Vashon Partners in Education is celebrating its 30th year of supporting teachers and students through its annual Phone-a-thon Oct. 10, 11 and 12. Since its inception, Partners in Education’s (PIE) mission has been to support programs that enrich the schools’ standard curriculum. By funding grant requests written by individual teachers, donations islanders make go directly to the classroom.

As a retired teacher, I know that these specific requests are relatively small in comparison to the overall district budget, thus difficult to get funded through the larger budget process. Throughout my 33 years with Vashon High School, PIE has met my grant requests promptly.

Before the digital age, PIE made it possible to order eight popular interactive world geography games, which the entire freshman geography class played every Friday. Students learned basic geography effortlessly because it was fun. A PIE grant allowed my teaching partner and me to work with storyteller Merna Hecht, who helped students turn interviews with Vashon seniors into student-scripted and student-produced plays as a final project for the American Studies class. Students learned about the Great Depression, World War II and the Japanese internment from their older friends and neighbors and practiced their creative writing and acting skills as well. A 1996 PIE grant also enabled me to purchase Frederick Douglass’ “Narrative of a Slave,” which personalized the tragedy of the American slave trade. The junior U.S. History class was still reading and commenting on Douglass’ riveting autobiography in 2016. Three years ago, PIE helped me bring the popular American Road Trip project into my classroom by funding laminated maps to deepen students’ learning of their country’s geography, natural wonders and cultural sites. Ironically, the digital age had lessened students’ spatial sense and maps gave students a greater appreciation of the size and variety of regions in the USA. Thus an old-school tool became an innovative teaching method for a new generation.

When you donate to PIE this fall, your money will be funding teacher/student inspired projects for the 2017-2018 school year. Here is a sampling of what your PIE donations funded in 2016-2017:

Kindergartners now have equipment to enhance the art center in each classroom. Items that teachers requested and students are now using include drying racks for art work, watercolor paints and brushes, tape dispensers and rolls of tape and smocks for each child to wear.

Second graders are now using Magna-Tile sets in each classroom to create structures that enhance students’ understanding of geometry.

Sixth graders are now able to access a newly created online version, as well as a laminated version, of the dichotomous key specific to the macro-invertebrates in the creeks of Vashon Island. This allows students to work side-by-side with scientists and identify and count different types of invertebrates that reflect the health of Vashon’s local creeks.

High school students can now choose among 108 new library books that replenished the poetry and world literature collections at VHS library. The book titles reflect student and teacher requests and enhance the standard curriculum for World Literature, Women’s Voices and other English courses.

PIE also collaborates with the Vashon Center for the Arts and provides grants for The Artists in the Schools Program. Through this innovative program, teachers request specific artists to work with them. Visual artists, musicians, poets, storytellers, dancers and creative writers enliven our K-12 classrooms.

In the past 30 years, PIE’s generous donors have enabled us to make over $1.25 million dollars in grants to countless creative projects, activities and materials for our students. After retiring last spring, I was invited to join the PIE board. Now, instead of requesting grants, I am helping to raise funds to support the special efforts of our teachers district-wide.

Thank you for your support throughout the years. On Oct. 10 through 12, I urge you to listen for the phone-a-thon and answer the call. You may also check out our website, vashonpie.org, for other ways to donate.

— Martha Woodard is a retired Vashon High School humanities and history teacher and PIE board member.