A new endowed fund will help Northside Elementary School students discover the joy of reading through a grant to be awarded in perpetuity.

The fund with the La Crosse Public Education Foundation was established in memory of Claire E. Jandt, who died June 5 at the age of 70.  Claire received her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education, and her master’s degree in library media, from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Claire E. Jandt

After initially teaching third grade at Crucifixion Catholic School in La Crescent, Minn., Claire became the media specialist at Franklin Elementary School on the North Side of La Crosse, serving for more than 30 years until her retirement. Claire and her husband, Dennis, previously owned the Jandt-Fredrickson Funeral Homes in the La Crosse and surrounding area for many years. Dennis Jandt established the new endowment in Claire’s memory.

The fund is designed to provide an annual grant for the Library Media Center at Northside, which includes students from the former attendance areas of Franklin and Roosevelt elementary schools. The grant may be used at the discretion of the school principal and Library Media Center specialist to provide a wide and inclusive range of materials and/or technology, including books, audiovisual resources, reference materials, or other instructional print or non-print resources to promote and instill the joy of reading among children.

Several friends and former colleagues have made donations to LPEF in memory of Claire Jandt. Some donations are going into the new fund, while others were directed to support the Random Acts of Kindness Fund at Northside Elementary.

For more information. or to make a donation to support the new fund, please contact Executive Director David Stoeffler at 608-787-0226 or email: david@lacrosseeducationfoundation.org or visit the Giving section of our website.