Bonnie Ward—Helping Shape a Better Future for Summit County
Update November 16: Congratulations to Bonnie Ward for receiving The Summit Foundation 2018 Philanthropy Award for Outstanding Citizen!
There’s a quote Bonnie Ward strongly believes in: I teach, I touch the future. She said, “I’ve used that quote all my life. Though I’m not formally teaching anymore, I believe that with these volunteer opportunities that I’m still teaching. I’m still touching the future.”
Bonnie’s depth of knowledge and hours of volunteering has inspired people and mobilized resources for every student in Summit County. She has been a Summit County volunteer for almost 10 years, ever since moving to Dillon full-time in 2009. She has served as a mentor in the Pre-Collegiate Programs since its inception in 2010. She mentors students at Colorado Mountain College, vice-chairs at Education Foundation of the Summit (EFS), serves on the Board of Education, is a member of the district’s STEM committee, and volunteers in the classroom and on PTAs. She mentored students for 5th grade exhibition for six years and was a Girls on the Run mentor at Summit Cove Elementary.
Before coming to Summit County, Bonnie was a 40-year educator in Maryland. A decade of that time was spent as a chief administrator of Frederick County’s school system as well as superintendent of Kent County’s schools on the state’s eastern shore. That followed 30 years as a high school math & computer science teacher and curriculum specialist. Because of her many roles in education—including teacher, parent, curriculum specialist, superintendent, and school board director—she brings empathy and a perspective like none other. “I think my experiences had given me a deep understanding of teacher challenges and help they need. I also have respect for students and what they do every day, and what they accomplish.”
Growing a Community of Volunteers
Bonnie has recruited many friends for pre-collegiate mentoring, to serve on the Education Foundation of the Summit board, and to help at EFS Trivia Night.
Bonnie (far right) and a gang of her recruits
“I ask people, who have time, to volunteer, and in very little time people decide it’s where they want to be. It’s where they can make a difference.” Once people get involved, people see the exciting things happening, the challenges students and parents face, and the dedication of the teachers. They become advocates for the schools. She recommends that anyone interested in volunteering contact Education Foundation of the Summit by emailing director@efsummit.org to get connected. We’ll help you find the right place for your talents and time.
Role Models
Joel is a pre-collegiate student who is now attending Colorado School of Mines. He said of Bonnie:
Whenever we met, she’d bring a binder with a ton of information about engineering programs, colleges, and all kinds of interesting things that support my goals. The habit of always planning ahead and being proactive has slowly formed part of my life not because I was forced to, but because Bonnie is always showing off this incredible way of being and made me want to be like her.
While she never had a female math teacher or known a female superintendent, her family, teachers, and principals encouraged her to pursue these positions. She hopes that students today will see lots of role models that can help them understand that they can set and path and work to be what they want to be.
How one Innovative Idea Becomes a Sustainable Program
A few years ago, Hollyanna Bates, Curriculum and Instruction Literacy Coordinator for SSD, submitted a proposal for the Eileen Finkel Innovative Teaching Awards. She wanted to bring published authors to visit students. This idea sprouted and grew into one of Education Foundation of the Summit’s main programs, Innovative Reading. It took a team including Hollyanna, The Summit Foundation, BGV Gives, Summit School District, Education Foundation of the Summit, and many volunteers. Innovative Reading has two main parts, Summit Books for Kids and Annual Author Visits. Both programs help foster a love of reading for students in the district.
Last year, Bonnie received the Colorado Council International Reading Association (CCIRA) Celebrate Literacy Award for her support of these programs.
Bonnie with family & CCIRA Celebrate Literacy Award
Hollyanna accepted the award for Bonnie, who was out of the country. During the awards ceremony, people from other areas asked her, how do we get a Bonnie Ward in our district?
Another idea Bonnie helped launch into a sustainable program is access to engineering in the schools. A summer engineering camp for middle/high students was the incubator, and it was very successful. Now engineering becoming part of school curriculum with VEX Robotics for grades 3 – 12. All this is happening with the support from CMC, Freeport McMoRan/Climax, and the school district.
“There’s opportunities, and I never get discouraged,” Bonnie said. “I know how difficult it is for organizations to change quickly. You just do what you can and slowly, over time, change will occur.”