eval and score in a range that would benefit from coaching are given extra support. Because of this entry point, we look at growth over time as an indicator of the efficacy of our coaching. We have done an overall analysis of our coaching work as an organization for this past year based on the information we do have available for us. Those we coached experience growth in 6 out of the 7 key wellness indicators.

Those we coached experienced a +6.7 point greater increase in their overall score versus those we did not support with coaching. In other words, on average, individuals we coached increased in wellbeing more than those who did not receive coaching.

Why is this significant? We want to understand the normal trajectory of an educator over the course of a school year (non-coached) and compare it to how our support improves that normal trajectory. Associate Superintendent Pennington recently shared that this year's retention rate was the highest the district has experienced in a while; the district beat state averages for turnover, even with retirements. This is important for stability of culture and for financial implications for the district. Considering the average district spends approximately $20,000 / teacher when they have to rehire for a position, this grant potentially saved Holland Public Schools over $160,000. We recognize, though, that our goal with our coaching isn't really retention; it's wellbeing. We desire to see your educators healthier and more regulated, so that they can meet the challenges of educating the next generation with passion, purposed, and creativity. "

Thank you, HEF donors, you made these experiences possible!

09/18/2026

Want some GREAT weekend plans in November? Follow the link in bio for HEF Red Tie Gala - you won't regret it!

09/17/2026

Dear HEF Committee & Donors,

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the selection committee & for supporting this vision of empowering HPS Girls of Color through a structured mentorship program, Sisters Towards Success.

Over the course of six weeks, participants were organized into triads consisting of one professional mentor, one fifth-grade student, and one eighth-grade student. The program focused on key themes including

Identity & Belonging (I Belong Here)
Confidence & Self-Worth (I Am Enough)
Voice & Expression (My Voice Matters)
Boundaries & Peer Power
Future Vision (My Future, My Vision)
Celebration, Voice & Legacy.

Each week, we met for 1.5 hours at Mezkla, a women-of-color-owned business, where we created a space that felt both professional and welcoming. Over dinner, mentors and mentees engaged in meaningful conversations, building authentic relationships while discussing identity, confidence, and future goals.

A highlight of the program was the professional headshot experience, designed to help students begin to see themselves as capable, successful future professionals. Additionally, each mentee wrote a thank-you letter to her mentor, reinforcing reflection and gratitude, while mentors were recognized with a small token of appreciation for their time and commitment.

This program provided a strong foundation for mentorship, connection, and identity development. While grant funds supported logistics and implementation, the impact of the relationships built and the conversations held is truly invaluable.

Given the strong engagement, meaningful relationships formed, and the confidence we saw grow in our students, we believe this program has significant potential for long-term impact. We would welcome the opportunity to continue and expand this work, reaching more students and deepening mentorship connections over time.

With appreciation, thank you to the Holland Education Foundation for making this opportunity possible. In Partnership with You, Principal Iliana Vasquez

09/15/2026

HEF Grant Spotlight! These exciting initiatives received funding from the Holland Educational Foundation—thank you to our generous donors! 🏫

🍎 Joy Kooyer's (3rd, 5th Grades) "Who Am I?": "Students LOVED dressing up as famous people and learning about the role they played. Students came on stage dressed as a character. Third graders gave the presentation and fifth graders were our audience. It was a hit!!! This project was SO much fun. "

✍️ Cheryl Merrifield's (PreK-5th Grade) Playground tools: "The students were all very engaged with the equipment. They practiced skills like turn taking, helping others and trouble shooting. They were also more engaged with academics knowing they were getting a break with the playground tools and more engaged after getting a well deserved sensory break/break."

✍️ Holly Forbes' (PreK) "Exploring Nature": "We enjoyed taking our students on a field trip and exploring at a nature park. We got to learn about the wetlands and explore a small pond area.. Being able to help parents with the cost is so beneficial in making it accessible to all our students."

🍏 Becky Lawrence's (PreK-5th Grade) "Staff Care Time'": "This project was worthwhile because of the connection that allowed staff members to experience and to know this type of option was available to be cared for."

🍏 Becky Lawrence's (4th Grade) "4th and 5th Grade Creativity Outreach Program with Saugatuck Center for the Arts": "This program was worthwhile in that opened students to more experiences, coping skills, arts, and communication opportunities. I am so grateful for the programming that SCA provided ."

🍎 Joy Kooyer's (3rd Grade) "Around the World with Reading Buddies": "First, these kids just love being together. Second, they are like sponges and want to learn about new things. The benefit is both grade levels are learning about a country, foods they eat, the meaning of the flag what animals live in the country and what the climate is in each country. Students also got to choose how they "arrived" at each country- by boat or plane and thal also went into their passports."

09/14/2026

09/11/2026

Grant spotlight! Holland Language Academy received these grants from HEF:

🍏 Cynthia Marroquin's (PreK, 9-12th Grades) Field trip to the GR Children's Museum: "I would absolutely recommend this program to others because it makes abstract concepts tangible for young learners."

🍎 Lillian Bol's (1st Grade) "John Ball Zoo": "Students were so excited to go on a trip to the zoo and afterwards we conducted a build your own zoo project! Students labeled their animals and drew their habitats!"

🍏 Nydia Morin's (PreK-5th Grade) "Clickers for everyone": "My students often made sure I had the clicker on me so I could move to the next page or use the pointer to guide them in a read aloud. It is a great tool to teachers. It helps with classroom management in even the smallest ways like walking around the room, working with small groups and being able to set a timer without too much interruption to the group. "

🍎 Christa Holland-Anderson's (5th Grade) "Middle Read Field Trip": "The author visits are inspiring to students. It is also meaningful for them to experience the event with students from all over the Holland area."

09/10/2026

Homecoming! Save the dates: September 20-25. See you there!

09/09/2026

Check out these exciting HEF grants with the BEST QUOTES in their evaluations turned in at the end of the school year:

🍎 Sara Folkert's (PreK-5th Grade at Jefferson Elementary) "Teacher Care Gatherings": Allowed our teachers to feel cared for and like their mental and physical health mattered. It gave us the opportunity to create connections outside of talking shop. (Time together) allowed our teachers to feel cared for. For example, when we went rock climbing, we were encouraging each other, laughing, and challenging each other in very healthy ways. I would absolutely recommend planning these kind of intentional activities throughout the school year. Also, the more we do, the more staff participate!

🏫 Mary Wilcox's (PreK) "Window on the Waterfront field trip": It was an awesome opportunity to visit local places, that students could visit on their own with their families. One student said "I didn't know this was so close! I'm going to have my mom bring me here. I love this park."

📝 Patricia Thornton's (1st Grade) "End of Year Field Trip to HAC celebration": "Students used the confidence they gained from swim lessons provided earlier by HPS." BEST DAY EVER! Never been down a slide that big before!

🍏 Isabella Myotte's (PreK) "Grant for John Ball Zoo": "Many students don't have the ability to travel to GR to experience the zoo.- they loved the animals!"

📝 Amy O'Keefe's (7th Grade) "Vocabulary and Phonics Toolkit": Helped those still struggling with phonics in middle school. One student had that lightbulb moment because of the kit, saying "OHHHHH, now I get it!

🚸 Grant: "Community Based Learning Field Trip" for Dakota Marz (Holland Middle School, West Elementary)—"The students were able to get up close and personal with animals at the critter barn that they previously have not been to and learned about different jobs that work with animals."

Thank you to our generous HEF donors for making this possible!

09/06/2026

Holland High School's Lynette Brander received HEF funding through for an exciting initiative to Empower New Swimmers in an environment that was culturally appropriate (private) and respectful to multilingual learners in high school. 🏊🏾‍♀️🏊🏼🏊🏊🏿‍♀️🏊🏼‍♂️

Participants had this to share:

🌊 “I learned how to float! I have always wanted to but couldn't figure out how”

🌊 “I had never been allowed to swim before, I loved EVERYTHING!”

🌊 “I learned and now love to float. I’m not even scared of the water anymore!”

🌊 “It was SO fun and amazing to go underwater!! I always wondered how people could do that! Honestly everything was great!!”

🌊 “I loved that it was just our group, I didn’t feel pressured and the teachers cared and took their time”

🌊 “I loved learning how to swim!! Now I can survive a flood.”

🌊 “The Swimming coach was so helpful. I didn't realize how important it is to relax. It helps you float”

🌊 “The water isn't scary anymore. I had a lot of fun”

There were innumerable lessons learned through this grant...too many for one post! Please ask HEF or Ms. Brander about them anytime.

Our generous grant from make empowering experiences like this possible, THANK YOU!