As most of us know, moving is stressful. Whether moving across town or packing up the U-Haul to road trip to the other side of the country, there is always that lingering burden you feel of ensuring that you are making the best decision for your entire family. One of the most important factors that Beth and I considered when we first decided to move to southern Denton County was the quality of education my two girls would receive.
It is hard for me to believe that this fall, my oldest daughter, Lauren, will be a sophomore in high school, and my youngest daughter, Ashley, will be entering middle school. Where have the years gone?! As a parent, I believe nothing could be more important than providing my girls with every opportunity available to them so that they are free to pursue whatever dreams and aspirations they may have in life. Like so many other families in our community, Beth and I were confident in our move to our current home because we knew the surrounding schools and school districts would offer our children the tools they needed to succeed.
There is no doubt that students in Denton County receive exceptional teaching and opportunities in our local schools. Today however, I want to specifically call your attention to the work being done in the Lewisville Independent School District (LISD) through the Lewisville ISD Education Foundation (LEF). LEF seeks to promote excellence in education in the 13 communities served by LISD through securing private funding to benefit teachers and students. The foundation specifically works to fund designated program areas and supports priority projects identified by LISD in an effort to help teachers and students excel.
Since its beginning in 1990, LEF giving has exceeded $2.5 million. The stories of teachers and students who have directly benefited from the foundation are numerous. Whether LEF is partnering with investors to improve student outcomes in STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or collaborating with local teachers and principals to re-imagine the typical classroom to increase student engagement, there is always a life changing story to tell. Especially for those students who may not have ever believed in their potential before, LEF funding provides teachers and schools the resources they need to encourage these students to strive for greater educational heights and to expand their futures further than they may have ever thought possible.
Like many philanthropic organizations, LEF depends on assistance from the local community to be effective. One of the easiest ways to support the efforts of LEF is through attending their upcoming event, Fork and Pencil: An Evening For Education. This event seeks to benefit students and teachers of LISD and represents an excellent opportunity for our community to promote the Foundation’s mission of excellence in education while also enjoying an evening together. The event will take place Saturday, Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in Lewisville. For more information or to register for the event, visit https://lisdef.com/forkandpencil/, or call 469-948-2022.
In Denton County, we know that we have some of the best and brightest students in the state. We also know that every student is different, and that a learning environment that one student thrives in may not be the same as the next student. LEF encourages our educators to think outside the box and to come up with innovative ways to help each individual student succeed. Go to http://lisdef.com/, and see how you can be a part of equipping the future leaders of our state today.
As always, it is an honor to serve you in the Texas House of Representatives and I welcome your feedback on this and any other critical state issues. If you would like to share a thought with me, please feel free to contact me at my Capitol office at 512-463-0688 or by email at [email protected].
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