LEWISTON — Lewiston Superintendent Leon Levesque is retiring at the end of the month. But he doesn’t want any kind of reception to send him off.

“I had the Green Ladle reserved,” said Administrative Assistant Diane Duplissis. “I had to tell him to keep that date open. He said, ‘Have fun, I’m not going.’ He doesn’t want the party. He’d rather give the money for the kids.”

So, Lewiston Education Fund leaders have sent out letters to people in the community asking for donations in his name.

LEF raises money privately to benefit Lewiston students. It is one of Levesque’s legacies, said Peggy Rotundo, who was on the Lewiston School Committee when Levesque was hired 12 years ago.

“It was his vision,” she said. He suggested creating the fund when interviewed for the superintendent’s job, Rotundo said. “This man is very smart. He’s always seeing opportunities.”

LEF provides money to allow teachers and students to do things not covered by the school budget.

“The fund was not started to replace the responsibility of taxpayers providing for children, it was to enhance what was happening in the classrooms,” Rotundo said.

LEF was established in 2002. Since then it has given out $130,000 in grants to help give extras to students. A few examples include:

* $2,500 to Lewiston High science teacher Pamela Perry for the “Sea Perch Program.” In that program, students built and operated a remote underwater vehicle, made from PVC pipes, to use for lessons in density, buoyancy and underwater exploration.

* $1,700 to Longley Elementary School teacher Rebecca Belleau for the Book Buddies Backpack Program to improve students’ English and math skills. Backpacks with books and learning materials are sent home with students on a rotating basis. Parental involvement is encouraged.

* $700 to Lewiston High’s homeless liaison Mary Seaman for a “restore,” where goods (totes, towels, mirrors) are given to homeless students. The supplies are important to homeless students’ survival and helps them stay in school.

* $2,500 to Martel Elementary School music teacher Christian Henry to buy marimba instruments, and help all fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders to learn how to read music and sing. Learning to play a marimba “is something they wouldn’t have” without the Lewiston Education Fund, Rotundo said.

LEF also provides $12,000 every year to the middle school to help boost college and career aspirations. That money allows middle school students to take part in a program called “Kickstart,” which brings in speakers and takes students to visit local colleges. It also provides money to take kids to a spring job fair. Those activities help students realize what they do in high school can help them in college, said career preparation teacher Billie Jo Brito.

Donations for the LEF come from individuals and companies, including L.L. Bean, TD Bank and Bangor Savings Bank. Money is raised at two annual events, a bowl-a-thon in the winter, and a fall harvest dinner.

Lewiston teachers were asked in the fall if they wanted to make contributions to the fund through payroll deductions, similar to how they donate to the United Way. Some 30 teachers have signed up. A few dollars a month from individuals adds up, Rotundo said.

The letter asking for pledges in Levesque’s name went out this week, Rotundo said. She said she hopes people will honor Levesque and demonstrate support for the work going on in Lewiston schools, “and their belief in the future of our community.”

For more information, go to www.lewistoneducationfund.org, or call 795-4100, ext. 249.

bwashuk@sunjournal.com

With Lewiston school Superintendent Leon Levesque retiring Dec. 31, Lewiston Education Fund is seeking pledges in his name. Levesque doesn’t want a retirement reception and would prefer the money go to benefit students.