Historical Summary
…Harvard Graduate School of Education, collaborated with educators Ashrita Laird and Anne Craig to open Rainbow Mountain Children’s School. Rainbow’s holistic and child-centered education was at our heart from the…
Kaleidoscope Newsletter – September, 2013
For those of you who are new to Rainbow, I write a little newsletter once a month called Kaleidoscope. It’s your opportunity to look through my eyes at all the colorful things going on at Rainbow. News about the acquisition of new property is at the end!
First, the most important topic of all – the children. The beginning of the year is always a milestone for children. Their personas chance a bit over the summer and it’s always fun to see how they transition into a new classroom or a new school. New students have the opportunity to completely create who they want to be at Rainbow! This year has been particularly joyous, partly because of the marvelous weather we have had, and also because of the new fantastical playground Max Mraz and his crew built. The Sept 6 pot luck was (WOW!) SO MUCH FUN!
Working with the faculty has also been magical. Of course, the administration works all summer long, and most of the teachers are in and out all summer too, preparing their classrooms, training, leading class pot lucks, and such. August 19 was the first official day of work for the faculty – more than 30 of us this year! We began with a ceremony to open the 7 directions – welcoming in sacred space for the new year and asking for blessings for the children, for the staff, for the families, and for Rainbow.
I led a visualization exercise, where we imagined the Future of Rainbow, the Future for our Children, and the Future of Education. The results of that exercise were recorded by graphic illustration (and parent) Caryn Hanna. It is beautiful, and you can find it here: https://rainbowcommunityschool.org/2013/09/13/the-future-of-rainbow-and-education/.
The pedagogical work we did (pedagogy is a word I really love – it essentially means the science of teaching) were in the areas of training for Singapore Math, teaching critical thinking through the Harvard Graduate School publication “Making Thinking Visible,” teaching through games and quests, teaching systems-thinking to children, and how to make units of thought relevant.
The week of teacher orientation ended with a ceremony with each of us asking for blessings of Right Action, Right Heart, and Right Mind needed to do the work we have before us – -the most important work –helping your children grow and learn, and encouraging them to always live whole-heartedly.
Please harken back to the welcome letter I wrote in August, and you will recall that there are many new systems in place, or…..er, almost in place. Please bear with us as we complete full migration to the following: new database, new VOIP phone system, new name and brand, new website (coming soon), new email addresses, and more. Yes, the administration, especially hard working Sandra McCassim, Mary Sigler, Margaret Gerleve, Russ Gerleve, and Sheila Mraz, deserve humongous love and support for the extra time they put in to get these systems up and running. Admittedly, we bit off a little more than we could chew, but it was for the good of the school, so we were greatly inspired.
Kindergarten, anyone? Do you know a kindergartener who would love to attend Rainbow? FYI: We still have ample space in kindergarten for some lucky children, and there may still be some financial aid too. The new kindergarten space in Orchard house is dreamy.
Collaboration – a buzz word in the 21st Century – keeps us stimulated. This year, we are happy to announce that the staff chose to again partner with Children First/Communities in Schools. That means a portion of the fall Harvest Hoe Down will be donated to them, and each class will do a service learning project for/with Children First this year. In addition, a few classes will be doing service work withRiverlink – another hardworking non-profit in WNC. Both of these are great opportunities for children and parents to learn about the important work these organizations do and to lend a hand.
Church of the Garden. As fate would have it, another potential partnership has recently sprung up. Did anybody read the great article about Michelle Smith in the September 15 Citizen’s Times? If not, go here: http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20130915/LIVING/309150041/Michelle-Smith-cultivates-social-profit. Michelle is a dynamic woman of Asheville whose life work is dedicated to non-profits. She also happens to be an inter-faith minister, and this summer a new congregation that she is shepherding sprung up, called The Church of the Garden. They truly are inter-faith in that they don’t have one particular doctrine they follow. The only standard they adhere to is that they hold their services outside as much as possible. They are looking for a campus to call home, and when they found out about our potential purchase of an extra 2.64 acres, they asked if Rainbow would consider hosting them. Makes sense to me! So we are going to give it a trial run. Beginning in October, the Church of the Garden is going to hold their services on Rainbow’s property for about two months. If it goes well for them and for us, we may have a natural partnership. Let’s see how the garden grows! If you are interested in attending their child-friendly services, they are at 11am every Sunday…at Rainbow Community School beginning October 6.
General Circle. What is it? What do they do? Rainbow Community School is organized according to the systems-design principles of Dynamic Governance. DG is one of the reasons things run so smoothly around here. It really works! According to DG, Rainbow is organized into various circles – the Board circle, faculty circle, student circle, etc. The General Circle has a leader and another representative from each major circle at its meetings. The GC meets 4 to 5 times a year. Their main tasks are to evaluate how we are doing in the various areas of our organization (programming, curriculum fundraising, family support, etc) and to act as a think tank for improvement and innovative ideas in those areas. The GC’s first meeting of the year was Monday and the topics were community support, fundraising, and volunteerism.
Now for an update on our dramatic campus expansion news
Yes, we really are under contract to purchase the West Asheville Church of God! IF we can raise a substantial sum of money – at least $200,000– by December 3, we will own an extra 2.64 acres and the buildings we need to completely fulfill our facility needs. This is all happening extremely fast, as we have to catch this opportunity while it is here. It will take somewhat of miracle to pull this off, but I see miracles happen almost every day at Rainbow. Some miracles are just bigger than others.
It is time for all of us to begin thinking, praying, talking to our family members about what sort of sacrifice we can make – both in time and money — to bring this dream alive.
We are quickly assembling a capital campaign that we are aptly calling “RAINBOW RISING! New Opportunity for a New Era!” This campaign is being coached by consultant, Wilson Sims, founder of Sims and Steele Consulting; and Micah Pulleyn (parent of Coletrane in preschool) is campaign manager. Our core capital campaign committee is meeting every Tuesday to get our fundraising machine working. We need more committee members. Can you commit to working consistently hard for this campaign for the next two months? If so, then please attend meetings every Tuesday 9:30 am. It promises to be one of the most satisfying ventures you ever engaged in.
Here are some important tidbits about the capital campaign:
This Thursday, 3:15 “All Hands on Deck” All parent meeting: If you are not in a position to commit to being on the core committee, but you want to help in whatever way you can – there is a fun meeting this Thursday, at 3:15 pm that will be held at the CHURCH – so it is also an opportunity to get sneak peak at the interior of the buildings. The same meeting will run next Thursday, October 3 at 5:15. So, if you cannot come at 3:15 because of work, please attend the 5:15 next week.
Monday, September 30 from 7 to 9pm: Fundraising is Fun! Especially when it is at MG Road. Parents and owners of the award-winning bar, MG Road (and Chai Pani), are hosting an evening at MG Road this coming Monday, September 30, from 7pm to 9pm. Are you interested in contributing to the campaign? No matter what capacity you have to give, this is an evening to learn about the campaign and how to make a donation…and to enjoy one of the best establishments in town. This is informative only, and you do not need to be prepared to make a donation to attend. Address is: 19 Wall Street in downtown. Parking is easily found in the Batter Park Garage.
There is far more information about this campaign that I can write about in Kaleidoscope, so please attend the All Hands of Deck volunteer meeting and/or the MG Road event. There will also be a packet of information published as soon as possible.
During this campaign, the Church of God is being very gracious. We are so short on space at Rainbow, that we don’t even have place for committees to meet during the day, so the church is allowing us to hold meetings at the church! They are also allowing us to use the triangle of land they own that juts into our playground area. Take a look, and you will notice that the fence has been moved. Ahh! Space! Now, let’s work to open it up even more!
…and don’t forget about the Annual Campaign. Please don’t let this capital campaign be confused with the annual campaign. The annual campaign occurs every year, and helps Rainbow meet its annual operating expenses. The annual campaign primary helps teachers – so they don’t have to use their own money to purchase materials. We need every family to try to maintain their typical level of support for the annual campaign and to make an additional pledge to the capital campaign the next three years. It’s two different campaigns going on at one time!
November 8 Rainbow Rising! Festivity: It’s time to get everyone together – current families and 35 years worth of Rainbow alumni families. Although it is still in the works, we are quickly trying to organize a full Rainbow Rising! Festival for Friday, November 8. This will be our biggest fundraising event ever, and it will be at the Church of God in the performance hall. That’s right – we will get a taste of how wonderful it will be to have our own performance hall! The entertainment will be all Rainbow relations: students, alumni, parents, past-parents, past teachers, teacher artists, etc. Here are some of the Rainbow folks we want to invite to perform: Toubab Krewe, David Wilcox, Graham Sharp of the Steep Canyon Rangers, Hobey Ford (Kennedy Artist and puppeteer extraordinaire), Adame Dembele, Alijah Motika (performed at the Democratic National Convention), Liam Kelly (still in high school and performing spoken word nationally), Summit Jaffe, Greg Cartwright, FYF, Kontained, and more. So much talent! We may have to make this a two day festival if they all show up!
Do you know who we all depend on to show up more than anyone? YOU!! Clear your calendar for the evening of November 8. There may be some child care available, but I would recommend looking for a sitter now.
Wow! There is a lot of really big stuff happening! And I have some strange news for you. About a year ago, I committed to taking the trip of a lifetime to Africa. From October 5 – October 24 I will be making a trip to Tanzania to give out used eye-glasses to people in need. Besides the service work, I will have a few amazing days on a safari, and a few days to visit my oldest daughter, Mesa, who is living in Grenada, Spain. Typically, October is one of the few times of year I feel I can leave Rainbow. Little did I know that it would be smack in the middle of the most important 90 days ever – during our capital campaign to raise the down payment for the church. Crazy! Please understand that before, during, and after the trip my communication will not be as prompt or thorough as normal, and at times, it will be completely absent. In fact, I will not have internet access for much of the time I am gone. For the next two months I will be concentrating on only the most important matters at hand, so please be understanding and resourceful. If you need help, please seek out Sandra McCassim, who will be acting as Executive Director while I am gone. She is at extension 121 and her email is Sandra.mccassim@rainbowlearing.org. Micah Pulleyn, Rainbow Rising! Campaign manager can be reached at micahpulleyn@gmail.com.
Thanks for your understanding. And thanks for all the love!
Grandparents are Important People! That is why we would like to begin sending them Kaleidoscope, classroom newsletters, and Heart of the Matter publications. Our new database finally makes it possible to include grandparents on email lists. All we need is their email address. Please email your parents’ (your child’s grandparents’) email addresses to: Sandra.mccassim@rainbowlearning.org to get them on the list. You may surprised at how much they enjoy getting the news. If they don’t care for it, they can opt out.
Kaleidoscope: September 2015
September 2015
Kaleidoscope: The many colorful things happening at Rainbow, from the Executive Director
Every year has such a different feel to it. This year? I almost have to pinch myself. I look around at all the things we have wished for, and see it happening. Even more than the facilities and the programming, I marvel at the staff we have developed. To me, they are the most enlightened group of people I know. But the best thing of all is how vibrant all the children feel.
For those of you who are new parents, Kaleidoscope is different than the other news items you receive at Rainbow. It isn’t “news” so much as what the school looks like from my point of view. You will learn the reason for things that otherwise don’t makes sense, and gain a deeper perspective on how things are going. It’s more about the How and the Why, than the What. Rainbow Reminders (e-published each Wednesday) is your #1 source of WHAT is going on that you need to know about. (By the way, did you know that Kate can actually see who opens Rainbow Reminders and who doesn’t? For the most part, you are very astute about reading your Reminders.)
What is important enough to air on all four major networks at one time this Friday, September 11th, at 8 pm?
The president? Nope. Education! And Rainbow may be featured! As you know we are incredibly honored to be one of 60 Ashoka Changemaker elementary schools. Ashoka and a few other key players in the world of the education revolution are featured on the THINK IT UP program being aired this Friday on CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX!! While you watch it, be sure to be ready to tweet your favorite stories about Rainbow, because they will be live streaming a lot of social media response from around the country. Change is in the air – literally. So please tune in to the airwaves this Friday.
How Are We Doing?
We asked you in the End of Year Survey, and over 40 of you responded. Overall rankings were very high, with “Rainbow’s philosophy and approach to education” and “Quality of teachers” scoring the highest. (Click HERE to view the graphs.)
In answering the question “What is/are the most important aspects about Rainbow?…” There were a huge number of comments about the teachers – how loving and respectful they are, the intellectual growth they stimulate, the care they put into teaching, the emotional safety they create, etc, including a number of accolades for specific teachers. There were almost as many comments about the holistic philosophy of Rainbow’s educational model being the most important thing. “Community” and “spirituality” were also commented on.
In response to “If you could change anything or wish anything, what would it be? There were repeated comments in the following areas:
People hoping for more diversity
People wishing RCS were free or lower tuition
People overwhelmed with all the communication and email
People wanting a high school
People wishing for vans or buses for field trips
People wondering about security measures on campus
Let’s take a look at each of these:
Diversity: I was glad to see these comments! Yes, the board feels this is the most important priority over the short term future, and so do I. Please see our new poster on diversity for more clarity on why diversity and inclusion is important. We envision Rainbow as a truly integrated and inclusive community for many important reasons. Also, I encourage anyone to take the Building Bridges class by visiting www.buildingbridges.org. We have over 10 staff and board members taking it this term, including a couple who are facilitators. I highly recommend it. Building Bridges is actively working to make Asheville a more integrated community.
Can Rainbow be free? Great idea. Let’s figure out how to make that happen – at least for the people who can’t afford it, so as many children as possible can have access to holistic education – and not just in Asheville, but all over. Let’s dream big!
Can we have a high school? For years, this has been the most repeated comment on End of Year surveys. Now that we have completed our P-8 model, maybe designing a high school could be feasible. Should the board consider exploring it as a possibility in the new long range strategic plan? Sounds like a potential new committee.
The communication is overwhelming. We know that a lot of information is always pouring out of Rainbow, and it can feel super overwhelming. We are a very active community with a lot going on. If you get lost, just make sure you at least read Rainbow Reminders, your teacher’s emails, and the occasional emails from your class parent.
People wanting a bus or van: I remember in 2007 when I was interviewing for the E.D. position at Rainbow, and I found out there was no school bus. I couldn’t believe it! “How do you go on field trips?” I asked. “The parents drive.” Wow. Amazing parents! The school is almost twice as big now, and we still don’t have a bus. As amazing as you all are, we obviously need transportation. Teachers would take your students on lot more field trips – including quick little trips to nearby nature areas – if they didn’t have to arrange all the logistics of parent drivers for every foray into the wilderness. Plus, having all those drivers on the road is a little scary, and it’s hard to keep track of everyone. It would be much safer to have a school bus. Parent Council’s intention is to change that this year by raising money for a bus or two. They already posted a Crowdrise fundraiser on RCS’s website that has $4,000 in donations. If this is something you believe is important, click HERE. A lot of small donations will add up quickly.
Security: I think it is particularly important to talk about security at the beginning of the school year. Our campus is five acres, and it was not designed as a school, per se. Instead, Rainbow purchased land and buildings little by little, resulting in a creative hodgepodge! As one person commenting on security in the End of Year survey said, “I know this is a by-product of the layout of the buildings, and I wouldn’t want the school to feel like a fortress…” This parent made another good point, that even if it were possible to build a barricade around the whole property and only allow people in who are “buzzed in” by the main office, that is not the community-style of education we believe in. We believe that families should feel comfortable being on campus throughout the day. As a result, we have to be very alert about safety, and you should know about the systems we have in place.
A couple years ago, we installed a digital intercom system that can be accessed from any staff member’s cell phone. So, for example, if a potential threat were seen in the parking lot or street, a staff member can call a lock-down from any place on or off campus, and it will be announced instantaneously all over campus. We practice our lock-down drills both with and without the children, and with and without the local police.
Fortunately, we have never had any trouble, and that is partly because of our strong community. You are part of that community — if you ever see peculiar behavior, please report it right away. If you see someone who doesn’t act like they have a child or grandchild on campus, please go up and ask if you can help them. (This is a great way to be both welcoming and safe.) Sergeant Creson, an expert who consulted with us and helped us map our campus safety plan, emphasized that violent episodes in schools are a result of people who are associated with the school – not strangers who randomly attack. So our most important security is in maintaining a healthy, strong community of sane individuals. Also, we have a wonderful relationship with the local police, who keep a good eye on us. Many of you might have noticed officers Eric Halford and Juan Gonzales, our West Asheville day beat officers, who were here the first couple days of school. You are always welcome to call them directly. Juan’s number is 828-242-6850.
Also, we are so happy to finally have the main office up at the front of the property by Haywood Road, where we can insist that visitors check in at the office, and we can more easily see who is entering off of Haywood Road. (If you haven’t checked the new office out yet, feel free to come in and say hi.)
After school is really focusing on safety this year, which is the main reason for all the after school changes. As Rainbow grew, we realized that the convenience of simply bringing all children to after school at the end of the day was too confusing and not as safe as having children specifically signed up for after school. Thank you for your patience, as they work on getting the system flowing.
High in Mind
A shot of dopamine goes off in our brains every time we learn something. I confess, I am totally addicted! I have the best job in the whole world for a learn-aholic. Not only am I constantly challenged and learning all the time, but I have the pleasure of sharing the thing that makes me high with others, all day long, every day. Complete joy! But I am still always looking for more. So, as many of you know, I was accepted into an Ed.D. program at Columbia Teachers College. I will be going to New York one weekend a month during the school year for the program, starting this weekend. I also spent several weeks on Columbia’s campus in June for summer term, and I loved it!
I applied for a K-12 EdD program, but ended up being accepted into an adult learning and leadership program called AEGIS (Adult Education Guided Intensive Study), and it has turned out to be perfect. I am passionate about the importance of spreading Rainbow-style holistic education, and I see pursuing my Doctor of Education Degree as an important step in preparing Rainbow to be a key player in the Education Revolution. Through this program, I am learning about how to train adults – such as parents, teachers, and school leaders. The program was founded by Jack Mezirow, the “father “of Transformative Learning. So far, we have learned a lot about adult development, and how to help people rise to new levels of learning all through their lives. It’s very holistic. A few people have asked if they can read some of my papers, so I have attached one which you can access by clicking here. This short paper is a fairly personal reflection, but it provides quite a bit of insight about my strategy of leadership at Rainbow, so I don’t at all mind sharing it.
A Vote of Confidence.
I sometimes make fun of how “unscientific” the WNC Best of Awards are, but they are very important! As a small school, it is amazing that we get so many votes compared to larger schools that have so many more voters. That shows how enthusiastic and devoted you all are—so, THANK YOU so much for taking the initiative to vote for your Rainbow school. These awards help other people in the community pay attention to the important work we are doing at Rainbow. The awards also help us raise grant funds. Lately, we have submitted several grants, searching for funding for our proposed Community Environmental Learning Center (CELC), and winning those awards gave our application credibility. (More on the CELC later.)
Did you notice that we won first place for Best Science and Tech education program? Science, engineering, systems, (and technology in the older grades) are taught in experiential ways at Rainbow, with complex understandings arising from field world, lab work, experiments, and games. While standardized test scores only tell a small part of the story, it is not surprising that our students blow the roof off of the SAT 10 Science test each year. Be sure to have lots of great dinner time science conversations with your children this year to enhance their opportunity to dialog on scientific concepts.
Potlucks are our favorite thing…
….and the best one of the year is next Friday, September 18. Sue Ford’s marimba band will be playing, and the backyard is going to be full of love, life, and excellent food. If you bring a dessert, we will ask you to place it at the new courtyard, where will have will a little celebration of the new space after dinner. Thanks for making it happen!
Rainbow Mountain Foundation's 2010 – 2011 Annual Fund Drive
Dulcimers made and played, beautiful clean hardwood floors to hold morning circles, private lockers for preteens in Omega, creative art supplies for budding artists in preschool and the lively interactions on the playground of a truly economic and socially diverse group of children…
Where do all these additions to enrich Rainbow Mountain Children’s School come from? They are made possible by each and every Rainbow Mountain family making their tax-deductible donation to the Rainbow Mountain Foundation. The Rainbow Mountain Foundation has for over fifteen years enriched our school and paid for creative and practical ideas and supplies for our wonderful, dedicated and talented teachers to enrich our children’s experience like no other school.
What and who is the Foundation? You, each and every Rainbow family, from preschool to Omega are the Rainbow Mountain Foundation and the way to support all the extras that every school requires.
The Foundation’s goal this year is $55,000. We move toward our goal with this letter to your family and plan to celebrate your support for our children by December. Please take the time now to pick up a pen and write out a check to the Rainbow Mountain Foundation, or simply indicate on the form provided the amount you wish to have billed to your account. It is essential that we all participate, whether we choose to forego a Friday night pizza and movie or we have the ability to make a large donation, each and every donation adds to creative programs and supplies that make Rainbow Mountain Children’s School a special place to grow and learn.
We all have so much to be thankful for at Rainbow Mountain Children’s School: a loving community of families; healthy children, eager to learn and grow; and motivated, talented teachers. Let’s show our support today.  If you have questions, please ask one of the volunteer Foundation members or your class parent. Some additional information is provided on the back of this letter about the Rainbow Mountain Foundation.
With love and gratitude,
Sarah Corley
Chair, Rainbow Mountain Foundation
Rainbow Mountain teachers offer our children education from the heart to the heart. In order to do so effectively, they need your support. The Rainbow Mountain Foundation provides a classroom allowance to each teacher to spend on items needed to effectively teach your children. Maps, microscopes, books, chairs, and lockers, are all items that teachers have purchased with RMF funds to enhance the learning environment in their classrooms.
Rainbow Mountain should be open to anyone whose heart calls them to the school, regardless of material wealth. You can make this vision a reality through your donation to the RMF. Money raised by RMF goes to provide scholarships to families who could not otherwise afford the tuition. These families increase the economic, social and cultural diversity that make our community vibrant.
Rainbow Mountain nurtures children in all realms: spiritual, emotional, social, physical, and intellectual. This holistic approach to education requires a strong emphasis in the arts, which connects all the domains. Funds raised by the Rainbow Mountain Foundation support visiting artists in residence at Rainbow Mountain. Students have learned puppetry, performed on their own hand-made dulcimers, choreographed and performed original dances, and sung and recorded original world music — all drawing upon the wealth of local artists in our community.
Kaleidoscope for January — News about Rainbow’s Expansion!
Kaleidoscope, January 2014: The View from Executive Director, Renee Owen
The light returns! Yes, each of us in so many ways have made it through the darkest days, and now the light returns. Hope reigns. That was the theme of the Rainbow winter program, The Festival of Light. Wasn’t it beautiful? Music teacher, Sue Ford; Creative director, Justin Pilla; and all the children, staff, and volunteers put together a program that was a delight for the ears, eyes, and heart. What a beautiful way to carry us off into winter break.
I hope your break was as restful as mine. I think I can speak for both myself and the rest of the staff when I say that I truly rested. (You probably noticed that communication completely ceased.) The teachers and everyone who works at Rainbow put so much of their heart and soul into what they do that breaks are a sacred time to rest and refuel.
As break ends, we move into the winter weeks, where the days are getting longer, but the temperature outside is colder. It is a time to be inside literally and figuratively. A time to look inward and prepare for what is ahead. Every January, teachers are impressed by the emotional, social, and mental growth (all domains, actually) their students seem to make over holiday break. They return to school ready to engage in the most focused and intense learning of the school year, which will culminate with student led conferences in March, where your child will amaze you by presenting his/her portfolio of accomplishments to demonstrate true learning.
As an organization, this is certainly an important moment for us to take stock of where we are, and look with much hope toward what is ahead. The biggest change on our horizon is the new expanded facility we will soon inhabit. Wow! You all gave and gave until we raised the $200,000 necessary for the down payment to purchase the church. The final dollars were raised only minutes before the deadline. The Rainbow Rising Capital Campaign was nothing less than thrilling, and the story of the Campaign is below in italics. If you are interested in the whole saga, read on. Otherwise, the rest of Kaleidoscope News continues after the italicized section below.
In the beginning… On September 3, Rainbow went under contract with the West Asheville Church of God to purchase their three acres and all of their buildings located at 60 State Street. Based on research with local banks and architects, we estimated we would need at least $200,000 for a down payment, and an additional $400,000 soon after in order to renovate the structures and the land. We only had until December 20 to raise the first $200,000, which seemed like a long shot for our community. Fortunately, the board held strong to the vision, and the opportunity to purchase this property was too good a dream to let pass by, so we embarked on a lightning-fast capital campaign. We titled the campaign Rainbow Rising! New Opportunity for a New Era.
Within a couple of weeks, we had assembled a small team of volunteers and staff members made up the courageous capital campaign committee, which was led by Micah Pulleyn (Rainbow parent of Coltrane in preschool). MG Road hosted our kick-off event, and the Princess Anne Hotel hosted a grandparent event. Early-on, everyone on the board donated and so did all the capital campaign committee members, so the fund-raising was launched!
The most miraculous aspect of this campaign is that the majority of the funds came from donations $1000 and under. This campaign busted all the typical capital campaign research, which says that typically a few large donations make up most of the money. Instead there was a massive number of donations for $250, 500, $20, $100, etc – and so many people who gave these amounts apologized they couldn’t give more, and we constantly reassured you that every amount was A LOT! All those donations added up to a grassroots fundraising bonanza.
Almost every day several pledges or donations arrived, so the energy stayed charged. Whenever it waned a little, a large donation would show up like a shot of adrenaline! There were two donations for $25,000 – both which were complete surprises! There were also a few donations toward year one for $10,000, and there were several donations for $5,000, $3,000, and $2,000. About half of the larger donations came from alumni families, grandparents, or foundations, which was encouraging and helpful in lightening the burden for current families who are stretched to pay tuition. Thank you, philanthropists!
The most touching donations were from children and young adults. Time after time, we were in tears over the first grader who donated all he had saved for his whole life, the girls and boys who donated all their birthday money, the alumni students who made donations, the girl who made cookies to sell, and so on! Our hearts were exploding! Then, the 4th – 8th grades started a coin drive and between those classes they raised over $500, truly proving that every penny counts! The staff also did a drive and, as a group, decided they would all donate. This group of educators who already give so much and are paid so little (in dollars) for their work, ended up raising about $10,000 for the campaign – an average donation of about $300 each!
Finally, we were three days from the deadline and we were still $23,500 from the goal. K-8 parent participation was over 80%, so almost everyone had given, and we knew many people had given all they possibly could. So there was a lot of suspense about how the rest would be raised. Never a doubt that we would make it…just anticipation. Then another miracle happened. An anonymous $10,000 cash donation –literally CASH—came in. Only at Rainbow!
December 20: We went into the final day with $13,000 left to raise. Over $7,000 came in during that day. According to our financial policies, every dollar that walks in the door has to be accounted for by at least two people. Therefore, donations had to be entered into a log by Mary before going to Sandra, who kept the capital campaign spread sheet. At one point, Mary was happily shouting that she couldn’t keep up! The money was coming in too quickly! Also during this time, the wine raffle raised about $1,000 (another example of how $10 donations can add up quickly!), and the $500 from the various student coin drives was turned in. That $500 was a critical donation to get us toward the final goal.
By the time the winter program began at 6:30 pm on December 20, we only had $6,000 to go and virtually 100% of families, K-8, and a large percentage of preschool families had donated – many had dug deeper and donated twice! A few people were worried about what would happen if we didn’t make the goal, and I assured them we weren’t going to lose the deal with the church over $6,000! I would get a cash advance on my credit card if I had too! But mostly I assumed we would have to ‘pass the hat’ (or the globe) at the winter program, and that would hopefully finish it off. It turned out not to be necessary… As people walked in the door for the program another $4,000 in donations were made. As the program began, Micah was preparing to go on stage and thank everyone for their incredible spirit of generosity and to announce that we only had $2000 to go, but another magical moment happened… Someone placed a check for exactly $2,000 in her hands just as she was standing to go on stage to make the announcement. Happily, we all rejoiced and enjoyed the program in our new future performance space with joy and gratitude overflowing…and what a beautiful program it was. Truly, a celebration of light.
Again, thank you everyone. YOU made this happen by having faith that it would, and by having faith that by taking the initiative to make your donation — no matter what amount you could donate– you would make a difference – and you did. In the end, it came down to every single dollar being essential. What a wonderful thing to be a part of and what a blessing.
Working with Micah, Rainbow Rising Campaign Coordinator, throughout this campaign has been a joy. She is enthusiastic about every person who gets involved, every donation…everything. Full of love! Micah, Sandra, and the whole committee deserve our admiration. They are Sarah Corley, Darrah Noble, Mark Smith (who made all the alumni connections), Bob Hanna, Kristin Candell, Resheda Hagan (who represented grandparents), Elaine Schein (an Asheville-at-large community member), Eddie McCassim, Sheila Mraz, Jen Horschman, Claudia Konijn (board rep), and Wilson Sims (the consultant). In addition to these individuals, there are countless other volunteers who wrote thank you notes, volunteered on December 7, asked businesses for money, donated in-kind goods or services, and so on. It truly takes a village.
As if the story of raising the first $200,000 isn’t exciting enough, there is one gigantic pledge most of you don’t yet know about. We received a pledge from the McMichael Foundation for $150,000!!! The McMichael Foundation’s giving cycle was over for 2013 when our campaign began, so they were not able to pledge toward the down payment, and instead will donate the $150,000 over the next three years. Thanks to the McMichael Foundation and several other multi-year pledges from parents, grandparents, alumni, and foundations, we already have $215,000 pledged toward the next phases of the campaign, so there is only $185,000 of the $600,000 left to raise.
What’s next for fundraising?
As for the final $185,000 of Rainbow Rising, the strategy for this final amount is to mostly focus on major gifts, on foundations, and on businesses. We hope to have most of the $185,000 pledged (not donated, but pledged) by the time summer arrives, so we can predict what the income stream for construction will be for the next two years.
The Annual Campaign: As for most of us who already donated to the capital campaign, we will go back to focusing on the more modest annual campaign for this year, which we all sort of forgot about in the midst of the urgent capital campaign. Only $15,000 of the $46,000 goal for the annual campaign has been donated. So hopefully, those of you who made a capital campaign donation, but haven’t yet made your annual donation, will remember to get that annual pledge card turned in. We’ve all learned that every donation really counts, so please don’t ignore the annual campaign just because you may consider you donation as small. Every donation goes primarily toward educational materials and programs for this year. Mostly, it’s for the teachers – so they have everything they need to do a great job. We don’t want them buying materials out of their own pockets.
Now What?
The Bank of North Carolina delivered a loan commitment letter, and the closing is scheduled for January 14 – next week! The Bank of North Carolina has been great to work with, by the way. Rainbow parent, Nate Banchiere, is our loan agent there, and he has worked hard to find us the best rate and terms compared to any other banks. Thanks for all your hard work, Nate!
No respite for the board and the staff: After closing, we begin working toward getting a certificate of occupancy. The church has been very cooperative in letting us use their facilities throughout this fall for tutoring, meetings, PE, and of course our Rainbow Rising fundraiser and student performances. This has greatly helped us get through our facilities squeeze. Ironically, once we own it, we won’t officially be able to use the interior spaces until we get our C.O. So, we are going to be in a tight facilities crunch for a few months. Parent and architect, Jeff Dalton, is working on filing a permit with the city. Soon, we will know what work the city will require on the buildings for occupancy. (More info on this later.)
The parsonage, by the way, will remain a residence. Rather than converting it for school use (and meeting commercial code) which will eventually be an expensive process, the short-term plan is to rent it out to generate income for the school. We have already found a responsible renter. Our hard-working assistant executive director, Sandra McCassim, and her family just sold their home so that she can live closer to work, and they need to rent a place for a while. I don’t think she expected to be this close to Rainbow, but it certainly will be convenient until they find a permanent residence.
The prospective timeline for facilities expansion, development, and use is below.
$400,000 was the early conservative estimate on how much it will cost to complete the first phases of work. The $600,000 capital campaign was a total of $200,000 for the down payment, plus an estimated $400,000 for development.
($200,000 down payment + $400,000 development work = $600,000)
Therefore, as we begin construction in February, we will already need to be drawing upon Year 2 capital campaign pledges to fund the work. As we file for permits and as architects complete designs, we will get a clearer estimate of what each phase will truly cost and how long the construction will take. If pledges are paid early and the city requirements are moderate, we may be able to move into the buildings sooner, but for now, we will have to wait for funding to complete construction. We will do as much construction “in house” as possible with Max at the helm, and hopefully a lot of in-kind work and materials will be donated to keep us within budget. Note that the development required isn’t because of the church was out of code; they actually meticulously maintained their buildings. However, coming in as a new owner and as a school, we have stricter code requirements, especially for handicap accessibility and fire safety systems . Additionally, there is work to do to convert the land and buildings for our use in a way that aesthetically and functionally serves our programming needs.
Plans for Growth
Rainbow’s enrollment goal for the 2014-15 school year is 178 students. For the 2015-16 school year, we need to have enough space opened up to accommodate 188 students – which is the equivalent of 16 to 18 students per classroom in K-8, (and preschool will remain the same size). Each classroom will be staffed with a teacher and an assistant teacher, keeping our student/teacher ratio low.
Currently, there are already 166 students enrolled, and admissions is very busy. If you know someone who may be interested in Rainbow for their family, please encourage them to book a tour early. We are only planning one open house event this year, which will be on February 6 from 3:30 – 6pm. Preschool is already full or nearly full for next year. If you have a sibling you are considering enrolling for next year, it is important you let admissions director, Sheila Mraz, know immediately. In the past, Rainbow has struggled from year to year to make our enrollment goals. It is rewarding and very exciting to be in high demand right now, but it could also become overwhelming and even disturbing to have the opposite problem and to possibly turn people down whom we wish we could admit. So please, tell anyone you know who may be interested to take initiative soon.
Secure your spot for next year
Current students are ensured a spot for next year if you:
1. Return the intention form (which you will be receiving by email in the form of a survey in the next day or two) by January 14.
2. Attend Parent Open House on February 6. This is optional, but highly recommended. Child care will be free, so that you have the opportunity to talk with next year’s teacher(s) and learn about developmental needs and strategies for your child’s/children’s upcoming grade(s).
3. Return your 2014-15 contract and deposit no later than February 26. This is very important.
4. If you currently have financial aid, look for instructions on how to apply for the upcoming year, and be sure to meet all deadlines.
Wow. This is the longest Kaleidoscope ever, and I haven’t even gotten to talk about all the great events and programming coming up, such as the ski trip, Shine, the science fair, and more. So please keep abreast of Rainbow Reminders and other emails. Most importantly, keep up all the great support and love for the teachers who have made all of this possible. As Sue Ford, our new music teacher, said at the winter program, she has never seen teachers put so much love and effort into teaching as at Rainbow. They continue to outshine all of my highest expectations. They are my heroes.
