In my last blog, I shared with you some of the origins of the Étude Sessions. As we move ahead with the sessions this year, we see the funds raised as having a significant impact across all three of our schools. The central purpose of the sessions is to build community. With that in mind, we want to the funds raised to go towards building a stronger community by supporting our young people. This will take the shape of:

• Funding our college readiness trips. Research shows that high school students need to visit 5 different types of schools prior to making a choice on a college. These trips provide our students with that foundation to make a good decision. It is part of the reason our college acceptance rates are between 80% - 90+%.
• Supporting projects. At all three schools, use inquiry projects to engage students in academic content as well as skills essential to be successful in a world that increases creative and innovative thinking skills. At ESAA, we see projects such as our kindergarten farm project where students study aspects of the farm and then develop real world solutions to help the farm animals. At IDEAS and Mosaic, these are often student directed and initiated projects that require vast array of resources and materials.
• Supporting ESAA in its new location. As ESAA settles into its new location, we have a strong vision of creating a rich and engaging learning environment. The use of makerspaces inside the building as places for creative play is essential. Outside, we see the opportunity to have students create habit for long term study of the environment. While the PTO supports these initiatives, we need to be able to have multiple sources of funding.
• Career development for our middle and high schoolers. Central to our vision of career development for our Mosaic and IDEAS students is putting our students in meaningful interactions with professionals. The funds raised in the Étude Sessions will help us take students to firms such as Trek Bicycle to see how the design and engineering process come to life. It will also allow us to bring in local professionals to work through real life scenarios and provide meaningful feedback to our students. Interacting with professionals around issues core to their professionals gives our students a meaningful look into what the real work of professionals looks like.
• International travel for our high school students. This school year a group of our students who have been studying spanish will be taking service trip to Nicaragua. Through funds raised via the Étude Sessions, we want to be able to offer scholarships to students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it. These trips are an important way for our students to continue their study of spanish in a way that immerses them in a cultural. Through this students can understand economic and political issues first hand.

These funds are vital to us improving our community through our young people. We appreciate the support we have received in the past and look for your support in growing the Étude Session as a way to support our students while creating community.