Thanks to Newport’s no-longer-anonymous donors

Scott Paulsen

I have an amazing story of incredible generosity that I would like to

share with the Newport-Mesa community. This is the story of

once-anonymous donors, whose impact on the education of the children

in our school district will never be forgotten.

The story begins like this:

One afternoon a gentleman appeared in the doorway of my office at

Ensign Intermediate School and asked to speak with me. We closed the

door and talked. He told me that he was there to congratulate Ensign

School on its development of a highly successful program, the purpose

of which was to eliminate acts of bias, prejudice and intolerance on

campus.

This program consisted of a student ethic forum and a group of

student ambassadors, whose membership was open to the entire student

body. These two groups, along with their advisors, organized

activities, discussions and debates as tools for uniting the

students. The program had received statewide accolades for its

results. Our students were extremely dedicated and most excited about

their efforts -- so much so that they felt they could change the

whole world with their message.

My guest indicated that he would like to reward our success in

some fashion and asked if I had a dream for Ensign School. It took

seconds for my response.

“I would like to take the school’s technology capabilities from

the dark ages to the present,” I replied.

He invited the staff and myself to submit a specific proposal for

doing so. We entitled the proposal “Into A New World” and quickly

made up a list of what it would take to accomplish this goal.

We were rewarded for our efforts with a check for more than

$200,000 to begin implementing “our dream.” The only condition placed

on this generous gift was that the donors were to remain anonymous.

The following year, Ensign received additional funds from our

“anonymous donors.” State-of-the-art science labs, stocked with

everything the science teachers could determine was needed, were

installed on our campus. An extracurricular science and nature club

was organized. It met after school weekly and still does.

But that wasn’t all.

One of their gifts was specifically designated for funding the

position of a school/community coordinator, whose job was to create a

bridge from our minority community to the school.

Amparo Ames came aboard at Ensign and began offering English

classes for non-English-speaking parents. She taught classes for

parents on how to deal with preadolescents and classes for teachers

on how to work with their limited English-speaking students in order

to help them improve their classwork.

Amparo encouraged our limited-English families to become involved

on campus, so they would know more about what was going on. She

became a liaison between families and school. Amparo was incredibly

successful, thanks to her hard work and the donation from our

anonymous donors.

I clearly remember the day that our anonymous donors asked me what

more they could do to help. I responded that we needed to offer

support to Whittier School, whose students came to us as

seventh-graders from a community that was predominately non- or

limited-English speaking. Coming from a school with a 99% English as

a second language population to Ensign, where the only language was

English, was a very difficult adjustment for the 50 to 70 such

students we received each year. As a result, our amazing anonymous

donors adopted Whittier School in Costa Mesa. We worked with the

principal and staff, who used donated funds to do whatever they could

to “level the playing field” for these future Ensign students.

Whittier School was able to upgrade its level of technology for

students and staff. It formed a science/nature after-school club, and

all grade levels began to take field trips related to science and

nature. These field trips were designed so students could begin to

explore the greater outside world. The funds continue to this day.

At that same time, I was informed of projects being supported at

Woodland and Kaiser elementary schools that eventually totaled $2

million. All of this was provided by our amazing anonymous donors.

The next step was to turn to Newport Harbor -- where our Ensign

students would eventually attend high school -- with the hopes of

easing the transition. A large donation permitted the addition of a

school/community coordinator at that site too (the wonderful

Liliana). The creation of additional English as a second language

classes; the hiring of a counselor, who worked primarily with the

students in those classes; and support for an international club on

campus were funded by our anonymous donors. A multitude of needed

materials and equipment to improve the educational opportunities at

the high school were also funded. Every student at Whittier, Ensign

and Newport Harbor High School were, by this time, benefiting from

the largest of this anonymous giving.

After I retired, I was contacted by our anonymous donors to see if

I would like to continue our relationship by representing them at

schools in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District that had

significant populations of limited-English speaking or other at-risk

students. Adams, College Park, Davis, Kaiser, Killybrooke, Paularino,

Pomona, Rea, Sonora, Victoria, Whittier, Wilson and Woodland

elementary schools; Ensign and TeWinkle intermediate schools; and

Costa Mesa, Estancia and Newport Harbor high schools have benefited

continuously since then from their donations.

The elementary schools were encouraged to find ways to improve

test scores, to create after-school science clubs and take field

trips. School and community coordinators were hired at each of the

project schools, and their salaries were funded. The work of these

coordinators has been heralded and recognized throughout the

district. This position, currently called facilitator, has become so

important that the school district is now providing the funds for its

continuation.

The bank interest, generated by these gifts of money, also

supports the efforts of the Newport-Mesa Schools Foundation, which

provides grants to teachers in all of the schools in the district

each year. Two youth centers in Costa Mesa, Save Our Youth and the

Shalimar Learning Center, have received assistance totaling well more

than $1 million. Indeed, all district students, teachers and families

have benefited from the generosity of our anonymous donors.

The hardest part has been adhering to my original agreement to

protect the identity of such a generous couple and their family. It

has recently come to my attention that the word will soon be out and

that the donor’s names will be revealed in a local newspaper. In

fairness to our Newport-Mesa community, who deserve to know before

the rest of the world, I am announcing that our anonymous donors are

Monica and David Gelbaum of Newport Beach.

Monica and David, I want you to know that your unequaled

generosity, gifts totaling $20 million, has positively effected

thousands of young people in our school district and in Santa Ana.

The students in our project schools have been provided opportunities

that would not have been possible without your incredible gifts. I

know that you have preferred no recognition for your generosity, but

you have been “outed” by someone, and with your permission, I am

revealing your identities. Our Newport-Mesa community owes you a huge

outpouring of appreciation. So on their behalf, I would like to say:

“Thank you, Monica and David. There are no words to adequately

express gratitude for all that you are doing.”

* SCOTT PAULSEN is a Newport Beach resident and former principal

of Ensign Intermediate School.