NHS Education Foundation celebrates 30 years with online auction

The Niwot High School Education Foundation is gearing up for its annual online auction, March 6-10 to raise funds for educational grants, scholarships, and other programs to meet the needs of teachers and students to enrich their educational experience.

Thanks to generous support from sponsors, it should be an exciting one for potential bidders, according to auction committee chair Hadley Solomon.

"We have several companies who continue to donate every year," she said, noting that there are donations from businesses in Niwot, Longmont, Boulder, and other communities. "So far we have a nice amount of items - several local restaurant gift certificates, local golf packages, and even some really exciting travel packages," Solomon said.

The auction opens on March 6 and runs through Sunday, March 10, and auction items can be found at https://app.galabid.com/2024nhsefauction. All proceeds will go directly to the NHSEF, a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

This year the NHSEF is also celebrating its 30-year anniversary. The NHSEF was founded by the late Eli Buzas in 1994. Since then, the all-volunteer foundation has been providing support to students and faculty in the form of scholarships and grants. Grants are awarded throughout the school year and typically account for the largest share of the organization’s annual budget.

NHSEF grants cover expenses for activities such as field trips and college visits for first generation students, as well as supplies for classrooms and experiential learning projects. Last year, the NHSEF provided funds for new project calculators for the math department, supplemental materials for a history teacher’s History of Rock elective, an environmental science class field trip to release trout raised from eggs in the classroom, and equipment for the Rocketry Club to build and launch a rocket in May 2023.

Each spring, the NHSEF also assembles a committee to review applications from NHS graduating seniors and then awards scholarships in three categories: merit-based, financial need-based, and one to be applied specifically to attendance at a technical/trade/vocational school.

Solomon shared that due to the success in fundraising over the last few years, the NHSEF was thrilled to award an unprecedented seven $2,000-scholarships to NHS seniors in 2023.

The mission statement of the NHSEF states, "In partnership with our community, the NHSEF endeavors to enrich the academic experience through learning and teaching grants, to expand opportunities for students to explore the next steps in their education and professions, and to award scholarships to NHS students, enabling them to achieve their goals."

NHSEF is still accepting sponsorships and donations for its 2024 online auction, and is happy to arrange for pick-up to make it as convenient as possible. For more information about the NHSEF and the online auction, visit nhsef.org. For questions about making a donation, contact Hadley Solomon at [email protected].