The Beresford Area Foundation is pleased to announce grants totaling $13,700 to the Beresford School District 61-2.
The first grant in the amount of $3,000 was made to support Beresford Summer Tutoring. This program will provide reading instruction to elementary students that desire enrichment throughout the summer. The reading program would be taught by certified educators but is not part of the school district budget. There currently isn’t revenue for this project in the funding for the local school. The program would last for six weeks throughout the summer and involve 15-20 students in grades kindergarten through 2nd Grade. Certified teachers will provide students with services twice a week for the six weeks.
In addition to tutoring, the Beresford Area Foundation funded a grant in the amount of $2,000 to support the “PAWS” Program, which refers to Partners Always Watching and Supporting. The PAWS for Success Program is a school-wide initiative designed to foster mentorship, servant leadership, school unity, and positive behavior reinforcement between senior students and kindergarteners. Through structured membership activities, special school traditions and opportunities for seniors to lead by example, this program cultivates a culture of care, respect and belonging across grade levels. Pursuant to the program, seniors will interact with kindergarten students four times a year: Homecoming week, Read Across America Week, Kindergarten Graduation and Quarterly Meetups. In order to build and foster the relationship, the program provides custom PAWS t-shirts for the participating seniors and the kindergarteners. At the end of the year, the seniors and the kindergarteners have a picnic.
In addition to supporting younger students, the Beresford Area Foundation also made a significant grant in the amount of $7,500 to support students attending the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa, in the summer of 2025. The Speech, Oral Interp., and Debate Program in Beresford is a significant program and the Beresford Area Foundation is proud to support it. The program now has 50 active high school students and 44 active middle school students involved in Speech, Oral Interp. and Debate Programs. The Grant funds will assist in allowing 20 students and five judges and parents to attend the event. Three Beresford High School students and 17 Middle School students have qualified for the National Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. Attending this tournament has been a goal for all students and they have worked hard to be selected.
Oral Interp., Speech and Debate are a major part of the Fine Arts Tradition in Beresford. This history started in 1970 when Beresford joined the National Speech and Debate Association. Currently Beresford Public School has the largest Middle School Program in the state. The National Debate Tournament is scheduled for June 17 – 20, 2025.
The Beresford Area Foundation also funded a grant in the amount of $1,200 to the BSD to support a Summer Program designed for Juniors and Seniors to focus on their college and career preparation. The funds will be used by BSD Counselor Shellie Pratt to meet with the students to plan and focus on important goals like scholarship applications and building their professional portfolios for college admissions and career/scholarship opportunities. The title of the program is “College and Career Ready: Empowering Students for Success”. The summer sessions would be providing a service to upcoming juniors and seniors so that they can develop scholarship search and application strategies, building a resume, and creating a portfolio to be utilized when they apply for scholarships. With the high cost of post-secondary education, applying for scholarships is one of the most effective ways to reduce student loan debt. The program will take place in June through August of 2025. In the summer of 2024, 28 incoming senior students attended at least one scholarship/college portfolio session. Students were able to identify their areas of strength and the areas they needed to grow and to be better prepared for their upcoming senior year. The economic results experienced by students who engage in this type of planning is significant.
The Beresford Area Foundation is proud to support education in the Beresford community. Please consider a tax-deductible gift to the Beresford Area Foundation, P.O. Box 84, Beresford, South Dakota 57004. It is only through the earnings on the endowed fund created from your gifts that the Foundation Board of Directors is able to make these grants.