Testimonials

Thank you to our community… our mini-grants and scholarships are funded through your generosity.

See what our recipients have said about us:

Mini-grant Testimonials

Each year the Foundation gives two rounds of mini-grants in support of our mission of enhancing the education of EVERY Bruin.

Mr. Burghardt and the Science Department received funds to purchase EKG Sensors. Mr. Burghardt says “Students learn best by applying their knowledge to real-life problem solving and the EKG sensors provided by the PHS Foundation are tools that help make this possible. The students are able to study the EKG wave and understand all the components of the electrical activity involved in a heartbeat, measure and study their own EKG, and then create experiments designed to see what factors affect an EKG. Thank you for your continued support and for allowing opportunities such as this possible for our students.”

Ponderosa High School Foundation was proud to award one of our mini-grants to Special Education Teacher, Mr. Thompson, for use in helping pay for busing to Folsom’s Iron Point Light Rail Station for a day of independent living skills. “Most of our students will not be able to obtain a driver’s license, so it’s important for them to be exposed to alternative forms of transportation. Map reading, being able to track a schedule, having the correct change and being able to purchase a ticket, and being safe in public and having an awareness of our surroundings are all areas of focus for this unit. We introduce these concepts and practice them in the classroom, but to actually go out and experience the real thing is invaluable.”

Do you know what “Encaustic Painting” is? Neither did we before a grant application was submitted and we awarded a mini-grant in the fall of 2019 to Jennifer Schrock’s AP Studio Art Class. Also known as hot wax painting, it involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added and the liquid or paste is applied to a surface. These photos, one of an amazing finished piece and one of a beautiful work in progress, speak volumes as to how the introduction of a new medium can inspire our Bruins!


Ponderosa High School Foundation was proud to award one of our mini-grants in the spring of 2019 to Ms. Lichtenberg and the Therapeutic Services team to assist in funding a student field trip to the Red Door Escape Room. “This was an awesome and fun experience for our students. The escape room adventure trip put the students in positions where they had to communicate effectively, challenge themselves on an individual basis and overcome difficult situations in a socially appropriate way. This activity not only challenged students on a group and social level, but they were also challenged to push themselves to achieve individually as well. Staff and students alike were able to benefit by spending some time together outside of the classroom by participating in an activity that proved to be an excellent opportunity for relationship building.”

Scholarship Testimonials

Each year Ponderosa High School Foundation awards $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors who plan to further their education by attending a four-year college.

In 2020 we received a card from Gina Phillipsen announcing her graduation from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2019. Gina was one of our 2015 scholarship recipients. On the back she added this very nice note: