The driving purpose of the ETSF is to contribute significant funds for projects and programs that will produce substantial and lasting benefits for the students of Estancia High School and TeWinkle Middle School. Through its annual grant giving, the Foundation is the main source of supplemental financial support for academics, arts, activities, and athletics at Estancia and TeWinkle.

The ETSF administers an educational endowment that was initially capitalized with a $1,000,000 donation from C. J. Segerstrom & Sons. Like all endowments, this initial gift was intended not to be spent, but rather to be preserved and cultivated through careful investment. It is the interest income from the endowment which is available to be spent for the benefit of students at Estancia and TeWinkle. This interest income, presently amounting to about $50,000 per year, is disbursed in annual grants to the two schools.

The Foundation funds significant programs and projects addressing campus-wide goals that are both substantial and achievable. The Foundation annually gives large grants targeting each campus’s particular needs and priorities, as identified by the school’s own leadership team. The grants support school initiatives in the areas of academics, arts, activities, and athletics. The primary focus, however, is academics.

At Estancia, foundation grants have fully funded the Apprentice Program––a new comprehensive support system for incoming freshmen, and provided support for the school’s Puente program for high-achieving Hispanic students. Foundation grants have funded the purchase of ancillary materials for mathematics, books for literature circles, smart boards, computer labs, and cutting-edge technology for classroom use, among other things.

At TeWinkle, foundation grants have provided up-to-date technology in nearly every classroom, including smart boards and LCD projectors. Foundation grants have also met the school’s need for extensive Social Study reference materials available for student use in the library.

ETSF can only spend the interest earned on the endowment, which amounts to about $50,000 a year. With state education dollars severely limited, Estancia and TeWinkle look to the Foundation for more supplemental funding for programs and projects that are essential to ensuring educational excellence and a well-rounded, enriching experience. Additional donations to ETSF will allow it to give larger, more significant grants to the schools.

Estancia and TeWinkle both have an economically and culturally diverse population. These schools serve among the neediest of students striving for an education – about 65% of the students at both schools qualify for free lunch, and over half speak a language other than English at home. However, the other 35% of the students come from middle to upper-middle-class homes with college-educated parents. Our two school communities are indeed a microcosm of California.

The academic programs at both schools are designed to meet the individual needs of all members of their diverse student population. Estancia’s 1200 students sat for over 350 Advanced Placement Examinations in May 2007, and over three-quarters of Estancia’s graduates move on to post-high school academic environments. Moreover, Estancia is one of the few schools in California to have a thriving Industrial Arts department as well as a Business Pathway program, a four-year AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) curriculum, and Puente Program for high-achieving Hispanic students in 9th through 12th grades, in addition to its many Advanced Placement and Honors classes. Abundant athletic programs, clubs, and co-curricular activities are also available to give all Estancia and Tewinkle students the opportunity to continually challenge themselves in multi-faceted ways.

The Foundation is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors consisting of community and business leaders from Costa Mesa, many of whom are also Estancia and TeWinkle alumni, parents or grandparents. The principals of both Estancia and TeWinkle sit on the Foundation Board as nonvoting advisors. A complete list of board members can be found on the website under “Our Board.”

ETSF is raising money for two purposes: to increase the size of the endowment, with a resulting increase in interest income available for distribution through annual grants, and to bring in additional new donations wholly available for annual grant making. The Foundation’s long-term goal is to build the endowment to $3,000,000. An endowment of that size will ensure continued funding for generous annual grants to enhance education at Estancia and TeWinkle.

There are various ways to support ETSF financially and otherwise. Your tax-deductible financial donations can be in the form of Unrestricted Gifts (to the General Fund for disbursal through annual grants to the schools), Designated Donor Gifts (for a designated purpose such as to support a particular academic department, arts or athletic program, or facility enhancement), Endowment Gifts (to the endowment fund, to generate additional income for distribution to the schools . . . “the gift that keeps giving”). The Foundation can also use Your Time and Talent. Please see the website for more details.