Forest Hills Fine Arts Center Foundation Merges with the Forest Hills Educational Foundation

The great American author Ralph Ellison once remarked that “Education is all a matter of building bridges.” In a time of unprecedented budget cuts, the importance of “building bridges” has never been greater. As supporters of Forest Hills Public Schools, our unwavering commitment to our students’ success demands that we adapt to new realities in order to best support academic excellence.

In keeping with this mission, we are exceedingly pleased to announce the completion of a new “bridge” to better serve our students: a merger between the Forest Hills Public Schools Fine Arts Center Foundation and the Forest Hills Educational Foundation. The arrangement, in which the Fine Arts Center Foundation joined the Forest Hills Educational Foundation, maximizes the newly expanded entity’s fundraising and grantmaking potential, significantly improving its ability to serve the best interests of the students.

For years, the Fine Arts Center Foundation and Forest Hills Educational Foundation engaged in the arduous and unenviable task of asking the same supporters for funding for similar work. After careful review, the Boards of the two entities determined that the students of Forest Hills Public Schools would be better served by a single, unified foundation. Our shared mission — to ignite a passion for learning through support of creative and progressive educational programs — remains the same. Our ability to support that mission is stronger than ever.

The realities of today’s economy make the work of the Forest Hills Public Schools Foundation more relevant than ever as we seek to bridge the gaps imposed by declining state funding. Look for more information as we embark on the next phase of our journey supporting creative and dynamic learning opportunities for students of Forest Hills Public Schools.

Helping Students Succeed in School and Life

As WB Yeats once said, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”Learning leads to lifelong transformation in every student. The Forest Hills Public Schools Foundation provides a match that ignites a passion for learning, leading to success both in school and in life.

In today’s shrinking world, it’s not enough to churn out students who can recite facts.  Success is about molding and shaping students who can analyze, engage, create, and adapt.  Students who receive the benefit of a kaleidoscopic education are better equipped to succeed in a world that looks very different than it did just one generation ago.

The cuts in state funding don’t even provide enough money for day-to-day essentials, much less any budget for creative teaching or experimentation.  That’s where the Forest Hills Public Schools Foundation comes into the picture. Grants from the Foundation give teachers the freedom to provide the variety of experiences that position students to succeed in life. These investments pay off every year, as more and more students benefit from them.

We invite you to learn more about our grants; to become part of the Foundation by volunteering for the board; or to give a gift that will enrich the legacy of success in this school district for years to come.