The BISD Education Foundation just hosted our annual fundraiser, Baubles & Boots. On Saturday, 2/12, we began welcoming guests into Antler Oaks Lodge. We weren’t sure how the night would go, as we sold a limited number of tickets prior to the event than normal before the event. However, shortly after 5, the lodge started to fill up. Guests showed up and purchased tickets at the door, and by 6pm the place was buzzing.
Around 6, the Foundation’s president, Alyssa Cothran, gave a welcome speech, followed by Superintendent, Mr. Gary Bitzkie, who explained the impact that the Education Foundation has on BISD. Several teachers were in attendance who had personally received grants from the foundation, and they were recognized. The silent auction had more items than ever before and ran through most of the night.  
At 6:30 sharp, the auctioneer started the live auction, which consisted of 14 items and included prizes such as flags made at Warriors Heart, a day in the life of our superintendent, a custom painted cow skull completed by BHS teacher, Mrs. Nicole Gard, and tickets to the San Antonio Rodeo. The entire place buzzed with laughter, good-hearted rivalry, and competition. Several items were doubled or tripled up on, such as the day in the life of the superintendent, and other items had bidding wars to the end.
After the live auction, a new opportunity to give was presented, and guests from around the room selflessly pledged to donate monetarily in addition to, or in lieu of, items they may not have won. Shortly after the auction, tables were closed, but the fun didn’t end. The entire event had a lively, fun energy and people stayed back and visited and mingled for a little while. 
Overall, the event was immensely successful. We have so many people we’d like to thank, including our guests, auction item donors, and sponsors. This was truly a community wide event, and it wouldn’t have been as successful as it was without the community rallying together to collect donations and give generously to our teachers and students.
Final bills and donations are still being tallied, but we can safely say that we brought in over $70,000 between donations, sponsors, and auction items, which makes this our biggest year ever! All of that will go back into the school system in the form of grants for our teachers. 
We seriously cannot thank everyone enough for supporting our foundation and for the growth that it has continued to see. We’re already looking forward to Baubles & Boots 2023!

Thank you to all of our sponsors below:
 
Diamond Sponsors:
Antler Oaks Lodge
Dianna and Harry Harris
Millie & Marie
PaveCo.
Southwest Food Services
Warriors Heart
 
Emerald Sponsors:
Arc Rite Welding
Bandera Electric Coop
Buddy’s Water Well and Septic
Spirits of Texas
 
Ruby Sponsors:
HyO Silver
James Avery Craftsman
Texas Farm Credit
 
Sapphire Sponsors:
Hevenor Lumber
Hondo National Bank
Marksmen General Contractors
 
Follow us on Facebook to see our prize posse, where we give our teachers checks for their grants, in the fall. 

Every year, the BISD Education Foundation is blessed with amazingly generous donors and sponsors! 2021 was no different. The Foundation recently held their annual donor letter drive and saw such an outpouring of generosity. In a way to recognize the top donors, the Foundation hosted the annual Lead Donor Breakfast at the Mayan Ranch on the morning of September 8th.

The Mayan prepared an amazing buffet style breakfast, Alyssa Cothran, President of the Foundation, gave a welcome and introduction and then introduced the Superintendent, Gary Bitzkie. Mr. Bitzkie gave some history and background on the Foundation and introduced the principal of Bandera Middle School, Mr. Sizemore. He gave some background on the SSEP project and the winning team, and then we were able to hear from the team and see pictures from their recent trip to Florida for the rocket launch. The breakfast ended by recognizing our donors who were present and acknowledging their amazing generosity in person!

Some of the donors who were present were:

Donna Alexander with Bandera Bank
Melinda and Roger Byrd with Buddy’s Water Well and Septic
Anthony Ferragamo with Edward Jones
Morgan Figueroa & Lilly Figueroa
Dianna and Harry Harris
Hooter & Kirk McMullan of McMullan Insurance
Kathleen Montague with Hondo Bank
Eric and Jaren Shaw
DeeDee Peterson and Jaki Perkins with Texas Hill Country Bank
Lisa Lannon with Warriors Heart
Lisa Widner with Widner Electric
Tiffani Winters with Winters Electric

Many of our lead donors were not able to make it, but we still would like to recognize and thank them. They are listed below:

A Place to Stay
Bandera Title
BISD Employees
William & Jackie Bringhurst
Don & Arlene Butts
Custom Glass & Mirror
D’Spain Sales
Ray & Susan D’Spain
Hayes Housing Solutions
Jerald & Karen Hoskelis
HyO Silver
Mini Mart
Propane Depot
Donna Ross
George & Barbara Sharman
Homer & Kathy Stevens
True Value
Walsh, Gallegos, Trevino, & Russo Law Firm
Western Title

Special thanks to the Mayan Ranch for being such amazing hosts for our donor breakfast & for providing such wonderful food!

We cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity and support throughout the years. The Foundation has grown in leaps and bounds, and we cannot wait to share our grant updates with you very soon for the 2021-2022 school year! We think it will be a record year!

​On Friday, October 18th, the Bandera Education Foundation members excitedly boarded a bus on a mission to surprise teachers with almost  $50,000 in grant funds . At every school, we were led in by our amazing drum line. The energy was electric, and all of the students and teachers were peeking out their doors, quickly lining the halls.
The first stop was Alkek Elementary, where five grants were given to the library, second grade, and the GT program! Students stood, watching the procession, arms outreached for high fives and fist bumps. The second stop was Bandera Middle School, where we gave out six grants to the Ag department, the GT program, the theater department, math, and science. This stop included our biggest grant to date of $10,000, helping the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) start their funding for next year’s NASA project! We also fully funded a new eSports program, allowing our students even more opportunities in their future. Now a billion-dollar industry, eSports is offering more college scholarships than ever before. We are very excited about this new program!
 
After leaving the middle school, we made the drive to Hill Country Elementary and awarded nine grants to a multitude of teachers, helping with reading, math, music, science, and more! Principal Klein had the teachers and students ready and excited as they lined the halls before we walked in, ready for the Prize Posse's arrival! The teachers were enthusiastic and so grateful! The final stop was Bandera High School, where our final two grants were presented to the science department and the Ag department. Mr. Derry allowed his students some creativity with the grants. This particular grant paired with the middle school and was researched and written by two high school students, then reviewed and approved by Mr. Derry for submission. This is just another example of our amazing student’s determination and innovation!
 
We ended the day with the drumline marching us out of the high school, leaving us all wishing that they could follow us around daily with their amazing energy! The one thing that was crystal clear by the end of the day was the fact that the rumors are true about our amazing small-town: people DO win in Bandera!
 
Thank you so much to all of our donors for your constant support! We could not continue to support our teachers and staff without you!  

On Wednesday, September 19th, the BISD Education Foundation hosted our Annual Lead Donor Breakfast at the Mayan Dude Ranch. This breakfast serves as a great way to showcase what funds for previous grants have gone towards, while getting to thank our donors. After mingling for a bit, breakfast was served and three grants from the past were showcased. An outdoor classroom was funded recently and, with the help of Mrs. Groff, students and teachers were video conferenced in. Several students performed poems for the guests, as a way to show how the outdoor classroom has transformed the learning experience at the high school. Additionally, two students from the high school came and gave a brief presentation with their experience with the Bulldog Coffee Cart.
 
Finally, the librarian from Alkek Elementary, Mrs. Gherman, brought some helpers with her to show off several pairs of virtual reality goggles, another previous grant. The goggles were pre-set with various locations to visit and the donors, board, and administrators who were present were able to take virtual tours of locations, such as the Galapagos Islands, and they were able to swim with sea creatures. These goggles allow for students to travel to places they may never get to experience and have interactive features that teach about the various sites within.
 
Following the presentations and breakfast, several of our lead donors were recognized and honored for their contributions and longevity of donating. Without these donors, we wouldn’t be able to fund these innovative grants, thus inhibiting Bandera ISD from growing more and more successful each year!
 
Thank you to the Mayan Dude Ranch for hosting such a wonderful breakfast (and, as always, excellent bacon!!).​

And a huge thank you to all of our donors who gave during the 2019 donor drive!!! 
We could not fulfill our mission without you!
​
William & Jackie Bringhurst 
Dan or Arlene Butts
Ron & Cynthia Caloss
Lia Cloudt - Millie & Marie and Heart 2
Anthony Ferragamo 
Jean & David Heep
Jay & Karen Hoskelis
Dennis F. Juren
Tracy Konvicka 
Larry & Shanna Lindner
Mr. & Mrs. John Edward Ryan
Barbara & George Sharman
Steve & Barbara Skipper
Ray & Susan D'Spain
Homer & Kathy Stevens
Sully & Cynthia Woodland
Jerry & Opal Word
Bandera Title Company
Boyle's Hardware / Johnny Boyle 
Buddy's Septic & Water Well Service LLC
D'Spain Sales and Service
Hill Country Veterinary Hospital
Hondo National Bank
Hyo Silver
Mini Mart
Propane Depot
Sandy Snow and Associates, Inc.
South Texas Contracting- STC Custom Homes Frank & 
Southwest Foods
Texas Hill Country Bank 
Walsh, Gallegos, Trevino, Russo, & Kyle, Attorney at Law 
Wells Fargo
Western Title Co. of Bandera 
Widner Electric
Winters Electric
***And all of our silent donors***
​