2015-2016 Annual Report

A LETTER FROM HEADMASTER PAUL QUICK

“Ascension is a school that values the holistic approach to student development. Supplementing our academic program, our athletics and arts programs offer tremendous growth opportunities for leadership, collaboration/teamwork, and the building of perseverance and resilience (grit).”

PAUL M. QUICK HEAD OF SCHOOL

Being the largest and most visible ministry of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, we are one school with three campuses. The constituent groups on all three campuses are committed to our mission of “educational excellence in a Christian environment.” Earlier this school year, the Board and Vestry approved the substitution of the term “educational” for the term “academic” within our school’s mission statement. While this is a very subtle change, it was determined that the word “educational” better describes the holistic Christian education our students receive. “Educational excellence” more fully accounts for the lessons our students learn across all of our programs: academics, arts, athletics, and worship.

We ensure that our mission is being achieved by offering programs that nurture the spirit and inspire stewardship, that sharpen the mind and stimulate the intellect by encouraging creativity and truth-seeking, that foster servant leadership opportunities that shape character, and that promote healthy decision-making and life-long fitness by conditioning the body for not only competitive interscholastic activity, but for a healthy lifestyle.

What differentiates Ascension Episcopal School from other schools in the greater Acadiana area is our commitment to creating and sustaining an educational environment in which we help each other identify, grow, and utilize our unique God-given gifts and talents to build affirming relationships, serve others, and glorify God.

Ascension is a school that values the holistic approach to student development. Supplementing our academic program, our athletics and arts programs offer tremendous growth opportunities for leadership, collaboration/teamwork, and the building of perseverance and resilience (grit).

Through our athletic, drama, and music programs, our students are getting a sense of how a team/ensemble collaborates to create a final product. For our students, collaboration and teamwork are vital skills for future success. For our school community, these attributes are equally as important for establishing and maintaining a functional and sustainable operational model.

With the goal of being functional and sustainable, this past year has seen a renewed focus on the Ascension Fund, which in turn, has yielded a much-improved financial situation for the school. Over the next several years, the Ascension Fund will continue to grow and develop. As we transition from a Parent Support Organization/event dependent fundraising model to a hybrid model that melds PSO fundraising efforts and events with a more traditional, and hopefully more sustainable, unrestricted annual giving model, we will continue to see the fruit of that labor as was witnessed this year with numerous improvements to our facilities and programs.

Much of this year’s Ascension Fund success can be attributed to the twelve class parties that were sponsored by the Development Office and hosted at the homes of several of our families. The goal of these parties was to educate the community regarding the Ascension Fund and other various ways to support Ascension Episcopal School, for example, membership in a PSO (Parent Support Organization), participating in PSO events. At each presentation, it was explained how each of these different modes of giving enhance our ability to achieve our mission.

While the foundation for a more robust annual fund is being laid, we are pleased with the results of our efforts as a community to support this important annual initiative. Even though our overall participation rate was not what we had hoped to achieve – we finished the year with 42% of our constituents participating – we are quite pleased with the overall amount raised which is over $200,000.

Based on the progress achieved this year, Ascension Episcopal School is poised to become one of the finest schools in Acadiana, if not the state. While increasing our reputation across Louisiana is a reasonable aspiration, the real value of an Ascension Episcopal School education rests in our devotion to creating and sustaining a Christ-centered learning environment. As our educators endeavor to draw out of each other and our students their innate God-given gifts, as we attempt to inspire stewardship, to sharpen minds, to foster a servant leadership mentality, and as we promote healthy decision-making, we never forget that all we do must glorify God. With this focus, we ensure that Ascension Episcopal School is not only committed to, but is achieving “educational excellence in a Christian environment.”

By God’s grace, in your service,

Paul M. Quick Head of School Ascension Episcopal School

CAMPUS DIRECTORS

SUGAR MILL POND | DOWNTOWN | RIVER RANCH

2015-2016

BOARD OF TRUSTEE MEMBERS

Mr. Lawrence Billeaud

Mr. Craig Campbell

Dr. Ann Dobie

Mr. Brad Felder

Mr. Travis Frank

Mr. Kevin Frederick

Mrs. Shannon Lynd

Mrs. Marika Mury

Dr. Jeanette Parker

Mr. Greg Rizzuto

Mrs. Melinda Mangham

Ms. Myra Tener

Mrs. Shannon Trahan

Mr. Jerry Vascocu

Mrs. Mary Werner, Board Chair

Mrs. Jill Wade, Vestry

Mrs. Alicia Kreamer, Vestry

The Reverend Joseph Daly, Rector

Mr. Paul Quick, Head of School

CHRIS DARDAR

CHRISTI CAMPBELL SUZY LYNCH-CUMMINGS

Carol Ann and Jim Piccione

Lea Ann and Mike Remondet

Mia and Jeff Robinson

Matt and Gerilyn Roth

Christy and Andy Sheets

Ashima and Mohit Srivastava

Dawn and Brent Stolzenthaler

Dana and Michael Topham

Julie and Jerry Vascocu

Marilyn and Bill Vidrine

Gretchen and Chris Vincent

Mary and Joel Werner

2015-2016

ASCENSION FUND PARTY HOSTS

Angie and Travis Frank

Michelle and Leonard Franques

André Franques

Stacey Frederick

Tracy and Bryan Frentz

Mary Frances and Blake Huggard

Payton and Chris John

Mari Anne and Scott Johnson

Karen and Wendell Juneau

Ann and Ted Kergan

Marilyn and Buddy Lee

Shannon and Kirk Lynd

Jamie and Jonathan Malespin

Katherine and Todd McCormick

Marika and Ed Mury

Colleen and Stuart Ottinger

Candyce and Hunter Perret

Angelle and Anthony Adams

Sheri and John Alldredge

Georgette and Boyd Anderson

Glenn and Jennifer Angelle

Katherine and Chuck Anselmo

Beth and Michael Ardoin

Stephanie and Todd Ardoin

Laurie and Paul Bako

Colleen and David Barczyk

Elizabeth Bernard

Kim and Stuart Bishop

Shari and Bob Blem

Rhonda and Dennis Bond

Melissa and Donny Boudreaux

Trisha and Craig Campbell

Michelle and Pratt Doucet

Debbie and Barry Fabacher

ASCENSION FUND RISING TO A HIGHER

LEVEL

At the start of the 2015 school year, Ascension Episcopal School launched the start of a new annual fund campaign: The Ascension Fund. With the help of many of our dedicated parents, class parties were held for every grade level with the hope of educating our community on the purpose of the Ascension Fund and the many ways its dollars help to improve our school community. In total, $201,171 was raised this year in the Ascension Fund Campaign and items such as tuition assistance, facility improvement, and faculty professional development were funded.

As Ascension Episcopal School makes the transition to a bigger and more established Prek through grade 12 institution, we have begun to focus our fundraising efforts on annual fund dollars, which as unrestricted dollars allows the school to be more flexible with meeting the current and changing needs across all three campuses.

ASCENSION FUND BUCKETS:

PROGRAMS OF BALANCED EXCELLENCE

Academics, arts, and athletics in a faith filled environment

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

FIRST CLASS FACILITES

Safe, secure, and state of the art learning environment

STELLAR STEWARDSHIP

Debt reduction and financial responsibility

Extensive and current training for classroom teachers

COMMUNITY OUTREACH & TUITION ASSISTANCE

Investment in organizations and individuals

OPENING NEW DOORS DEDICATION CEREMONY

On the evening of Saturday, April 9th, Ascension Episcopal School held a reception and dedication ceremony for the Opening New Doors Campaign at the Sugar Mill Pond Campus. During this evening event, campus tours were given to all attendees and plaques were presented to The Bailey & Nolan Families, The Stuller Family and The Robert Belaire Family.

In addition, all members of the 1959 Leadership Circle were honored for their significant contributions to the Ascension Fund for 2015-2016.

PARENT SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS

“Many of our school activities could not be possible without the dedication and hard work of our amazing school volunteers. Thank you to all of you who gave of your time and talent for the benefit of the students of Ascension Episcopal School.”

SHANNON TRAHAN

PTO PRESIDENT 2015-2016

Your PTO board has worked hard this year. We started off our year by providing lunch for all faculty and staff at their CPE day in August. We then hosted “Pack the Stands” and saw families come together to support our Blue Gator football team. Our Auction Committee put on a successful auction. This year we raised $225,000 and these funds were allocated to help provide a new green space/playground on our Downtown Campus, Christmas bonuses for our teachers, Design Thinking furniture for the Downtown campus, and professional development for our teachers.

Our amazing Campus Coordinators were instrumental in serving their respective campuses. Some of the events that PTO hosted were the Boo Hoo Breakfast, holiday class party games and crafts, Teacher Conference Snacks, May Day, Honor Chapel reception, See You at the Pole, Thanksgiving Feast, and Grandparents’ Day. We were also able to bring Lifestyle Risk Reduction guest speaker Brenda Conlan to our SMP campus to talk to our students about making appropriate life choices during these crucial teenage years.

We wrapped up our year with Faculty/Staff Appreciation Week. Parent volunteers took carpool duty during the week. Faculty and staff received an Ascension branded blanket and were treated to coffee, tea, hot chocolate and biscotti, massages, gift cards, with a catered lunch including door prizes to conclude the week of festivities.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our Ascension faculty, staff and students. Thank you to all the volunteers who have served alongside me this school year.

2015-2016

FINE ARTS ALLIANCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Charon Harris, President

Marika Mury, Vice President

Ann Chen, Secretary

Emily Vanderlick, Communications

Michelle Franques, Membership

Shannon Lynd, Special Events

Elizabeth Simon, Heart for Arts Sake Coordinator

FINE ARTS ALLIANCE PARENT

SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS

“Regarding the Fine Arts Alliance, we continue to grow just as much. Most recently, the FAA hosted “Heart for the Arts” at the AcA. It was a tremendous event that focused both on spotlighting our student’s amazing work and fundraising for our programs. It garnered a great deal of positive feedback and will serve as the FAA’s cornerstone event.”

CHARON HARRIS FAA PRESIDENT 2015-2016

Ascension’s Fine Arts program continues to flourish. At the end of last year, we raised our number to thirteen Fine Arts faculty members in order to accommodate our growing student participation in the arts. There continue to be four main Fine Art strands which students can participate in-theater arts, visual arts, musical arts (chorus, strings, and contemporary music), and digital media (photography, and film/TV production).

All of these courses contain instruction during the day and extra-curricular activities. One slight change will take place for this year’s 5th and 6th/7th graders: the 5th grade production will serve as a final capstone event whereby most rehearsals will take place during the day, and every student is guaranteed a role. Conversely, the Middle School production (6th/7th) will be an after school event where students will have the option to audition and participate.

Regarding the Fine Arts Alliance, we continue to grow just as much. Most recently, the FAA hosted “Heart for the Arts” at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. It was a tremendous event that focused both on spotlighting our student’s amazing work and fundraising for our programs. It garnered a great deal of positive feedback and will serve as the FAA’s cornerstone event.

Throughout the year, FAA also served in other areas. From managing ticket and concession sales, hosting receptions for various concerts, to the Fine Arts Teacher Appreciation Day, the FAA stayed quite busy. Through our efforts, the Hearts for the Arts Gala raised $22,382. These funds allowed us to replace some of the drapery of the Downtown theatre, purchase uniforms for the Sugar Mill Pond Competition Choir, and help support students competing in Fine Arts events off-campus.

2015-2016

BOOSTER CLUB BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Matt Roth, President

Jerry Vascocu, Vice President

Roger Mattke, Treasurer

Payton John, Fundraising and Sponsorships

Stasi Cordova, Gates and Concessions Committee Chair

Lea Ann Remondet, Membership

Kenny Cannon, Member At Large

Robert Kallam, Member At Large

Scott Kerstetter, Member At Large

Rick Leoni, Member At Large

BOOSTER CLUB PARENT

SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS

“The success of the Athletic Department is based on several factors, with the Booster Club being the driving force, along with our athletes, coaching staff, faculty, and administration.”

MATT ROTH BOOSTER CLUB PRESIDENT 2015-2016

The Ascension Booster Club continues to grow in the number of members and the amount of money raised for athletics. In the 2015-2016 school year, Ascension Athletics earned several state championships, multiple all-state honors, as well as many district championships and alldistrict honors. All of these awards continue to give Ascension positive publicity and recognize us as a top school in the area. We have a coaching staff and Athletic Department second to none and considered by many to be on the level of many colleges in the state. The success of the Athletic Department is based on several factors, with the Booster Club being the driving force, along with our athletes, coaching staff, faculty, and administration. The Ascension Booster Club continues to support improvements to our athletic facilities, provide new uniforms when needed, supplement coaches pay, provide transportation to away games on safe and dependable buses, and many other athletic needs.

The revenue generated by the Ascension Booster Club comes from annual memberships and various fundraisers such as our fall sporting clay shoot, tennis tournament, and spring golf tournament. These events are not held every year but have all been used to successfully raise money in the past. This year our tennis tournament raised $12,284 and our golf tournament raised $16,438. A big thank you to all our volunteers who helped make these events possible.

2015-2016 ASCENSION FUND PARTICIPANTS

*Designates member in the Leadership Circle

Anonymous

Anonymous

Tommy & Susie Abdella

Shane & Rebecca Abercrombie

Stephen & Martha Abshire *

Luis & Beth Acevedo

Anthony & Angelle Adams

In Memory of Lou Brooks Aertker

Reatha Albert

Emily Allen

John & Sheri Alldredge

Stuart & Karen Ancelet

Boyd & Georgette Anderson

Jake & Marti Andries

Richard & Pamela Andrus

Glenn & Jennifer Angelle

Justin & Natalie Angelle

Chuck & Katherine Anselmo *

Monique Arabie

Chad & Stephanie Arceneaux

Emily Ardoin

Jane Ardoin

Michael & Beth Ardoin *

Todd & Stephanie Ardoin

Rick & Cala Atteberry, Jr.

Joel & Lisa Babineaux

Paul & Laurie Bako *

David & Colleen Barczyk

Blake & Larie Barnett

Scott & Leslie Barton

James & Caroline Bayard

Teddy & Jill Beaullieu

Keith & Stacie Belle

Adam & Cristina Beazley

Danielle Bienvenu

Moose & Michele Billeaud *

Lorraine Billeaud

Paul & Stephanie Billeaud

Tommy & Tinker Bishop

Stanley & Susan Blackstone *

Scott & Lindy Blakewood

Robert & Shari Blem *

Grant & Stacy Boatright

Emily Aertker Boland

Dennis & Rhonda Bond

Robert & Mary Bond

Thomas & Ann Bond

Donald & Melissa Boudreaux *

Matthew & Betsy Boudreaux

Craig & Julie Bourque

Adrian & Pamela Boyle

Chris & Stephanie Bradley

Shawn Brady

Deron & Jill Braun

Larry & Teal Brauns

Gale & Annette Breaux

Kevin & Misty Brien

Stanley & Mary Broussard

Daniel & Kathy Brown

Jeffery & Virginia Brown

Norman & Paula Brown

Wade & Susen Brown

Emily Brupbacher

Virginia Budd

John & Mary Michael Butcher *

Donna Byrne

Ajit Cacodcar & Ramune

Slyeiteryte

Craig & Tricia Campbell *

Christi Campbell

John Campbell

Zack & Rebecca Carlisle *

Joshua & Kelly Carlson

Kevin Caswell

David & Debbie Chaney

Jeffrey & Ann Chen

Mindy Chiasson

Andrew & Natalie Chustz

Debbie Clements

In Memory of Jude Anthony “Jac”

Cloutier

Clay & Marie

Justus

Steve Kelly & Shannon Heath

Adam & Kristy Kennedy

Ted & Ann Kergan *

Kody & Denise Kidder

Paul & Audrey Kreamer

Tommy & Alicia Kreamer

Wardell & Karen Ladmirault

Ames & Erin Lafferty

Glenn & Suzanne Lafleur

James & Allene Lafleur

Connor & Kristen Landry

Joseph & Maxine Landry

Brett & Dayna Landry

Lonny Landry

Patrick & Marguerite Landry

Ryan & Shelly Landry

Buddy & Laura Leach *

Dwight & Joan LeBlanc

Edward LeBlanc, Sr.

Mary Frances LeBlanc

Mike & Jacy LeBlanc

ASCENSION EPISCOPAL SCHOOL IS COMMITTED TO EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN A CHRISTIAN ENVIRONMENT

2015-2016 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

INCOME:

Tuition & Fees Operating Income Donations

TOTAL INCOME

EXPENSES:

Instructional & Program Faculty & Staff Salary & Benefits Operations

TOTAL EXPENSES Ascension Fund Restricted Funds

$9,358,120 $618,540 $458,832 $10,435,492

$2,047,996 $6,987,242 $1,212,328 $10,247,566 $201,171 $34,226

INCOME BREAKDOWN

Tuition & Fees Operating Income Donations

EXPENSES BREAKDOWN

Instructional & Program Faculty & Staff Salary & Benefits Operations

ASCENSION FUND

DOLLARS AT WORK FOR 2015-2016

PROGRAMS OF BALANCED EXCELLENCE

Highest total amount of scholarships awarded in the history of the school, athletics state championships, many successful fine arts performances throughout all three campuses

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Over 1500 hours of professional development provided for faculty and staff

FIRST CLASS FACILITIES

Downtown-Renovation of child-friendly green space and playground, River Ranch-New security fence around perimeter, Sugar Mill Pond-New parking lot

COMMUNITY OUTREACH & TUITION ASSISTANCE

Highest total amount of financial aid awarded in the history of the school

STELLAR STEWARDSHIP

Increased financial reserves