WEF

2025 FOUNT Bag Raffle

The Westlake Educational Foundation is raffling off two FOUNT bags to support the Foundation's mission: To enhance the educational opportunities and experiences of Westlake City Schools’ students in the endeavor to Educate for Excellence.

Buy raffle tickets here

Every ticket gives you the opportunity for a chance to win either bag. Raffle drawing November 7, 2025.

Thank You for Supporting our 2025 Spring Fever Run!

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all participants, volunteers, sponsors, and supporters who made our partnership with the Spring Fever Run a resounding success! Together, we embraced the spirit of community, health, and fun while contributing to a memorable event. We look forward to growing this event in the future! See you next Spring!

Thank You for Supporting our 2025 Car Raffle!

We raised almost $30,000 for multiple organizations supporting all Westlake City Schools’ students.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER: Jackie & Greg Plantner
GRAND PRIZE: 2025 Chevy Malibu
Sponsored by The Chevy Network and Serpentini Chevrolet of Westlake

Staff Grants In Action

The ShopBot CNC Cutter is a spindle cutting machine used to cut materials like wood and plastic as part of the design and manufacturing process. It will be used in various classes at the high school, including Know Your Home (1 and 2), Computer Graphics, and Technical Drawing (Levels, 1,2,3,4). This industry-standard equipment will allow students to make real world connections in manufacturing while taking the design-to-build process to the next level, thus exposing them to different careers and preparing them for the future of manufacturing and technology.

WEF is a proud recipient of the prestigious Gold Transparency recognition from GuideStar!

About Us

The Westlake Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that exists to extend enhanced opportunities and experiences to Westlake City Schools students beyond the excellent education offered through the District's traditionally funded programs. Originally founded in 1987, the Foundation offers grant funding to teachers and administrators for innovative and creative endeavors in pursuit of educating for excellence.

MISSION

The mission of the Westlake Educational Foundation is to enhance educational opportunities and experiences of Westlake City Schools' students in the endeavor to Educate for excellence.

The Westlake Educational Foundation seeks to promote excellence in education through the use of private revenues by focusing on the following objectives:

To both encourage outstanding academic achievement and provide enhanced learning opportunities to students.
To encourage and increase local business, civic, and private sector involvement within our school community.
To encourage creative and innovative educational programs.

BOARD MEMBERS

Mary Essig, Foundation Board Member

Scott Goggin, WCSD Superintendent and Foundation Chairman

Todd Hopkins, WCSD Treasurer and Ad hoc Foundation Board Member

Joe Kraft, Foundation Board Member

Patricia McHugh, Foundation President

Amanda Nolan, Foundation Secretary

Chris Steiner, Foundation Treasurer

Paul Wilson, WCSD Director of Secondary Education and Foundation Board Member

FOUNDATION CONTACT INFORMATION

contact the WestlakeEducationalFoundation@gmail.com for more information.

Staff Grants Awards

Staff Grant Awards

The Westlake Educational Foundation awards grants in support of its mission: To enhance educational opportunities and experiences of Westlake City Schools’ students in the endeavor to Educate for Excellence.

Tabs

2024 Grants

2024 Staff Grants

Westlake High School
Leia Crew, Art Teacher
Creating an Inclusive Class: Everyone Can Be Successful on the Potter’s Wheel - $2,279

The pottery wheel will allow all students (typical, 504, IEP students) an opportunity to blend art and science. Students will explore creativity while learning about the properties of clay, firing techniques and glaze chemistry. They will engage both right and left sides of the brain while developing fine motor skills, hand eye coordination and dexterity, all of which are essential for various aspects of student development.

Lee Burneson Middle School
Lela Bakos, ELA Teacher and Julie Milkie, Intervention Specialist
LBMS Courtyard Enrichment Project - $6,150

A giant Connect Four game, two sets of Adirondack chairs and two rectangular ADA picnic tables will be purchased to benefit 7th and 8th grade students and staff. This project will create outdoor educational classroom, a gathering and meeting place for clubs, and an area where students can enjoy fresh air while eating lunch. It will provide students a place to promote positive mental health, creativity, and strengthen academic performance.

Dover Intermediate School
Angela Germano, 5th Grade Science and Bridget Royce, 5th Grade Math Teachers
Outdoor Spaces, Learning Places - $6,550.50

Three tables for the front of DIS, table security devices, and two sets of Adirondack tables and chairs will be purchased to help increase student engagement through outdoor learning spaces. This space will be used by any class, including core classes, exploratory, classrooms with special needs, guidance, gym, recess/lunch, LINK, and clubs.

Westlake Elementary School
Dana Bail, Mallorie Haworth, and Amanda Kelber, Guidance Counselors, PreK-4
Sensory Calm Kits - $1670.96

Calming kits and resources will be purchased for each classroom at Westlake Elementary. With a growing understanding of the impact of emotional regulation on academic performance and overall well-being, these tools will help to create a supportive environment where students can effectively manage their emotions. By investing in these calming tools, the district supports its goal of fostering an emotionally safe school atmosphere. Equipping students with the resources they need for emotional regulation will enhance their ability to learn, socialize and thrive.

2023 Grants

2023 Staff Grants

Westlake Elementary School
Cheryl Piktel, Sue Peplin, Brittany Hageman (Special Education Teachers); Emily Mellenthin, Tracy McGinty (Occupational Therapists)
Supporting Special Needs: Investing in Sensory Enrichment - $12,952

Sensory tools and equipment will be provided within each of the elementary school’s moderate to intensive needs classrooms. Students with sensory modulation difficulties will utilize auditory, visual, and tactile modalities to increase self-regulation skills; those with proprioceptive difficulties will increase calmness, focus, attention, and overall independence with daily school routines and work systems; and students with vestibular system difficulties will increase their ability to regulate their balance and body control to safely navigate through their environment and increase focus and attention during academic tasks.

Dover Intermediate School
Sandra Laurenty, Art Teacher
Crafting the Future: Empowering Artisans with Potter’s Wheel Mastery - $2,776

The pottery wheel will allow all 5^th and 6^th grade students to explore their creativity and develop their pottery skills. Pottery blends art and science, engaging both sides of the brain; offers tactile and kinesthetic learning, making abstract concepts tangible; encourages creative thinking and self-confidence; provides therapeutic benefits, reducing stress and enhancing well-being.

Westlake Elementary School
Karen Kane, Judy Buffington – Speech and Language Pathologists
Everyone Has a Voice! Request - $2,670

SymbolStix icons are utilized throughout the school buildings to facilitate communication with verbal, non-verbal, and English as a second language students. Two communication boards with SymbolStix icons will be installed on the elementary school playgrounds, allowing students to point to what they need or want to do while on the playground, increasing communication opportunities for all elementary students.

Westlake High School
Shanti’ Coaston, Computer Science Teacher
Building a Better Community Through Computer Science - $2,462

A 3D printer will be provided for Computer Science classes. Students will learn about different groups of people, focusing on those with physical and learning disabilities, and design and print a model of a User Interface – something that facilitates the interaction between the user and a piece of equipment or an item used for an activity. This project encourages students to see the world from a different perspective, encouraging them to look for ways to help others, while creating a piece of technology to be used by those with everyday struggles.

Westlake High School
Thomas Major, English Teacher
Educational Dominion - $545

Students will learn how to play the game Dominion and invent their own expansion of the game based on one of the texts they’ve read in class. The goal is to maintain student engagement and learning in the classroom during AP testing weeks.

2022 Grants

2022 Staff Grants

Westlake High School
Adam Purdy, Technology and Engineering Teacher
ShopBot CNC Cutter - $27,120

The ShopBot CNC Cutter is a spindle cutting machine used to cut materials like wood and plastic as part of the design and manufacturing process. It will be used in various classes, including Know Your Home (1 and 2), Computer Graphics, and Technical Drawing (Levels, 1,2,3,4). This industry-standard equipment will allow students to make real world connections in manufacturing while taking the design-to-build process to the next level, thus exposing them to different careers and preparing them for the future of manufacturing and technology.

Lee Burneson Middle School
Kip Primrose, Career Connections Teacher
Ozobot Kits - $2,990

Ozobots are small spherical robots that are easily programmed to make specific movements. The Ozobot Kits will be used to introduce students to programming by writing code to move an Ozobot on a path from one location to another, starting with color combinations then advancing to drag-and-drop coding on Chromebooks. This will expose students to coding before entering high school, where they can then take programming courses and potentially pursue a STEM career.

2021 Grants

2021 Staff Grants

Westlake Elementary School
Brandi Mattingly, Becky Kowalski, Erin Vanek - Elementary Teachers
KEVA Planks - $2,745

KEVA Planks are identically sized wood planks that have no glue or connectors. Elementary students work with KEVA Planks to develop a mindset of growth and perseverance by completing challenges, such as: build the tallest tower with only one plank as the base and build the longest structure hanging off the edge of the table. Working to change a student’s mindset to one of growth, where they believe in their ability to take on challenging tasks and creatively problem solve with hard work, teamwork and practice, is the goal.

Staff Grant Application

The Westlake Educational Foundation offers staff grants in support of its mission. The annual grant cycle kicks off at the beginning of the academic year.

OVERVIEW

Grants awarded by the Westlake Educational Foundation are limited to projects that enrich the educational opportunities of students in the Westlake City School District.

Projects must encourage the learning and growth of students and advance the missions of both the Westlake Educational Foundation and the Westlake City School District.
Requests should enhance educational opportunities and experiences over and above the required curriculum and not be made for on-going operational expenses such as salaries, benefits, facility maintenance, supplies, etc. normally covered within the Westlake City School District budget.
Special consideration will be given to proposals that demonstrate creativity and innovation in student learning.

Grant requests are considered by the Foundation’s Board of Directors using a formal review process.

Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of how closely they reflect the Mission of the Westlake Educational Foundation and support the Mission and Strategic Plan Initiatives of the Westlake City School District.
Grant recipients will be asked to prepare a short, written assessment regarding the outcomes of funded projects. Recipients of Major Grants or grants for highly visible items may be requested to provide project status updates via an interview with the Foundation Board of Directors.

ELIGIBILITY

Grant applications may be submitted by any certified staff member of the Westlake City School District.
All requests must be made using the “Westlake Educational Foundation Staff Grant Application” and submitted using the Google Form link by the published deadline.

GRANT OPTIONS/LEVELS

Three grant levels are available:

Basic Grant: Amounts from $1,000 to $2,499 to fund small group, single classroom or limited audience projects and programs. Click here to apply for the Basic Grant
Moderate Grant: Amounts from $2,500 to $4,999 to fund special purpose projects or multiple classroom activities. Click here to apply for the Moderate Grant
Major Grant: Amounts over $5,000 to fund large projects, distinctive programs and multiple discipline proposals. Click here to apply for the Major Grant

contact the WestlakeEducationalFoundation@gmail.com for more information on how to apply.

Get Involved

Join the Westlake Educational Foundation!

WHO ARE WE? The Westlake Educational Foundation was established in 1987 as a community trust to meet the needs of education beyond the parameters of traditionally funded programs.

WHAT IS OUR MISSION? To enhance educational opportunities and experiences of Westlake City Schools’ students in the endeavor to Educate for Excellence.

HOW DO WE ACHIEVE OUR MISSION?

STAFF GRANTS
- Due to the success of our fundraising efforts, the Foundation has awarded grants to staff at all Westlake City Schools for materials and equipment that support creative and innovative learning approaches in the classroom
ANNUAL CAR RAFFLE
- The Foundation holds an annual car raffle, partnering with Westlake Music Boosters, Westlake PTAs, Westlake Demon Athletic Boosters, and Westlake Alumni Association, and has raised over $25,000 each year to enhance the curricular and extra-curricular activities of Westlake City Schools’ students.
ANNUAL SPRING FEVER RUN
- The Foundation partners with Hermes to host an annual race event in conjunction with the Westlake Kiwanis pancake breakfast to raise funds in support of the Foundation’s mission.

HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED? If you would like to be part of a team working towards the ultimate enhancement of education provided to Westlake's children, then consider joining the Westlake Educational Foundation!

Westlake Educational Foundation Member Application

contact the WestlakeEducationalFoundation@gmail.com for more information.

Car Raffle

Spring Fever Run

Stay tuned for our 2026 Spring Fever Run!

Enjoy a Run or Walk, Eat Some Pancakes and Support the Westlake Educational Foundation!

Sign up for the Hermes Westlake Spring Fever Run and support the Westlake Educational Foundation (WEF)! There will be a 4-mile race, a 2-mile run/walk race, a 1-mile fun run/walk, and a kid's dash (6 and under). And every participant gets a Kiwanis pancake breakfast! Click here for more information!

NEW in 2025 —We’ve added a 1-Mile Family Fun Run/Walk and free kids activities in the WHS Auxiliary Gym during and after the races. Games and activities include face painting, corn hole, hula hoops, bowling, limbo and soccer.

Make a Donation

WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE A DONATION?

You are welcome to show your support to our school community by making a general tax-deductible donation to the Foundation.

To donate by credit card visit Westlake Educational Foundation Donations. You will receive an emailed 501(c)(3) charitable organization receipt, and your name will be added to the donor list.

To donate by check, make check payable to “Westlake Educational Foundation” and mail to:

Westlake Educational Foundation
24365 Hilliard Blvd.
Westlake, OH 44145

The Foundation will mail you a 501(c)(3) charitable organization receipt and add your name to the donor list.