Left to right: EJ Snearly, Principal Amber Walden, Barb Wallce, 2026 President Carla DeWolf, and Linda Edwards
Barb Wallace
Tuesday’s trip to Mammoth-San Manuel Unified School District was so worth the time! When I first heard of the Mammoth-San Manuel School charity fundraiser, I was eager to find out what we were supporting. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the school, while having funding challenges, is by no means a “poor” school. It receives funds from 25 different groups, including the Rotary Club of Tucson, the Golden Goose, and Community Projects. It seems full of novel educational opportunities through Future Farmers of America (FFA), Career and Technical Educational programs, and other classes that help students be career- and college-ready. The school seems energized by the very capable, passionate, and enthusiastic first-year principal of the Mammoth-San Manuel Unified School District, Amber Walden. She oversees 442 students, pre-K through 12th grade. Amber has been involved with the school since 2017.
Her tour of the school is something I would encourage all putters to do in the future. It was so uplifting to see that our donations are being well spent. We learned that she has teachers decide how best to spend the donation money, and beyond the cap and gown purchase, additional dollars will go to help with life skill classes for special needs students. Principal Amber explained what specifically this would be, and we gained a new understanding about how money is often needed to replenish items that are district funded at the start but are things teachers need replaced during the year. Supplies are not taken home but stay in the classroom for the following days. The school has volunteers for math, reading, and science.
We are so blessed that we have a giving community.
Thanks to Linda Edwards for driving EJ Snearly, Barb Wallace, and 2026 President Carla DeWolf. It was a pleasant afternoon and great company! We all really enjoyed it.