Thanks to all who made Taste of Knowledge 2021 a success!  We were thrilled to be able to host an in person event this year.  Beautiful weather, wonderful food, great music from talented students and lots of help from volunteers. We appreciate your support of Los Alamos Public Schools!

Join the 2021 Homecoming Court in making a positive impact.  The students are encouraging members of the community to donate to the LAPS Foundation, specifically to fund student grants for the 2021-2022 school year.  

We’re super proud of the 20 graduating seniors who were awarded scholarships this year.  LAPS Foundation awards 11 scholarships and administers several additional memorial scholarships~a total amount of $49,300 awarded to deserving students in 2021 for their outstanding qualities.

Thanks to several hard-working volunteers, we have successfully (and quickly!) moved to our new office at 1010 Central Avenue in downtown Los Alamos.  Our door is on the east side of the building and we’ll be open for business beginning July 12th.  Come check it out!

After many years in Pueblo Complex on Diamond, we are moving with Los Alamos Schools Credit Union to their new building on Central.  We’re super excited to be more visible to our community.  We’re also excited that LASCU is expanding their membership to include LAPS Foundation donors.  Let’s make a bigger impact on our schools!

Expressing appreciation to our LAPS staff is super important this year. The Foundation put up banners on the overpasses so all our hardworking school employees across the district can be reminded the community is supporting them during this difficult year.  Our fall semester is almost over.  Let’s make sure we let the people who work

Pinon kindergarten received a mini grant last fall for their garden.  They used the funding to make a few improvements including weed barrier, raised beds and mulch making this spring’s planting and maintenance a much easier task.  Look at the amazing results. 

LAPS Foundation helped acquire AEDs for all the elementary schools in Los Alamos, the LAPS district office and Duane Smith Auditorium Lobby through a generous grant from Con Alma Foundation. We’re glad to help our schools increase safety!

LAPS Foundation stopped by the high school recently to say thank you to staff who helped celebrate senior students in May.  It was not the graduation month anyone was expecting but these hardworking people stepped up to make our students feel special.  They even started some new traditions.  On behalf of Los Alamos, we appreciate

LAPS Foundation funds resources teachers need.  Apply for a grant through September 30th!  We offer Great Ideas grants (up to $1000), Professional Development grants and Professional Book Group grants. Mini grant applications (for up to $100) will be accepted until the money budgeted for the fall semester has been allocated.  All of these grants are

Board members spent time at Barranca Elementary School in July working in the new staff lounge.  They added comfortable seating, wall decorations, dishes and utensils, a microwave and a Keurig.  The new lounge will seem a bit more homey when staff return next month.  LAPS Foundation “refreshed” staff lounges at all the schools in the

This year LAPS added another very important category to its usual end of the year recognitions—Parents who have gone Above and Beyond to help their children with distance learning.  Eighty-five parents were nominated by LAPS teachers for Above and Beyond recognition, along with one amazing older sister!  Teachers had many wonderful things to say about

Teachers at Chamisa continued their spring book club discussion of Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lett.  The books were purchased through a wellness grant from LAPS Foundation.  Second grade teacher, Tricia Javernick said, “We really enjoyed the book and it was a perfect choice for this year!” Wellness grants were new for the 2019-2020 school year

May is Celebrating Our Graduating Seniors Month!  What a great way to begin the celebration by putting a sign in each senior’s yard to congratulate them.  The last month of school will look a lot different than usual but our community is committed to honoring the 12th graders who have worked so hard to make

During this time of school closure and social distancing, keep the Foundation in mind for ideas or opportunities to support LAPS staff.  We still have funding for mini grants for the spring semester for any teacher who hasn’t already received one this school year.  Perhaps there is a webinar to watch, or maybe you have

Imagine over 600 middle school students and teachers creating an art project together.  Sounds impossible, right?  That’s exactly what happened on January 22nd at Los Alamos Middle School.  LAPS Foundation helped fund this GREAT IDEA!  Inspired by a former colleague’s recommendation, Principal Suzanne Lynne resolved to make the amazing Art for the Sky experience happen

Spring grants are now open, and over $21,000 is available! Applications for the following grants will be accepted through February 29th: Great Ideas, Professional Development and Professional Book Group. Mini grants ($100 each) applications will be accepted until the money budgeted for the spring has been allocated. The above grants are open to certified LAPS

Los Alamos Public Schools is pleased to introduce Jennifer McCumber as the new Executive Director for the LAPS Foundation. She officially began this position on Monday, Jan. 6. While this is a new role for Jenny, she is by no means new to the schools or the Foundation. Most recently, she served as a school

  Laura Loy joined the team at Zia Credit Union in January as its marketing and business development manager. LAPS Foundation was fortunate to have Laura as its executive director from April 2017 to December 2019. Thank you for all your hard work for public education in Los Alamos.  We will miss you!

To show its gratitude to the LAPS Foundation for 14 years of support, Los Alamos Public Schools is celebrating Foundation Appreciation Week Dec. 2-6. As the 2019 year comes to a close, LAPS asks the community to consider giving up one thing a month and instead use that money to make a valuable donation to

Through many generous contributions, the Foundation has been able to continue, and even grow, our grants program for the 2019-20 school year.  This fall, we’re pleased to be able to support 38 grant ideas so far. As a result of your kind and continuous donations, we are having a huge impact on the quality of

Last spring, our Board had an exercise to identify 1-, 3- and 5-year goals for our organization. One of the 1-year goals that rose to the top time and time again was to improve student and staff wellness, which is also a primary goal of Los Alamos Public Schools district-wide. We got to work right

What could be more fun than giving money away to help our schools?  That’s our mission and purpose at the LAPS Foundation. Our board members are always hard at work raising money and giving it away to schools to benefit students, staff, and facilities.  This funding makes a difference in the lives of teachers and

On August 25, you came out to wholeheartedly support the the Foundation’s mission at our annual fundraiser, a Taste of Knowledge. The event was a great success, and it raised a record-breaking $50,000 for Los Alamos Public Schools. With these funds, we are able to offer more grants to support our schools. This year there

The Los Alamos High School classes of 1969 and 1979 will be holding their reunions in Los Alamos during homecoming weekend, September 20-22, 2019. Alumni from both classes are encouraged to attend and catch up with friends and classmates. Additionally, the LAHS class of 1989 is issuing a friendly challenge to their fellow classes to help raise

Fall grants are now open, and over $21,000 is available! Applications for the following grants will be accepted through September 30: Great Ideas, Professional Development and Professional Book Group. Mini grants ($100 each) applications will be accepted until the $1,500 budgeted for the fall has been allocated. The above grants are open to certified LAPS

Once again we have teamed up with Pig + Fig Café to present our signature fundraising event, Taste of Knowledge. It will be held Sunday, August 25 at the Pig + Fig Café in White Rock. This year there will be two events: “An Afternoon in Provence” from 2:00 to 4:00pm, and “An Evening in

Recently our executive director, Laura Loy, conducted an interview with Jessica Keller, LAHS class of 2004, to learn what she’s up to now. LL: Tell us what you’ve been doing since graduating LAHS. Where are you now, and what are you doing? JK: I’m living in Sacramento CA where I’m a lead line cook at

Several members of the community approached the LAPS Foundation about setting up a fund for a Larry Baca Memorial Scholarship, to honor their friend and colleague who had such a positive impact on so many in our community. The LAPS Foundation has established such a fund. The scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior

Update: The deadline to submit a grant application has been extended to March 3, 2019! Teachers, mark your calendars! The Spring, 2019 applications for Great Ideas, Professional Development and Professional Book Group grants will be accepted February 1 – March 3, 2019. Certified Los Alamos Public Schools teachers may apply. At least $15,000 is available

We’re several months into the new school year, and already the Foundation has been able to infuse more than $15,000 into Los Alamos Public Schools since August! We are just the vessel though; it’s our generous supporters like YOU who make it all possible. We have kicked off our annual year-end campaign with a goal of $35,000.

Please join us at a special seminar/reception for our supporters on Thursday, December 6, 5:30-6:30pm in the School Board Room. LAPS Superintendent Kurt Steinhaus will brief us on the current school year, Executive Director Laura Loy will give an update on the Foundation’s impact in the schools, and then local CPA Tony Belletete will give a

In the fall of 2018, at the suggestion of a teacher, the LAPS Foundation began offering mini-grants to teachers. Each grant is up to $100, and teachers can receive a maximum of 1 mini-grant per school year. The Foundation has allocated $1,000 each in the fall and spring semesters to fund these requests, and so

In the fall of 2018, at the suggestion of a teacher, the LAPS Foundation began offering mini-grants to teachers. Each grant is up to $100, and teachers can receive a maximum of 1 mini-grant per school year. The Foundation has allocated $1,000 each in the fall and spring semesters to fund these requests, and so

Did you know that teachers in the State of New Mexico, who start out at Level I, are required to submit a Professional Development Dossier (PDD) at the end of 3-5 years of successful teaching in order to advance to Level II? They don’t have a choice, and yet they must pay for it themselves! Teachers

Once again, Los Alamos came out to support public education at this year’s Los Alamos Public Schools Foundation’s annual fundraiser, A Taste of Knowledge. Thanks to the generosity of many individuals and businesses, the Foundation was able to raise $42,000 for Los Alamos Public Schools. This additional funding will allow the LAPS Foundation to do

 It’s that time of year again – the weather is starting to change, the PSL is on the menu at Starbucks, and the LAPS Foundation is now accepting fall grant applications from LAPS teachers! All applications may be filled out online at https://lapsfoundation.com/educators/apply-for-a-grant/ The three types of grants available are: Great Ideas – These grants support teachers

Our biggest fundraiser, Taste of Knowledge, is coming up on September 30, and the theme this year is “A South American Food and Wine Exploration”. We have partnered once again with Pig+Fig to bring you an amazing evening of food, wine, entertainment (tango, anyone?) and more, all while supporting Los Alamos teachers, students and schools.

We were recently referred to as the Fairy Godmother to the Los Alamos Public Schools, and the title stuck! Thanks to so many generous supporters, the LAPS Foundation is able to make dreams come true in our schools. We couldn’t do it without you. How did we make an impact in the 2017-18 school year

LAHS alumni have asked us to make their yearbooks available online, and we have heard the call. With funds donated by individuals and LAHS classes, we are planning the launch a new section of our website soon that will include every LAHS yearbook from 1949 through 2017. Not only that, but it will feature a

Every fall and spring, we accept applications from teachers for 3 types of grants: Professional Development, Professional Book Groups, and Great Ideas. It’s the latter that really showcases the innovative ideas that teachers have for their students, and it is our job to try to make those ideas a reality. Last fall, we were able

An important part of our Strategic Plan is to continuously solicit feedback from educators, to ensure our support remains relevant. This year we started a Teacher Advisory Board to do just that. Three times a year we invite one teacher from each school to join us for dinner and discussion. This has proven to be

LAPS teachers, do you have a great idea to enrich your curriculum or provide students with unique learning experiences?  Or perhaps you’re interested in attending a conference or holding a book club to enhance your professional development? The LAPS Foundation is now accepting applications through February 28, 2018 for our spring grant cycle. There are 3

It’s easy to invest in education in Los Alamos. Besides donating online or mailing a check to the LAPS Foundation at 1900 Diamond Dr. Suite 1, Los Alamos, NM 87544, did you know that you can support the LAPS Foundation every time you shop at Smith’s? Simply link your Smith’s rewards card to the LAPS

We all find inspiration in something – often unexpectedly. Shannon Seitz, a member of the LAHS Library staff, found her inspiration recently. Unbeknownst to Shannon, her boss had received a grant from the LAPS Foundation to attend the What’s New in Young Adult Literature Conference, and he wanted Shannon to be the one to go.

Maddie Ovaska Currently a Sophomore at LAHS (Class of 2020!) LAPS Foundation Intern What’s a typical day like at LAHS in 2017? Well, we start school at 7:50 am and finish at 2:35 pm. We have A and B days, with four classes each day: 1A, 2A, 3A and the same for B days. 4th

Wonder is all around us this time of year. We want to share with you the wonder that your gifts to the LAPS Foundation make possible. In this case, it’s the wonder of students like Zoey and her 5th grade friends at Chamisa. They received copies of the book Wonder, about a boy with a facial

We couldn’t be happier with how this year’s Taste of Knowledge turned out. 150 people packed the sold-out event, which featured Spanish tapas and wine, folkloric and ballet dance performances, and live jazz music. By night’s end, we had raised an unbelievable $23,700 for Los Alamos Public Schools! For that, the Board and staff of

If you have never been to one of the Foundation’s Taste of Knowledge events, you are in for a special treat this year. On October 14, 5:30-8:30pm, the Foundation will hold its Taste of Knowledge fundraiser in the romantic and nostalgic setting of the old De Colores Restaurant. The theme this year is “Experience the

The Foundation is now accepting grant applications from Los Alamos Public Schools teachers! The fall grant cycle will be open September 1 – 28, 2017. There are three types of grants: Professional Development Professional Book Clubs Great Ideas Grants We encourage you to read up on what types of things the Foundation supports, and then

We’ve been working hard over the summer to implement some new initiatives on our end that we hope will make for the best school year yet for LAPS staff and students. One of those things is our new website – we hope you like it and find it useful. For teachers, we have  put all