Students

Education Soaring Students

Over the past seven years, approximately six hundred children, from 4 to 14 years of age, have participated in Education Soaring classes and events. During the regular school year, students have attended school in more than fifty public and private schools throughout Oregon and SW Washington and from areas as distant as Florida. The majority of students are identified as Talented and Gifted and choose to attend Education Soaring classes because of the high level curricula offered. In answer to the oft-asked question, does my child have to be identified as gifted to atend Education Soaring classes, we respond with these words: Students who demonstrate a passionate desire to expand their knowledge and skills in particular domains, or to test the waters of new domains in supportive settings, also attend Education Soaring classes even if they are not formally identified as gifted.

Education Soaring Founder and Director

Kristine Fosback is an education leader in the state of Oregon. A 1977 graduate of Portland State University, Ms. Fosback holds a Masters Degree in Education with special research studies in math education. During her thirty-one years as a teacher in Portland, Oregon, her contributions have included developing innovative math and general education programs, involving elementary school students in service learning, heightening awareness of the educational needs of highly gifted children, English Language Learners and children with dual exceptionalities, and more.

With Dr. Donnise Brown, Ms. Fosback developed the curriculum for “Recess Math,” a program that received extensive national recognition in the 1990s. One of fifteen programs selected for a $250,000 grant from RJR Nabisco’s “Next Century Schools Foundation” from among more than 1,000 competitive submissions, the program utilized innovative concepts to productively restructure how time is used during the school day. An independent research group evaluated the effectiveness of Recess Math and reported that “third, fourth, and fifth graders’ math skills increased at a rate 50 percent higher than students not in the program.”

In 1988, Fosback’s students were chosen as Merit Award Winners in the national “Kids Care Contest” sponsored by Scholastic News for their efforts to assist a classmate who needed a bone marrow transplant. In 1999, Fosback engaged the assistance of a partner school and spearheaded a drive to collect hundreds of pounds of shoes for children in Romania who could not attend school due to lack of footwear.

Fosback has written and received grants on behalf of schools and individual students, awarded from both local school districts and national organizations such as the National Gifted Children’s Fund. A math education grant Ms. Fosback received for an elementary school in 2002, was selected as the single grant awarded in memory of Kathryn Kinen, an outstanding Portland educator.

In 1988, Fosback received special recognition from the Reynolds District School Board for her contributions and “exceptional leadership.” She was honored in 2002 as Employee of the Year by the Reynolds Education Foundation.

Kristine Fosback has been a presenter at district inservices, educational conferences, and university seminars. On behalf of Education Soaring, Fosback was invited to participate in the development of NOISE, the newly formed Network of STEM Educators (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Technology). She served temporarily as the Chairman of the Communications Committee and was a member of the Leadership Committee.

Executive Board

David Davis is a former Professor and Assistant to the Provost at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to his appointment at Vanderbilt University, Rabbi Davis held the position of Associate Vice President at the University of San Francisco, where he helped to create the Center for Pacific Rim and Asian Studies Program. In 1996, after twenty years at the University of San Francisco, Rabbi Davis retired with Professor Emeritus honors. A recognized leader in intellectual, moral and academic issues, Rabbi Davis has a long-standing reputation of working to further understanding among communities and diverse population groups. He established the first Chair in Judaic Studies at an American Catholic University. Rabbi Davis was also a leader in the Civil Rights movement, which led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964.

Patricia Davis has been a prominent community leader for the past twenty years. As Executive Director for the Family Council in California, she developed preschool programs, a Hispanic tutorial program, and a substance abuse assistance program for teens and their families. As Director of the Community Youth Project, also in California, Patricia Davis developed programs for sixth through twelfth graders in a geographically isolated community. Following a move to Tennessee, Ms. Davis successfully raised funds for a HUD/HopeVI grant. Patricia Davis has served on the boards of many worthwhile organizations such as the Occupational Industrialization Center in Tennessee, Principal Library Systems, the Council on Aging, and the Tennessee Foreign Language Institute. Ms. Davis has been honored by several municipalities for her exemplary contributions. She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, Rabbi David Davis.

Trisha Loitz Fleischman , a graduate of Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, is a Staff Attorney for the Oregon Workers' Compensation Board in Salem, Oregon. She is also the Articles Editor for the Journal of Small and Emerging Business Law. In 1996, Trisha Fleischman received her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She currently resides in Sherwood, Oregon.

Norman Fosback is president of Fosback Investment Management in Boca Raton, Florida, and publisher of Fosback's Fund Forecaster, an investment advisory newsletter. A graduate of Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, in 1971, Mr. Fosback co-founded The Institute for Econometric Research, a quantitatively-oriented research organization that pioneered sophisticated techniques for financial market forecasting. As President of The Institute, Mr. Fosback created and edited twelve investment newsletters with a combined circulation of approximately 300,000, and in 1993, he created Mutual Funds Magazine, a leading consumer finance publication that grew to a paid circulation of 800,000. All of the publications were acquired by Time Inc. in 1998. Mr. Fosback is also the author of four books, including the best-selling Stock Market Logic (more than 1.1 million copies in print). Mr. Fosback's credits also include a nationally-syndicated investment column. He has been widely sought as an international lecturer on investment management for individuals.

Christy Hillman is a fund raising specialist with Legacy Health System, focusing on developing the retail spaces with the hospital setting. Currently the stores she manages generate over $1.25 million in sales per year. These programs donated over $1.5 million back to the hospital over the last 5 years. She is in the process of creating a "Mom and Me" boutique, expected to gross over $60,000 during its first year of operation. She is also the "Bank Day" coordinator, which is a savings incentive program, operated in cooperation with Washington Mutual Bank. Over 125 children are enrolled in this very successful program (the best in the region). A 1991 graduate of the University of Oregon in journalism and public relations, Christy Hillman has traveled around the world, with extended stays in France and Nepal. Christy Hillman is a mother of three children.