February 1, 2026

Do You Know an Outstanding Student or Teacher?

It's time to nominate students and teachers for some of the special honors the Foundation bestows.

There are eight scholarship programs the Foundation administers. For seven of them, anyone--parents, friends, alumni, community members--can nominate a deserving high school senior:

The Charles B. "Chip" Ridenour Jr. Memorial Scholarship
The Reid VanGelderen Memorial Scholarship
The Matt F. Fouch Scholarship of Character
The GPJC Scholarship in Memory of Peter Coroneos
The Murphy Ainsworth Scholarship
The Parker Spindle Genuine Heart Scholarship
The Peter G. Ruppert Scholarship

The eighth scholarship is the East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation scholarship. Students apply for that one themselves. Nomination forms, applications, and details about the individual scholarships are available on our website. Nomination forms and applications are due March 15.

You can also nominate an outstanding teacher for the Foundation's Excellence in Teaching Awards and the James and Georgia Nicholas Endowed Award for a Teacher of Math, Science, or Technology. Nomination forms are also available on our website. Nominations are due May 1.

Another way you can recognize oustanding teachers or staff members is with STAR Awards. For a donation of $25 or more to the Foundation, we’ll produce a STAR Award for your favorite teacher or staff member and either present it to them or give it to you to present it yourself. Your donation will go toward funding enhancement grants that offer our kids educational opportunities that are second to none. To honor a teacher, visit the STAR Awards page on our website.

Finally, this year's high school sophomores can apply to be a Student Board Member on the Foundation's Board of Directors. There are two student board members every year, a junior and a senior. This year's junior is Caleb Rapoport and this year's senior is Tanyon Sanders. The sophomore who is selected will serve a two-year term on the board as a junior and senior. Those applications are on our website too. Applications for the Student Board Member position are due April 15.

Get Your HURRAH! Tickets or Be a Sponsor Now

This year's HURRAH! party is going to be big, Big, BIG! Come celebrate our schools, our students and our community with your friends and neighbors in The BIG Room at Silva Grand Rapids.

HURRAH! is the Foundation's fundraiser of the year and it's extremely popular. The last three years, we've had to cut off ticket sales in advance.

This year, we're asking what makes you proud. What makes you happy? What's your HURRAH! If you've never been to The BIG Room at Silva, you won't believe it! There will be a DJ, dancing, apps, treats, drinks, and more.

We have a lot of surprises planned, but we can tell you this: It's going to be BIG!

Sponsorship opportunities and tickets are available now on the HURRAH! page on the Foundation website.

What's On the Horizon?

2/2-2/6: Kabookie Week
2/6: PTO Brrr! Event
2/9: Board of Education Meeting
2/10: HS Choir Pre-Festival Scholarship Concert
2/11: MS and HS Band Pre-Festival Scholarship Concert
2/12: MS and HS Orchestra Pre-Festival Scholarship Concert
2/13-2/16: Mid-Winter Break
2/19-2/21: Wealthy Elementary Musical
2/21: PTO Yule Ball
2/27: Wealthy Elementary PTO Movie Night
2/27-2/28: HS Student-Directed Play

These dates may change. For the latest information, visit the East Horizon page on our website.

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2915 Hall St. SE
Grand Rapids, MI | 49506 US

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