NEWS RELEASE
August 18, 2020
Christine Robertson, Executive Director
crobertson@slcusd.org
San Luis Coastal Education Foundation Receives $1 Million Gift to Launch the iINNOVATE Initiative
The Foundation is partnering with the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust
to elevate 21st century hands-on learning opportunities for students.
The San Luis Coastal Education Foundation is pleased to announce a historic $1 million partnership gift from the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust to launch the iINNOVATE Initiative, a multi-year program to increase access to project-based learning at all 10 district elementary schools.
“This generous gift is a game changer for our students,” said Dr. Eric Prater, Superintendent of the San Luis Coastal Unified School District. “Now more than ever, our students need opportunities for hands-on exploration that connects their learning to the real world. We would not be able to offer these experiences to our students at this scale and in this timeframe without the generosity of the Miossi Trust and our community.
The Foundation's iINNOVATE Initiative aims to connect student learning to the real world, equipping them with the skills necessary to succeed in a changing global economy. Through project-based learning, students are able to celebrate the journey of trial and error along the path to discovery and understanding.
Project-based learning requires engaging spaces and materials that often exceed public school budgets. It is common for hands-on learning resources and materials to be parent and PTA funded. However, this site-by-site model results in dramatic disparities between the have-and-have-not schools. The gift from the Miossi Trust ensures all San Luis Coastal elementary students have equitable access to 21st century learning opportunities. By funding innovation labs at all 10 elementary sites, every kindergarten through 5th grade student will be able to enjoy engaging learning environments that cultivate curiosity and empower kids to actively explore real world challenges.
“Local industry leaders are telling us that what they value most in this next generation of talent is creativity, critical thinking and problem solving skills,” said Christine Robertson, Executive Director of the San Luis Coastal Education Foundation. “Job creators are not simply looking for people who have learned existing answers, they need a new generation of thinkers who can invent solutions to problems that don’t even exist yet. That is the type of life-long learning we are seeking to cultivate through the iINNOVATE Initiative.”
Students do not have to wait for the reopening of school to experience the benefits of the new Innovation Labs. The Foundation has teamed up with some of the district's dynamic teachers to create "My Lab," a themed monthly project box that actively engages each kindergarten through 5th grade student in fun and challenging hands-on learning.
Each month, every K-5 student (~3,750 kiddos!) will receive a project box containing all of the supplies and materials necessary to complete four projects (one per week) in their home. Each month's box will have a theme (e.g. Innovator Habits, Engineering, Gardens, Astronomy, Art, etc.) that will organize the activities and learning objectives. When the month's projects are done, students keep their boxes and remaining supplies to continue tinkering, creating and refining their ideas.
"From the first moment Christine Robertson presented me with the concept of the iINNOVATE Initiative, I knew it was a perfect fit for both the Harold Miossi Trust and the community,” said Howard Carroll, Trustee of the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust. “One of the Trust’s goals is to have a positive impact on the recipients. This gift will meet that goal for many years."
In addition to the $1 million gift to fund the 10 innovation labs, earlier this year the Harold J. Miossi Trust invested $100,000 to launch the development of project-based lesson plans. Over the past year, teams of grade-level teachers have been working to examine existing lessons and reimagine them as hands-on learning opportunities starting with grades K-5.
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ABOUT OUR STUDENTS
Before the pandemic hit, 40% of SLCUSD students were identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged. The economic impact of COVID-19 has driven these numbers higher, leaving many of our students and their families struggling to make ends-meet. Many students do not have access in their homes to basic project supplies such as tape, glue, markers and more. Ensuring that all kids have equal access to relevant hands-on learning from home and at school is one way we can help close our opportunity gap.
ABOUT HAROLD J. MIOSSI
Harold J. Miossi was born in San Luis Obispo in 1922, and attended school in the San Luis Coastal Unified School District. He graduated from San Luis Obispo High school in 1939 and went on to attend San Luis Obispo Junior College and UC Berkeley where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Economics. He returned to San Luis Obispo to help run his family ranch. In 1960, he was appointed Inheritance Tax Appraiser (later renamed California Probate Referee) for San Luis Obispo County. Later reappointed by Republican and Democrat State Controllers, he held this position for 35 years and earned a reputation for his fairness.
Considered the father of the local conservation movement, Harold was a champion for environmental protection throughout the Central Coast. His most heralded achievement was preventing the “burying of Cuesta Canyon alive” with an eight-lane freeway. What started as a lonely battle with Harold opposing the State Highway Department, ended as a concerted effort of supporters from all divisions of the economic, political and social strata of the community joining en masse to thwart this ill-conceived project.
Upon his passing in 2006, the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust was established to continue his legacy of care for the San Luis Obispo community. The Trust invests in six priority areas that improve the quality of life for local residents: animal-related, education, environment, the Catholic Church, fine arts and youth development.