Rosie Emmenderfer, treasurer, and John Fassero, Jr., president of the Partnership for Educational Excellence, presented CUSD#7 Superintendent Shane Owsley with a $15,000 check from Dr. D. Ross Billiter. The funds are intended to provide every teacher in CUSD#7 with classroom materials that would not otherwise be available to their students.
Teachers Received Minigrants for the 2025-2026 School Year
The Partnership for Education Excellence offered mini-grants to the teachers of Gillespie School District CUSD#7. The maximum amount the teachers could have asked for was $750. For each mini-grant, the teacher had to write a project description, the reason why they wanted the items, what the money will be used for, and what benefit will be for the students. The Partnership was hoping the items could be used beyond the grant period. The Partnership received 29 different applications. Some of the applications have items that will be used for multiple classrooms. There were 20 Elementary School, 6 Middle School and 4 High School teachers who received the grants. Several of the items that were requested included books, hands on materials, science kits, guides to writing research papers, light tables for art, coding robots for computer classes and musical instruments for elementary music. The Partnership for Education Excellence donated a total of $18,579.26 to the School District through these minigrants. For information about how you can donate or help out please email The Partnership at info@thepartnership7.org or visit their website at thepartnership7.org or mail to The Partnership, P.O. Box 125 Gillespie IL 62033.
20 BGES TEACHERS (left to right)
Front row: Colleen Favre, Marci Johns, Karissa Smith, Kara Saracco, Cate Plovich, Jessi Luketich, Jami Schmid, Nancy Schmidt, Sydney Owsley, Angie Greene, Nickie Barrett
Back row: Nick Davio, Karen Robertson, Jaiden Braundmeier, Valerie Jubelt, Robyn Gieson, Radeana Gentzyel
6 GMS and 4 GHS* TEACHERS (left to right)
One row: Kim Henderson, Stephanie Wilson, Rachelle Prough, Jarrod Herron, Christina Blevins, Tammy Garde-Laboray, Nikki Brawner*, Amy Goldasich*, Nichole Stoecker*, Katherine Prange*
February 13, 2023 - Gillespie, Illinois - The winners at the “For the Love of Education”
trivia night on Saturday 2 February were: 1st place: Rich Stillwell’s team; 2nd place: Carol Miller’s team; and third place Kimberly Rossini’s team. These three were among the 21 tables which packed the Gillespie Civic Center for The Partnership’s annual and only fund raiser.
All proceeds from the lively, jam-packed evening will be used within Community Unit School District 7's (CUSD7) pre-K through 12th grade classrooms or for their academic scholarships for Gillespie High School (GHS) graduates. Since 1992 The Partnership has given almost $1 million of donors’ funds to the students of CUSD7.
Most recently The Partnership presented the first installment - $30,000 - of a three-year, $90,000 commitment to help CUSD7 keep students’ computers updated. In addition, a record 37 percent of the Gillespie High School Class of 2022 received $1,000 scholarships to support post- secondary career preparation.
Partnership president John Fassero, Jr., notes that during the 2022-23 academic year - which coincides with The Partnership’s 30th anniversary, the education foundation anticipates topping $1 million in contributions to CUSD7 students.
“Each and every dollar of that $1 million has come from local residents, alums, and supporters, including individuals, businesses, professionals, and foundations,” said Fassero. “And many of those donations came as $10 to $20 gifts. We thank all our supporters for 30 years of generosity and trust in letting us invest their hard-earned money our children. They are our future.”
The gratitude and support of CUSD7 was evident in the attendance of dozens of district employees, alumni, and students, from Superintendent Shane Owsley to GHS student volunteers and current and retired teachers and staff.
The evening was also the kickoff for The Partnership’s fifth annual Grand Raffle. The one-and-only grand prize will be $5,000 cash, if all tickets are sold, or a 50/50 payout if not all tickets are sold. The grand prize winner’s name will be drawn on Palm Sunday 2 April 2023.
An early-bird drawing at the trivia night netted $100 each for two attendees: Steve Joyce and Richard Moulton. Their tickets will be also be eligible to win the grand prize.
Only 500 tickets will be sold. Tickets are $20 apiece and are available at Hicks Maytag on Macoupin Street in downtown Gillespie. Or they can be purchased from any Partnership director: Rosie Emmenderfer, John Fassero, Jr., Nancy Grandone, Mary Griffel, Donna Prevedell, Katie Ronald, Ann-Marie Bauer Ross, Carole Scheller, Susan Stromsland, Ken Tebbe, Rose Marie Tebbe, Don Throne, or Julie Zirkelbach.