Wrap Up
Lydia-Yasmeen Gecobe Peera
EEF memorial endowment intended to support low-income seniors
The Educational Enrichment Foundation has created the Lydia-Yasmeen Gecobe Peera Memorial Endowment that will, once fully funded, provide scholarships to low-income seniors attending an Arizona college or university. The endowment was initially funded by Peera’s widower, Shiraz Ali Peera, and his brother, Azeem Peera. Gifts toward this endowment are being accepted at EEF, 3809 E. Third St., Tucson, AZ 85716.
Peera was an influential TUSD teacher for 25 years and a recognized community leader who died Feb. 1, 2006. At Doolen Middle School, she organized many programs for the school’s culturally diverse students. She believed there was a bright, intelligent person in each child, and she made it her mission to encourage her students and others to discover their full potential. An energetic community organizer, she was recognized as a YWCA Woman on the Move and as "Woman of the Year" by the University of Arizona Asian American Faculty, Staff and Student Associations.
Her husband, Shiraz Ali Peera, envisions the endowment as a lasting and permanent legacy in her memory. "Those who knew Lydia would agree that she would appreciate an effort to help bright, young people who may not otherwise have the means or resources to continue their education," said Linda Goode EEF development director
EEF provides resources to expand and enrich student learning in TUSD.
EEF began in 1983 with a grant from the Ford Foundation to enrich education and learning in TUSD, where 58 percent of students qualify for free or reduced meal assistance. The first programs provided mini-grants to teachers for special classroom projects. EEF’s programs have expanded to provide special needs assistance such as shoes, clothing, eye exams and glasses, and scholarships to low income and at-risk students. Since it began, EEF has awarded more than $3.5 million in programs and services to TUSD.
To contribute to the endowment or for more information call Goode at the EEF at 325-8688.
Howenstine student and teacher attend CalTech workshop in Pasadena
Howenstine High Magnet School student Brandon Wood and his teacher Chris Martin participated at a Cal Tech workshop.
Howenstine High Magnet School teacher Chris Martin and Brandon Wood, a Howenstine student, attended a workshop at CalTech in Pasadena, Calif., in August, where they worked with astronomers from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, learning how to calibrate and analyze images of galaxy NGC 40051.
Eight U.S. teachers helped students research the large black hole at the center of the galaxy. Galaxy images were taken in different wavebands, some by students and others from the Spitzer space telescope. These images will be analyzed. Working with students from California, New York and Minnesota, Wood said he was inspired by the research and is determined to pursue a science career.