The Fay School 2021-2022 Annual Report

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THE FAY

A PLACE WHERE CHILDREN

CHILDREN COME FIRST SCHOOL

LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

MORGAN B. SCOVILLE, M.Ed.

Fay Family,

Everything we do and every moment we experience at The Fay School is designed “to deliberately build and educate the next generation of leaders for our world!” The 2021-2022 school year was no different, and we are all pleased to present this Annual Report to celebrate everything we accomplished as a school for your children this past year. To best communicate the successes that your children enjoyed in the near and far term, we present these highlights from the 2021-2022 school year:

• We created a myriad of valuable community partnerships with organizations such as the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Urban Harvest, and more.

• Your children helped create our first-ever Fay Farmer’s Market and sold produce from our Fay Farm and Chicken Coop in partnership with Urban Harvest!

• Fifth Grade Leaders established a composting program through a Project Based Learning Unit with Moonshot Compost and advanced sustainability efforts at Fay.

• We implemented Trust Based Observations to fuel teacher growth and enhanced our ambitious teaching and learning.

• We moved to an Evergreen Enrollment Contract process for admissions and re-enrollment. As a result, we have simplified the re-enrollment process and eliminated the need for annual contracts.

• We broke the previous record for student retention by re-enrolling more than 90% of our students.

• Spark Time sparked joy by allowing our students to begin each school day by energizing their minds and bodies outdoors.

• We utilized Project Based Learning, a teaching method where students learn by actively engaging in real-world projects, for powerful instruction.

• We received the Bronze Award for Special Tactical Projects from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Houston Chapter for the reveal of our mascot, Ernie the Gator. Our Second Graders led this project, and it will forever leave its mark on Fay’s history!

• We awarded the first-ever Gena Lewis Distinguished Teaching Award to Art Teacher Katherine Price for her proposal to involve every child at Fay in creating our first-ever art car for the 2023 Houston Art Car Parade.

• We celebrated the Class of 2022, a group equipped with dynamic leadership tools. Go Gators!

• To read more about these highlights and all things Fay, please visit thefayschool.org/blog.

We experienced so many incredible achievements and such progress in implementing our future-focused strategic plan during the 2021-2022 school year. As such, we have much to celebrate while building on the robust foundation that continues to expand and strengthen. With more work to be done, more goals to achieve, and more progress to enjoy, I speak for everyone when I say it is absolutely our pleasure to put your children first, just as Marie Fay Evnochides imagined!

Sincerely,

Morgan B. Scoville, M.Ed. Head of School

2021-2022

THE FAY SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Omar Samji BOARD CHAIR

Ruth Calabrese

Sabrina Colgin

Marie Fay Evnochides FOUNDING HEAD OF SCHOOL

Alicia Gordy

Jason Itkin

Erin Jones

Matthew Kardesch

Jared Levinthal

Jeff Margolis

Roy Moore

Sarah Pollock

Megan Pond

Kate Withall

LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIR

The Fay School is extremely fortunate that multiple powerful positive forces propel the school forward in unique ways today. These forces include:

• A strong and established Head of School and Leadership Team, with Morgan Scoville in his fifth year at Fay.

• A committed and enthusiastic parent community, which just achieved back-to-back 100% Annual Fund participation this year and last year.

• Steady enrollment and long-term financial stability, with a student body of just under 300 and reserves replenished.

• A robust strategic plan that focuses on Fay’s key differentiators, including outdoor and experiential learning, leadership development through emotional intelligence, and innovation.

Very rarely does a school have all four of these powerful factors in its favor at once. The result is a unique opportunity being harnessed and taken advantage of to ensure The Fay School remains the best early childhood and elementary school in Houston and beyond.

While the Board focuses on strengthening the school for future children, Morgan and the Leadership Team are focused on ensuring that the resources available today are used to enhance the experience of our children attending Fay right now. Whether it is the new playscape, innovative professional development for our teachers, or unique experiential learning resources, Fay has the luxury of opting for the very best resources available to fulfill the hopes and dreams that each parent has for our child’s education at Fay – a place (as Morgan reminds us) that Marie Fay Evnochides founded on the principle that children come first.

Never has Fay’s present and future been brighter and more exciting than it is today. Credit for that goes equally to all those who came before us and those who are here today. We have much to celebrate and look forward to. I am grateful to be on this journey with each of you.

Sincerely,

Omar Samji Board Chair

PHILANTHROPY

AT FAY, WE SEE FUNDRAISING AS ONE OF MANY NATURAL OUTCOMES TO DELIVERING ON OUR VISION EACH AND EVERY DAY.

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT MONICA BERCKLEY

Since 1991, The Fay School has thrived because of the strong bond between the school and our extended Fay Family. Looking back at the 2021-2022 school year, I am grateful for our Fay community’s support. Community engagement is a pillar for any school’s success, and the 2021-2022 school year was no exception.

Philanthropy at Fay during the last year showed extremely high and record levels of support. Our Annual Fund, led by Kirsten and David Polyansky, achieved TEAM FAY’s goal of 100% participation from faculty and staff, the Board of Trustees, and Fay families. Every single member of our current Fay Family came together as one team to support our efforts. This record figure is far above the national independent school average of 66% and is evidence of the true strength of the Fay community. As we seek to deliberately build and educate the next generation of leaders, our community support allows The Fay School to lead the way on a state and national platform.

Our strong and devoted Parents’ Club, led by Co-Chairs Lauren Duke and James Spitz, paved the way as we welcomed visitors back to campus during the 2021-2022 school year. From our first Halloween Carnival in two years, to a new Book Fair structure, to staffing Garden Days, the Parents’ Club efforts laid the groundwork for more frequent parent involvement and engagement opportunities on campus. The Fay School experience is enhanced by this devoted group of parents whose impact goes far.

The 2021-2022 school year culminated in the return of our in-person Spring Gala. Chaired by Kristina Brar and Megan Levy, the evening was a success on every metric. The Gala committee transformed the Houstonian Grand Ballroom into an Enchanted Forest, and our community truly enjoyed being together again. The evening’s energy, celebration, camaraderie, and intention surpassed all expectations. Together, we raised an epic and record-setting $640,000 that will continue to enhance your children’s educational experience for years to come.

As we reflect on the last school year, it is evident that The Fay School community is strong and leading the way. But, most importantly, this record support allows Fay to focus on our most valuable asset: your children and their educational experience. We are deeply grateful for your support and partnership.

With Gator Pride,

Monica Berckley Director of Advancement

The Advancement Team consists of the Director of Advancement, Assistant Director of Advancement, Director of Admissions, Director of Extended Day, and the Director of Communications. The goal of this team is to provide innovative and future-focused tactics to promote the mission and strategic plan of the school. The Advancement Team strives to create a culture of philanthropy and engagement amongst the various constituencies. The Advancement Team deliberately creates opportunities to further solidify The Fay School as a Texas and national leader of early childhood and elementary education.

Jasmyn Artis Director of Communications

Monica Berckley Director of Advancement

Megan McNair Director of Admissions

Rachel Rubin Director of Extended Day

Lauren Sposato Assistant Director of Advancement

2022-2023 PRELIMINARY ANNUAL FUND RESULTS

After the 5-week 2022-2023 parent campaign, the Annual Fund triumphantly raised over $575,000 and saw 100% Fay Family, Faculty & Staff, and Board of Trustee participation in support of the mission of Fay for the second year in a row. Thank you to the 79 families who supported at the 1991 Society Circle Level with a gift of over $2,500. We are grateful for Annual Fund Chairs, Sami and Justin Grefé, the dedicated group of parents who made up the Annual Fund Committee, and all who supported the fund! We look forward to continuing our campaign as we reach out to our Fay grandparents and alumni.

If you wish to support the 2022-2023 Annual Fund, please contact the Director of Advancement, Monica Berckley, at mberckley@thefayschool.org. We look forward to celebrating our donors with our 2022-2023 Annual Report to be released in the fall of 2023.

*The 2022-2023 Audited Financials will be released upon completion of our formal audit.

2021-2022

ANNUAL FUND RESULTS

It is essential to take the opportunity every year to present our fundraising results and share the impact on your children. This continued level of support has translated to an immediate impact for your children. During the 2021-2022 Annual Fund Campaign, the Fay community came together all in as TEAM FAY with 100% of faculty & staff, Board of Trustees, and current Fay families participating with their support.

The Annual Fund directly advances the various initiatives identified in our Strategic Plan. This plan captures Fay’s future and places your children on an accelerated and authentic path to leadership through social, emotional intelligence while leveraging experiential and outdoor learning. Some of the ways that the 2021-2022 Annual Fund was put into action included:

• Upgrading indoor learning spaces to reflect the 21st century approach to excellent teaching and learning. This aligns with our Strategic Priority 3: reimagine time, place, and assessment.

• Partnership with the World Leadership School, which conducted professional development for our teachers surrounding best practices in project-based learning. This aligns with our Strategic Priority 2: redefine the academic experience by excelling in experiential and outdoor learning.

• Modernizing the fire alarm structure with an evacuation voice system, mass notification announcement, LED announcement signs, intercom systems, including an external announcement system that can be heard throughout campus.

• Updates to outdoor learning spaces such as Fay’s orchard (damaged during the 2021 frost) and fencing in and around campus. This aligns with our Strategic Priority 2: redefine the academic experience by excelling in experiential and outdoor learning.

Leadership giving at the top circles of support constituted over 69% of the total funds received in the 2021-2022 Annual Fund. These monies represent the core of the fund’s ability to support programs at The Fay School. We thank the following leadership donors for their vision and willingness to support Fay.

Founder’s Circle

($25,000 and above)

Danielle and Lawrence Berry

Marie Fay and Steve Evnochides

Lina Ortega and Joseph Ngo

Chairman’s Circle

($10,000 - $24,999)

Bailey Dalton and Greg Binion

Thanatcha and Matthew Goitia

Kisha and Jason Itkin

Jennifer and Thomas Kane

Megan and Andrew Levy

Karan Sra and Nishil Patel

Kirsten and David Polyansky

Head’s Circle

($7,500 - $9,999)

Lauren and Brandon Duke

Shell Oil Company

Julie and Karl Sturm

Courtney Wulfe

Leadership Circle

($5,000 - $7,499)

Ali and Richard Bruskoff

Maris and Jason Castro

Tina and Troy Cotton

Dana and Stephen David

Don and Coletta McMilian

Foundation

Elizabeth Eason

Amanda and Randall Fenlon

Judy and Thomas Feutrill

Ann and Phillip Fox

Joanna Kornfeld

and Paul Friedman

Elissa and Nicholas Gole

Gaby and Steven Graubart

Sami and Justin Grefé

Kelly and Kim Hales

Lauren and Russell Libby

Aimie Killeen and Chris Mastoris

Kallie and Benjamin Miller

Kranthi and Amish Patel

Mahwish and Haroonur Rashid

Mindy and Connor Riseden

Mary Rose

Sonia Scarselli

Stephanie Pullen and Weisun Teh

Amy and Michael Trahan

Honor Circle

($2,500 - $4,999)

Lisa and Amir Ansari

Michelle and Renzo Bolivar

Katie and Jas Brar

Natasha and Michael Cannon

Tess and John Chaney II

Angela and Andrew Chang

Sabrina and Paul Colgin

Sandra and Lynn Eastham

Paula Guraieb

and Jonathan Goldberg

Alicia and Garrett Gordy

Priscila and David Gross

Lisa and Robert Hearn

Kimberly and Daniel Horowitz

Cheryl and William Jordan

Annette and Michael Keuss

Cheryl Goudy and David Lavallee

Sarjana Momin

and Sayeed Khowja

Ann and James Lebeck

Susan Lee and Henry Mok

Emma Lewis and Charles Orzech

Nida and Fiyyaz Pirani

Beau and Sarah Pollock

Marina and Andrew Roberts

Jenny and James Rogers

Brooke and Holden Rushing

Morgan Scoville

Erin and Jacob Slosburg

James and Brian Spitz

Jody and Howard Sweed

Kate and Tim Withall

Oxana and Forrest Wylie

Kay and Fred Zeidman

Lauren and Charles Ziff

“My son goes to school every day, happy and excited to learn. Whether in the classroom with amazing teachers, in the Fay Forest for Outdoor Education, digging in the Garden, or hatching baby chicks for the Chicken Coop, the children at Fay have many unique and enriching learning experiences. That is why I support the Annual Fund; it makes all of those truly special opportunities possible.

– Courtney Wulfe, Parent of Ky ‘24

GENERAL GIVING

The Fay School received 318 gifts to the 2021-2022 Annual Fund representing support from current families, former families, grandparents, foundations, corporations, and friends of the school.

Supporter

($1,000-$2,499)

Heather and Mark Adam

Tawnia and David Adelman

Nilofur and David Alfi

Mina and Oluwaseun Alonge

Adele Houghton

and Fernando Autrique

Baker Hughes Foundation

Suzanne and Ian Blakely

Kristina and Kuldeep Brar

Amy and Josh Bray

Charlotte Broussard

Melissa and Phillip Brown

Sylvia and Adam Burke

Ruth and Scott Calabrese

Theodore Carpenter

Diane and John Chaney

Melissa and Marc Cougle

Haifa Hamdi and Daly Daly

Jamie and Peter Dillon

Shoshana and Jeffrey Dinerstein

Lauren and Clark Edlund

Kristen Latta and David Endelman

Seema and Sam Farooqi

Mayra and Yuri Gelfand

Carin and Sameer Giga

Kristin Kott and Steve Granda

Melinda Hall

Jaclyn and Charles Harrison

Sabeena and Jazib Hasan

Kelly and Travis Hedgpeth

David Hock

Sam and Jonathan Holroyd

Taylor and Stuart Imel

Samantha and Christopher Jacobe

Sushma and Zeeshan Jivani

Katherine and Matthew Kardesch

Amy and Justin Keiter

Sana and Mudassir Khan

April and Benjamin Leibman

Carolyn Rubenstein

and Greg Lerner

Libbie and Jesse Libby

Eugene Loveland

Jana and David Macfarlane

Nazma and Altaf Makanojia

Ashye and Robert Marcus

Marcy and Jeffrey Margolis

Jo and Shawn McDonald

Sara and Nathen McEown

Kelty Baker and R. Bruce McFarlin

Fabiola Bonari and Filippo Meacci

Jenya and Alex Menkhaus

Jennie and Edward Miller

Rahila and Arif Momin

Griffin Morris

Kerri Namoc

Lee Bar-Eli and Clifford Nash

Andrea Osborne

Janak and Reshma Parikh

Kavita and Tejas Patel

Syeda and Adrian Reyes

Eliza and Alexander Romeo

Rabia and Omar Samji

Joam Viani and Rene Sanchez

Erica Rose and Charles Sanders

Kent Schaffer

Noreen Shaw

Travis Shaw

Mana Yegani and Jed Silverman

Rekha Chalasani and Aditya Singh

Ellen and Richard Slosburg

Leslie and Andrew Snelgrove

Betty and Michael Tapick

Jennifer and Adam Taylor

Caroline and Gerrit Ten Cate

Steffie and Ross Tomson

Gorana Tosic

Kelly and Matthew Turner

Heather and Hernan Vargas

Shelley and Jeff Williams

Barbara Wulfe

Asraa Rehman and Faeez Yousuff

Atessa and Keu Zafar

Friend

($1-$999)

Betty and Ken Adam

Delores Adams

Alvin Adelman

Neha and Mohit Agrawal

Safia Durab and Faraz Ahmad

Erica and Michael Akerman

Albertsons Safeway

Linleigh Alford

Asra and Syed Ali

Alyssa Allen

Amazon Smile

Daniel Armstrong

Sandra and Ben Backor

Robert Baldwin

Cristina Cordeddu

and Renato Barbedo

John Bauer

Monica and Jay Berckley

Lauren Berger

Emma Berno

Caroline Best

Alisa Baker and Ryan Black

Courtney Black

Mahereen Maherali

and Faizan Bodhani

Nancy and Stephen Bostic

Kathryn McFarlane

and Michael Boxer

Alan Brewer

Lizzie Bright

Jazzlyne Brown

Beverly Browne

Yau-San Tam and Nicholas Bryant

Kathryn Burrow

Kristine Caldwell

Alex Cammarota Smith

Erin Kondelis

and Brandon Campbell

Tanisha and Paul Cannings

Kathleen and James Carrington

Caroline Carter

Begoña Chapital

Lauren and Charles Chapman

Kimberly and James D. Chapman

Kerry and Clay Conkling

Jacy and Grant Cooper

Evelyn Crockett

Scott Cunningham

Barbara Davenport

Juanita David

Mary Davies

Serena Dhukka

Shiva Patel and Richard Di Virgilio

Dish Restaurant

Stephanie Martinez Larrea and Rodrigo Dominguez Sotomayor

Barbara and Robert Doty

Barbara Duecker

Ann Eberle

Diana Elamrani

Zahra and Kenneth Fenelon

Jennifer and Jeffrey Fountain

Kelly Froelich

Michael Garcia

Edward Gavrila

Pam Gibaut

Michelle Goddin

Vandana Thapar and Leonel Gomez

Anangela and Rodolfo Gonzalez

Neha and Abhinav Goyal

Xochytl Greer

Nancy Gross

John Grube

Shalini and Chet Gupta

Arthur J. Halleran

Melissa Halleran

Lesley Davis and William Harrison

Laura and Terry Harvey

Susan and Aubrey Harvey Kulsoom and Muzzamil Hasan

Jennifer and Bert Hayes

Meredith Hedemann

Abby and Chris Hendel

Megan Hopkins Aaron Howard Dillon Hutyra

Russel Jacobe

Erin Jones

Seema Patel and Sagar Kamdar

Melissa Velasquez and Tamir Kayal

Merih and Hasan Kayar

Natasha Khan and Aadel Khan

Clea and Kody Kobza

Kroger Food Stores

RuDell Kylander

Roshni and Ankil Lalu

Leveil Lander

Dilnaz and Sulmaan Lateef

Nina and Phong Le

Suzanne Elmilady and Todd Leffler

Linzi and Justin Leighton

Angie and Jared Levinthal

Brenda Lockett

Nancy and David Loncarich

Jana Low

Katherine Lydecker

Ali Lyman

Leah and Andrew Madof

Megan and Matthew Markland

Stephanie Martinez

Coby and Frank McElroy

K.C. McMordie

Carmen Medina

Shumaila and Fayyaz Mohamedali

Tracy Patel and Harish Moorjani

Arleen Nadler

Angelica and Ramzi Nassar

Shoba and Neema Navai

Gabriela Torres and Rahul Nayak

Kaitlin and Kevin Necas

Thresa Newkirk

Ozden and Fatih Ozkanoglu

Palace Social

Lyndsie and Ian Palmer

Han Pham and Joon Park

Dalal and Nasir Pasha

Jaanki and Ronak Patel

Elizabeth Perez

Elizabeth and Stefano Perotta

Emma and Timothy Peterson

Jane and Jon Pollock

Megan and Matt Pond

Stacey Pougatcheva

Katherine Price

Ross Purdy

Deborah and Michael Reinstein

Alice Rekeweg

Cathie and William Riley

Anna and Rick Riseden

Emily and Brady Rodgers

Franklin Rose

Babs and Jay Rosenfeld

Annie and Gregory Rosenfeld

Rachel Rubin

Ashley Rutherford

Oksana and Robert Sabo

Margaret Sanchez

Ryan Sanchez

Jacki and Andrew Schaefer

Pam and Michael Schell

Crystal and Hussein Shel

Melissa and Karl Sherman

Amy-Noelle and James Shih

Ashley and Ryan Shinkle

Stephanie and Christopher Smith

Gabriela and Quitman Smith

Adrianne and Jared Spain

Lauren and Anthony Sposato

Danielle and Jonathan Stewart

Lindsay Stewart

Alefiya Akbarally and Omar Suby

Ronnie and Norman Sweed

Jenna and Gary Tabakman

Madalyn Tadrowski

Nathalie Tardif and Philippe Teijeira

Sky and Michael Tessari

Felicia Tew

Maria Torres-Calle

Leanna Tran

Lindsay Lambert and Mark Valdez

Alicia and Jay Villarreal

Valerie Wallace

Maren Silberstein

and Michael Watson

Jamie and Jeffrey Weinberg

Emily Wells

Aaron Williams

Giselle and Darryl Wilson

Alexandra and Eli Witus

Emily Womack

Marlie Wuntch

Beatrice Riviere and Ingmar Yao

Khadija and Naveed Zafar

Julie and Ziad Zieni

“

Our contribution to the Annual Fund exemplifies our confidence in the educational approach and alignment with the school’s strategic vision. The strength of the community at The Fay School is one of the school’s defining qualities. The success of the Annual Fund is a testament to the whole community rallying together around a common goal - our children, the Fay Gators. It feels good to be a part of something bigger and see the tangible impact on our children’s school experience yearly from our collective participation in the Annual Fund. We love The Fay School!

– Lauren Libby, Parent of Shaun ‘27 and Nathan ‘30

Faculty + Staff

The Fay School Staff is a group of dedicated individuals working each day to fulfill the school’s mission. As professionals in their respective fields, they perform to the highest standards in elementary and preschool education. We are proud that these community members have expressed their support of the school’s mission through a gift to the 2021-2022 Annual Fund.

Delores Adams

Linleigh Alford

Monica Berckley

Emma Berno

Caroline Best

Courtney Black

Allan Brewer

Lizzie Bright

Jazzlynne Brown

Beverly Browne

Kathryn Burrow

Kristine Caldwell

Alex Cammarota

Evelyn Crockett

Scott Cunningham

Barbara Davenport

Mary Davies

Serena Dhukka

Adam Dock

Barbara Duecker

Ann Eberle

Jeff Fountain

Kelly Froelich

Michael Garcia

Pam Gibaut

Michelle Goddin

Tia Green

John Grube

Jennifer Hayes

Meredith Hedemann

David Hock

Megan Hopkins

Dillon Hutyra

Leviel Lander

Brenda Lockett

Nancy Loncarich

Jana Low

Ali Lyman

K.C. McMordie

Carmen Medina

Kaitlin Necas

Thresa Newkirk

Ozden Okanoglu

Emma Peterson

Stacey Pougatcheva

Katherine Price

Ross Purdy

Cathie Riley

Rachel Rubin

Ashley Rutherford

Margaret Sanchez

Ryan Sanchez

Morgan Scoville

Melissa Sherman

Lauren Sposato

Lindsay Stewart

Madalyn Tadrowski

Felicia Tew

Maria Torres-Calle

Emily Wells

Aaron Williams

Emily Womack

Marlie Wuntch

CORPORATE FRIENDS

Thank you to our corporate friends for partnering with us through matching gifts, sponsorships and donations.

• Air Liquide

• Baker Hughes

• Chevron

• Dermatology & Laser

Surgery Center

• Dish Restaurant Group

• EQT

• Goldman, Sachs & Co.

• Kroger

• MP2 Energy

• Palace Social

• Shell Oil Company

• UBS

GRANDPARENTS

A gift to the next generation

We would like to thank the following grandparents who made gifts to The Fay School in 2021-2022 in honor of their grandchildren. We are lucky to have such a wonderful group of grandparents who take the extra step and support our school through one of our fundraising opportunities..

Betty and Ken Adam in honor of Henry and Theo Adam

Sandra and Ben Backor in honor of Maris Duke

John Bauer in honor of Kelsey Ayer

Kerry and Clay Conkling in honor of Johnny and Nora Chaney

Juanita David in honor of Olivia David

Barbara and Robert Doty in honor of Cooper and Eloise Polyansky

Robyn and Edward Gavrila in honor of Beau Rosenfeld

Nancy and Mel Gross in honor of Johnny Gross

Melinda Hall in honor of Olivia Shurin

Arthur J. Halleran, Jr. in honor of Jack Chipman

Susan and Aubrey Harvey in honor of Penelope Harvey

Brenda and Russel Jacobe in honor of Russel and Mary Kate Jacobe

Arleen Nadler in honor of Braelyn Sweed

Jane and Jon Pollock in honor of Bryce, Marin, and Grahm Pollock

Deborah and Michael Reinstein in honor of Max and Penelope Madof

Alice Rekeweg in honor of Cooper and Eloise Polyansky

Rick and Anna Riseden in honor of Reese and Tristan Riseden

Cindi and Franklin Rose in honor of Aspen Sanders and Holland Gentry

Babs and Jay Rosenfeld in honor of Beau Rosenfeld

Michael and Pam Schell in honor of Duncan Chapman

Ronnie and Norman Sweed in honor of Braelyn Sweed

Betty and Michael Tapick in honor of Jordan Ansari

Barbara Wulfe in honor of Ky Wulfe

Kay and Fred Zeidman in honor of Charlie and Sam Snelgrove

ALUMNI PARENTS

We would like to thank the following alumni parents and friends of Fay who continue to support our mission.

Caroline Carter

Diana Elamrani

Alicia and Garrett Gordy

Aaron Howard

RuDell Kylander

Angelyn and Jared Levinthal

Kelty Baker and Bruce McFarlin

Megan and Matt Pond

HONORING

IT IS WITH GREAT PRIDE THAT WE HONOR OUR FOUNDER, MARIE FAY EVNOCHIDES, AND THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO STAND BEHIND HER VISION FOR FAY.

Over thirty years ago, The Fay School opened its doors and began a journey that would touch the lives of all who encountered it. The founding Head of School, Marie Fay Evnochides, envisioned “a place where children come first.” Today, that vision reverberates in all that we do, creating an environment unlike any other—a special place made possible due to our unwavering commitment to children and families. In the school’s 20th year, we were incredibly proud to announce the formation of the Marie Fay Evnochides Society. Named for our visionary founder, the society was created to permanently recognize Annual Fund supporters who make The Fay School a philanthropic priority. Members of the Marie Fay Evnochides Society are those who have made lifetime, cumulative gifts to The Fay School Annual Fund of $25,000 or more. They exemplify Marie’s vision, and their support ensures that The Fay School continues to impact young lives.

A LEGACY

INAUGURAL MEMBERS

Melynda and Steve Dunn

Steve and Marie Fay Evnochides

Carolyn Grant Fay

Paige and Tilman Fertitta

Josie and Conrad Goerl

Bella and Gordon Gsell

Terri and John Havens

Carol and Stephen King

Wendy and Chris Mehling

Paula and Hal Mentz

Laura Boyd and Brinkley Morse

Kassandra and Michael Winstone

2011-2012 MEMBERS

Beth Coblentz

Mara and Jorge Troop

2012-2013 MEMBERS

Chad Clay

Tracy and Robin Gay

Elaine Block and Dennis O’Rourke

Joan Neuhaus

2013-2014 MEMBERS

Angie Munoz and Luis Javier Gonzalez

Anastasia and Preston Marshall

2014-2015 MEMBERS

Elva and Truett Akin

Gabriela and Daniel Dror

Linda and Jim Fischer

Susan and Jeff Gray

Lauren and Geoffrey Harrison

Masu and Badar Khan

Karen and Chris Kreidler

Laura and Brannon Robertson

Besse and Michael Ross

2015-2016 MEMBERS

Leslie Goldman and Scott Aitken

Ruth and Scott Calabrese

Sarah Svoboda and Chris Taylor

2016-2017 MEMBERS

Jessica and Jonathan Barrett

Danya and Clint Bogart

Sabrina and Paul Colgin

Caroline and Bruce Hurley

2017-2018 MEMBERS

Danielle and Lawrence Berry

Alicia and Garrett Gordy

Erin Jones

Keith Morris

Kallie and Ben Miller

Julie and Karl Sturm

2018-2019 MEMBERS

Oxana Beliaeva and Forrest Wylie

2019-2020 MEMBERS

Bailey Dalton Binion

and Greg Binion

Ali and Rich Bruskoff

Debbey and Glenn Guy

Lina Ortega and Joseph Ngo

2020-2021 MEMBERS

Philip Ball

Sugene Kim and Bob Basu

Ellisa Kerswell and Nicholas Gole

Cheryl and Will Jordan

Marcy and Jeffrey Margolis

Shilpa Damle-Mogri

and Zen Mogri

Sonia Scarselli

2021-2022 INDUCTEES

Kirsten and David Polyansky

Karan Sra and Nishil Patel

Eugene Loveland

Amy and Michael Trahan

Jennifer and Thomas Kane

Megan and Andrew Levy

Kisha and Jason Itkin

TEAM FAY

2021-2022

ANNUAL FUND COMMITTEE

The success of the 2021-2022 Annual Fund would not have been possible without this dedicated group of parent volunteers.

Kirsten and David Polyansky Annual Fund Chairs

Katie and Jas Brar

Tess and John Chaney

Judy and Tom Feutrill

Ann and Phillip Fox

Lisa and Robert Hearn

Lauren and Russell Libby

Leah and Andrew Madof

Megan and Matt Markland

PARENT COMMITTEE:

Sami and Justin Grefé New Family Chairs

Jo and Shawn McDonald

Kallie and Ben Miller

Emma Lewis and Charles Orzech

Mindy and Connor Riseden

Jenny and James Rogers

Mary Rose

Leslie and Andrew Snelgrove

Amy and Mike Trahan

FAY STAFF REPRESENTATIVE

Lindsay Stewart

“

We are constantly blown away by how much our children learn. Whether it’s an outdoor education class, a math lesson on the porch, or Gaga ball during recess, the energy and positivity surrounding our kids’ experiences is palpable. The school’s focus on leadership development through emotional intelligence, highlighted in the recent strategic plan, sets the school apart as the gold standard in Houston.

– Sami and Justin Grefé, Parents of Annabel ‘24, Ellie ‘26, and Jack ‘27

PARENTS’ CLUB

HARD WORK, PHILANTHROPY, AND COMMUNITY

Many thanks to this devoted team of parent volunteers who helped us navigate an unprecedented school year.

Parents’ Club Co-Chairs:

Lauren Duke

James Spitz

Book Fair

Lauren Duke

Jana Macfarlane

Nathalie Tardif

Campus Decorations

Begoña Chapital

Stephanie Martinez

Clothing Nook

Lindsay Lambert

Gala

Kristina Brar

Megan Levy

Green Team

Sami Grefé

Faculty & Staff Appreciation

Dana David

Jennifer Kane

Jenny Rogers

Halloween Carnival

Lauren Edlund

Amy Keiter

Kavita Patel

Library Coordinator

Ann Lebeck

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2

Dana David

Sandra Eastham

Jennifer Kane

3 4 5

GINA LEWIS FUND

The Gena Lewis Fund was established by the Marie Fay Evnochides Fund (MFE Fund) in the fall of 2021 to celebrate former Fay teacher Gena Lewis and to help further drive the implementation of Priority 2 in our Strategic Plan, redefining the academic experience by excelling in experiential and outdoor learning.

Gena Lewis left an indelible mark at The Fay School as a First Grade Teacher. During her 18-year tenure at The Fay School, Gena started the “Open Work” program that laid the groundwork for the experiential learning in Fay’s classrooms today. As a result, the Marie Fay Evnochides Fund established a teaching award in her honor. This annual award will fund selected experiential activities or projects and recognize the teacher or teachers who proposed the idea.

Last year, for the first time in Fay’s history, we awarded the first annual Gena Lewis Distinguished Teaching Award to Art Teacher Katherine Price! Ms. Price was awarded in an outdoor ceremony just behind The Fay House with Fay’s founder, Marie Fay Evnochides, the family of Gena Lewis, and the MFE Board in attendance. Her winning proposal focused on engaging and including children in every grade at The Fay School to design and build Fay’s first-ever Art Car for entering Houston’s Art Car Parade during the 2022-2023 school year.

Gena Lewis Donors

Julie and Stewart Baker

Pat and John Berry

Claire and Dan Boyles

Barbara and Larry Brownback

Marjorie and J. Walker Cain

Karen Desenberg

Hanifa and Danny Dishongh

Jan and Billy Doherty

Lucie Dunwoody

Margaret Eggleston

Lori and Efisio Farris

Marie Fay Evnochides Fund

Tracy and Robert Gay

Anita and Stuart Gaylor

Dana and Charlie Hartwell

Lauren and Benjamin Hendin

Sheri Henriksen

Carol and James King

Coy Lewis

Bonnie and Larry Likover

Marcy and Jeffrey Margolis

Olga and Theron McLaren

Mary Miller

Marijo and Denman Moody

Joan Neuhaus

Barbara and Steven Perlick

Georgene and Michael Quirke

Jeanie and Darryl Shaper

Lynda and Charles Smythe

Leslie and Ten Eyck Swackhamer

Adri and Bruce Swanson

Anna and Joe Teagarden

Meta and John Tyler

Babys Veyna

Betty Westmoreland

Karen and Tim Womack

We look forward to seeing the impact of Gena Lewis’ legacy and this award in the future! Save the date for the 2023 Art Car Parade on April 13 -16 and witness Fay’s first-ever entry in action!

2022 GALA HIGHLIGHT

The 2022 Gala will go down as the best Gala that Fay has ever hosted. The energy, celebration, camaraderie, and intention of the evening surpassed all expectations. The Gala committee, led by Co-Chairs Kristina Brar and Megan Levy, came together as a strong force to create an evening to remember. The Houstonian Hotel was transformed into an Enchanted Forest and over 300 guests enjoyed being together for the first time in three years.

Attendees enjoyed an engaging live auction, big board, and participated in a record-breaking Paddles Up initiative raising over $140,000 for our new natural playscape. Altogether, the event raised over $640,000 for your children’s education! Thank you to our Title Sponsor Nichols Brar Weitzner and Thomas Attorneys and thank you to the talented, enthusiastic, and dedicated volunteers for their work on a beautiful evening celebrating the Fay community.

Auction

Ali Bruskoff

Sami Grefé

Decorations

Lyndsie Palmer

Ashley Shinkle

Gala Games

Lauren Edlund

Liquor Pull

Lina Ortega

Joseph Ngo

New Family Chairs

Rekha Chalasani

Rabia Samji

Photography

Jacki Schaefer

Preview Party

Melissa Cougle

Jamie Dillon

Sign Up Socials

and Teacher Treasures

Fabiola Bonari

Lauren Chapman

Student Art

Dana David

Underwriting

Tess and Jack Chaney

Taylor and Stuart Imel

Emma Lewis and Charles Orzech

Corporate Partners

Title Partner

Nichols Brar Weitzner & Thomas

Made possible by Kristina and Kip Brar

Diamond Partners

Bayou City Dermatology

Made possible by Karan Sra and Nishil Patel

Hsiao Family Foundation

Made possible by Lina Ortega and Joseph Ngo

Gold Partners Bay Ltd

Made possible by Danielle and Lawrence Berry

Pasha Law PC

Made possible by Dalal and Nasir Pasha

Silver Partners

American Gilsonite

Made possible by Kristin Kott and Steve Granda

Koons Fuller Houston Family Law

Made possible by Taylor Toombs Imel, Shareholder

Bronze Partners

Amegy Bank

Big State Home Buyers

Made possible by James and Brian Spitz

Da Gama Canteen

Made possibly by Shiva Patel and Rick Di Virgilio

DDH Law

Made possible by Kimberly and Daniel Horowitz

Martha Turner Sotheby’s

Made possibly by Tess and Jack Chaney

Sam’s Boat

Made possible by Dana and Stephen David

The Breathing Room

Made possible by Alicia and Garrett Gordy

Tito Perez Painting Company

Made possibly by Elizabeth Perez

Underwriters

Treetop Table

Ivy Liu and Xuan Dong

Treetop Couple

Bailey Dalton Binion and Greg Binion

Elizabeth Eason

Kisha and Jason Itkin

Sonia Scarselli

Lantern Couple

Paula and Jonathan Goldberg

Mindy and Connor Riseden

Jenny and James Rogers

Erin and Jake Slosburg

Firefly Couple

Lisa and Amir Ansari

Mimi and Zachry Brown

Ali and Rich Bruskoff

Sandra and Lynn Eastham

Lauren and Clark Edlund

Ann and Phillip Fox

Thanatcha and Matthew Goitia

Neha and Abhinav Goyal

Sami and Justin Grefé

Priscila and David Gross

Lisa and Robert Hearn

Jennifer and Tom Kane

Lee Bar-Eli and Clifford Nash

Kavita and Tejas Patel

Sarah and Beau Pollock

Crystal and Hussein Shel

Stephanie and Weisun Teh

Courtney Wulfe

Wooded Glen Mohit and Neha Agrawal

Alisa Baker and Ryan Black

Maris and Jason Castro

Kim and Dan Chapman

Jamie and Peter Dillon

Zahra and Kenneth Fenelon

Amanda and Randall Fenlon

Carin and Sam Giga

Gaby and Steven Graubart

Amy and Justin Keiter

Cheryl Goudy and David Lavallee

Ann and James Lebeck

Lauren and Rusty Libby

Aimie Killeen and Chris Mastoris

Emma Lewis and Charles Orzech

Lyndsie and Ian Palmer

Han Pham and Joon Park

Annie and Greg Rosenfeld

Erica Rose and Charles Sanders

Jacqueline and Andrew Schaefer

Gabriela and Quitman Smith

Jenna and Gary Tabakman

Steffie and Ross Tomson

Alexandra and Eli Witus

Asraa and Faezz Yousuff

Gala Event Sponsors

Bar Sponsor

Megan and Andrew Levy

Valet Sponsor

Carolyn Rubenstein and Greg Lerner

Preview Party Sponsor

Kranthi and Amish Patel

Photography Sponsor

Adele Houghton and Fernando Autrique

Liquor Pull Sponsor

Libbie and Jesse Libby

Program Sponsor

PJS

2021-2022

CORPORATE PARTNERS

These generous businesses have committed significant funding to help Fay accomplish its mission on a daily basis. Please consider supporting those who support Fay, our corporate partners:

TITLE PARTNER

Made possible by Kristina and Kip Brar

DIAMOND PARTNERS

Made possible by Karan Sra and Nishil Patel

Made possible by Lina Ortega and Joseph Ngo

GOLD PARTNERS

Made possible by Danielle and Lawrence Berry

Made possible by Dalal and Nasir Pasha

For more information on becoming a 2023 Corporate Partner please contact Director of Advancement, Monica Berckley, at mberckley@thefayschool.org

SILVER PARTNERS

Made possible by Kristin Kott and Steve Granda

BRONZE PARTNERS

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Made possibly by Tess and Jack Chaney

Save the Date for our Golf Tournament

Calling all golfers, novice and experienced! Our biennial Golf Tournament will be held Monday, February 27, 2023 at Sugar Creek Golf Club.

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Save the Date for our Backyard Bash

This year, we will be transitioning to an every other year Gala format. Our Spring event fundraiser for 2023 will be our Backyard Bash. This adults-only event will be held on Fay’s very own campus and will feature fine cuisine, cocktails, a live auction, and entertainment. Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 1, 2023 for this not to miss event.