2021 Roots and Wings Magazine: Resilience and Renewel

Roots Wings

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Resilience and Renewal

’21 ECHO HORIZON SCHOOL

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LETTER FROM PEGGY PROCTER

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HONORING SERVICE

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DEEPENING THE HOME-SCHOOL CONNECTION

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BOOKS WE RECOMMEND

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2020– 2021 FINANCIAL REPORT

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HAPPENINGS

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HIGH-IMPACT READING AND WRITING

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C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S T O T H E CLASS OF 2021!

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A PRE-K YEAR UNLIKE ANY OTHER

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E C O AT E C H O

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: M AT T L U R I E

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2020– 2021 REPORT ON PHILANTHROPY

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2020– 2021 ANNUAL GIVING

YO U R SUPPORT

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A D M I N I S T R AT I O N

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I N A U G U R AT I O N 2021

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ALUMNI HIGHLIGHTS

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TRU STEE S , PA , COMMITTEE CHAIRS

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ECHO HORIZON AT A G L A N C E

Dear Echo Horizon community, We are so excited to share with you our 2021 Roots and Wings magazine, Resilience and Renewal. It highlights the incredible and innovative teaching and learning that has taken place in our classrooms, both virtual and in-person! While none of us wish to repeat schooling during a global pandemic, we cannot underestimate all of the ways we learned and grew during this unusual time. Two things remain abundantly clear: first, that Echo Horizon teachers and scholars are curious, flexible, innovative, and committed; and second, that the Echo Horizon community is resilient and connected, able to face and overcome any challenge.

In the articles within, you will see ways that we transformed our learning environments to meet the needs of our students, while never losing the signature joyful engagement that makes Echo Horizon so special. In Humanities and Social Studies, we did not shy away from the important social and political topics that our nation faced during the election and in the historic inauguration of Vice President Kamala Harris. We welcomed one of our biggest Pre-K classes ever, which included three new DHH students, and ensured that they felt safe and loved. We tackled one of the biggest crises of our time—sustainability—and were honored to be named a Culver City Green Sustainable Business. Modeling responsible citizenship practices, and teaching our young scholars the importance of caring for others and our Earth, remains a top priority.

The icing on the cake this school year was our Faculty/Staff Honoring Ceremony, where we had the opportunity to thank ten faculty/staff members with over ten years of service to Echo Horizon (a collective 205 years of service!). These individuals have shaped who we are in beautiful ways and they ensure that Echo’s history and core values are honored and understood, while serving as exceptional mentors to newer community members. We hope that many of our former students and families will join us in congratulating these stellar educators for their service.

Every day during the pandemic, a small bird appeared outside my window to tap hello to me. What a gift my new friend was, reminding me that friendship, love, and beauty abound, even in moments of challenge and loneliness.

I believe that my little birdie was sent to me by Echo Horizon students, past and present, to remind me to keep our community strong and optimistic until we can all be together again. Enjoy the magazine, and come visit in 2021–22!

With love and gratitude,

Peggy Procter Head of School

Mission Statement

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The mission of Echo Horizon School and its Echo Center is to educate children in a collaborative environment that is academically challenging and developmentally appropriate. We actively promote mutual respect, individual responsibility, and ethical action. The Echo Horizon graduate is an inquisitive and critical thinker who brings creativity, kindness, and self-reliance to the lifelong journey of learning.

HAPPENINGS

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HAPPENINGS

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Congratulations to the Class of

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Run forth into the world, Class of 2021! You are our strong, resilient learners, creative makers, empathetic thinkers, and active citizens. We are proud of your achievements and confident in your abilities. We cannot wait to see what you do next!

Our graduates have been accepted at the following exceptional Los Angeles-area schools:

The Archer School for Girls Chadwick School Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences Geffen Academy Harvard-Westlake School Marlborough School New Roads School Oakwood School Wildwood School Windward School

2021!

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Honoring Service

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ECHO HORIZ O

C O R D IA L LY

N SCHOOL

IN V IT E S Y O U TO A

Service Awards Cerem

ony

WHERE WE W

ILL HONOR

Debbie Briggs, C

laudette Brow n, Alicia Cama cho, Ellis Enlow, Jo se Figueroa, R egina Gusman , Jennifer Masc olo, Kristen Re yna, Cari Rosen, & Sheryl Udell

FOR THEIR YE ARS OF DEDICATED & TREMENDOU S SERVICE TO O UR SCHOOL F R ID AY J A N U A RY 2 2 , 4 PM

On January 22nd, Echo Horizon School teachers, staff, and board members (past and present!) gathered to show our heartfelt appreciation for the dedication and caring shown by our long-serving faculty and staff. “I hope that new generations of children and families can experience the love that you have for our students and the art of teaching,” said Board of Trustees member Pamela Kelly as she recalled her family’s long association with Echo Horizon.

“IT IS A TREMENDOUS GIFT TO HONOR THESE TEN INDIVIDUALS W H O H AV E G I V E N A C O L L E C T I V E 205 YEARS OF SERVICE TO ECHO HORIZON SCHOOL.” —HEAD OF SCHOOL PEGGY PROCTER

Those honored were:

DEBBIE BRIGGS

CLAUDETTE BROWN

ALICIA CAMACHO

ELLIS ENLOW

L IB RARY A S SI STA NT: 15 YE A R S

L I BRA RI A N : 23 YE AR S

DIRECTOR OF DIGI TAL MARKE T ING AND CRE AT I VE STRATEGY: 13 YE AR S

FOUNDING PRE- K TE ACHER AND MINDF ULN E S S MENTOR : 17 Y E A R S

“PEOPLE WHO A R E T R U LY STRONG LIFT O T H E R S U P. PEOPLE WHO A R E T R U LY POWERFUL

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JOSE FIGUEROA

REGINA GUSMAN

BRING OTHERS

JENNIFER MASCOLO

C U STODI AN : 27 Y E A R S

A S SI STA NT BU SINE S S M A NAG E R : 16 YE AR S

TOGETHER.”

ECH O CENTER TE ACHER : 17 YE AR S

KRISTEN REYNA V I S UAL ART S T E AC H E R : 30 YE A R S

“Watching you work with the children and how excited they’d be . . . and it wasn’t just the creative art expression, but also that

they got time with you. . . .

You taught them the beauty in mistakes before that was cool. I could tell you a million reasons why I love you as a person, but I think what is most magical about you is your journey at Echo and the definite mark you have made on this school. . .

I think getting to be a part of your classroom is really special. . . . You are the core of this school.”

—Meg Baltazar honoring Kristen Reyna for thirty years of service.

—MICHELLE OBAMA

CARI ROSEN

SHERYL UDELL

RE ADING S PECI AL I ST: 22 YE AR S

CL A S S R O OM TE ACHER : 25 YE AR S

HIGH-IMPACT READING AND WRITING Fountas & Pinnell and Writer’s Workshop underpin reading and writing at Echo Horizon School. We use Fountas & Pinnell (developed by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell and popularly called F&P) to teach and master reading. Books are sorted into levels based on word count, number of different words, number of high-frequency words, sentence length, sentence complexity, and word repetitions. With associated professional development, teachers can assess a student’s reading level and provide just the right amount of support or challenge. We use Writer’s Workshop (the Lucy Calkins curriculum) to prepare students for any writing project and help them become confident, lifelong writers.

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“F&P for early literacy is robust and offers many different pathways, whether it’s phonics, spelling patterns, reading, or comprehension,” says Jennie Willens, Director of Lower Elementary. “The literacy centers that go from Kindergarten on up allow students to work at their own level, and guided reading helps them read at the exact level they need. The benchmark assessment process is incredibly valuable because it allows teachers to track students’ individual skills in a way that isn’t just about grade level. I’m grateful that we have F&P because it gives us a data point in following our early readers as they transition from learning to read to reading to learn.”

“Writer’s Workshop fits well into Echo’s curriculum because it emphasizes creativity,” says Julia Blount, Director of Upper Elementary. “While it’s scaffolded, it’s not as prescriptive as some other writing curricula are, so it’s about teaching kids how to generate their own ideas, build on them, and then add levels of intricacy as they get older. It’s fun to hear kids in fourth grade brainstorm topics: Minecraft, tennis, facts about presidents!

We work with them on ways to share that information.

In later grades, they build on that with their acquired knowledge, adding details, evidence, and reasons. It’s so important that students have voice and choice in the writing process because it increases their investment and builds on their developmental skills.

“The teachers also employ mentor texts, which means that they use literature, such as our class novels, to teach ways of writing. In fifth grade, students read The Wanderer by Sharon Creech. She does a lot of personification, so the ocean was like another character. Kevin Sundin and his students analyzed her use of personification and then tried that technique themselves.”

We help build storytellers by building confidence in the process. “From the earliest ages, children express their interests,” notes Jennie. “Writer’s Workshop allows children to explore these interests. Over time, the shapes they’re making form words and pictures. They take pride in saying, This is my story!”

“Students undertake narrative writing, informational writing, literary essays,” adds Julia. In the upper grades they have one-on-one or small-group writing instruction. That means that each student gets a weekly individual or small-group check-in with the teacher.

“Revision is a huge part of writing. Traditionally, teachers often take students so far along in the writing process before asking them to revise that it becomes painful for the students. Lucy Calkins emphasizes revising right at the beginning. Students get everything out in the first draft and then continue to iterate.” At Echo Horizon, we build the muscle for lifelong writing so that our graduates have the skill to express themselves in different forms. Strong writers are also readers, and we foster a love of stories and storytelling.

“IN FIRST GRADE, WE LOVE WRITER’S WORKSHOP! IT GIVES EVERY STUDENT THE AUTONOMY TO TELL THEIR OWN S T O R Y, A N D S C A F F O L D S I T I N A WAY T H AT I S A C C E S S I B L E A N D E N G A G I N G .

E V E R Y D AY, S T U D E N T S A R E G I V E N SIMPLE AND CLEAR DIRECTIONS ON H O W T O S TA R T W R I T I N G , A N D A R E T H E N E N C O U R A G E D T O W R I T E I N D E P E N D E N T LY A N D E X P R E S S T H E I R C R E AT I V I T Y. M Y F AV O R I T E T H I N G T O H E A R AT T H E E N D O F A LESSON IS, ‘CAN I SHARE?’!

I ALSO LOVE F&P BECAUSE IT MEETS EVERY STUDENT WHERE THEY ARE. IN FIRST GRADE, WE USE THE GUIDED R E A D I N G B O O K S D A I LY F O R S M A L L , D I F F E R E N T I AT E D R E A D I N G G R O U P S A N D IT IS AMAZING TO SEE THE GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. AS A TEACHER, THE BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT SYSTEM MAKES IT EASY FOR ME TO KNOW WHERE A L L O F M Y S T U D E N T S A R E A N D W H AT S K I L L T H E Y N E E D T O W O R K O N N E X T. ” —ABIGAIL MCBEAN, 1ST GRADE TEACHER

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A Pre-K Year Unlike Any Other A Japanese proverb tells us: “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” This year, our Pre-K students had many of those days with their teachers Ellis Enlow, Sydney Burdick, and Jennifer Mascolo (Echo Center). They gracefully guided and nurtured our youngest scholars through a year marked by upheaval and unpredictability. How did they do it?

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“I learned that you had to rethink what school was going to look like,” recalls Ellis Enlow, founding Pre-K teacher and Mindfulness Mentor. We had to come up with creative ways to build academic skills. Fortunately we had last spring as an example. We looked at how to take our remote learning format and make it a good fit for Pre-K. When Sydney, Jenn, and I planned the curriculum, our first priority was that students have fun and want to be online with us every day.”

“Our biggest challenge in teaching the Pre-K kids online was that most of them had never been in school before,” says Sydney Burdick. “And they didn’t have an idea of what school was supposed to be. It was difficult to have remote learning be their introduction to school, but they came to love their time with us.”

“This format is not really suited to four- and five-year-olds,” adds Ellis. “We had amazing parents who helped. And we included our Specialist teachers in our planning. So instead of doing their work separately, the Specialist teachers built off of what the Pre-K students were learning in a multi-dimensional way.”

Social-emotional skills are as important as school-readiness skills. To help students master these essential fundamentals, Sydney, Jennifer, and Ellis used the small breakout rooms to give children time to connect and get to know one another. That helped build relationships among students as they shared their interests, their rooms, and their pets!

“ W E A L L K N E W T H I S Y E A R WA S GOING TO BE CHALLENGING FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS, AND P A R E N T S . I WA S E S P E C I A L LY NERVOUS ABOUT HOW MY PRE-K C H I L D W O U L D B E A B L E T O S TAY ENGAGED THROUGH VIRTUAL PRESCHOOL...

W E L L , T H E A N S W E R WA S T H E MAGIC OF JENNIFER MASCOLO, E L L I S E N L O W, A N D S Y D N E Y BURDICK. THIS AMAZING TEAM H A D O U R W H O L E F A M I LY D A N C I N G , L A U G H I N G , B A K I N G , C R E AT I N G ,

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A N D TA K I N G M O M E N T S F O R

M I N D F U L B R E AT H S . W H E N I T WA S TIME TO TRANSITION TO IN-

PERSON LEARNING, THEY AGAIN

MET THESE NEW CHALLENGES AND E X C E E D E D O U R E X P E C TAT I O N S O F T H E E C H O M A N T R A , J OY F U L

ENG AGED LEARNING. O U R DAU G H T E R

WA S T H R I V I N G . S H E WA S E X C I T E D EVERY MORNING TO HEAD TO

SCHOOL, SEE HER TEACHERS, AND THEN SHOW US HER WORK AND

“We started every day with a share,” says Ellis.”That could be something verbal, but the children also loved to bring in things—maybe their work from the day before, or something they completed with a Specialist, or an example of a 3-D shape. The home environment became an asset.”

T E L L U S W H AT S H E L E A R N E D . I A M

Were the teachers able to keep students active and engaged? “Everyone was concerned about that,” Sydney recalls smiling. “And everyone was pleasantly shocked by how into it the students were. We used a lot of images, read-alouds, and dances to keep them interested.”

S O L U C K Y T O H AV E T H E M AT E C H O

“We factored in a number of get-up-and-move breaks,” Ellis adds. “And did activities that were interactive. We were able to bring choice in so that students could have

S O G R AT E F U L F O R T H I S A M A Z I N G TEAM. THEY POSSESS NEVERE N D I N G P AT I E N C E , WA R M T H , F U N , D E D I C AT I O N , A N D C O M M I T M E N T TO OUR CHILDREN, AND WE ARE HORIZON.” — J O H A N N A A P P E L , PA R E N T

a say in what was happening. Above all, we made it fun! We know that the lessons we have in person are fun. How do we make it fun on the screen? Sometimes a lesson needed family involvement, such as cooking. A lot of the families said that was one of their favorite parts. We usually cooked on a Thursday and then on Friday we would enjoy the food together in a celebratory way.”

“We had parents who really became part of our Zoom classroom,” adds Sydney. “And it was in those moments where we were all able to hang out and just talk that we developed deeper connections.”

The children began to start coming back in October for play-and-learn sessions. “The kids and parents were excited about it!” Sydney says.

“That allowed us to get our feet wet as in-person teachers,” adds Ellis, “and be ready when the time came to welcome them back full time. It felt foreign with all the protocols. In the classroom we wore shields and needed to have kids at tables. I never had students have their own assigned spaces before!”

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“The play-and-learn sessions made it easier to return fulltime,” Sydney says. “The kids knew what to expect and what the school safety procedures were.”

“It’s been beautiful to see the Pre-K spirits appear,” says Ellis. “Yes, we’re in a different format. But they gravitate toward each other, even with social distancing. It’s been so wonderful to be back! I love seeing how much they learn from each other and I’ve seen tremendous growth.

“They’re ready for Kindergarten. They’ve learned how to follow classroom rules and procedures. They’ve learned how to choose and take turns. Their cleanup is amazing! Students take the spacing rules really seriously. That self-regulation translates to school success. The basics of How do I function within a group? and How do I switch from learning time to play time? are there. Their academic readiness skills are strong.”

“I’m so happy I get to be with them next year,” says Sydney, who is transitioning to the Kindergarten classroom in fall 2021. “I’ve loved seeing them grow and thrive. We have an exciting year ahead!”

From L-R, teachers Jennifer Mascolo (Echo Center), Sydney Burdick, and Ellis Enlow.

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“ I N O T I C E D T H AT T H E R E WERE REPUBLICANS AND D E M O C R AT S T H E R E . ” —EXCERPT FROM THIRD-GRADER A L E X M . ’ S I N A U G U R AT I O N JOURNAL

18 “I WILL REMEMBER T H E F O U R I M P O R TA N T W O R D S T H AT B I D E N U S E D . U N I T Y, P U R P O S E , BOLDNESS AND TRUTH. B I D E N I S P R E S I D E N T. ” —EXCERPT FROM T H I R D - G R A D E R J A I W. ’ S I N A U G U R AT I O N J O U R N A L

Inauguration 2021 The election, the insurrection, and inauguration all took place in a short amount of time. Adults knew that they were living through momentous events, but how did that translate to elementary school learning? “I am a big believer,” says Upper School Director Julia Blount, “that it’s our responsibility to educate good citizens. It’s one of the things that I love about Echo Horizon and our values. I think these events provided a great opportunity to discuss what civic engagement can look like.”

“We want our students to understand who these people are, why they are running, and why they have different opinions,” adds Jennie Willens, Director of Lower Elementary. “There was a lot of celebration around the historic roles of Kamala Harris and the work of Stacey Abrams. I was so excited—as the mother of an Echo Horizon first grader—to have my seven-year-old son learn about these two strong women.”

“The upper grades held a lot of morning meetings around the election,” says Julia. “And fifth grade studies U.S. History. Kevin Sundin (fifth-grade Humanities teacher) and I wanted to take a deep dive into civics and the Constitution to do this historic event justice.

We looked at the meaning of government and how it works. That enabled our fifth graders to get a robust understanding of the issues that came up around the electoral college.”

“Pre-K and K focused on what a president is and they had some very basic conversations and questions around that,” notes Jennie. “With the younger grades, first and second did a lot of work on individuals, such as looking at Kamala Harris’s story. Both grades learned why her vice presidency was historic. They were moved by the famous image that shows her and all the vice presidents throughout history. Also, they used their

morning meeting to learn about Joe Biden. Third grade had really excellent conversations about government.”

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“We approached our discussions with a lot of caution and intentionality,” says third-grade teacher Liza DeWitt. “Politics are often hard to talk about, and then there was the added layer of trying to break down complicated political dynamics with children.

We wanted the students to feel comfortable asking questions, so we provided a lot of space for them to do so. We also wanted to present students with basic facts about how the government and election processes work. We did this through Google slides, Jamboard prompts, and discussions during remote learning on Zoom.

“The students were definitely aware of the tension surrounding the election. In response to the prompt, What questions do you have about the election?, students answered with How will Biden take Florida? and If Trump wins will COVID last forever and if Biden wins will COVID be over? Clearly, they had been hearing a lot about the candidates and this high-stakes election from their parents and on the news at home.”

“The fourth, fifth, and sixth graders were definitely aware of the tensions leading up to the inauguration,” agrees Julia. “Teachers made space for them to talk about it in their morning meetings. We were able to answer students’ questions about how an election could be considered to be in dispute. For the most part kids didn’t give credence to it, but they wondered why the process could be in question.” On January 6, 2021, a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., while Congress was in the process of certifying Joe Biden’s win of the presidential election.

“IN HIS HAND, A MICROPHONE. IN HIS HEAD WISHES. FROM HER MOUTH A SPEECH. IN HER HEAD MORE WISHES.”

—EXCERPT (IN SONG) FROM THIRD-GRADER SAHANA D-R’S I N A U G U R AT I O N J O U R N A L

President Joe Biden

20 Kindergarten students vote

Poet Amanda Gorman

“We talked about the insurrection,” says Julia, “and how it was something that hadn’t happened before. There’s always a fine line between emphasizing that something is momentous and making sure that kids feel safe. The fourth graders asked questions like, Are there always police at the Capitol? Where is the Capitol? Was the President in danger? They wanted to know what the insurrection looked like and if we should be scared.

The fifth and sixth graders knew more about what was going on, but all the upper-grade students were concerned and appreciated the space to discuss it. We talked about how people will make sure that something like that doesn’t happen in the future. We wanted to ensure that kids didn’t feel scared, because it was scary for adults.”

“Our lower grade students weren’t very aware of what was going on,” notes Jennie. “The teachers were responsive to any questions or concerns, but for the most part, the upheaval was outside of students’ experiences. The morning of the inauguration, grades 3–6 joined together in a remote viewing since we were still on Zoom, and the younger grades saw pieces of the ceremony. Everyone experienced the event in an age-appropriate way.”

“Initially, we were unsure of whether we should even show the inauguration live,” says Julia. “As someone who is from D.C., I was able to talk to people I knew; the consensus was that the city was pretty secure and things were going to progress as normal. The White House also created a young people’s livestream that explained what was happening, which was cool.

“We talked about Amanda Gorman—of course!—and the kids liked that she’s from Los Angeles. We explored what her poem is about. Jake Willens (sixth-grade Humanities teacher) did a whole class afterwards about her poem.”

“So many of our students embraced and celebrated Amanda!” enthuses Kevin. “Many students wrote their own poems in response and reflected on the place and power of the arts in politics and the world.”

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“The Biden/Harris inauguration represented an immense amount of hope and change,” says Liza. “It was historic to witness the first Black and South Asian woman sworn into the vice presidency and it was equally as exciting to see another young Black woman, Amanda Gorman, inspire so many kids and adults around the world with her powerful words.”

“ T H E I N A U G U R AT I O N M A D E M E F E E L H O P E T H AT W I T H A N E W PRESIDENT WE’D GET THROUGH COVID-19 AND NOT DROWN I N A N E N D L E S S P I T. A M A N D A G O R M A N WA S A L S O H I S T O R I C B E C A U S E S H E WA S T H E Y O U N G E S T I N A U G U R A L P O E T. ” —JASIRI J., SIXTH GRADE

Deepening the Home-School Connection The Home Learning Series at Echo Horizon gives parents and guardians the opportunity to learn more about our curricula and ask questions. Teachers and administrators help parents deepen their understanding of our foundational programs, which include social-emotional learning as well as justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). The Home Learning Series for 2020-2021 was wonderfully varied, with topics that comprised:

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• Supporting the Development of Early Learners • Developing a Love of Literacy • Understanding Singapore Math • Writer’s Workshop and Literacy in Upper Elementary • Upper Elementary and Middle-School Preparation • Raising Anti-Racist and Anti-Biased Children, Starting with Ourselves (hosted by Monique Marshall ) • Building Independent Learners: Supporting Your Developing Third Grader • Helping Students Thrive Online The idea for the Home Learning Series came last spring during the pandemic. We were separated physically, but parents were probably more present in the classroom than they had ever been before. “Through Zoom, a lot of parents were essentially attending class,” says Julia Blount, Director of Upper Elementary. “But they didn’t necessarily know why we were taking a certain approach or they were curious to learn more. The Home Learning Series seemed like a great way to provide further insight into what Echo was doing.”

“We also needed a gathering space of some kind for parents,” adds Jennie Willens, Director of Lower Elementary. “The Home Learning Series came out of that. Some parents told me that they were missing the community. Through the series, our parents not only got a deeper sense of our curricula, they also grew to support each other by offering their perspectives and things they were trying.”

The division directors and teachers came up with topics by thinking about our curricula and areas where parents had expressed need. Teachers wanted to do parent education around our reading and writing programs: Fountas & Pinnell and Writer’s Workshop. As the year progressed, they also noticed that third grade was an especially transitional time, with students doing more content-specific work. Upstairs, the upper-level students were struggling with regulating their use of devices at a time when all learning and engagement was happening online. “It was great to have Alex Sowa (Director of Educational Technology) and Dr. Rebecca Ruberg (Counselor) talk about what tech mindfulness can look like at a time when we were all on devices,” notes Julia.

“We had done parent education events in the past with outside speakers. And we’ll continue to do that, such as with Monique Marshall’s extremely useful presentation.

One thing that this pandemic year highlighted, however, is how much expertise our faculty has that we can share out with families more intentionally.”

Parents came with a lot of great questions and a desire to learn and be in community with others.

For the coming year, we hope to create more Home Learning sessions that meet our parents’ needs. One area to look for: child development for the parents of our youngest scholars. We’ve had parents ask what child development is and about our philosophy. Jennie and the lower elementary teachers are excited to have these conversations and also talk about how JEDI works with early learning. So stay tuned, Echo Horizon community, for further exciting and informative parent education sessions!

“ W E C H O S E T O F E AT U R E INDEPENDENT LEARNING FOR THIRD GRADE BECAUSE IT’S A BIG P A R T O F W H AT W E D O I N T H E C L A S S R O O M AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR. WE PRACTICE, DISCUSS, AND MODEL INDEPENDENT LEARNING. LIZA DeWITT AND I DID NOT FEEL LIKE THE THIRD GRADERS WERE G E T T I N G T H AT S A M E GROWTH WHEN WE WERE ONLINE FULL TIME, SO W E WA N T E D T O G I V E O U R PA R E N T PA R T N E R S S O M E I N S I G H T, T I P S , AND TOOLS ON HOW TO ENCOURAGE THIS. W E W E R E S O LU C KY T O H AV E S U C H A WONDERFUL GROUP OF PA R E N T S W H O W E R E O U R PA R T N E R S T H I S Y E A R MORE THAN ANY OTHER, AND THEY WERE VERY RECEPTIVE.”

—CARMIE REHOR, THIRD GRADE TEACHER

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Third-grade portraits

Interested in experiencing one of our Home Learning sessions? Scan this QR code with your phone camera to see a 20-minute excerpt!

“IN SUCH A UNIQUE

Y E A R , W E F E LT I T WA S E S P E C I A L LY C R U C I A L F O R U S , A S PA R E N T S , T O TA K E A N A C T I V E HAND IN SUPPORTING OUR KIDS’ LEARNING.

ECHO’S HOME LEARNING S E R I E S WA S P R A C T I C A L , I N F O R M AT I V E AND FUN— GIVING US AMAZING TOOLS AND INSIGHTS WE CAN USE, PA N D E M I C O R N O ! ”

—ZIAD TOUBASSY AND A N T H O N Y DA N N A , PA R E N T S

Eco at Echo

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During the shutdown of the pandemic, Echo Horizon’s campus seemed quiet and empty. We missed the voices of the children and their busy activity.

But while they were gone, seeds of change were transforming our beloved building. Echo Horizon partnered with Balanced Approach and the Culver City Sustainable Business Program to create sustainability measures that benefit our children, our community, and the world. We: • created a composting program for all our food waste.

• replaced over 600 fluorescent bulbs with LED bulbs. (The LED bulbs were supplied to us at no cost through our partnership program.)

• improved our recycling to include plastic, glass, aluminum, batteries, and hazardous waste.

• reduced our trash pickup and increased our recycling pickup, resulting in a savings of approximately $6,000 a year.

• retrofitted all of our plumbing fixtures to reduce waste and energy usage.

(This was done at no cost to us through our partnership program.)

• replaced the school Keurig machines with sustainable options.

• created environmental policies for school staff and for the parent community.

• insulated our hot water heaters.

• switched to green cleaning products.

• replaced disposable cups with stainless steel cups and made sure that our plates and utensils for events are reusable or compostable.

This work was led by Chief Marketing and Communications Officer (and noted treehugger) Amina Sharma and made possible by the Facilities Team: Mayra Castellanos, Jose Figueroa, and Miguel Castellanos. It was completed at no cost, either through partnerships with nonprofit organizations or through a stipend that the program gave Echo Horizon. We were thrilled to become a certified Culver City Sustainable Business and a California Green Business. The mayor and vice mayor honored Echo Horizon School at a virtual ceremony! We look forward to continuing improvements in sustainability over the years to come.

25 Echo students learned to sort their snack and lunch trash with our new waste stream bins

Alumni Spotlight: Matt Lurie ECH O H ORI ZO N CL A S S O F 201 1

Matt Lurie is a recent graduate (2021!) from Johns Hopkins University. Matt majored in International Studies and also played tennis with Johns Hopkins Athletics. He was a two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete (2019, 2020) and on the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll (2020). Another big part of Matt’s life has been volunteering for ACEing Autism. A nonprofit organization, ACEing Autism helps children with autism grow, develop, and benefit from social connections and fitness through affordable tennis programming. Matt was the director of the Baltimore branch.

Having joined Echo Horizon as a Kindergarten student, Matt graduated in 2011. He remembers how influential his Echo Horizon teachers were. “Mr. Call made History come alive for us. He was an exciting teacher. And Mr. Hunter had great passion and energy.” Matt matriculated to Windward School, where he played tennis intensively on a national circuit. “I still have friends from Echo that I grew up with. And my friend Alec Rabinowitz graduated from Echo and went to Windward with me— we played on the tennis team together!” Matt was a member of the National Honor Society and a Global Scholar Award winner.

Matt is heading to the U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. He’ll do a year of training and about four years of service, pursuing a career in the military.

“Echo Horizon prepared me really well for my life,” Matt reflects. “The Echo Center program opened my eyes to the different ways that we experience being in the world. I’m more sensitive now to people’s backgrounds, whether it’s their religion, learning differences . . . I feel appreciation for the different perspectives we all bring.

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Alumni Highlights “Also, when I was at Echo, I took advantage of every opportunity and club that came my way. The teachers at Echo encouraged us to try different things and didn’t put us in boxes. I had so many interests and Echo allowed me to explore them. I did tennis, Yearbook, Tae Kwon Do.

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Phoebe Fingold CL A S S OF 2015

Phoebe Fingold, recently graduated from Windward School (Class of 2021). She was the class valedictorian and is matriculating to the University of Chicago. At Echo Horizon, Phoebe embraced learning from an early age. “I’ve always been interested in learning how our world works. I’d look out the window when I was a kid and think about the world around me. I discovered that through STEAM I could understand it better. In Science Fair projects at Echo, I got a taste of chemistry, biology, and physics. In fourth grade, I did a project on organic and non-organic fruit and their decay rates. In fifth grade, I looked at roller coaster heights, and in sixth grade, I studied GMOs. I also learned a lot from other people’s projects. At Windward, I was able to further that interest.

“I also did the afterschool reading club with Ms. Udell, who was my first-grade teacher. I feel like I learned a lot about myself in first grade, and that year really shaped me. Ms. Udell is so warm and encouraging and I just loved being around her. I kept signing up for her reading club—even when I was too old for it—just to spend time with her!

“In addition to letting me explore my interests, Echo helped me master essential technology skills. We got exposure to different types of computer programs, such as all the Google platforms, Numbers, Pages, even Adobe Animate. When I went to middle school, I was one of the few students who knew how to use all the different programs and how to type with ease.”

Phoebe remembers the Echo Center program as being a unique part of the school: “Being with the DHH students was a great learning opportunity for me. I got to learn something about my friends and know them on a different level, such as what it was like for them when they got their hearing technology or how they swim with hearing tech. We got an early understanding that it was cool to have differences. That prepared me to be more knowledgeable and understanding with all my friends.”

At Windward, Phoebe continued to pursue her interest in STEAM and played tennis on the varsity team, which she captained in her senior year. After her junior year, she applied for and earned a Boeing internship through the Windward Network. It was virtual during the summer of 2020, but students still addressed real-world problems, like space junk or how to redesign Boeing airplanes so they’re pandemic friendly. “My group was working on solar concentrators for a possible Jupiter mission. We also attended development and technical sessions. I learned about patents, satellites, mission control systems. Also amazing was that we had access to the Boeing network, so I got to interview people from all over Boeing.”

Phoebe plans to study Math in college. “You can use it in so many different ways. You can be an engineer, do statistics, specialize in biology . . . the possibilities are endless with Math.”

To make the most of Echo Horizon, Phoebe recommends that students take advantage of every opportunity that’s presented to them: Community Sing, the Yearbook, sports. “You only have time to experience all these activities once, and when you get older, you have more demands on your time. At Echo, I learned such different things every year and what I learned enabled me to explore more interests and add more knowledge.

It was a wonderful foundation.”

Skye Rawles C L A S S O F 2017

Skye Rawles joined Echo Horizon in first grade, and immediately fell in love with the arts program. “I loved all my classes with Ms. Reyna. We did a ceramics project that was particularly memorable. We made sculptures based on a loved one who had passed, adding little figures and attributes of them. I made mine about my great grandmother. I had her dressed in yarn because my great grandmother loved to knit.

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“The Winter Program was also a highlight. The sixth graders performed a play based on The Odyssey. We got to write the script and it was fun because we put in all these inside jokes! Ms. Udell was my first-grade teacher and my favorite teacher. I also really liked Ms. Kwon and Mr. Hunter.”

After graduating from Echo Horizon, Skye matriculated to Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences. “The arts are very good there. I love doing photography. One of my favorite projects was a personas project where, via photography, we had to create a totally new persona with a backstory, traits, and characters and photograph them in their natural state.”

Skye started doing track at Echo Horizon and now plays soccer as well. “Echo Horizon definitely spurred my interest in track and the arts. Those are things that I learned from Echo and brought to Crossroads with me. Another really important thing that Echo and Crossroads have in common is an emphasis on your relationship with your teacher. Both schools make that a priority and I think that’s so important because when you have strong relationships with your teachers you learn more.”

We Recommend

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

by V.E. Schwab

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If escape is what you are seeking, this is the book for you! Addie’s story begins in France, 1714. She resides in a small, remote village and seems destined to live the predictable life destined for women of her time and stature. That is until she encounters a dark stranger one night and makes a Faustian bargain to live forever in exchange for her soul. The catch: she is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

In spite of this she is determined to find excitement as she witnesses history, and relishes all that is new in each succeeding century. Not quite alone, the “dark stranger” visits her annually on her birthday, checking to see if she is ready to give up her soul. It is a tug of war that stretches through the centuries. It is also three hundred years before she stumbles into a bookstore and discovers someone who can remember her, and suddenly everything changes. “Never pray to the gods that answer after dark.”

CLAUDETTE BROWN, LIBRARIAN

Spy School series

by Stuart Gibbs

Frostborn

by Lou Anders

I think the Spy School series by Stuart Gibbs is a good series because it has adventure. If you like adventure this is the book for you.

I loved Frostborn. It kept me up at night turning the pages. I loved the adventure of Karn and Thianna.

Their story is filled with humor, magical creatures, and some neardeath experiences. I give this book 5/5 stars and highly recommend it to fans of Brandon Mull.

MAXON MCMAHON, 5TH GRADE

OWEN FUA, 5TH GRADE

The Brain

by David Eagleman The Brain is a companion piece to David Eagleman’s PBS special of the same name. However, there is no need to watch the series to enjoy the book. Eagleman is a neuroscientist who makes the workings of the brain digestible to nonscientists, and it’s a great read. Topics include what makes you “you,” how emotions affect neural activity, and how we make conscious decisions each day.

I highly recommend it!

ROSE ROMAN, CLASSROOM TEACHER

Goodnight Already!

by Jory John and Benji Davies I like this book because it is funny!

Bear is grouchy and Duck is silly.

Duck always wants to hang out more with Bear!

ISHAAN MEHTA, KINDERGARTEN

Being Mortal

by Atul Gawande If I tell you this book is about what happens to the human body as it ages and what elder care is like in the United States, your first instinct may be to give it a hard pass. And I get that. But in the hands of an empathetic writer like the surgeon Atul Gawande, this book is riveting.

Whether you’re thinking of your own mortality, or that of your parents, Being Mortal lays it out in a way that helps you conceive of the great unknown—old age and its aftermath. What is aging at home like versus aging in assisted living? How crucial are end-of-life procedures?

How can we best take care of those we love? Since I’ve read this book I’ve recommended it to everybody.

We don’t talk much about aging, but knowing about it and advocating for humane ways to age, should be essential at all points of life.

AMINA SHARMA, CHIEF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER

Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories

by Jeff Kinney I like this book because it’s scary but in a fun way. Each chapter has a different spooky story. I would recommend this book because of the awesome drawings.

TEDDY KARP, 1ST GRADE

Max & the Midknights

by Lincoln Peirce I recommend Max & the Midknights

by Lincoln Peirce. It is set around the year 1400. It is great because it has two plots: there are two adventures! I like how all these characters meet up and then become a team.

I like how at the very first page they say it’s a history book, and then they say it’s not. It’s more not, but it sort of is. I like the twist . . . near the beginning of the story! I like how the last line is only half letters, and half comic. Everyone has to read it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HARRY WASHBURN, 2ND GRADE

The Vanishing Half

by Brit Bennett One of the positives of the pandemic is that being at home allowed me to re-prioritize pleasure reading. I always read books on educational topics, but the pandemic allowed me to get back to my love of fiction and historical fiction. While it’s hard to pick the best read of this year, I am choosing The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. I recommend this book for its compelling cross-generational characters, brilliant storytelling, and exploration of race and identity in America. The story begins in the Deep South in the small and unique town of Mallard and is focused on the identical twin sisters, Desiree and Stella Vignes. The town of Mallard is inhabited by a generation of slave descendents who are free and light skinned. Their lightness is seen as both a blessing and a curse. At age 16, the twin sisters run away from this small town in search of new lives. The story that unfolds follows their distinct journeys, exploring big topics like race, gender, and identity as they make their way in a divided America. One returns to Mallard with her Black daughter, while the other finds her way to California and spends her life passing as white. But as we suspect, these twins’ lives will always be connected and the intersection of their lives leads to a dramatic end.

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PEGGY PROCTER, HEAD OF SCHOOL

2020–2021 Report on Philanthropy

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“We were thrilled with the effort Mr. Alvarado made to keep our girls engaged with volleyball this year, virtually and then in-person. During weekly sessions, he helped them stay connected with teammates, focused on developing their skills and encouraged them to do their best each time they took the ball in their hands. From letting the girls pick their warm-ups to doing push-ups alongside them online, we could not have asked for a better coach!”

SATIYA & JARED WITZER

“Thank you so much to the team who helps us drop off our kids in the morning and pick them up in the afternoons so efficiently and effectively. There are many who make it seamless for us and the neighborhood (it does take a village) but we need a special call out to Mr. Castellanos, Mr. Figueroa, Mr. Zakaria, and Ms. Castellanos. Awesome work everyone!”

THE TIERNEY FAMILY

“Our family would not have been able to get through this past year without the incredible patience, good humor, and creativity of Ms. Kumoji and Ms. Brooks. Taking on a room full of 4th graders is no easy task, and taking on a virtual room of 4th graders was a hundred times more challenging—but the teachers kept things fun and engaging for our son Roger and they were so nimble when technology challenges arose.

For Ms. Kumoji, who was new to the school this year, getting to know the kids over Zoom was surely a strange experience. But she was really energetic and focused, and she rose to the occasion of teaching online and keeping the kids interested and excited. Our family will forever be so grateful to these talented educators for making this year not just a Band-Aid but a year of growth that was enriching and fun and taught our kids to be capable, adaptable, and self-reliant. What a wonderful silver lining!

EMILY FOX & PETER SCOTT

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Your Support

34 It is hard to describe in words what I witnessed during online learning and in-person learning this year with the Lower Elementary teaching teams. Recreating their own signature teaching styles over and over again to meet the needs of their students, the Lower Elementary teachers found imaginative and engaging ways to keep the love of learning alive no matter what roadblocks they faced.

Gracefully, each teaching team showed up for each other and for the students and families with love, humor, and a passion for learning. I am beyond grateful to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from these teachers during this wild year.

JENNIE WILLENS

With our community’s support, our faculty and staff learned and honed their skills with essential professional development. This enabled them to stay up-to-date on best practices and innovative strategies, especially when it came to supporting our young students with the transition. This professional development included:

AG Bell Listening and Spoken Language Symposium, Online Continuing Mindfulness Teacher Education, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA Differentiation Workshop, Online Fountas & Pinnell, Online Google Analytics, Online ISEEN Elementary Education Institute, Santa Fe, NM Project-Based Learning, Buck Institute of Learning, Online Responsive Classroom Elementary Training, Online Teaching for Artistic Behavior, MassArt, Online Teaching for Well Being, Greater Good, Online Wildwood Multicultural Institute, Online Writer’s Workshop, Online

35 “In my 30+ years of working in schools, I have never seen a team put so much love, care, effort, and energy into ensuring that our students have the best experience possible than I did for the past 16 months at Echo Horizon! It demonstrated, once again, the commitment of our community to placing children at the center of all that we do! No words can express my gratitude—the EHS faculty and staff are, quite simply, educational superheroes!”

PEGGY PROCTER

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The Board of Trustees

Thank You Parents

Akeem Ayeni, Chair Ken Nakayama, Vice Chair Dr. Eraka Bath, Vice President Dr. Julie Marsh, Vice President Josh Oppenheimer, Vice President Peter Scott, Secretary Toan Tran, Treasurer Dawn Barrett, Trustee Anne Enna, Trustee Pamela Kelly, Trustee Bruno Lambertini, Trustee Eric Lorenzini, Trustee Gillian Nalibotsky, Trustee John Roberts, Trustee Sharon Tal Yguado, Trustee Robert Thun, Trustee

Thank you to our 2020–2021 Parent Association Officers, Committee Chairs, and Room Parents! This year, our parent volunteers dedicated their time to celebrating and supporting our students, building community, and honoring our teachers while we went from remote learning to hybrid learning to full in-person learning!

William Luxford, M.D., Trustee Emeritus Heather Cox and Vera Nazzal, Parent Association Presidents

Parent Association Leadership PRESIDENTS Heather Cox and Vera Nazzal VICE PRESIDENTS Johanna Appel, Jeena Quansah (Echo Center), Michelle Suess SECRETARY Sharon Lee TREASURER Boaz Lev-Ari

Committee Chairs

Room Parents

ALL-S CHO OL F UN DAY

PRE-K

Chair: Sharon Lee Jr. Chair: Sara Adelman

Johanna Appel, Mary Beth Bray, Ziad Toubassy

ART

Krystal Abernethy, Ruth Milway, Karina Patel

Chairs: Christie Roberts, Tamara Umansky

BACK-TO-S CHO OL NIGHT Chairs: Lauren Howard, Samantha Lombardo

B O OK FA IR Chairs: Johanna Appel, Tamara Umansky Jr. Chairs: Kerry Green, Laura Tierney

C OMMUNI T Y OUTRE ACH Chairs: Heather Kun, Tamara Umansky

GRANDPARENT S & SPECI AL FRIEND S DAY

K INDER GARTEN F IR ST GRADE Ryann Karp, Allison Kaplan

SEC OND GRADE Samantha Lombardo, Rachel Rosales

THIRD GRADE Jennifer O’Brien, Christie Roberts, Tamara Umansky

FOURTH GRADE Kerry Green, Laura James, Michelle Martinez

Chairs: Vera Nazzal, Christie Roberts Jr. Chair: Allison Kaplan

F IF TH GRADE

GREEN

SI XTH GRADE

Chairs: Jennifer Roberts, Amina Sharma Jr. Chairs: Christie Roberts, Tamara Umansky

Cara Horowitz, Linda Tierney, Satiya Witzer

HALLOWEEN CARNI VAL Chairs: Jonathan Lane, Wendy Lane Jr. Chairs: Heather Cox, Chris Koch

HOT LUNCH/ BUR GER TRUCK Chairs: Heather Cox, Vera Nazzal (Hot Lunch) Chair: Jay Carson (Burger Truck)

JEDI C OMMI T TEE Chair: Elisha Levin Jr. Chairs: Heather Cox, Philip Quansah

LO ST AND FOUND Chairs: Heather Cox, Vera Nazzal

MINDF ULNE S S Chairs: Allie Strina, Talia Gart

S CHO OL PICTURE S Chairs: Jeena Quansah, Phillip Quansah Jr. Chair: Nancy Shapiro

SPIRI T WE AR Chairs: Boaz Lev-Ari, Michelle Suess

SPRING AFFA IRE PERFORMANCE Chairs: Johanna Appel, LeShay Boyce, Jennifer O’Brien

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Heather Cox, Daniel Gutierrez, Vera Nazzal

“Ryan Young has elevated our kids’ love of learning to new heights! His inclusive approach to science results in our children embracing the unknown and inquiring about the possibilities around them. He is a role model for our children, in and out of the classroom. This past year, we’ve also learned more about our children through his detailed insights in parent-teacher conferences. Thank you for being a teacher at Echo Horizon!”

SATIYA & JARED WITZER

2020–2021 Financial Report

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TOTAL INCOME Tuition & Fees

74.3%

Fundraising

7.4%

Investments

11.3%

Other Revenue

7.0%

TOTAL EXPENDITURES Compensation

62.2%

Programs & Operations

17.8%

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Financial Aid

11.7% Facility

8.3%

SUMMARY OF FUNDRAISING Annual Fund: $425,967 Spring Affaire: $100,184*

Amount that went to Fund-a-Need $45,605

*gross revenue

2020–2021 Annual Giving

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Listening to the sixth-grade graduation speeches was the ultimate testament to the excellence of our Upper Elementary teachers.

In their speeches, students thanked teachers for choosing rigorous and interesting texts, for providing emotional support and care, for designing hands-on science experiments, and for ensuring that they were invested in school (even online)—all without prompting. Last year, the Upper Elementary team remained fully committed to ensuring that each student was seen, known, supported, and challenged both online and in person. Their unwavering support and love for their students inspired me and our families. Our sixth graders graduated confident that they were ready to tackle the academic and social challenges of middle school, and grounded in all they learned here at EHS. JULIA BLOUNT

Echo Horizon School gratefully acknowledges the generous contributions made by our community. Our success is rooted in the attributes and achievements of our students as well as the leadership and direction of our faculty and staff.

It is made possible, however, by our strong community of families and supporters. Our sincerest thanks to those listed below for their caring and commitment to making our school their philanthropic priority.

Hero

Angel

$50,000 and up

$2,500–$4,999

Thomas Gallagher �

Krys and Chris Abernethy Alicia Camacho � 5 Amy Cooper & Samuel Baum Vani and Ram Dandillaya Leslie Wootton and Alycia Degen 5 Stephanie and Samuel Dekin Pauline Woo and Carlos Fua 5 Jane Yen and George Ho Laura and Andre James � Michelle Dean and Eric Lorenzini Margaret Stevens and Robin Meadow Lucy and Joshua Oppenheimer 5 Kristen Weirick and Laurae Rossi Andy Snavley 5 Linda and Glenn Solomon Linda and Tom Tierney Anthony Danna and Ziad Toubassy 5 Satiya and Jared Witzer 5 Natalie Moreland and Kyle Zanocco

Visionary

$25,000–$49,999 Pamela and Peter Kelly � 5 Rachel Liu and Ryan Lu

Benefactor

$15,000–$24,999

Anonymous Joanne Yoon and Heriberto Diaz Kovi and Sharon Elkus Alison and Jason Kaplan Lori Shiotani and Ken Nakayama � 5 Sharon and Joshua Yguado 5

Champion

$10,000–$14,999

Believer

Pamela and Jared Bush Elisha Levin and Buzzy Cohen Tracey and Akeem Ayeni � 5

$1,500–$2,499

Guardian

$5,000–$9,999

Jessica and Richard Bina Anne Enna Peggy Procter and John Johnston � � Patricia Fajer Camus and Bruno Lambertini � Samantha and Greg Lombardo 5 Michelle Martinez and Corey LoPrete Vera and George Nazzal 5 Rachel and Jake Robards Christie and John Roberts Jane Hwangbo and Craig Rosenblatt Barbara and Brian Rosenstein Emily Fox and Peter Scott 5 Jennifer and David Stone Jean Lee and Toan Tran � 5 Sarah Treem Jola and Rob Thun � 5 Valerie and Ian Washburn

� GP = Grandparent

� A = Alumni

Dawn Barrett Roger Bridges � Carly and Jay Carson Julia Mosel and Matthew Dente Eraka Bath and Alexandre Fortuit � 5 Talia and Avrom Gart Heather Kun and Chris Iorillo 5 Heather Cox and Chris Koch Wendy and Jonathan Lane 5 Tamara Umansky and Boaz Lev-Ari 5 Gillian and Abram Nalibotzky Megha Sata and Nihar Shah 5 Allison and Philip Strina Kerry Green and Chad Wasser Brooke Pace and Geoffrey Yim Cynthia Park and Brian Yum

5 = 5 or more years of giving � F/S = Faculty/Staff

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Patron

Friend

Melinda and Paul Blechner Mary Beth and Chris Bray Kendall and Louis Brooks 5 Alba Brooks-Correa and MIchael Brooks Claudette and Harvey Brown � 5 Alison and Larry Cobar Diana and Jeremy Diller Nancy and Jonathan Glaser � 5 Christine Kim and Kevin Gruenberg � 5 Sherre and Jeffrey Hirsch � 5 Peggy and Francis Hung � 5 Ryann and Timothy Karp Rittu Kumar � 5 Kristin Kobayashi and Joseph Kung Meghan and David Licata Julie Marsh and Steve Mayer � 5 Giselle and Mazen Nazzal � Karina and Nihal Patel Cecil and Paul Slye � 5 Sarah Ball and Kerri Stoughton-Jackson Nora and Peter Wendel � 5

Anonymous Johanna and Eric Appel Esther Aronson & Michael Blackburn Alba Brooks-Correa & Michael Brooks Ruth Milway and James Bursey 5 Silvia Barcellos and Leandro Carvalho Mirielle Jacobson and Tom Chang Jennifer Blum and Adam Cotsen � 5 Karen Hutchison and Nigel Dookhoo Cara Horowitz and Stefan Grunspan 5 Alok Gupta � Ya’Landa Harris 5 Allan Horwich Kelly Ku and Jeffrey Hwang Angela Winslow and Danny Klein Leah and Jason Lehmbeck Aryan and Tejas Mehta Kedran and Stavros Panageas 5 Laura and Chase Robinson Nancy and Howard Shapiro Saundra Sparks � 5 Michelle and Greg Suess Annie DiMasco and Adam Tessitore Elizabeth Tyler 5 Pooja Bhagat and Hugh Wright 5 Felicia Zigman

$1,000–$1,499

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$500–$999

“During these unprecedented two years of our daughter’s enrollment at Echo Horizon, our family found a touchstone in the school administration. I can’t count the number of times during early COVID-19 that I thought or even said out loud to my partner, Well, she’s doing it so I better get my act together and follow her example. Our conversations via Zoom and over the phone were so real. She told us her struggles, and helped us work through the challenges of online school for a Kindergartner and parenting in the time of COVID-19. She said out loud, It’s ok to not do it all. She remembered our conversations and always followed up. Always. When that Kindergartner turned into a first grader, who with all her COVID-19 independence wanted to challenge the world, she was right there. She had a plan and rallied a team to guide our daughter back into in-person learning. During this crazy time we could not have found a stronger, more admirable or compassionate touchstone than Jennie Willens. We are so grateful.

SARA ADELMAN AND JEREMY STOLLER

� GP = Grandparent

� A = Alumni

5 = 5 or more years of giving

� F/S = Faculty/Staff

Supporter up to $499

Diana Ahumada Felix Alvarado � Ursula Aris � 5 Megan Baltazar � 5 Abeni and Derek Bias� Julia Blount � LeShay and Rolando Boyce 5 Haley Brooks � Sydney Burdick � Mayra and Miguel Castellanos � Margaret Combs � Jasa Denny � Bijal and David Desai-Ramirez Liza DeWitt � Amanda and Brian Egan William Engle � Ellis Enlow � 5 Francisco Felix � Nathalie Talango and Jesus Garcia Brenda Gonzalez Sarah Gonzalez � Itzel Avila and Francisco Guerrero Kathy Guevara � Regina Gusman � 5 Amina Sharma and Daniel Gutierrez � Hannah Horton � Lauren and David Howard 5 Emily Ingistov � Marjan and Mehran Kashefi Kille Knobel Sharon and Harrison Lee Ann and Vince Lee Rachel Lewis � 5 Renee and Robert Lucero � Marina Manderscheid � Sandra Martinez Jennifer and Mark Mascolo � 5 Abigail McBean � Francesca Messinger � Annie and Andre Miyao Jennifer and Casey O’Brien Devi Palty � Eva Panuelas � Samuel Patterson � Maya Starcevic and Kresimir Petrinec Yolande Beckles and Carlton Porter Jeena and Philip Quansah 5 Norma Ramirez Calida and Gerald Rawles Melissa and Dee Robertson

“Jennifer Mascolo is our daughter Ruby’s Echo Center Kindergarten teacher. She was also Ruby’s Echo Center teacher for Pre-K. Mrs. Mascolo has been a godsend toour family. Typically we may never have seen how much Mrs. Mascolo does for Ruby, but with virtual learning this last year we got a wonderful sneak peek. Every school morning Mrs. Mascolo greets Ruby with a hearty good morning, right before their daily listening checks. Listening checks are a great way to start the day, easing Ruby into the school day with a bit of structure and always some laughs with the other Echo Center kids while making sure their listening devices are working properly.

During their one-on-one check-ins after class, Ruby and Mrs. Mascolo would share stories about the week or themselves. Mrs. Mascolo has such a talent for nurturing Ruby’s interests in school and beyond with a great ability to recall many of Ruby’s jokes and current obsessions (like The Descendants and monkey bars). With the kids back in person, we have truly appreciated her consistent correspondence through email and Zoom to keep us updated on Ruby’s progress in school. Mrs. Mascolo has also been an invaluable resource during Ruby’s IEP meetings and evaluations, a chore made much easier with her help. Having Mrs. Mascolo as Ruby’s teacher these last two years has allowed Ruby to thrive despite the many challenges all the children have endured during this pandemic. Thanks for everything, Mrs. Mascolo.”

SHARON AND HARRISON LEE

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Rachel Rosales Carmie Rehor � Kristen Reyna � 5 Rosemary Roman � Rachael Rosales Cari and Scott Rosen � 5 Kellie and Michael Rosen 5 Rebecca Ruberg � Isabel Sanchez � Morgan Price and Jaymi Smith Myah Smith 5 Lisa Sorrentino � 5 Alex Sowa � 5 Madeline and Ian Stewart Sara Adelman and Jeremy Stoller Melissa Stoller � Lori Zuckerman and Thomas Strouse � 5 Michaela Summers � Jennifer Chi and David Tran Sheryl Udell � 5 Sharon and Reginald Waddell � Jennie and Jake Willens � Lindsay Wilson � Ryan Young � Sherif Zakaria �

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Foundations and Corporations

California Wellness Foundation Chiqui Social John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The Eisner Foundation Sony Pictures

“Our family would like to thank all of the 5th grade teachers for being patient and compassionate during this last school year as we all navigated the uncertainty of each day. You all supported with helping to maintain consistency and calm while keeping the students engaged during a pretty chaotic year. Thank you for your professionalism throughout it all. It didn’t go unnoticed and we hope that you are able to take in some deep breaths and take care of yourself as we close this school year. We are profoundly grateful.”

THE MCMAHON FAMILY

LIFETIME GIVING

(CUMULATIVE GIVING FROM 2009–PRESENT)

We also would like to recognize donors who have made Echo Horizon School a philanthropic priority over an extended period of time. Sustained giving is the bedrock of our continued growth. Our heartfelt thanks goes to the following:

$400,000 and up Anonymous The Garland Foundation Nancy and Jonathan Glaser Pamela and Peter Kelly

$200,000–$399,999 Madeleine and Jeffrey Moskowitz Carol Landsberg Lori Shiotani and Ken Nakayama

$100,000–$199,999

Dierdre Roffoni and Anthony Graham Leslye Schwartz and Robert Goldberg Michele Weiss and Zak Penn

Meg Baltazar, Jennie Willens, Peggy Procter RaShaan M. Davis, Julia Blount FIRST ROW L-R: Renee Polanco Lucero, Saundra Sparks

THIRD ROW L-R:

SECOND ROW L-R:

Administration P EG GY P R O CT E R Head of School

M EG BALTA Z A R

Director of Teaching and Learning

JU L I A BLO U NT

Director of Upper Elementary; Director of JEDI

RA S HA A N M. DAV I S Director of Admissions and Community Engagement

R ENEE P O L A NC O LUCER O

Director of the Echo Center

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SAU ND RA S PA R KS Chief Financial Officer

JENNI E W I L L ENS

Director of Lower Elementary

E C H O H O R I Z O N AT A G L A N C E

180 E N R O L L M E N T:

S CHO OL HOUR S : 8:30AM-3:00PM (Mon.–Thurs) 8:30AM-2:00PM (Friday) MORNING CARE: 7:30AM–8:30AM (Mon–Fri.)

GRADES:

PRE –K- 6

L O C AT I O N :

3430 McManus Avenue Culver City, CA S T U D E N T-T O -T E A C H E R R AT I O :

PRE –K 8:1 K

10:1

1-6 12:1

AF TER S CHO OL PR O GRAM: 3:00PM–5:45PM (Mon.–Thurs.)

2:00PM–5:45PM (Fri.)

1983 15% 50% Founded in

of our students are deaf or hard-of-hearing of our students identify as people of color

A C C R E D I TAT I O N :

California Association of Independent Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Our students come from 45 different zip codes within Los Angeles County

Written and edited by Amina Sharma Cover art Alicia Camacho created a bulletin board in our foyer dedicated to the class of 2021. This board became a place where students and teachers left post-it notes of love, encouragement, and pride for our graduating class. We celebrate the achievements of all of our Echo Horizon graduates and know that they go into the world with love, kindness, curiosity, and the highest academic achievement.

Photography Alicia Camacho Amina Sharma Design and Printing Nick Steinhardt for SMOG Design, Inc. Colornet Press Financials Saundra Sparks Annual Giving Lisa Sorrentino The Annual Report reflects gifts made to Echo Horizon School between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021.

We have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information contained in this report. If you find a discrepancy, we sincerely apologize and ask that you bring it to our attention. Please contact Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Amina Sharma at asharma@echohorizon.org.

3430 McManus Avenue Culver City, CA 90232-7407 T: 310-838-2442 TTY: 310-202-7201 echohorizon.org

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