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"I bought one Schoolfolio for my two kids to share. They each get their own folders, and everything fits neatly into the outer case. They love it!"
Laura J., Mobile, AL
We Keep It, We Keep It Not:
"There are times when it seems as if the world is coming up with way too many gimmicks to get us organized. This one seems just right, though: a sturdy plastic box for your children's artwork. Schoolfolio is designed to provide a safe place to store artwork over the years, but there may be yet another benefit. What parent doesn't struggle with how to save only some of their children's masterpieces without hurting the little ones' feelings? Now there's an objective process you can engage in together: ''What do you think, is this one a keeper for the box or not?'' It's $75 at schoolfolio.com . A portion of every sale is donated to Save the Art Foundation to raise funds for youth art programs; Schoolfolio also will partner with you for a school fundraiser."
- The Boston Globe
"This is the product I have been waiting for! I would easily spend more on bulky plastic storage tubs and not be as organized. And the Schoolfolio is so great looking that I display it in our family room."
Kathleen M., mother of three, Boston, MA
The response to your product has been overwhelming! Our parents are thrilled to finally have a system for protecting their children's work. Thank you for making my job easier and inventing something that is simple, efficient, and affordable.
Stacey H., owner of For Your Imagination, an educational enrichment center, Newport Beach, CA
Memories Preserved:
A former San Diego teacher has the answer for storing all that treasured but fragile schoolwork kids bring home to share with their parents.
Stacey Fenley calls her storage system Schoolfolio and has begun marketing it as a fund-raising opportunity to parent and school groups across the country.
"I just thought parents were overwhelmed with schoolwork and artwork kids were bringing home," said Fenley, a parent of two who now lives in Florida.
Her product, for sale online and through a select number of test-marketed schools, consists of a heavy-gauge polypropylene case, measuring 25-by-19-by-11 inches, six polypropylene inner folders large enough to hold artwork 18-by-24 inches, and 25 preprinted labels. Both materials are acid-free and resistant to ultraviolet light damage. The cost is $75.
Fenley plans to expand her line to include acid-free envelopes of different sizes for storing individual artworks.
"I could not find anything that was an all-in-one storage system for kids," she said, "especially something large enough to hold everything. When the designing process started, I wanted something to archive a child's entire school career and help parents pull things out. I could see parents throwing stuff away and feeling guilty about it."
Fenley taught at Adams Elementary School in Normal Heights from 1993 to 1995, while her husband was a UCSD graduate student. She went on to work in four other districts across the country and developed her concept out of those postings.
"The difference between this and everything else is the size," she said. "The average paper used in elementary school for art is 18-by-24 inches. This is the only thing I know of that is able to accommodate that."
Fenley is test-marketing the system through the Miami Beach school her 4-year-old son now attends and is contacting the schools where she taught previously, including Adams. School groups that use Schoolfolio as a fund-raising tool will receive a $10 rebate for each unit sold.
She also is dedicating a percentage of her profits to her newly established Save the Art Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising money for youth arts programs.
"When I was working, kids were always selling candy and other stuff parents didn't value," she said. "Why not offer schools a fund-raiser with value for parents? I wanted parents and children to come away with something, while at the same time the school could be using money for enrichment programs."
In the future she said she may offer a similar system for adults. "There's a lot of interest coming to us from graphic designers," she said. "They could use it to keep papers and other large things in. Because of the generality of the folio idea, you could put anything in it."
More information on Fenley's products is available at www.schoolfolio.com and by calling (800) 288-4195.
- Roger M. Showley, San Diego Union Tribune |