News

Together, we raised over $43,000 to fund grants!

Thank you to those who were able to attend the Foundation for Saline Area Schools luncheon in October. It was wonderful seeing everyone and knowing we are all interested in supporting our students and the Saline Area School District. It was an honor to be able to highlight a sampling of grants which The Foundation has been able to fund and made possible because of YOU.

A huge THANK YOU
Stacey Rumpsa

Thank you to our community, school district, volunteers, donors, sponsors and our FSAS trustees who support this amazing Foundation.

A big congratulations to our 2022 Hall of Fame group!  The “Party on the Patio” pre-game football gathering for our alumni and new inductees was a huge success.  It was a beautiful evening and a fantastic win by our Saline Hornets football team.

The induction ceremony was a fun night with great stories and an amazing dessert bar.  A special thanks to Anne White, Sue Corcoran, Lisa Chenevey, Kaitlyn Gasparovich, Joyce Bailey, Betsy Marl and the entire alumni committee on their hard work at making both events a huge success and fun for all.

You can view our Hall of Fame Class of 2022 here as well as learn about how you can nominate someone for the class of 2023.

We are excited to officially announce that Stacey Rumpsa of Saline has been named our new Executive Director (ED). Rumpsa will succeed Annherst Kreitz, who stepped down earlier this summer after a very successful six and a half years as ED.

Rumpsa has been an active volunteer for the Foundation for many years and has also worked in the school district for almost 10 years. She comes to FSAS from Harvest Elementary where she was a Literacy Interventionist for the past 7 years, and prior to that was an office administrator. Stacey also worked as Regional Sales Manager for Scripps Networks, promoting networks such as HGTV and the Food Network, and doing event marketing. Stacey is married with two kids who attend Saline High School.  

Amy Sankaran, President of the Board of Trustees, said “While we are sorry to say goodbye to Annherst and are so grateful for her outstanding efforts on behalf of FSAS, we are extremely excited about this next chapter with Stacey. She brings all of the experience we were seeking to continue fulfilling our mission on behalf of Saline Area Schools (SAS). Stacey’s been a Saline Schools parent, a FSAS volunteer, a school employee, as well as having a background in marketing and fundraising. We’re delighted to have Stacey on board to lead us into the future.”

Rumpsa was selected after a search was launched in June to fill the position. Rumpsa started on August 1st, has an office at Liberty School, and she can be reached at stacey@supportfsas.org.

Steve Laatsch, superintendent of Saline Area Schools, stated that “Stacey is going to do an incredible job picking up where Annherst left off! Stacey has been an extremely valuable volunteer and literacy interventionist for the Saline Area Schools. She is ready to take on this role and make an even greater impact on the District as the new Executive Director of FSAS. The future will be very bright for FSAS and the Saline Area Schools under her leadership.”

Congratulations, Hall of Fame Class of 2022!

Come help us celebrating our inductees for the Hall of Fame class of 2022 the weekend of September 9-10!

Friday, September 9 – Introduction

Join us at the football game on Friday. The Hall of Fame class will be introduced at halftime.

Saturday, September 10 – Induction Ceremony and Dessert

Join us at the Saline High School Ellen Ewing Center for the Performing Arts for the official Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Learn more here.

Class of 2022 Inductees

These distinguished individuals will be inducted into the Hall of Fame:

  • Malcolm Danforth
  • David Helmer
  • Leo Jensen
  • Ruby Kuhl
  • Terry Walters
  • Dave Wolter
  • Amy (Moore) Yakola

Thanks to the overwhelming support of the community, we raised over $55,000 to support Saline Area Schools!

Thanks to the amazing creative work of Saline Video, we have a grant highlight video to share with you.

Gallery

During a time when it seems the pandemic has found a way to slow down many organizations throughout the world – the Foundation for Saline Area Schools (FSAS) has persevered. This group of dedicated volunteers have continued to provide funding for enrichment activities, educational initiatives, and district-wide strategic goals. 

We are overwhelmed with the support we have received during a difficult time for the district and community.

“Thanks to the generosity and continued support of our donors and sponsors, FSAS has been able to award thousands of dollars in grants so far this year to Saline Area Schools that will directly impact our students.  Even through this pandemic and difficult times, FSAS donors have remained steadfast and faithful to our mission and we are grateful.”

Annherst Kreitz

As we approach the halfway point of this unprecedented 2021-2022 school year, FSAS has already approved over $98,000 worth of grants for Saline Area Schools. Carolyn McFarlane, FSAS Trustee, cannot wait to see the grants in action. “The Foundation is so happy to be able to support our students & staff.  We are excited to see the grants we’ve awarded take shape, and we are so thankful to our donors who make this possible.  In these times, it is more important than ever for our students, staff and community to come together to not only uphold the excellent education that SAS provides, but also support the social and emotional needs that are so crucial to everybody’s well being.  We look forward to more innovative, creative ideas in the future!”

Below are just a few of the recently approved grants:

Implementation of these grants is underway and will begin gaining momentum in early spring. Saline supporters can expect to see grant spotlights to better understand the depth of these ideas and the impact they will ultimately have on student achievement. 

FSAS is seeking one more round of grant applications for this school year – with a focus on student and teacher submissions. Information on a spring cycle will be coming soon, stay tuned! For more information on the application process, follow this link: https://supportfsas.org/grants/application/

Saline Live

Check out the video that explains the Saline Live program made possible through a grant from FSAS! This video was first shown at the FSAS Ignite Fall Luncheon.

Ignite Fall Luncheon 2021

From all of us at the The Foundation for Saline Area Schools, we want to say THANK YOU for making our fall fundraising event a smashing success.

With your help, we raised over $45,000! Your generosity means we can continue to support our our school district, its teachers, and most importantly, its students.

On Thursday October 14, 2021, we all came together at Liberty School to eat lunch together and get a first hand view of the impactful grants from FSAS over the past year including a live demonstration of exercise equipment granted to Saline’s Young Adult Program. We also heard a heartfelt and inspirational message from our keynote speaker, Superintendent Dr. Steve Laatsch.

All Saline Area Schools Alumni (and family) are invited to attend the rescheduled 129th annual Saline High School Alumni Banquet on September 18th, 2021, at the Saline High School Commons, located at 1300 Campus Pkwy, Saline, MI 48176. The banquet serves as an opportunity to celebrate all Saline Alumni and will feature the Class of 1971.

The Foundation for Saline Area Schools Alumni Committee will also honor the two Saline Alumni Scholarship winners at the banquet. Social hour begins at 4:00 PM, with the dinner and program beginning promptly at 5 PM. Dinner is provided by Angel Food Catering.

The deadline to purchase a ticket for the banquet is Friday, September 3rd. Tickets cannot be purchased at the door for the event.

Who: All Saline Area Schools alumni and family
Where: Saline High School Commons, located at 1300 Campus Pkwy, Saline, MI 48176
When: September 18th, 2021. Social hour at 4pm with dinner promptly at 5pm [Add this to Google Calendar]
Tickets: $20.00 per person

NOTE: Registration is now CLOSED. Thank you for your support!

The Foundation for Saline Area Schools has been making a difference by funding grants in Saline Area Schools for over 30 years. It couldn’t have made such a difference in our schools, however, without the unwavering support of its donors and sponsors even through the difficulties of the 2020-2021 school year. But in an effort to be a true community, the Foundation is stepping up to give back to these generous sponsors.

The Foundation for Saline Area School has spent over $7,000 to support sponsors that have helped them and to thank the staff of the Saline Area Schools for all of their hard work this year! People everywhere are grappling with the way that COVID-19 has affected daily life, and during this strange and unfamiliar era, it is nice to see examples of spreading love and goodwill to others!

View the article in the Saline Post at:

https://thesalinepost.com/g/saline-mi/n/23959/foundation-saline-area-schools-turns-tables-and-invests-back-its-sponsors