Ogden School Foundation -

We’re so grateful for our amazing community partners! America First Credit Union stopped by Ben Lomond High School today to surprise every BLHS staff member with a new HydroJug and a Swig appreciation card good for a drink and a cookie, just to say thank you for all they do to support their students every day. Gestures of community support like this mean so much, and we can’t say enough about how much we appreciate both our incredible district staff and the organizations and community members who show up for them. Thank you!

Congratulations to Ogden School Foundation Board Member Suzanne Lindquist, who was honored with the Distinguished Service Award from the Weber State University Alumni Association at last week’s WSU Salutes Award Ceremony! Suzanne has been a longtime champion of education in Ogden and is endlessly generous in her service to our community. We’re so grateful to have her as part of our Foundation family and so glad we got to celebrate this well-deserved honor with her!

Our amazing Fall Author Event last week would not have been possible without the generous sponsors who continue to invest in the students and staff of the Ogden School District. We are so grateful for all of those who join us in prioritizing education here in our community. THANK YOU!

The Ogden High Unified Sports Soccer Team is in Salt Lake City today competing in the Special Olympics Unified Sports State Soccer Tournament. Out of 178 Unified teams across Utah, Ogden High is one of just 24 teams competing. Amazing! Go Tigers!

Thank you to everyone who let us take their picture in the community photo area! See the full album on our Facebook Page.

Our 2025 Fall Author Event was… well, let’s just say it was a little WILD! These past few days have been nothing short of unforgettable, from our incredible gala dinner last night to our student assembly this morning. Best-selling author and animal adventurer Sy Montgomery wowed our sold-out crowd on Thursday, sharing thrilling (and sometimes hair-raising!) stories from her animal encounters across the globe and right in her own backyard. From the life lessons she learned from her beloved pig Christopher Hogwood to marveling at the brilliance of her octopus friend Octavia, Sy left us all with a renewed sense of reverence and wonder for the animal kingdom and our place in it. Truly magical. This morning, Sy spent time with our ten student essay contest winners, diving into their writing and lighting up with excitement over the animal facts they had uncovered. “I’m learning so much about animals from YOU!” she told them. From there, she took the stage in front of more than 1,000 5th and 6th graders from across the district, sharing jaw-dropping turtle facts of every kind—including the story of her friend Fire Chief, a 42-pound snapping turtle she helped save after a car accident six years ago. Students were so invested in his story that they gasped and cheered when they saw Fire Chief's photo today—alive, thriving, and happily paddling around the pond next to her house. This assembly was definitely one for the books! Sy Montgomery has been one of the most fascinating, fun, and joy-filled guest authors we’ve hosted in our 29 years of this event. Her generosity, humility, and gracious spirit made her an absolute delight to welcome into our community. We feel so lucky to have met her.

IT'S HAPPENING! We've taken over the Conference Center, the decorations are going up, and that can only mean one thing: the Fall Author Event is here! If you've ever attended this event before then you know that our decorating crew does not hold back—and this year is no exception! We can’t wait to take it all in and hear from the amazing Sy Montgomery with our ticket holders tomorrow night. It's going to be one for the books! (And do we have the best board members or what?!)

A few weeks ago we shared a photo from our very first Fall Author Event in 1996. Today we’re throwing it back to 2024 with the amazing Ruta Sepetys. Ruta was such a gracious guest, and her message about seeking out and sharing the stories around us was so inspiring. We loved every second of her visit! Now we’re just one week away from our 2025 event featuring Sy Montgomery. The countdown is on!

Our team is spending the day at Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce Women Empowered Conference! We’re proud to be part of this community of women who are leading, working, and making a difference every day.

Congratulations to Lean Aba, our Highland Junior High winner of the Telitha Lindquist Greiner Excellence in Teaching Award! Here are a few of Ms. Aba's nominations:

-Lean is a shining light at Highland. She always has very fun and engaging lessons that her students love. She is kind to every person she encounters. She is a great volleyball coach that cares about her players as people and athletes.
-Mrs. Aba exemplifies excellence in education, consistently embodying best practices in her innovative and student-centered approach to teaching. She is always available to help her coworkers and students and care for the well being of all at Highland

The temps are cooling down, and you know what that means: it’s the perfect time for a Dutch Bros run! Even better? This Friday, September 19 is Buck for Kids Day! For every drink sold, $1 will be donated by Dutch Bros and the Dutch Bros Foundation to the Ogden School Foundation to support students in the Ogden School District. Treat yourself AND make a difference for kids in our community. Win-win!

Who loves Unified Sports? We love Unified Sports! And we know you will too! Unified Sports through Special Olympics Utah, brings athletes with and without intellectual disabilities together on the same teams, building inclusion through shared training and competition. Come cheer on athletes from the Ogden, Morgan, and Box Elder School Districts at the Spence Eccles Ogden Community Sports Complex on Wednesday, September 25 for our annual soccer tournament. The excitement kicks off with the Opening Ceremony at 10:00 a.m. The teams will be hitting the field and the Unified Drill Team will be bringing the moves! Trust us, you do not want to miss this energy! ️

Every year, we celebrate some of the incredible teachers in the Ogden School District with the Telitha Lindquist Greiner Excellence in Teaching Award. Winners are chosen through nominations from peers and community members, and we’ll be spotlighting our 2024–25 winners right here throughout the year. 

First up? Samantha Champlin from OTECH High School! Here are a few of the wonderful things her nominators had to say:

-Sam is an incredibly hard working teacher! She has had to overcome many challenges in her subject area (math) and tying it in to our PCBL model and also how our students learn. She has never given up, and cares greatly about our students!
-Mrs. Champlin is tireless in teaching math with enthusiasm and real-world application, meeting students where they are but also providing scaffolds for success. She shows them she cares about them and makes herself available for extra support.

We’re just one month away from our 29th Annual Fall Author Event (we can't believe it!) so we thought it would be fun to take a look back at where it all began! Check out this photo at our very first event in 1996 with legendary author Ray Bradbury and our longtime foundation director, Janis Vause. What started with 400 guests at the Timbermine has grown into nearly 1,000 attendees each year at the Ogden Eccles Conference Center. We’re proud to carry on this tradition, not only as a beloved community event, but as a way to raise funds for the students of the Ogden School District. We can't wait to see our ticket holders next month!

Earlier this week, the Ron McBride Foundation awarded $400,000 to schools across Utah, with $134,000 heading right here to the Ogden School District! With additional funds from the Ogden School Foundation, this money will help power afterschool programs at Ben Lomond High, Ogden High, Highland Junior High, Lincoln Elementary, East Ridge Elementary, Mound Fort Junior High, Shadow Valley Elementary, George Washington High, OTECH High, and Polk Elementary. The Ron McBride Foundation has been a longtime champion of at-risk students, and we are so grateful for their continued generosity. Thank you for investing in our students!

We kicked off the new school year today with our annual board training at the brand-new Hillcrest Elementary! Foundation board members heard an in-depth district update from Superintendent Rasmussen, learned more about the programs and resources we provide, gained a deeper understanding of their roles and responsibilities, and got an up-close look at some of the major projects we’ve funded (the StarLab portable planetarium was a crowd favorite, where district science specialist Cory Jensen treated us to an actual 6th-grade science lesson!). We wrapped up the day with a tour of the beautiful new school. Such a great way to start the year!

The Ogden School Foundation is governed by a volunteer board of business and community leaders, along with a dedicated team of staff members, all working on behalf of Ogden students. With big goals set for the 2025–26 school year, we’re ready to make it our best yet!

What a night! Last Friday’s 2025 Raptors Night was a total home run! Thousands of Ogden students and families filled the stands to root, root, root for our home team— with foam fingers for the first 800 kids through the gates! Students formed a human tunnel for the players’ grand entrance, player signed autographs, and Superintendent Rasmussen shared an on-field message to kick off the school year. We loved every minute!

Thanks to our generous sponsors, this event raised funds for our Classroom Grants Program, which will soon be making its way to schools across the district. Huge thanks to the Ogden Raptors for helping us create such a memorable night. We can’t wait to see you back at the ballpark next year!

What were we up to today? Visiting schools with players from the Ogden Raptors! Students got to hear from these athletes about the importance of setting goals and working hard ahead of our Raptors Night tomorrow. There were high-fives, cheers, and even a surprise intercom announcement. What an awesome experience! We can’t wait to see you tomorrow at the game! Free tickets are still available at your school’s office.

Do you have your free tickets for our Raptors Night yet? Pick them up in your school's office and join us at the ballpark on Friday night for this fun event! First 800 Ogden School District students at the game will receive a foam finger to help us cheer on the Raptors!