The Fay School 2022-2023 Annual Report

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FUTURE LEADERS OF THE WORLD THE FAY SCHOOL

LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

As a school 33 years young, I’m proud to say that the 2022-2023 school year may have been our best yet! Your children have benefited in many ways as Fay has boldly assumed a leadership position in early childhood and elementary education. We attribute this success to three key areas: the dedication of our faculty and staff, the trust and confidence that Fay families put into our school, and the bold and innovative priorities laid out in our Board of Trustees approved Strategic Plan. Results speak for themselves, and we offer you this list of accomplishments from the past year to make our case:

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

• The Independent School Association of the Southwest voted The Fay School into full membership and accreditation without hesitation.

• We reached 100% participation in our Annual Fund for the second year in a row, an unprecedented accomplishment.

• We completed installation of our research backed Bienenstock Natural Playground, the first for any school in Texas.

• We enhanced our approach, processes, and procedures for campus safety.

• We created and hired for the position of Director of Curriculum so that your child’s teachers continue to grow and develop to support our ambitious approaches to teaching and learning.

• We awarded our second annual Gena Lewis Distinguished Teacher Award to First Grade Teacher, Linleigh Alford.

• We created our first ever Gator Art Car and participated in our first-ever Art Car Parade alongside 250+ vehicles and entries from 23 states along with Canada and Mexico.

• Second Grader and Head of School for The Day, Ms. Alia Itkin, declared that The Fay School would have its first ever “All School Taylor Swift Dance Party!”

• Our Admissions Office enjoyed another record-breaking number of applications.

• We held our first ever two-class musical at Houston Christian Highschool.

• We all enjoyed the first ever Bingo Night and Movie Night to build community and to enjoy our outdoor oriented campus at night.

• Fifth Grade Leaders exhibited authentic leadership when they created and organized our first-ever Dog Day!

• A group of future leaders sang the National Anthem at the Space Cowboys, a first for our school!

• Fifty-five professional development sessions were attended by faculty and staff.

• Principal Sherman’s proposal was selected by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) to share how we implemented Trust Based Observations, alongside creator Craig Randall.

• Head of School Morgan Scoville was selected by the NAIS to serve as a Faculty Member for the NAIS Institute for New Heads, one of only seven sitting heads to hold this honor.

• We completed the update of all our classroom furniture to better support our Project Based Learning Units.

As we look to our Strategic Plan as our North Star, it is obvious that The Fay School has elevated its position, not just in the early childhood and elementary landscape, but in the entire independent school landscape. We are proud of Fay’s incredible teachers and staff, appreciative of your support and trust, and eager to keep deliberately building and educating the future leaders of this world! Thank you for making the 2022-2023 school year one of impact, intention, and success because when The Fay School is thriving, it is your children who benefit the most.

Sincerely,

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

2022-2023

THE FAY SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES

LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIR

OMAR SAMJI

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I’m happy to report that the 2022-23 school year was one of the best in school history. The Fay School is a special place for everyone in our community, and we are extremely fortunate to have a myriad of powerful positive forces that continue to propel the school forward in its efforts to lead early childhood education. These forces include:

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

• A committed and enthusiastic parent community, which just achieved its second-in-a-row 100% Annual Fund participation (which is truly remarkable).

• Steady enrollment and long-term financial stability, with the student body just exceeding 300 and stable reserves.

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

During the 2022-23 school year, the Board undertook a thoughtful and deliberate exercise to responsibly and creatively capitalize on this confluence of the above positive factors to benefit the school for years to come. Our goal was to determine how best to invest in and improve our campus and learning spaces to ensure The Fay School remains the best early childhood and elementary school in Houston and beyond. Looking forward, we will continue to capitalize and expand on this work. To assist us in our efforts, the Board voted to add four new members and received notice that Fay has officially received accreditation from the Independent School Association of the Southwest (ISAS).

While the Board’s role at Fay 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 our children’s experience right now. Whether it is 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.

The coming years promise to be exciting, enriching, and impactful. Fay’s present and future have never been brighter and more exciting than it is today. I would be remiss if I did not recognize both Marie Fay Evnochides’ founding vision of the school, and the numerous community members on whose shoulders we stand today. We have a very exciting journey ahead as we build upon the last 33 years and take action to ensure the health and vibrancy of The Fay School for the next 33 years and beyond.

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

LISA ARRINGTON

The Fay School community is strong and leading the way thanks to your generosity. Thank you for allowing us to focus on our most valuable asset: your children and their education. We are deeply grateful for your support and partnership.

With Gator Pride,

Lisa Arrington 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.

Lisa Arrington

Director of Advancement

Jasmyn Artis

Director of Communications

Since I joined the Fay School community in June, I have continued to be impressed by the strong support and generosity of parents, Trustees, faculty, staff, grandparents and friends. The 2022-23 school year was no exception, and community engagement and giving was at an all-time high. Philanthropy at Fay during the last year showed record support. The TEAM FAY Annual Fund, led by Sami and Justin Grefé, reached our goal of 100% participation from faculty and staff, Board of Trustees, and Fay families for the second year in a row. 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.

The Fay School experience is enhanced by this devoted group of parents whose impact goes far.

The 2022-23 school year welcomed a new tradition, the Backyard Bash. Chaired by Libbie Libby and Kranthi Patel, the evening was a true success on every metric. The Backyard Bash committee transformed the Fay campus into a fun, festive, and elevated food and drink festival. While the mood was more casual, the event was a beautiful celebration of our community and a record-breaking fundraising success, raising more than $500,000 in support of our students’ educational experience.

Our devoted Parents’ Club, led by Co-Chairs James Spitz and Kristina Brar, created community and connection for all Fay families. From introducing new events like the Fall Festival and an All-School Roller Rink party, planning beloved traditions like the Book Fair, to staffing Garden Days, the Parents’ Club efforts laid the groundwork for more frequent opportunities for parent involvement and engagement on campus.

Megan McNair Director of Admissions

Rachel Rubin Director of Extended Day

Lauren Sposato

Assistant Director of Advancement

2023-2024

PRELIMINARY ANNUAL FUND RESULTS

After the five-week 2023-2024 parent campaign, the Annual Fund triumphantly raised over $500,000 and saw 100% Fay Family, Faculty & Staff, and Board of Trustee participation in support of the vision of The Fay School for the third year in a row. Thank you to the 76 families who supported at the 1991 Society Circle Level with gifts of $2,500 and above. We are grateful for Annual Fund Chairs, Lina Ortega and Joseph Ngo, the dedicated group of parents who made up the TEAM FAY 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 families.

If you wish to support the 2023-2024 Annual Fund, please contact the Director of Advancement, Lisa Arrington, at larrington@thefayschool.org. We look forward to celebrating our donors with our 2023-2024 Annual Report to be released in the fall of 2024.

*The 2023-2024 Audited Financials will be released upon completion of our formal audit.

2022-2023 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 translated to an immediate impact for your children. During the 2022-2023 Annual Fund Campaign, the Fay community came together all in as TEAM FAY with 100% of faculty & staff, the 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 2022-2023 Annual Fund was put into action include:

• The completion of the Bienenstock natural playscape

• Enhancing campus security and safety

• Supporting our faculty and staff – we attract talented professionals by offering competitive benefits, salaries, and unique professional development opportunities so Fay teachers keep enhancing their craft as educators.

• Saying “yes” to innovative teaching and learning opportunities that fall outside of the operating budget.

• Maintaining our beautiful campus – daily maintenance of our school and any unforeseen facility needs that require immediate attention like new HVAC equipment and new flooring in classrooms.

Leadership giving at the top circles of support constituted over 78% of the total funds received in the 2022-2023 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

($35,000 and above)

Lina Ortega and Joseph Ngo

Leadership Circle

($25,000 - $34,999)

Danielle and Lawrence Berry

Ivy Liu and Charles Dong

Marie and Steve Evnochides

Head’s Circle

($10,000 - $24,999)

Stephanie Harrison

and Theodore Carpenter

Joanna Kornfeld and Paul Friedman

Thanatcha and Matthew Goitia

Sami and Justin Grefé

Kisha and Jason Itkin

Megan and Andrew Levy

Katherine and Ronald Lee, Jr.

Mary Rose

Erin and Jacob Slosburg

Courtney Wulfe

Fay Forest Circle

($7,500 - $9,999)

Lauren and Brandon Duke

Amanda and Randall Fenlon

Don and Colletta McMillan

Foundation

Emma Lewis and Charles Orzech

Mahwish and Haroonur Rashid

Fay Farm Circle

($5,000 - $7,499)

Mimi and Zachry Brown

Alexandra and Richard Bruskoff

Maris and Jason Castro

Tina Ansari-Cotton and Troy Cotton

Dana and Stephen David

Lauren and Clark Edlund

Sarjana Momin and Sayeed Khowja

Libbie and Jesse Libby

Lauren and Russell Libby

Aimie Killeen and Chris Mastoris

Sara and Nathen McEown

Susan Lee and Henry Mok

Erin and John Nelson

Kranthi and Amish Patel

Melinda and Connor Riseden

Brooke and Holden Rushing

Katy and Sandy Shurin Bayou Circle

($2,500 - $4,999)

Lisa and Amir Ansari

Bailey Dalton-Binion

and Gregory Binion

Katie and Jas Brar

Kristina and Kip Brar

Sylvia and Adam Burke

Natalia and Michael Cannon

Sabrina and Paul Colgin

Melissa and Marc Cougle

Shiva Patel and Richard Di Virgilio

Seema and Sam Farooqi

Ann and Phillip Fox

Paula and Jonathan Goldberg

Alicia and Garrett Gordy

Gabriela and Steven Graubart

Priscila and David Gross

Kelly and Kim Hales

Kimberly and Daniel Horowitz

Ann and James Lebeck

Suzanne Elmilady and Todd Leffler

April and Benjamin Leibman

Lauren and Russell Libby

Kristy Godwin and David Martin

Fabiola and Filippo Meacci

Asha and Faisal Momin Apoorva

Jadhav and Ekim Muyan

Lee Bar-Eli and Clifford Nash Erin and John Nelson

Kelly and Cody Nicholson

Emma Lewis and Charles Orzech

Kavita and Tejas Patel

Sarah and Beau Pollock

Jenny and James Rogers

Katherine and Richard Rose

Thomas and DonNell Rushing

Morgan B. Scoville

Shandy Shade

Leslie and Andrew Snelgrove

Adrianne Morse and Jared Spain

James and Brian Spitz

Basak and Scott Stookey

Howard and Jody Sweed

Piper Poulliard and Eric Trestman

Kate and Timothy Withall

Oxana Beliaeva and Forrest Wylie

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 342 gifts to the 2022-2023 Annual Fund representing support from current families, alumni families, grandparents, foundations, corporations, and friends of Fay.

Gator Supporter

($1,000-$2,499)

Tawnia and David Adelman

Saba and Irfan Ali

Mina and Oluwaseun Alonge

Adele Houghton and Fernando Autrique

Niki Roberts and Krisa Benskin

Alisa Baker and Ryan Black

Suzanne and Robert Blakely

Michelle and Renzo Bolivar

Amy and Josh Bray

Charlotte Broussard

Andrew Chang and Angela Chang

Jacy and Grant Cooper

Jamie and Peter Dillon

Shoshana and Jeffrey Dinerstein

Stephanie Martinez Larrea and Rodrigo Dominguez

Sotomayor

Sandra and Lynn Eastham

Kristen Latta and David Endelman

Neha and Abhinav Goyal

Kristin Kott and Steven Granda

Kulsoom and Muzzamil Hasan

Sana Malik and Shayan Hasnain

Morgen Doty Hool and Kevin Hool

Taylor Imel

Sushma Charania

and Zeeshan Jivani

Erin Jones

Poonam Kapoor

Amy and Justin Keiter

Sana and Mudassir Khan

Dilnaz and Sulmaan Lateef

Cheryl Goudy and David Lavallee

Linzi and Justin Leighton

Jana and David Macfarlane

Nazma and Altaf Makanojiya

Megan and Matthew Markland

Marcy and Jeff Margolis

Jo and Shawn McDonald

Sarah Watts and Stefan Mckinney

Jenya and Alex Menkhaus

Kallie and Benjamin Miller

Jennie and Edward Miller

Rahila and Arif Momin

Craig Murray

Amy and Preben Nielsen

Andrea Osborne

Lyndsie and Ian Palmer

Roxanne and Shane Pettipas

Pernia Latif and Arif Qureshi

Marina and Andrew Roberts

Carolyn Rubenstein

Neda and Amir Sabzevari

Rabia and Omar Samji

Sonia Scarselli

Rekha Chalasani and Aditya Singh

Nancy and Greg Smidt

Stephanie and Christopher Smith

Gabriela and Quitman Smith

Jay Stewart

Steffie and Ross Tomson

Chelsea and Yang Wang

Kelly Whitcomb

Barbara Wulfe

Kay and Fred Zeidman

Friend of Ernie ($1-$999)

Heather and Mark Adam

Alvin Adelman

Neha and Mohit Agrawal

Safia Durab and Faraz Ahmad

Nilofur and David Alfi

Linleigh Alford

Sabina and Asif Ali

Asra Sameer and Syed Ali

Alyssa Allen

Paige and Andrew Alvis

Alyssa Andaverde

Jasmyn and Javon Artis

Sandra and Ben Backor

Robert F. Baldwin, III

Cristina Cordeddu

and Renato Barbedo

Karla Barcus

Jay and Monica Berckley

Emma Berno

Burke Butler and David Berry

Caroline Best

Courtney Black

Mahereen Maherali

and Faizan Bodhani

Kathryn McFarlane

and Michael Boxer

Lizzie Bright

Melissa and Phillip Brown

Beverly Browne

Yau-San Tam and Nicholas Bryant

Olga Rodriguez

and Oscar Calderon

Kristine Caldwell

Alex Cammarota Smith

Nicole and Seth Caplan

Chris Carlson

Tess and John Chaney II

Kimberly and James Chapman

Robin Chiswell

Evelyn Crockett

Ahmiyah Crowder

Scott Cunningham

Haifa Hamdi and Daly Daly

Nila and Krishna Danda

Adam Dock

Sarah Dropek and Jesse Huebner

Barbara Duecker

Ann Eberle

Jeff Fountain

George Francisco

Kelly Froelich

Michael Garcia

Mayra and Yuri Gelfand

Tessa Gerall

Serena Ghesani

Pam Gibaut

Carin and Sameer Giga

Elizabeth and C.L. Gildroy

Michelle Goddin

Vandana Thapar

and Leonel Gomez

Anangela and Rodolfo Gonzalez

Xochytl Greer

Nancy and Mel Gross

John Grube

Jorge Guevara

Anita Manoharan and Amit Gupta

Melissa Halleran

Jaclyn and Charles Harrison

Lesley Davis and Chad Harrison

Carolyn Hart

Laura and Terry Harvey

Sabeena and Jazib Hasan

Lauren and Mark Havel

Jennifer and Tommy Hayes

Meredith Hedemann

Abby and Louis Hendel

Samantha Holroyd

Megan Hopkins

Dillon Hutyra

Samantha and Christopher Jacobe

Betsy Jansa

Jennifer and Thomas Kane

Merih and Hasan Kayar

Aaron Keiter

Natasha and Aadel Khan

Evan Kinat

Clea and Kody Kobza

Gina Xu and Benjamin Koh

Erin Kondelis and Brandon Campbell

Roshni and Ankil Lalu

Nina and Phong Le

Angelyn and Jared Levinthal

Kathleen Lindsey

Brenda Lockett

Nancy and David Loncarich

Eugene F. Loveland

Katherine Lydecker

Ali Lyman

Leah and Andrew Madof

Chinh Dang and Lam Mai

Monica Clemente Sequeira and Andriy Martsi

Jakima McDowell

Coby and Frank McElroy

KC McMordie

Megan McNair

Carmen Medina

Shumaila and Fayyaz Mohamedali

Sana and Fahim Momin

Rashmi and Tanveer Momin

Rufina Sunesara and Shehzad Momin

Liena and William Morrison

Kerri Namoc

Shoba and Neema Navai

Daniel Ned

Thresa Newkirk

Ozden and Fatih Ozkanoglu

Han Pham and Joon Park

Dalal and Nasir Pasha

Jaanki and Ronak Patel

Elizabeth Perez

Pam and Bill Perreault

Timothy and Emma Peterson

Fiyyaz Pirani

Stacey Pougatcheva

Katherine Price

Meredith and Ross Purdy

Robert Ramirez

Sadia and Feroz Rehman

Syeda and Adrian Reyes

William and Cathie Riley

Annie and Gregory Rosenfeld

Kathryn Rovegno

Rachel Rubin

Ashley Rutherford

Oksana and Robert Sabo

Margaret and Enrique Sanchez

Ryan Sanchez

Khadija and Yanos Saravanos

Jacki and Andrew Schaefer

Noreen Shaw

Crystal and Hussein Shel

Melissa Sherman

Anjum Kherani and Amaan Siddiqi

Mana Yegani and Jed Silverman

Kristen and Elson Smith

Lauren and Tony Sposato

Lindsay Stewart

Alefiya Akbarally and Omar Suby

Yuliya Rudenko and Eli Svetlov

Gary Tabakman

Jennifer and Adam Taylor

Stephanie Pullen and Weisun Teh

Nathalie Tardif and Philippe Teijeira

Felicia Tew

Harriet and Mason Tomson

Leanna Tran Kelly and Matthew Turner

Lindsay Lambert and Mark Valdez

Sherida and Tony Vida

Alicia and Jay Villarreal

Valerie Wallace

Maren and Michael Watson

Jamie and Jeffrey Weinberg

Stephanie Kellam and Chris White

Alexandra and Eli Witus

Emily Womack

Asraa and Faeez Yousuff

Atessa and Keu Zafar

Khadija and Naveed Zafar

Ketam Hamdan and Amir Zegar

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 2022-2023 Annual Fund.

Adam Dock

Ahmiyah Crowder

Alex Cammarota Smith

Alyssa Andaverde

Ann Eberle

Ashley Rutherford

Barbara Duecker

Betsy Jansa

Beverly Browne

Brenda Lockett

Carmen Medina

Caroline Best

Carolyn Hart

Cathie Riley

Chandler Williamson

Chris Carlson

Courtney Black

Daniel Ned

Dillon Hutyra

Elizabeth Travis

Emily Womack

Emma Berno

Emma Peterson

Evan Kinat

Evelyn Crockett

Felicia Tew

Jakima McDowell

Jasmyn Artis

Jeff Fountain

Jennifer Hayes

John Grube

Jorge Guevara

Katherine Price

Kathleen Lindsey

Kathryn Rovegno

KC McMordie

Kelly Froelich

Kristine Caldwell

Lauren Sposato

Lindsay Stewart

Linleigh Alford

Lizzie Bright

Margaret Sanchez

Megan Hopkins

Megan McNair

Melissa Sherman

Meredith Hedemann

Michael Garcia

Michelle Goddin

Monica Berckley

Morgan Scoville

Nancy Loncarich

Ozden Ozkanoglu

Pam Gibaut

Rachel Rubin

Robert Ramirez

Ross Purdy

Ryan Sanchez

Sarah Dropek

Scott Cunningham

Serena Dhukka

Stacey Pougatcheva

Tessa Gerall

Thresa Newkirk

Valerie Wallace

CORPORATE FRIENDS

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

• Dermatology and Laser Surgery Center

• Shell Oil Company

• Chevron

• Zurich North America

• Goldman, Sachs & Co.

• EDF Trading North America

• Palace Social

• Masami Photography

• InTwo Shop

• Baker Hughes

• Mia’s Table

• Kroger

GRANDPARENTS

A gift to the next generation

We would like to thank the following grandparents who made gifts to The Fay School in 2022-2023 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.

Katherine and Ronald E. Lee, Jr. In Honor of Kate Leighton

Craig Murray In Honor of Lowe Miller

Kay and Fred Zeidman In Honor of Sam and Charlie Snelgrove

Sandra and Ben Backor In honor of Maris Duke

Harriet and Mason Tomson In honor of Tessa and Georgia Tomson

Elizabeth and C.L Gildroy In honor of Phillip and Elizabeth Fox

Nancy and Greg Smidt In honor of Jackson Bright

Nancy and Mel Gross In honor of Johnny Gross

Eileen and Aaron Keiter In honor of Ariella and Zoe Keiter

Alvin Adelman In honor of Sophia Adelman

DonNell and Thomas Rushing In honor of Barringer Rushing

ALUMNI PARENTS

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

Jennifer and Thomas Kane

Heather and Mark Adam

Liena and William Morrison

Angelyn and Jared Levinthal

Megan and Matt Pond

Alicia and Garrett Gordy

HONORING A LEGACY

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

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

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

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

2022-2023 INDUCTEES

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 $50,000 or more. They exemplify Marie’s vision, and their support ensures that The Fay School continues to impact young lives.

Joan Neuhaus

2013-2014 MEMBERS

Angie Munoz and Luis Javier Gonzalez

Anastasia and Preston Marshall

2017-2018 MEMBERS

Danielle and Lawrence Berry

Alicia and Garrett Gordy

Erin Jones

Keith Morris

Kallie and Ben Miller

Julie and Karl Sturm

Michael and Natalia Cannon

Tina Ansari-Cotton

and Troy Cotton

Lauren and Brandon Duke

Joanna Kornfeld

and Paul Friedman

Cheryl Goudy and David Lavallee

Courtney Wulfe

TEAM FAY

2022-2023

ANNUAL FUND COMMITTEE

The success of the 2022-2023 Annual Fund would not have been possible without this dedicated group of parent volunteers.

Zachry and Mimi Brown

Randall and Amanda Fenlon

Phillip and Ann Fox

Steven and Gaby Graubart

Kim and Kelly Hales

Taylor Imel

Todd and Suzanne Leffler

Russell and Lauren Libby

Andrew and Leah Madof

PARENT COMMITTEE:

Matt and Meg Markland

Shawn and Jo McDonald

Nathen and Sara McEown

Charles and Emma Orzech

Connor and Mindy Riseden

James and Jenny Rogers

Mary Rose

Holden and Brooke Rushing

Courtney Wulfe

FAY STAFF REPRESENTATIVE

Ryan Sanchez

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

GENA 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.

2023 Gena Lewis Award Ceremony

Congratulations to our 2023 Gena Lewis Distinguished Teacher Award recipient, First Grade Lead Teacher Ms. Alford! Her winning project proposal focuses on pollinators with the driving question, “How do plants and insects on our campus interact with one another?” Students will study native Texas plants and insects using the Fay Garden, Fay Forest, and more. We are looking forward to seeing this innovative project unfold in the next year.

2023 Art Car Parade

In April of 2023, The Fay School participated in the Houston Art Car Parade for the first time in school history. This was a very special project because it was the first funded by the Gena Lewis Distinguished Teacher Award made possible by the Marie Fay Evnochides Fund. Fay Art Teacher Katherine Price’s Art Car Proposal was selected in 2022 and focused on engaging and including children in every grade at Fay to design our first-ever Art Car.

2023 BACKYARD BASH HIGHLIGHT

The Backyard Bash was a new event in the 2022-2023 school year and was the beginning of a new tradition at Fay – an every-other-year event model that is alternated with a formal Gala. The Fay School Campus was transformed into a food and drink festival and featured amazing Houston restaurants and establishments.

Co-Chairs Libbie Libby and Kranthi Patel were dynamic leaders of this new concept and created an evening to remember that also raised a record-breaking amount of money for the school. We are grateful to them for their leadership and the many parent volunteers who joined them.

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

Maris Castro

and Amanda Fenlon

Decorations

Samantha Jacobe

and Lyndsie Palmer

Photography

Jacki Schaefer

Sign Up Parties

and Teacher Treasures

Jamie Dillon

and Jody Sweed

Student Art

Kristina Brar

and Dana David

Volunteer Coordinator

Lauren Libby

Parents’ Club Co-chairs

Kristina Brar

and James Spitz

Corporate Partners

Title Partner

Theorem Vineyards

Made possible by Kisha and Jason Itkin

Diamond Partners

Hsiao Family Foundation

Made possible by Lina Ortega and Joseph Ngo

The Dong Family

Made possible by Ivy and Charles Dong

Silver Partners

Toombs Imel & Associates

Made possible by Taylor Imel

Bronze Partners

Pasha Law

Made possible by Dalal and Nasir Pasha

Big State Home Buyers

Made possible by James and Brian Spitz

Bayou City Dermatology

Made possible by Karen Sra and Nishil Patel

Nichols Brar Weitzner & Thomas

Made possible by Kristina and Kip Brar

Sanctuary Spa

Made possible by Sabrina and Paul Colgin

American Gilsonite Company

Made possible by Kristin and Steve Granda

Oporto Fooding House & Wine

Made possible by Shiva Patel and Rick Di Virgilio

Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty,

Made possible by Elizabeth Chipman, Seth Caplan, and Tess Chaney

Underwriters

Lisa

Katie

Sarah

Jennifer

Gabriela

FAY GOLF TOURNAMENT HIGHLIGHT

2022-2023

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:

Made possible by Kisha and Jason Itkin

Made possible by Lina Ortega and Joseph Ngo

Made possible by Ivy and Charles Dong

Made possible by Taylor Imel

For more information on becoming a 2024 Corporate Partner please contact Director of Advancement, Lisa Arrington, at larrington@thefayschool.org