Voices soar at MISF Breakfast of Champions fundraiser

Loads of inspiration and entertainment flowed through the Mercer Island High School (MIHS) gym in the form of soccer, robotics, scholarships, choir, drums and much more at the Mercer Island Schools Foundation (MISF) 2024 Breakfast of Champions on the morning of April 30.

There was a packed house of early-rising supporters representing the Island community for the foundation’s largest annual fundraising event — co-hosted by Billy Poll and Dylan Shobe — which commenced with the MIHS drum line and rolled from there.

MISF Executive Director Tammy Shoop noted that their goal this spring is to raise about $800,000. Since the foundation’s birth in 1981, they have raised $27 million.

“It’s always a joy to see our community come out and support our excellent schools. We hope we can inspire you today to give big,” she said. “Your support is needed for initiatives like teacher grants, science curriculum, textbooks, math manipulatives for hands-on learning, professional development, fine arts and so much more.”

Included in this year’s funding is an anatomage table, which is a 3D anatomy visualization and virtual dissection tool. It sounds pretty cool, Shoop said.

Meghan Banta, MISF board president, said the event is a showcase and celebration of the district’s awesome students.

Some highlights of the morning were Northwood Elementary first-grade students and instructor Katie Gallagher discussing their MISF portable planetarium grant and recent activity with the Museum of Flight in their school gym; a hand-clapping and voice-raising performance by director Annalise Rockow’s fifth-grade honor choir; and an orange-ring-launching robotics presentation by a trio of MIHS students.

When introducing the MISF Champions Hands-on Readiness for the Future video that spotlighted stellar MIHS courses, Shobe said that instructors are “not just teaching subjects, but shaping futures.”

Classes that took center stage in the video were chemistry, AP computer science, media tech and biotech engineering.

A pair of standout MIHS seniors, Davin Aoyama and Ansel Leveque, received 2024 MISF Penny Yantis Scholarships at the breakfast in the amounts of $3,000 (Aoyama) and $1,500 (Leveque). Orchestra director Bryan Kolk described Aoyama as being a brilliant student and a quiet leader who cares deeply about the orchestra program; and math teacher Alex Perry said that Leveque’s resilience and dedication embodies the very essence of perseverance and excellence.

In the sports, giving and inspirational realms, MIHS graduate Jordan Morris scored the Mercer Island School District’s ninth annual Pathfinder Award, which was presented to his mother, Leslie, at the event.

The 2013 grad is currently playing professional soccer for the Seattle Sounders FC and hit the pitch with Team USA at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Morris, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 9 years old, created the Jordan Morris Foundation, and in a video shown at the event, he said, “The goal of our foundation is to educate, inspire and support kids living with Type 1.”

Morris was road-tripping with the Sounders for a match against the Philadelphia Union and couldn’t attend the breakfast, during which MIHS associate principal Erica Hill introduced the video and spoke about Morris’s accomplishments on and off the field.

“Hardest worker I’ve ever met. So driven, thoughtful, dedicated, caring, humble beyond belief. A person of integrity, a true leader and a heart of gold. He’s just an amazing human,” Hill said.

In the video, in which Morris visited with school district Superintendent Fred Rundle at MIHS, the booter said about garnering the Pathfinder Award: “It’s such an incredible honor. The education that I received at Mercer Island High School sent me on a path to go forward and chase my dreams and start this organization.”

Earlier in the program, Rundle said that the breakfast provided a glimpse into how students have been impacted during their time in the classroom and spotlighted the innovative work the educators provide the Islanders.

“Your presence today truly means the world to all of us,” he told the crowd.

Added Ahisha Avant, a member of the MISF board of directors, about why giving is important to support student learning: “I wholeheartedly believe that your giving has directly impacted them.”

For more information, visit: https://mercerislandschoolsfoundation.com

Mercer Island High School robotics students Amelia Bernson, Arthur Huang and Joshua Yeh launch an orange ring during their presentation. Andy Nystrom/ staff photo

Pathfinder Award winner Jordan Morris speaks about his Type 1 diabetes foundation on a video. Andy Nystrom/ staff photo

Mercer Island High School associate principal Erica Hill, left, presents Jordan Morris’s Pathfinder Award to his mother, Leslie. Andy Nystrom/ staff photo