Medford set designer, filmmaker helped to script KU’s story

When filmmaker and set designer John Foote started building a nightclub and performing arts center in downtown Medford, there were “a lot of doubters.” The community at large viewed VIBES, an extension of Kids Unlimited, as a “magnet for trouble,” recalled Foote.  

A quarter century later, when hundreds of Kids Unlimited supporters celebrated its milestone anniversary, one of Foote’s whimsical set pieces outlined the youth organization’s success story. 

“I’m proud to know that I was an integral part of the organization,” said Foote, 53. “And against all odds, it’s sustained itself.”

Foote’s larger-than-life storybook — twice as tall as KU guests — framed the entrance to KU’s 25th anniversary gala auction in June last year. The prop, for Foote, represented a return to KU’s roots in event production, requiring custom backdrops and stage components that he fabricated every few months in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Foote also helped KU participants write, direct and act in commercials and short films — complete with lessons in set design — for several years. 

“I worked interactively with the kids on the set building,” said Foote, adding that those hands-on experiences were the most important aspect of his decade with KU.  

At the height of his involvement, Foote not only transformed a former Medford bowling alley into KU headquarters but also managed fundraisers for the $6 million project. Foote chaired KU’s board for six years as the first member to serve back-to-back presidencies. Guided by “people who were there for the right reasons,” KU brought participants, parents, volunteers and community leaders together in a grassroots effort that required rolling up one’s sleeves and lending a hand, said Foote.   

“We transformed that bowling alley based on a pencil sketch and scale ruler.”

Measurable results, said Foote, have been the key to KU’s relevance and longevity. When Foote stepped away from KU in 2008, he observed its steady, organic growth and said he was never surprised that founder Tom Cole continued building on his original dream of empowering youth and changing lives. 

KU’s 25th anniversary afforded Foote his first chance in a decade to contribute directly to KU’s outreach, first with the storybook, followed in December by set pieces in the style of Dr. Seuss’ Whoville for KU’s holiday celebration. The theme revisited Christmases of KU past for which Foote fashioned the scenery. The storybook was repainted by students for the holiday event with the title “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” 

“It was fun to see that come back to life,” said Foote. “For just a giant, oversized book, it seemed to have such a big impact.”

Foote is still making an impact with contributions to KU’s Royal Kids Theatre. The 2024 annual spring musical production benefited from stage risers that Foote constructed. Beyond plywood and paint, Foote’s legacy of creativity and ingenuity is evident in the next generation of KU programming.  

“Always, always it was so meaningful to me — the relationship.”

Dates to remember

Aug. 7: First day of school at KU Academy

Aug. 15: KUA Site Council meeting (in person)

Aug. 26: KUA Open House

Aug. 27: KUA Board meeting

We’re celebrating 25 years of youth development. Pledging your support helps us reach the next milestone. 

A gift of just $25 provides a student’s uniform for Kids Unlimited Academy, fills a desk with school supplies or purchases an entire week of school lunches. It’s generosity that makes an impact all year!

Donate $250 to sponsor a class field trip, plant our school garden or fire our ceramics kiln. Contributions of $2,500 support our sports teams and boost our scholarship fund for graduating high school seniors.  

Make it a recurring donation, and you help make the Unlimited possible!

kuoregon.org/donate25

KU Media Team
Designer: Kevin Williams
Writer/Editor: Sarah Lemon
Photos: Alondra Magana

Anniversary event showcases student visual, musical talents

An encore to Royal Kids Theatre’s regular season was a summer highlight for Kids Unlimited. 

Performing arts and visual arts students at KU Academy headlined a June 21 event for special guests at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts with a revue of RKT’s past musical productions. The show commemorated a decade of RKT.  

“Annie Jr.,” “Freaky Friday,” “Willy Wonka” and this year’s “The Big One-Oh! Jr.” are among the shows that Royal Kids revisited. Visual arts students contributed to set and prop design.      

KUA performing arts students stage two shows each year: a murder-mystery dinner theater in the fall and a musical in the spring. Being a part of the theater company gives KUA’s third- through eighth-grade students the opportunity to work together in a variety of capacities, said teacher BriAnna Johnson. 

Students spend several months learning choreography, lyrics and acting techniques for the spring show. For the fall show, KUA kitchen staff and culinary students help to create and execute the menu, and students also work as servers, learning to be professionals, she said.

Johnson, along with art instructor Adrienne Baraona and third-grade teacher Murri Smith, were honored at the even for their dedication and years of service to RKT. 

Support KU’s performing and visual arts by making a donation at https://kuoregon.org/donate-2/

Emmanuel Balan

Vice Principal Kids Unlimited Academy

In an education career spanning more than 25 years, Kids Unlimited Academy is Mr. Emmanuel Balan’s first charter school. 

The “almost unorthodox” way of operating appeals to Balan, who served as vice principal at Medford’s Jackson Elementary and also worked in the Eagle Point school district before joining the KUA team in the 2023-24 school year. Originally from New York, Balan grew up in Los Angeles and moved with his family to Southern Oregon five years ago.

“I know the community, I know the culture and I can connect with the families,” said Balan, who is bilingual. 

Also holding the title of Director of School Culture, Balan quickly spearheaded changes to KUA’s behavior systems, including working with Behavior Coordinator Tyrone McDonald to institute positive behavior checks. Among students identified for demonstrating one of KUA’s five foundational standards — using proper language, practicing truth and honesty, respecting personal boundaries, providing opportunities and honoring diversity — Balan draws three students’ names each Friday and awards prizes to these “winners.” Students also submit their favorite jokes each week for inclusion in Balan’s announcements.

“The whole vibe around classrooms and school has improved,” said Balan.   

Balan also organized more than a month of September and October festivities celebrating Hispanic heritage. These included a Dia de los Muertos altar and commemoration, a flag parade representing a Latin American country for each grade at KUA and bringing a food truck serving Salvadoran pupusas to campus. 

“Every school has a culture,” said Balan. “The team here, the vibe … was almost from day one having fun.”

KU Academy expands 2024-25 enrollment

Enrollment is open in grades K-5 for the 2024-25 school year at Kids Unlimited Academy free public charter school. Each KUA grade will add cohorts for the coming school year, when staff project an enrollment of 570, including some students transferring from KUA’s former White City charter school. Administrators say they anticipate four classes each in grades K-3 and three classes each in grades 4-5. These key features — and more — are why families choose KUA:

  • FREE public charter school in Medford with smaller class sizes and increased instructional time
  • State-of-the-art campus and facilities integrated with technology, security and classroom amenities
  • Extended school days include morning enrichment on site from 7:30 a.m to 4:30 p.m.
  • FREE freshly prepared, cooked-from-scratch, nutritious breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
  • Commitment to education-focused activities, including STEM, arts, music, sports, culinary and more
  • Culturally competent programming with Spanish bilingual/bicultural teachers and administrators 
  • Highly diverse student population, as recognized by Oregon Department of Education
  • Multi-tiered systems of support for individualized instruction and student success 
  • Parent involvement and responsibility contract ensures strong school-family partnership
  • Wrap-around programs incorporated to support families

Alumni Achievement

Katherine Mejia, who attended Kids Unlimited Academy from fifth through eighth grades, was one of three KUA alumni who attended Medford’s St. Mary’s School on a full four-year scholarship. She also received scholarship funds from KU’s Charlie’s Angels fund. Here’s what Mejia had to say about her first year in college:

“I have been living and studying in New York City at Fordham University. I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in international studies on the pre-law track. Being in such a big city has shown me the possibilities outside of the Rogue Valley and immersed me with people of many different backgrounds and walks of life. Yet, one of the things I really appreciate about Kids Unlimited is the community. 

“Kids Unlimited was made to serve students like me — students of underrepresented backgrounds — and show them the support they deserve. I had a community at Kids Unlimited because my classmates and teachers had similar circumstances and understood the situation personally. I loved the close-knit family and the connections I made.

“I encourage all of the students at Kids Unlimited to take full advantage of the opportunities given to them. Education is one of the most vital tools someone can have to continue to enhance their life and take them to further places.” 

Read more about KUA’s partnership with St. Mary’s in this issue.

Katherine Mejia

Students make gains under new KU Academy reading curriculum, interventions

New approaches to reading at Kids Unlimited Academy are showing impressive outcomes among the charter school’s youngest students and those who need interventions.

KUA’s new curriculum for English language arts is grounded in understanding English letter sounds, how to put them together and how the brain processes these components into words. Evidence for the “science of reading” is particularly striking in KUA’s kindergarten classrooms.  

“It’s just incredible the difference between last year and now,” said Rose Alvarez, a KUA kindergarten teacher during the 2023-24 school year.

Alvarez’s students and KUA kindergarten counterparts were reading short sentences before winter break. That skill, in previous years, wasn’t mastered by kindergartners until the end of the school year, said Alvarez. The science of reading builds skills that are the bedrock of reading and spelling words.

“They are not memorizing; they are decoding sounds that represent words,” said KUA Principal Lindsay Ochs.

Data indicate that proficiency in KUA’s kindergarten reading levels more than doubled between fall and winter quarters. KUA kindergarteners achieved almost an entire year of projected reading growth halfway through the school year, said Ochs. 

Teachers and education experts credit a return to teaching phonics, as opposed to whole language comprehension, for student success. The common approach to reading instruction across the nation over the past 25 years resulted in 65% of all fourth-graders failing to learn to read at grade level, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

For students lagging behind grade level in reading, KUA is employing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, a holistic system that merges computer diagnostic tools and staff observation to  quickly identify and assist students. MTSS meets students at their specific skill levels, regardless of grade cohort. Some interventions take place with an instructor in group settings; some are individual. 

David Thygeson, KUA’s coordinator for MTSS, conducted a two-month intervention among second graders reading at the kindergarten level. At the end of two months, students’ growth was more than the typical grade-level growth in an entire year.

“We have really strong data,” said Thygeson.

During KUA’s winter trimester, the second-grade group posted an 80% success rate on computerized tests compared with 20% during fall trimester, said Thygeson. Among the 16 lowest-level readers, only one made no progress, which may indicate the need for a special ed referral.

Because MTSS diagnostics indicate students are making progress at their skill levels, unnecessary referrals for special education are avoided. Schools across Oregon historically have referred too many students who fall behind academically for special education.

Coinciding with academic progress, these students’ behaviors have dramatically improved. Thygeson reported that students have not received a single negative behavior referral since starting MTSS because they’re no longer frustrated by instruction that surpasses their skill levels.

“We have had zero behavior referrals during reading when students are being taught at their skill level with kids at their pace,” said Thygeson. “They’re no longer saying: ‘I can’t read.’”

Annual report available online

In recognition of Kids Unlimited’s 25 years of youth development, we celebrated in 2023! Our participants, families and supporters came together not only for special events but also under new initiatives to enhance family engagement and emphasize our organization’s commitment to the highest quality education and life-changing outcomes for kids. Read in our 2023 annual report how KU is shaping the next quarter-century of empowerment through opportunity.
Read or download the report here.

4 KU Academy 7th graders receive full St. Mary’s scholarships

Four seventh graders from Kids Unlimited Academy are set to attend Medford’s St. Mary’s School on full scholarships.

Iris Gaona Gomez, Brody Kiesser, Hannah Lusk and Jimena Velez all received news in April of their selection for the St. Mary’s scholarship. The awards to outgoing seventh graders represent an additional year each of St. Mary’s attendance, which historically has begun for KUA alumni entering their freshman year of high school. A private school, St. Mary’s enrolls grades 5-12.

KUA Principal Lindsay Ochs said the scholarship awards were “super awesome” for the four recipients, two of whom served on KUA student council.

The scholarship program, instituted in 2019, is the only direct collaboration of its kind between St. Mary’s and another school, said Bethany Brown, St. Mary’s director of advancement. She said the scholarship will continue despite KUA’s 2024 sunset of middle school, with 2025 awards going to KUA outgoing fifth graders.

The partnership between St. Mary’s and KUA began more than 15 years ago when St. Mary’s students volunteered to read to and mentor at-risk KUA students. Because of this unique relationship, supporters of both schools came together to completely fund four scholarships for qualified KUA eighth graders to attend St. Mary’s for four years of high school, said Brown.

KUA identifies their best and brightest students and encourages them to apply for the St. Mary’s Scholarship. St. Mary’s conducts the interviews and selects students who will enhance its community and benefit from its education.

Recipients of the scholarship receive full tuition including all academic fees, sports fees, textbooks, daily lunch and a Google Chromebook. Representatives of both schools say that a St. Mary’s education would be unattainable for recipient students without the generosity of donors funding this scholarship.

Summer school

A new opportunity for extended learning enhanced summer for students of Kids Unlimited Academy. 

Summer School, a five-hour block that included breakfast and lunch, was funded by Oregon’s Summer Learning Grant. KU was the designated community partner in the charter school’s 16-day program between June 24 and July 16. 

Nearly 200 students in grades pre-K through 8 engaged in project-based learning for math and English language arts led by certified staff. All participating students accessed STEM enrichments, biliteracy classes, art classes and physical fitness. KUA’s “summer jumpstart” focused on supporting incoming kindergarten students and parents to prepare for elementary school environments and routines.

Usually, summer academic assistance is accessible only to KUA’s migrant education students. Parents asked for swimming lessons, and the City of Medford provided class vouchers for summer school participants to utilize at the new Rogue X aquatics center.

KU Summer Camp, a separate opportunity that has impacted thousands of Southern Oregon families for the past 25 years, continued in 2024. 

Water play, field trips, outdoor games and creative projects are Summer Camp mainstays. Designed to meet working families’ schedules from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., KU camps are based at Medford’s Oak Grove, Roosevelt and Washington elementary schools. 

STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) activities have ranged from painting and origami to building catapults and launching bottle rockets. Field trips to Wildlife Images, Cole Rivers Fish Hatchery, Willow-Witt Ranch and Rogue Valley Family Fun Center are past highlights.  

KU Summer Camp serves about 275 kindergarten through fifth graders from Phoenix, Talent, Medford and Central Point, said Program Director Judy Patterson. Registration starts in the spring, and there’s often a waiting list, with many families who rely upon camp returning year after year, she said. Camp costs $150 per week, and donations to KU support scholarships for participants.