A+ for Progress at Moreno Valley High School
When things were looking bleak at Moreno Valley High School in 2017, new interim director Tammy Dunn appealed to the Angel Fire Community Foundation for help. Dunn had recently joined the school that February and enrollment was at its lowest point – 53 students. State school funding was down because enrollment was down. Dunn was facing cuts in classes offered to students and the possibility of teacher cuts.
Fortunately, the Angel Fire Community Foundation and the Rebecca McCracken Memorial Donor Fund were able to come to the rescue. The foundation approved a grant request by director Dunn for $311,000. The grant was funded by the Rebecca McCracken Memorial Donor Fund.
The grant was to be dispersed in four equal installments of $77,750 over four semesters.
This February 2019 Director Dunn wrote the foundation board of directors that “we have 63 students enrolled and we expect to increase our number again. ‘We have been very frugal with the grant money we were awarded and our enrollment has also grown, increasing our budget. Therefore, we request that the last disbursement of the grant awarded for fiscal years 2017-18 and 2018-19 be deferred until the fall semester of the 2019-2020 school year.”
Community Foundation board vice president Stan Harrell wrote director Dunn that her request had been approved. He added, “The Angel Fire Community Foundation would like to commend you and the staff of Moreno Valley High School on your continuing commitment to quality education and increased enrollment of students.”
In her February letter to the foundation board, Dunn wrote that the foundation grants had also provided funding for student travel, theatre, and the Beyond the Valley trip. Additional monies for marketing “gave us the edge we needed to grow enrollment.” Dunn explained that the next step in a World Class Education at MVHS is creating a Computer Science/ Technology Department.
The final disbursement will be used to develop a STEAM — Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics lab, plus a salary for the teacher of the new STEAM department, and equipment needs for the new classes. Our students will be competitive and knowledgeable as they make their way to college in a field not offered at Moreno Valley High School.”
The final grant disbursement from the Rebecca McCracken Memorial Donor Fund “will be used specifically for the startup of the new department and the unique needs for the lab so our students continue to enjoy a rich high school experience. Dunn told the Community Foundation, “…this new program will give us an edge in recruiting new students and families.”
A once bleak future for Moreno Valley High School has been reversed. MVHS is now flourishing and our community can be proud. For more information on the Angel Fire Community Foundation and its services to the community, please go to www.andelfirecommunityfoundation.org.
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