Welcome to the Norcross Foundation for Excellence!
 

Our Mission Statement

The mission of the corporation shall be to partner with Norcross High School and the Norcross, Georgia community in continual support of Norcross High School as a world class school.

Next meeting of the Board of Directors:

Monday, December 5th, 4:30 p.m.
Family Consumer Science Room, NHS

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In 2001, the forward thinking constituents at Norcross High School began a Foundation for Excellence to provide financial assistance for the education of future generations of Norcross students. Norcross High School is located 5300 Spalding Drive in Norcross, Georgia in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. The history of Norcross High School dates back over 100 years in providing formal education for children throughout the Norcross community. Norcross High School currently educates about 3,000 students to become the future leaders of our community and country.

Norcross High School began the Foundation for Excellence with a generous gift from Mr. Paul Duke, developer of Technology Park in Norcross, GA. For the past seven academic years, the Foundation has received donations from hundreds of families to help fund programs and structures, including:

• Matrix sign that greets all school visitors
• Contributions to assist in funding the Duke House
• Media Center updates including books and equipment
• Teacher grants that impact our students
• Pavilion located by tennis courts providing shade and water
• Computer carts containing wireless laptops
• Trophy case in foyer
• Teacher scholarships for continuing education

The Norcross High School mission with its students from over 40 different countries is “Achieving Excellence on the Wings of Diversity”. The Foundation is the epitome of the melting pot that is Norcross High School. The parents and other community stakeholders are dedicating their dollars to provide well-educated and well-rounded contributing members of society. We proudly admire the success of our alumni as they attend the best universities in the world, become entrepreneurs of their own corporations, or become world class athletes. We want the future leaders of our country to be as diverse as the community from which they came.

As the Board of Directors of the Norcross High School Foundation for Excellence, we are asking for your support in our philanthropic work. The needs of the school include providing students assistance in the areas of academics, art, and athletics. We urge you to become part of providing for the legacy of the young people in our community.

Our Foundation is a 501 (c) (3)

The 2011-2012 Foundation Board

Foundation officers for 2011-2012: Bob and Jenny Chapin are co-presidents. Other members of the executive board are Aaron Lupuloff, vice president; Mark Willis, secretary; Weare Gratwick, treasurer; Jonathan Patterson, principal; and Kirk Barton, athletic and activities director. Jenifer Kinney is the Foundation's administrator, and Kim Janis is the chairperson of Gala VI.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kirk Barton

Melinda Byrne

Bob and Jenny Chapin

Maria Chininis

De Ann Crawford

Debbie Dykes

Fraser Duke

Mike Emery

Beth Findling

Elizabeth Frisbee

Weare Gratwick

Angie Hembree

Yolanda Henderson

Kim Janis

Mike Klipstein

Lori Leal

Aaron Lupuloff

Keith Maloof

David McEachern

Caki Mendel

Jonathan Patterson

Chris Saunders

Christina Scott

Adam Shapiro

Zahanine Streeter

Jackie Thunhorst

Mark Willis

The Founders

Dreamers, men with vision and a passion who want something special for their community meet, talk and now a dream has become a reality, thanks in large part to the munificence of Paul Duke and his family. “Norcross High School is forever indebted for everything Mr. Paul Duke and his family have done for this school and community.” Mary Anne Charron, former NHS Principal said, “Mr. Duke’s vision to develop our community has created a special place where families can raise their children and enjoy the best of our beautiful area.

Norcross High has the utmost appreciation and admiration for Paul Duke and his family, for their generosity and support of our school. This building will always be a special tribute to a giant of a man" - Paul Duke. The Duke House is located adjacent to the football field and is used for meetings and various events. Background information on Paul Duke:

• Mr. Duke was married to the former Joan Fraser; he had five children and six grandchildren.
• He was a former elder and lifelong member of North Avenue Presbyterian Church.
• He was a graduate of Georgia Tech where he earned two engineering degrees.
• He established Peachtree Corners Inc. in 1968.
• Mr. Duke died in 2009 at age 84. His son, Fraser Duke, is a member of the Foundation for Excellence board.

Present Day

About 25 percent of our unrestricted contributions come in at the start of the year via donations received at registration and in response to our mail brochure campaign. The remaining 75 percent is raised at the end of the year from the Gala: from challenge acceptors, Gala sponsors, school house brick contributions and individual ticket sales. The largest component (47 percent) of the 2009-2010 budget directly supports students and instructors in the form of teacher grants, staff recognition and support, media center donations and instructional funds. What we have financed this year:

Core Academic Areas:

• smart board software
• books and videos IB/AP Psychology
• consumables for labs
• UV light magnetic fingerprint kits
• Spanish dictionaries, novels in Spanish, and French magazine subscriptions

Fine Arts:

• follow spot lighting for drama
• music for 25 different pieces for band
• a music notation dry erase board for chorus
• art history videos
• sculpture and 3d design tools

Other:

• 2 squat stands and 5 pairs of J-cups for the weight room
• screen capture software to create video tutorials for the Media Center
• academic team study materials
• a camera for the newspaper staff

Each year we contribute to the prizes for Teacher of the Year and runners-up. Our budget for teacher scholarships has been increased from four to six $1,000 scholarships. New this year is the instructional funds program, in which we reimburse teachers for some of their out-of-pocket expenses for classroom supplies, partially replacing funds teachers lost due to state budget cuts.

Our 2009-2010 capital budget accounts for $20,000 or 33 percent, of our total budget. This year we have installed the beautiful Wall of Fame cabinet in the commons area, which recognizes each year’s STAR student and Teacher of the Year, as well as our Foundation Hall of Fame Honorees. We purchased a new podium for the theatre and casings for the theatre doors. We also bought the NHS banners that adorn the school grounds.

The board has voted to set aside up to $5,000 per year (approved at the end of each year) to build an endowment with an eye toward longer-term investment and projects. While we, like most of you, prefer to see the majority of our giving spent while our children are enrolled at the school, we also wanted to establish a way to accommodate larger gifts from donors who may want to contribute toward the longer-term benefit of Norcross High.

The Gala

The annual Gala is the premier fundraising event for the Foundation.

Our 2012 Gala VI is April 27, 2012, 7:00pm The Fields Club

For Tickets Contact: Jenifer Kinnney: Jenifer_Kinney@gwinnett.k12.ga.us Jenny Chapin: jennychapin116@bellsouth.net

Gala VI 2011

A new record for fund-raising was set at the Gala VI.  More than 480 people raised more than $100,000 for our world-class school.  Guests celebrated the Hall of Fame induction of former NHS parent and community supporter Cheryl Collins, former NHS teacher Daniela Taylor, and NHS parents Jan & Aaron Lupuloff, while enjoying the music of Terry Lee & the GTs, the sumptuous cuisine of J. Alexander's, and beverages to compliment the food.  Thanks to sponsors Sterne, Agee & Leach, The Printing People, Georgia Flower Shop, The Pink Pastry Parlor, and J. Alexander's, all of our Challengers, the Saville and Davidson families who donated auctioned vacation packages, and the Fields Club for hosting a spectacular event that will help us meet the future needs of NHS students and faculty! 

Gala V 2010

Preliminary figures show that Gala V, held April 30, 2010, raised more than $94,000! This is easily a record amount! The event was attended by about 530 people, who enjoyed an evening of food, music and socializing.

Nathan Slaff, former president of the NHS Foundation, and Kirsten Mixter Baker, a former teacher and coach, were inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.

Aaron and Jan Lupuloff, who have hosted all five Galas, were given special recognition, as was Kim Janis, chair for two years. Also receiving a salute were J. Alexander's, which donated all food that was served, and The Printing People, which printed the tickets. Music was provided by Terry Lee and the G.T.'s, with Raymond James & Associates again the presenting sponsor.

Jenny Chapin, Foundation co-president, said, “The astounding success of this event is particularly impressive in view of the economic challenges that the Norcross community and nation continue to face. So many people are willing to step up to the plate to continue to make our school one of the best.”

Dawn Muchow, Foundation treasurer, said, “The sale of ‘bricks’ was heavy throughout the evening. We were swamped much of the time with people wanting to donate money for specific equipment, supplies and departments.”

Gala IV held May 1, 2009, attended by about 450 people, raised more than $72,000, including more than $60,000 in tickets/challenges and about $11,600 in "brick" purchases. This compares with about $65,000 in 2008.

What is a Gala Challenge?

Each year since 2006, the NHS Foundation for Excellence has held a spring Gala to raise money for the Foundation and honor selected members of the NHS community who have made significant contributions to the success of our school. To encourage ticket sales and participation in the Gala, the Foundation "challenged" the parents and community members to sell or be responsible for $1,000 of tickets to the event.

If you accept a "Challenge," you agree to be responsible for $1,000 of tax-deductible donations to the Foundation. You may fulfill your Challenge by either donating the money personally or selling the tickets or a combination of both. You may make a $1,000 donation and receive up to 20 tickets ($50 each). You then may give away your tickets to friends, relatives, neighbors, clients, your child's teacher and coaches, and others to attend the event. You may give away some tickets and return the rest to the school for distribution through the activities director or principal to teachers and administrators who would like to attend. You may offer them to one of the coaches or faculty members to invite the parents or guardians of a stellar student whose academic or athletic skills bring recognition to the school, but whose parents might not otherwise have the means to attend the Gala.

You also may sell your challenge tickets to parents and community members, whose checks made payable to the NHS Foundation for Excellence will be tax-deductible. All of those checks to the Foundation should be turned in to our treasurer before the Gala.

Any personal donation in support of the Gala and the Foundation may be eligible for a matching corporate donation from a donor's employer. To help us obtain any possible donation matches, please inquire of anyone to whom you sell tickets whether their employer has such a matching gift program.

We also solicit contributions from business entities, companies, corporations and individuals whose funding helps to conduct the Gala and finance the many expenditures of the Foundation to elevate our school to world-class status.

We hope you will consider contributing to the Foundation and become a Gala Challenger. For more information via e-mail:

Jenifer Kinnney: Jenifer_Kinney@gwinnett.k12.ga.us

Jenny Chapin: jennychapin116@bellsouth.net

Schoolhouse Bricks

If you hear Foundation board members refer to “bricks,” chances are they are not talking about the kind of bricks you could purchase at a store. Instead, Foundation “Bricks” build our school in an educational sense. Those who attended Gala V on April 30, 2010, noticed a display shaped something like an old-fashioned schoolhouse adorned with numerous “Bricks.” Each “Brick” was part of a wish list submitted by teachers – items not otherwise funded that would aid them in educating your children. Gala patrons were invited to fund the “Bricks.” The price varied according to the item.

Here are some examples of “Bricks” that were funded at the Gala in 2009:

• $300 for materials for the academic team
• $35 apiece from several donors for small metronomes for the Fine Arts Department
• $110 apiece from several donors for scientific calculators for the Math Department
• $1,725 for an electronic piano for the Fine Arts Department
• $175 for a volleyball instructional video set for the Physical Education Department.  
• $75 for a digital camera for the Language Arts Department.

While attending Gala VI in 2011, seize the opportunity to build our school brick by brick. The kids will be the better for it!

Foundation for Excellence Hall of Fame

The NHS Foundation has established the Hall of Fame to recognize those persons who have made significant contributions to Norcross High School and the community. On Saturday, April 29, 2006, the Norcross High School Foundation for Excellence honored the first class of inductees into the Foundation's Hall of Fame.

2011 Honorees   

Kirsten Mixter Baker served in numerous capacities as a science teacher, coach and adviser during her 10 years at Norcross High School. She also served on the foundation board and was active in other community and educational organizations. She is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a masters degree from Georgia State University and a specialist degree from Lincoln Memorial University. She is now an assistant principal at North Gwinnett High School.

2009 Honorees

Hilary P. Jordan served on the Norcross High School Foundation for Excellence board from 2004-2008, providing legal counsel and ensuring that the group was in full legal compliance for a charitable organization. Jordan, a partner with the Kilpatrick Stockton law firm, and his wife, Judy, have two children who graduated from NHS. They were active in support of their children's involvement with band, roller hockey and other groups. He is a graduate of the University of Arizona and Harvard Law School.

Susan Highsmith Graveline in 1998 founded Mothers and Daughters Against Cancer, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support cancer research. As a cancer survivor, her passion for this cause has helped push Gwinnett County to national recognition in the Relay for Life fundraiser. She has also served on the board of the Foundation for Excellence, headed the inaugural Taste of Norcross and been involved in the cheerleading booster club.

Penny Whiteaker was an educator for 37 years, with 27 at Norcross where she served as chair of the Health and Physical Education Department. She was an assistant basketball and tennis coach, sponsored the Student Council and Junior Civitan Club and started a faculty wellness program. Both of her children attended NHS, and she was active in the Band Boosters. She was also well-known for baking thousands of cupcakes for school groups.

J. Alvin Wilbanks has 45 years of experience as a teacher and administrator and has headed the Gwinnett County school system for 14 years as of 2009. The school system, the largest in Georgia, has drawn national attention for the way it operates and has shown that committed leadership and dedicated teachers can reach students from varied backgrounds. Norcross High has benefited from his vision and support of the International Baccalaureate program, and his intercession helped make possible the construction of the present NHS campus and continued facility improvements.

2008 Honorees

Lucy Maddox - Past students still fondly remember the impact Ms. Maddox had on them as an inspiring teacher and mentor. She taught at Norcross High School from the early 1960's to mid 1980's. She remains active in local politics and she and her husband still reside in the city of Norcross."Teaching is all about the students. They were my inspiration," says Lucy.

Chuck Whelan is the father of two Norcross High School graduates and continues to support many activities, particularly the sports programs. Since 1998 he has given over 60 scholarships to graduating seniors in baseball and football. This year he has extended his scholarship commitment to the Fine Arts department. Off the field he has helped fund the annual Taste of Norcross that raises money for all the booster clubs at Norcross.

Collier Westmoreland was posthumously inducted and his wife, Brenda, accepted the award on his behalf. His career began at Norcross High School in 1965 teaching Social Studies and coaching football. His coaching expertise expanded to include basketball, track and soccer. He remained at Norcross until 1986. After retiring he found his way back to Norcross to teach part time and helped out with the football program until a few months before his death in August of 2006. He was part of the Norcross family for over 30 years!

2007 Honorees

Anne and Kevin Case are the proud parents of four NHS graduates. Tirelessly giving of their time and talents, Anne envisioned and co-chaired the highly successful “A Taste of Norcross” for the first three years. She also started the Catalyst Lunches and was a staunch PTSA member. Kevin was on the Local School Council and was President of the basketball Tip-Off Club.

Mary Anne Charron is a former NHS Principal and was instrumental in raising academics to a new level at Norcross. Through her leadership, Norcross expanded the International Baccalaureate program by 600% and had over $4.5 million in scholarships awarded in 2006. During her tenure, Norcross High School was recognized, for two years running, as one of the top 1000 schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine in 2005-2006.

Mike Emery is currently the Director of Athletics, Student Activities & Community Schools for Gwinnett County Public Schools. Mike Emery gallantly served Norcross High School for 23 years as a former Athletic/Activities Director and teacher. Coach Emery helped build the athletic and activities infrastructure that led Norcross High to a AAAAA State Championship Basketball team, a National Championship Orchestra, and the top American Cancer Society Relay for Life team in the country, raising $112,000. He was proudly named Georgia AAAAA Athletic Director of the year in 2005-2006.

2006 Honorees

Dorothy Lewis taught mathematics and touched the lives of countless students for 27 years at Norcross High School.

Dr. Mary Kay Murphy has served on the Gwinnett County School Board since 1997 representing the Norcross cluster. Dr. Murphy has demonstrated the talents and knowledge necessary for a civic leader of excellence.

Bert Nasuti has served in various positions in the Gwinnett County government and is currently the Gwinnett County Commissioner for District 2 which includes the Norcross area. Judi Rogers is the former Principal of Norcross High School. Mrs. Rogers was instrumental in bringing the prestigious International Baccalaureate Program to NHS and a key force in moving Norcross High School to its new campus on Spalding Drive.

Judi Rogers is the former Principal of Norcross High School. Mrs. Rogers was instrumental in bringing the prestigious International Baccalaureate Program to NHS and a key force in moving Norcross High School to its new campus on Spalding Drive.

Mayor Lillian Webb first became mayor of Norcross in 1974 and made history 20 years ago when she became the first woman elected chairman of the Gwinnett County Commission. Mrs. Webb is also a graduate of Norcross High School; and demonstrates the art of giving back to one's own community.

Criteria for Hall of Fame Honorees

The selection committee will consist of the Principal, the activities director, one Foundation faculty member, one past Hall of Fame honoree and one Foundation Board of Directors parent. Each year there will be no more than three honorees inducted into the Hall of Fame. Each year, there will be no more than one community member and no more than one parent honored. Open Nominations will take place thru September 30th. Nominations are to be submitted to the Athletic Director and must include a brief synopsis as to why the person is being nominated.

Criteria for Faculty:

• Must be retired completely (not semi-retired) from Norcross High School for at least one school year.
• Must have served at Norcross High School for a minimum of seven years.

Criteria for Parents & Community Members:

• At the time of nomination, the parent or community member may not have a student enrolled at Norcross High School.

Teacher Gratitude

These excerpts are just a small sampling of responses from faculty members who received support from the Foundation for their classroom or degree advancement:

“Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I cannot thank you enough for the generous gift that the NHS Foundation granted to my classroom. I will use these 25 unabridged Oxford Spanish dictionaries at least several times a week with my IB senior Spanish students. The dictionaries came in right before Thanksgiving and I have already used them twice this week with my classes! I am so fortunate to work in a school with such a supportive group of parents. The Foundation is one of the reasons why Norcross is such an outstanding school! Thank you again for your generosity. I truly appreciate it!”  --  Kari Pieper

“Thank you so much for your support to our Orchestra Program. The Foundation Grant will provide two great metronomes for student use and checkout. Thank you again for your kindness.”  -- Juana Alzaga

“My reading intervention students and I have begun reading ‘The Magician’s Nephew” and it’s so wonderful that everyone has their own copy. The grant for these 2 Narnia titles was so appreciated. Thanks to the foundation for ALL you do for ALL our students.” -- Paula Bonaker

“I would like to thank you and the members of the Foundation for the generous grant that I was awarded. Current and future NHS Psychology students will benefit from the resources I will be able to purchase. The books and videos selected will be valuable in developing student understanding and awareness. Thanks again for your generous support of our psychology program and of the students at Norcross High School.” -- Dr. Michael Findley

“Thank you so much for the generous Foundation grant for American literature background texts for my classroom. My students’ academic experience will be greatly enriched by these resources. Thank you for all that you do for our school and our students.” -- Linda Katz

“Thank you so much for the scholarship I received this morning. It will come in very useful as I finish paying for my summer courses at KSU. Once again, thank you for this wonderful opportunity to help further our education.” -- Brittany Aarestad

“Thank you so much for the new smartboard tablet. It opens the door for so many more smartboard activities. Your generosity makes Norcross a great place to teach with technology. Our students are going to be well prepared for the most up-to-date innovations in the real world because of what we do here at Norcross.” -- Shawn Wilson

“Thank you so much for your considerable grant. I am so excited to use the grant money in ways that will better my students understanding of chemistry and engage them in the classroom. Not only will my students get to enjoy the various labs (that I can do with the money) this year, but my future students will as well. Chemistry is such a magical subject and you will be bringing it to life for my kids. As a first year teacher at Norcross, I am touched by your generosity and kindness. Thank you again!!” -- Logan Toth

“On behalf of the French teachers at Norcross, thank you so much for the generous $500 grant. We are so excited for the magazine subscriptions as it is difficult to find level appropriate and engaging materials for our students. We are really pushing reading at all levels this year and these subscriptions will definitely help. Thank you for all your good work. We truly appreciate it!” -- Lauren Watson

News Coming Soon 

Contact the Foundation

Jenny Chapin: jennychapin116@bellsouth.net or call 770-448-3674

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