THE CITY SCHOOLS FOUNDATION
2552 South Church Street
Murfreesboro, TN 37127
The organization benefits Murfreesboro City Schools’ 9,000 plus pre-K through 6th-grade students and serves as a venue for other foundations and corporations to make significant contributions that can impact the school system as a whole. The intent is to bring local resources to bear on local needs. The group was chartered in 2005.
The Foundation’s goals are to boost the school system’s financial support in the areas of science and math, academic competition and excellence among students, and to address financial parity in all schools.
Andy and Cherry Womack will join an influential group of civic leaders to be honored by The City Schools Foundation for their support of public education at the 17th Annual Excellence in Education Celebration on April 26, 2024.
Andy and Cherry are enthusiastic supporters of public education and MTSU. Cherry is a retired high school teacher who served for over 25 years in public education. In addition to their philanthropic and community work, Andy is also a State Farm agent and former state senator. As a state senator, he served as chair of the Education Committee. Andy later served on the executive committee of the Southern Regional Education Board.
Mark your calendar to join The City Schools Foundation board, Andy and Cherry Womack, and their family for an enjoyable evening at Copper Ridge on April 26.
Former honorees include Charlie Patel, Doug Young, Collier Smith, Drs. Max and Mary Moss, John Floyd, Ed and Andrea Loughry, Tommy and Jeannie Bragg, Dr. Sidney and Elizabeth McPhee, Dr. Susan Andrews, John Hood, Rhea Seddon and “Hoot” Gibson, Gloria and Ted LaRoche, Joyce Taylor, and Bart Gordon.
The City Schools Foundation distributed a record setting $106,000 in grants to Murfreesboro City School teachers. The Foundation asks educators to submit proposals for funding that will help acquire resources for classrooms not ordinarily provided by taxpayer dollars.
Grants are submitted anonymously and are judged solely on their merit by a committee. Over 120 grants were submitted for consideration.
“Reading and scoring the grants is one of the most rewarding jobs as a foundation board member,” says David Scott, grant committee chair. “Thanks to the support of our sponsors and other foundations, this is the first year that we were able to fund over $100,000 in grants which was incredible. It is inspiring to see how educators are utilizing these grant dollars to enrich the education of students.”
Forty-five grants, representing twelve schools and the district, were selected for funding, and ranged from $121 for Science Support to $17,854 for Music. Grants averaged $2,355 in disbursements in 2023.
To date, The City Schools Foundation has given over $1.2 million. This year, the overarching theme requests consisted of STEM based programs, music enhancement and social emotional support. The City Schools Foundation through the Nissan Foundation funded materials for robotics earlier in the year.
“The works of this foundation reminds me of a quote from Margaret Mead: ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world,’” says Dr. Trey Duke, Director of Schools. “From its inception, the undisputable purpose of the individuals who have served on the foundation board has been and continues to be to serve the students and teachers of Murfreesboro.”
Funded grants included:
• Black Fox: STEAMing Up Science
• Bradley: Makey Makin’ Music
• Cason Lane: “The Banana Piano” – MaKe + Key = MaKey; Stacking Up on Math; Imagination, Set Free
• Cason Lane Pre-K: Pre-K Peace Corners, Sensory Room
• MCS District: Getting Ahead of the Game, Robotics for All and All for Robotics, MCS Honor Band
• Discovery: If You Build It, They Will Come; Social Emotional Learning with Slumberkins; Get Vertical With Thinking; Eyes on Pollinators
• Erma Siegel: Aim High, Soar Higher; Using White to GO GREEN!!; “STEM”ulating Young Engineers; “We will Rock You” – Rock Wall; Science Support for Multilingual Learners; LingoPens for Equity; Storyboard That: Digital Storytelling
• Hobgood: Electric Stove; Connecting the Future
• John Pittard: Classroom Material; Growing Experiments for Growing Minds
• Mitchell-Neilson: Gelli Plates for Printmaking; Hands-On Math; Chain Reaction Central; Breaking the Language Barrier with Technology; Literacy in the Music Classroom
• Northfield: Beebot-Dashbot-Everywhere a Robot
• Reeves-Rogers: Play Therapy: Healing Through The Art of Play
• Salem: Empowering Students with Chromebooks in STEAM Class; Classroom Math Read Alouds; Spring into Action!; “App”solutely” Amazing; “Watch Us Grow!”; “Splashing Into Hydroponics!”; Bee-Bottin’ Our Way through the Alphabet; Gee Whiz Geoboards; Razzle Dazzle; Books for Boost
• Scales: Mobile Melodies: The Keys to Unlocking Music Creation; Reeds, Reeds, We Need Reeds: Consumable Materials for Beginning Band Students; Giving Math a Hand
In addition to being a resource for other foundations, The City Schools Foundation has two primary fundraisers – Excellence in Education and a new tennis fundraiser – Serve it UP.
The City Schools Foundation is a private, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. Chartered in 2005, the Foundation was created by volunteers from the community who wanted to supplement the resources available to the Murfreesboro City Schools System. Follow The City Schools Foundation on Facebook for upcoming events.
Patel Honored by City Schools Foundation
Charlie Patel joins an elite group of civic leaders to be honored by The City Schools Foundation for their support of public education at the 16th Annual Excellence in Education Celebration on April 15, 2023.
With a degree in electronics and telecommunications engineering, Charlie began his first business venture in Murfreesboro in 1996. Since that time, Charlie has expanded his business to include retail, land development, hotel investments and fast-food franchises.
Charlie and his family are known for their philanthropy and support of local charities. As a board member for six years with The City Schools Foundation, Charlie played an integral part of the success of the Foundation. Additionally, Charlie and his team at Stones River Total Beverage have been a key supporter of Charity Circle, Wine Around the Square, Discovery Center, Boys and Girls Club, Murfreesboro Symphony and the list continues.
“Charlie is an unassuming business leader in our community. He gives his time and talent to serve without fail,” says David Scott, Chairman of The City Schools Foundation. “We are thrilled to honor him, his work, his philanthropic mindset and support of education at the upcoming celebration.”
Discover more about Murfreesboro City Schools staff and students throughout the event. The evening will feature the talents of select MCS musicians as well as MCS art teachers. Reservations for the Celebration are now available including individual tickets at $150 and sponsorships ranging from $750-$5,000. The Foundation has given over $97,000 in teacher grants and parity dollars to schools over the last four months which directly benefits students.
Join The City Schools Foundation board, Charlie and Bina Patel, and their family for an enjoyable evening at Copper Ridge Event Venue on April 15.
“The 16th annual Excellence in Education celebration is themed around Daffodils and Diamonds. It will be an enjoyable evening with good food and friends in a casual atmosphere,” says Stephanie Roach, event chair. “We are delighted that David and Shari Lynn opened the doors of Copper Ridge to us again this year.”
Former honorees include Doug Young, Collier Smith, Drs. Max and Mary Moss, John Floyd, Ed and Andrea Loughry, Tommy and Jeannie Bragg, Dr. Sidney and Elizabeth McPhee, Dr. Susan Andrews, John Hood, Rhea Seddon and “Hoot” Gibson, Gloria and Ted LaRoche, Joyce Taylor, and Bart Gordon.
The City Schools Foundation is a group of civic and business leaders banding together to benefit Murfreesboro City Schools’ pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade students. Trustees for The City Schools Foundation include: David Scott, Justin Burriss, Stephanie Roach, Kimberly Robertson, Vicki Eastham, Ellen Slicker, Andrew Young, Kathryn Layman, Essence Brisco, Joe Faiz, Eric Newell, James Calder, Kevin Pascoe, Robin Morgan and School Board Liaison Wes Ballard.
For additional information, please call Lisa Trail at 615-225-9381 or any member of the City Schools Foundation Trustees. Murfreesboro City Schools is a district of thirteen schools committed to the academic and personal success of each child.
The City Schools Foundation distributed over $62,000 in grants to teachers in October with an additional $5,000 grant for indigent care. Thirty-three grants were selected for funding for the 2022-23 school year. The Foundation asks educators from Murfreesboro City Schools to submit proposals for funding that will help them acquire resources not ordinarily provided by taxpayer dollars.
“It is always incredible to see the grant requests we receive each year. The grants ranged from ukuleles and cooking to sensory rooms and Legos,” says David Scott, Grant Committee Chair and Board Chair, The City Schools Foundation. “Reading the grants opens the eyes of our committee to the extraordinary learning happening within the classrooms.”
Grants are submitted anonymously and are judged on their merit by a committee. The funding for grants ranged from $154 for Pawz the Calming Pup to Coding at Future Jobs at $9,988. Winning grants included:
Black Fox Elementary
Sensory Room – Ashley Love
Jessica Codispoti – Hands on Magnets
Tori Hooten – Serious about Circuits
Cason Lane Academy
Strumming for Success – Carolene Goff
Enriching Outdoor Play for Special Education Preschool Students – Anna Beth Phillips
Classroom Calm Down Kits and Sensory Paths – Anna Johnson
Low Tech: Big Impact – Zena Mohsen and Denise Perkins
Inclusive Related Arts Programing for Special Education – Helen Belcher
Discovery School
Loopy Tunes – Dr. Kelley Kleppinger
LEGO Math – Neely Embree
Erma Siegel
Do Re Mi – Rachel Friedman
Building Bridges to English – Tara McCamey
Creating the Future: Makerbot to the Rescue – Angela Pope
Building Math Minds One Lego at a Time – Angela Pope
John Pittard
Sound Engineers Extraordinaire – Luke Hill
Whiteboards and Dry Erase Markers for 5th Grade Math – Melinda Crook
iPads for Multilingual Learners: Promoting Language Development through Technology – Whitney Dixon, Alma Salazar, and Moussa Saleh
Hobgood
Fun-dations in Reading – Barbara Arnold
Mitchell-Neilson
The Hands-On Lab – Sarah Golden
Northfield
A School Designed for Regulation – Rachel Davenport
Reeves-Rogers
Coding for Future Jobs – Kathie Brown
Digital Art Collaboration in a STEM classroom – Shannon Harvey
Keep Calm and Learn On – Natalie Hardiman
Salem
Social Emotional Learning – Taylor Draper
Pawz The Calming Pup – Taylor Draper
Expedition Unknown – Sarah Chumney
Bridging the Gap – Lucie Abbott
Here’s Looking at You! – Kathy Latondress and Beth Wood
“Weather” Come What May, I am Ready to Explore Today! – Kathy Latondress and Beth Wood
SOUNDS Good to Me! – Kathy Latondress and Beth Wood
Scales
Life Skills (Cooking) – Charlotte Cruesoe
Bridging the Gap: Ukuleles to Guitars – Ryan Stewart
Big Band, Big Sound, Small Needs – Tony Hartman
The Foundation funded several grants this year focusing on social and emotional learning, a key strategic in the MCS five-year strategic plan. Social and emotional learning aims to help students better understand their thoughts and emotions, to become more self-aware, and to help develop empathy for others. Developing these qualities helps students with their ability to handle stress and distractions.
Grants also covered many aspects of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math.) STEAM-based education teaches children more than science and mathematics concepts. STEAM teaching focuses on on hands-on learning with real-world applications including creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration.
Trustees for The City Schools Foundation include David Scott, Kimberly Robertson, Joe Faiz, Justin Burris, Stephanie Roach, Kimberly Robertson, Vicki Eastham, Ellen Slicker, Andrew Young, Essence Briscoe, James Calder, Katherine Layman and Robin Bayne. Additionally, Dr. Trey Duke and School Board Member Wesley Ballard serve as non-voting members of the Foundation.
The City Schools Foundation is a private, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. Chartered in 2005, the Foundation was created by volunteers from the community who wanted to supplement the resources available to the Murfreesboro City Schools System. More information can be found at www.cityschoolsfoundation.com.
Older News:
The City Schools Foundation Grant Applications are open through November 2. The grants will be awarded in December. Please be sure your principal or director is aware of your grant prior to final submission.
(Complete Your Grant Application Here)
The City Schools Foundation will kick off the 2020-2021 school year with a virtual 5K/10K run on September 12, 2020. The 5th annual Back to School Dash, presented by Children’s Dentistry and Orthodontics, is “RUN AT OUR OWN PACE, AT YOUR OWN PLACE.”
“Things are definitely looking different this year,” says Justin Burriss, Foundation Treasurer and Back to School Dash Race Co-Chair. “However, the student’s needs and our Foundation’s goals haven’t stopped and our fundraising efforts will not either.”
The virtual race is a first for the Foundation. Registration is $20 and includes a t-shirt and SWAG for each participant. “We want to make sure the runners are participating in a fun run event,” says Board Member, Brook LaRoche. “The race has grown each year and has become such an exciting event and we don’t want to lose our momentum.”
Money raised by The City Schools Foundation benefits Murfreesboro City Schools’ Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade students. To date, the Foundation has awarded over $1M in parity funds and grants to teachers to enhance science, math and other programs. The Foundation awarded a $50,000 grant in August to Murfreesboro City Schools to purchase additional Chromebooks for students.
The City Schools Foundation is a group of civic and business leaders banding together to benefit Murfreesboro City Schools’ Pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade students.
The 5k/10k run is sponsored in part by Children’s Dentistry & Orthodontics, City Tile & Floor Covering, Wilson Bank, and David and Brook LaRoche, Franklin Synergy Bank.
For additional information, please visit bit.ly/backtoschooldash20.
The Foundation is once again supporting our students by purchasing 170 Chromebooks with a donation of $50,000. The laptops are on order and are expected to arrive in a few months. Your dollars are working hard for our students and teachers.The City Schools Foundation will distribute over $73,000 in grants to Murfreesboro City School teachers in 2019. The Foundation asks educators to submit proposals for funding that will help acquire resources for classrooms not ordinarily provided by taxpayer dollars.
“Reading and scoring the grants is one of the most rewarding jobs. The Foundation is thrilled with the range of requests we received from math and science to technology and arts,” says Kevin Grisham, grant committee chair. “It is incredible to see how educators are utilizing hands-on learning opportunities to enrich the classroom.”
Grants are submitted anonymously and are judged solely on their merit by a committee.
Twenty-five grants, representing all thirteen schools, have been selected for funding and range from $300 for On a Rollercoaster with Isaac Newton to $7,000 for “Clearing” the way for STEAM. Sixteen grants received over $2,000 in disbursements.
Grants included:
This year, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) was the overarching theme for the grant requests. Many STEAM projects involve teamwork and allow students to explore subjects utilizing hands-on activities and dialogue giving students additional ways to succeed in this rapidly changing technology-based world.
The City Schools Foundation is currently accepting applications for teacher grants for the 2019-20 school year. Recipients will be announced in early Fall. Murfreesboro City School teachers are encouraged to apply for grants by completing the application below. Grants are due by Thursday, Sept. 19.
The City Schools Foundation will kick off the 2019-20 school year with a 5K/10K run on September 14, 2019. The race begins at Overall Creek Elementary and run a relatively flat terrain on Veteran’s Parkway with the 10K continuing on Mooreland Lane.
About Race
The City Schools Foundation’s Back to School Dash 5k/10k will be held Saturday, September 14 beginning at Overall Creek Elementary. Start time is 7 a.m. with options to walk or run.
The 5k and 10k courses are USATF Certified and timed. Race participants will run from Overall Creek to Veterans Parkway, turn on Veterans and return via Mooreland Drive. Racers will face an uphill grade on parts of the course. Pre-registration includes a timing chip, race bib and t-shirt.
The 5k/10k run is sponsored in part by Children’s Dentistry & Orthodontics; City Tile & Floor Covering, e. Allen Boutique, Middle Tennessee Oral and Implant Surgery, St. Thomas Rutherford, Body and Face Medical Cosmetic Center, Brook and David LaRoche, The LaRoche Family, First Bank, Franklin Synergy, Michael’s Homes, Tennessee Pediatrics – Dr. Dunk Eastham, Dream Catchers – Dana Cox, Alice and Robert Stachura, and Chip and Aimee Hoover, Wilson Bank and Trust, Elizabeth and Sidney McPhee, Mathnasium, Volunteer Botanical, RG Anderson.
Early bird registration is $30 for the 5k and $35 for the 10k. Online registration ends on September 12. Sign-ups will be accepted the morning of the race for those registering before 6:30 am. Please have the registration materials filled out before arriving if registering the day of the event. For safety reasons, no wheeled devices, strollers, or pets are allowed on the course.
For additional information or to register, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/TN/Murfreesboro/BacktoSchoolDash
Overall Creek is located at 429 Otter Trail, Murfreesboro, TN 37128. The City Schools Foundation raises funds that are given directly to teachers and schools in the form of parity and classroom grants to enhance science, math, technology and art programs.
About Course
The race starts and finishes at Overall Creek Elementary School. 5K Race participants will run from Overall Creek to the predominantly flat Veterans Parkway and back. 10K participants will begin at the same point and will continue the run on Mooreland Lane.
Racers will receive directions and parking information via email closer to the date of the event. For safety reasons no wheeled devices (including strollers) or pets are allowed on the course.
Packet Pick-Up
Packets pickup and pre-registration will be available September 13. Racers will be emailed the packet pick-up information including locations and times. All participants are encouraged to pick up their packets and pre-register on these dates. Packets will include bibs, race t-shirt and important day-of information. If a runner is not able pick up their packet a friend may pick it up for them provided they bring a copy of the participants driver’s license and their printed race confirmation.
Race day pick-up will be available from 5:45 to 6:45 at Overall Creek Elementary. Please allow plenty of time for pick-up if retrieving your packet the morning of the race.
For additional information, please visit www.cityschoolsfoundation.com.