The Yavapai County Education Foundation (YCEF) announces the addition of four, new members to their Governing Board. These members represent diverse backgrounds and experiences and add depth to the eleven-member board:
- Dr. Selina Bliss, a nurse/educator currently teaching nursing at Yavapai College
- Kellie Burns, an educator, currently the District Executive Officer of Yavapai Accommodation School District
- Hilary Cannizzaro, Owner/Operator of Brightside Preschool and Child Care, LLC
- Marge Landry, Commercial Real Estate Property Management (retired)
In addition, the Board is finalizing plans for a new direction for YCEF with expanded emphasis on the grant program that puts needed resources directly into a teacher’s classroom. The Foundation is developing a robust method of recognizing outstanding Yavapai County Educators from each of the 102 schools in the County.
Our Yavapai County teachers have faced new and exceptionally difficult challenges this past year. COVOD-19 has challenged the entire educational environment. Teachers have been asked to teach remotely, a learning format that few have been trained in while some have been asked to teach both remotely and in person, greatly increasing their workload.
In addition to meeting the educational needs of students, teachers must also meet the social/emotional needs of students, often at a distance. This requires exceptional creativity and often impacts the teachers out of pocket expenses such as the teacher who bought the newest Harry Potter book for a discouraged student as one of many examples.
YCEF, a 501 (c) 3, was founded in 1994 by a group of dedicated education advocates for the sole purpose of recognizing and honoring outstanding educators and to provide supplemental funding for education related classroom projects. More information can be found at www.ycefoundation.com.