SOMEF: Welcome to the South Orange=Maplewood Education Foundation

SOMEF News

Thanks to all families and friends who chose Honor Your Teacher tributes as end-of-the-year gifts for teachers and other school staff members this year. You helped raise nearly $7,000 for SOMEF Teacher Grants. It’s never too late to order SOMEF tributes; they're the perfect gift for anyone at any time.

The 2009 Dubrow Volunteer Award was presented on May 20th to outstanding ACHIEVE tutors: Anna Alexander, Roni Bamforth, Christine Steck, Olivia Tempest, Judith Thompson & Michael Williams.

SOMEF Awards Spring Grants. Gary Pankiewicz, Supervisor of English Language Arts & Asst Principal, Michael Healy, both of CHS, received 2009 SOMEF Summer Administrator Grants. The Michelle T. Riecke Teaching Fellowship was awarded to Mary Brancaccio (CHS), Catherine Evans (Marshall), Sue Donatelli (Tuscan), Kathy Shelffo (Clinton), & Lisa Heumann (So. Mountain). Congratulations to all!

Deborah Prinz, SOMEF Executive Director and Founder of ACHIEVE, Honored by SO/MA Adult School: Prinz recently received the Gus and Thelma Sickles Lifelong Learning Award for her work in the community and schools.

Welcome to the South Orange-Maplewood
Education Foundation(SOMEF)
A proven partnership that works

The not-for-profit South Orange-Maplewood Education Foundation (SOMEF) is committed to raising meaningful funds to sustain excellence in education – excellence that the citizens of South Orange and Maplewood (NJ) count on for their children. With the support of the community and other partners, SOMEF has raised over $1,000,000 for programs that keep the children and teachers of this district on the cutting edge of learning.

The organization’s core mission is to enhance the educational experience for all South Orange/Maplewood District students and staff. SOMEF supports initiatives that foster educational excellence through:

Innovation In Education
Educational Equity
Exceptional Facilities

SOMEF's initiatives and fundraisers are championed by more than 1,500 donors, many of whom also volunteer their time to support our programs and events.

SOMEF's primary initiatives include Teacher Grants, the ACHIEVE Volunteer Tutor Program, the Michelle T. Riecke Teaching Fellowship, Summer Administrator's Grants, District Partnership and improvements to the Columbia High School TV Arts Program and Auditorium. Learn more by reading topics in the About Us section.

Please note: SOMEF is an independent, 501 (c)(3) non profit organization. SOMEF funds are granted exclusively for use in the School District of South Orange and Maplewood (NJ).