Maps Community Foundation Gives North Marion $2,000 and three grants in one week!

By Jillian Daley

Maps Community Foundation donated $1,000 to North Marion Middle School on Wednesday, and the grant will be making some beautiful music!

The gift comes on the heels of giving $500 each to the Primary and Intermediate schools on Tuesday. North Marion Band Director Jessi Vaughan plans to use the funds to buy three trumpets, two trombones, and some large drums (timpani) to bolster the Middle School band, with the equipment arriving as soon as this January. Three students currently don’t have an instrument to play with, practicing only with a mouth piece that makes funny noises.

“The sound that comes out sounds a little bit like a duck call,” Vaughan said. “You get a lot of laughing and giggles from that side of the classroom.”

But an influx of $1,000 is serious money for Vaughan and her students. 

“It really means that every kid has equal access now,” she said. “We’re removing barriers that have, up until this point, been in place in the classroom, so kids all have the same chance and opportunity.”

This all came about because of English Language Development (ELD) Teacher Scott McGuyer, who applied for the grant in October and accepted it on Dec. 7. 

“I realized there was an opportunity to apply for a grant and I looked for a worthy cause that could use a financial boost,” said McGuyer, whose wife, a fellow teacher, told him about the grant. “The music department is growing and there are more kids than instruments. So I thought that I would apply for the grant and if I won, then I would just gift it towards the purchase of instruments for the Middle School program. That's it, really.”

Vaughan said that what McGuyer did means a lot to the students who are just discovering music and are glorying in their new band family at school, tucked into her room at the end of the north hall.

“It's a safe space for kids to have, and it’s like their home away from home,” she said. “It’s a community.”

Now, it’s a community with a little more opportunity, thanks to McGuyer’s efforts and Maps Community Foundation’s generosity.

"I didn't expect to receive the grant," McGuyer said. "However, I knew that I would not if I didn't at least try. I am happy that I did. It feels good to be able to do something for others. The music department, like many others, does a lot with not a lot. This is a narrative that is commonly heard nationwide, teachers and support staff doing amazing work and having to be, at times, creative to make sure everyone wins."

To share story ideas on the North Marion School District, please email Communications Specialist Jillian Daley at jillian.daley@nmarion.k12.or.us.