The South Orange-Maplewood Education Foundation supports initiatives that compliment the strategic goals of the school district. Since 1999, SOMEF has concentrated its efforts on programs that support the following fundamental objectives that contribute to overall educational excellence:

Innovation in Education

We - the Foundation and our entire community - believe that supporting the initiative and ingenuity of our teachers is central to the goal of fostering educational excellence and maximum student achievement. Several SOMEF programs are designed to provide members of the educational staff of the South Orange & Maplewood Schools with opportunities to expand their own training and to put their ideas into action in the classroom. These include the Teacher Grants Program, The Michelle T. Riecke Teaching Fellowship, and The Tripod Project.

Educational Equity

Receiving a quality education is essential if one is to succeed in today’s world.  Mastering this goal is harder for some than for others. Students who struggle to keep pace in the classroom often have trouble realizing their own academic potential. SOMEF seeks to increase opportunities for academic success by offering programs aimed at strengthening basic skills and providing extra academic support for students in need. In addition to the ACHIEVE Volunteer Tutor Program, SOMEF also provides grants for special programs in areas such as social skills improvement, reading development, math skills reinforcement and more.

Exceptional Facilities

SOMEF is dedicated to maintaining the physical environment and state-of-the-art equipment that are vital to ensuring outstanding instruction. Having the ability to learn in pleasant, well-appointed surroundings fosters pride in and appreciation for our schools on the part of all students and staff members. To this end, SOMEF supplements school district funding for facilities improvement, most notably renovations and upgrades at Columbia High School including the auditorium, the TV Arts Program, Project Adventure and more.

SOMEF's major, on-going initiatives:

ACHIEVE Volunteer Tutor Program
Teacher Grants Program & Grants to Administrators
Michelle T. Riecke Teaching Fellowship
Restoration of the Columbia High School Auditorium