July 2024 - GHS Foundation Impact
In 2008, a dynamic group of parents, staff, alumni, and community members committed themselves to improving Grossmont High School through the GHS Educational Foundation, a nonprofit 501(C)3 entity.
The purpose of the Foundation is to enhance the overall educational experience of the students by raising funds to support the needs of the school. The Foundation encourages parents, students, alumni, and community to “Take your memories…Leave your footprints.” Appropriately, footprints are the Foundation logo.
Sixteen years later, the impact of the foundation is found throughout the campus, including awarding mini-grants to fund special projects to senior scholarships.
2023-24 Teacher Mini-grants
Various departments have benefitted from the mini-grants to fund projects that enrich and facilitate student learning; these are a few of them.
CTE (Career Technical Education) Digital Arts: $290 Digital Arts T-Shirt Design Supplies
Counseling Department:
$1250 Senior Post High School Decision Celebration Lunch
$500 FAFSA Financial Aid Student Drawing of Gift Cards for Completion
$2500 Yearlong Staff Wellness Initiative
Math: $728 I Pad and I Pencil to Create Clear and Colorful Math Lessons
Peer Listening: $2000 UCSD Team Bonding Rope Challenge Course
Vocal Music Department: $2500 to Help Fund Concert Dresses and Tuxedos
$1500 Faculty Chaperone Support for Trip to Italy
Special Education: $1000 GHS Fruits and Vegetable Garden Growing Supplies
At the end of the year, Special Education teacher Kendra Whitt emailed the Foundation: “Thank you so much for the mini grant! You funded our garden for our moderate/severe special education classes. It bought us 4 garden beds and over 100 bags of soil. We've planted cucumbers, flowers, pumpkins, tomatoes, basil, zucchini, sunflowers and assortment of herbs. The students participated from building the garden beds to emptying bags of soil and planting the seeds. We water them every day and are very excited to see what grows! Thank you!" Experiences such as these that enrich the students’ learning are just one of the many impacts from the Foundation’s staff mini-grants.
2024 Student Scholarships
For several years, the Foundation has funded senior scholarships from their Endowment Fund at the San Diego Foundation and donations. However, in the past few years, the number of parent, alumni, and retiree sponsored scholarships has grown. Overseen by the Foundation board, the recipients of most of these scholarships are selected through a spring application process.
GHS Foundation Scholarships
Academic Improvement: Megan Lyon $2000
Alumni: Hallie Wilcox $2000
Grace Dilgard $1000
Arts: Jacob Barnes $2000
Chloe Herron $1000
Hallie Wilcox $500
Athletic Challenge Overcomer: Elizabeth Dilgard $2000
Stephanie Peterson Memorial Scholarship: $2000
$2,000 YKE Aquatics Scholarships
Water Polo and Swim and Dive seniors: Daniel Drake and Megan Lyon
(In addition, the same previous estate donation continues to generously support the aquatic program through funding the purchase of aquatics equipment.)
Principal Dan Barnes reflects that “The Grossmont High School community, staff, and students are very fortunate to have the support of our Grossmont High School Educational Foundation and Alumni. Each year our board and alums generously give to our students and staff through scholarships for students and mini-grants for teachers. Without the work of the foundation board and President, Amy Conrad, and our museum directors, Connie and Lynn Baer, this tremendous support would not be in place. This is one more huge reason Grossmont High School is such a fantastic place to work and learn.”
In the past 16 years, the financial impact of the GHS Educational Foundation has grown each year. Its non-profit status has been the impetus for donations that impact the entire Foothiller community in countless ways. However, without the continued support of Grossmont’s parents, retirees, alumni, staff, and community, none of this would have been possible. We thank them for their support.
If you would like to sponsor a scholarship or mini-grant, please contact next year’s Foundation President Christina Gardner at
Next month, we will look at the impact of our amazing alumni and retirees on GHS.
Visit the GHS Museum This Summer: Hours 10-2
August 17th, September 21; Sunday, September 15th
Contact us at
Upcoming Reunions and
Museum and Campus Tours (open to all)
Class of 1962 Their 80th Birthday Reunion: October 17, 2024 Anthony’s Grossmont High School-Class of 1962 Facebook
Class of 1964 60th Reunion: Friday, September 20, 2024 Catamaran Resort Hotel. Register atGrossmont64.com or email Ged Bulat at
Class of 1967 Their 75th Birthdays Reunion: September 15, 2024, brunch at the Brigantine and visit to the Grossmont High School Museum. Email
Class of 1974 50th Reunion: Saturday, August 31, 2024. Admiral Baker’s Club Contact
Visit our website at foothillermuseum.com to learn more about GHS, past and present. Contacts: 619-668-6140 and