Magazine & Annual Report 2017–2018
40 Anniversary Edition
2017–2018 Annual Report
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Table of Contents
L’Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley éduque une population diverse d’enfants et suscite en eux un désir de réussite scolaire tout en les encourageant à acquérir un sens élevé de leurs responsabilités individuelles et sociales. Nous proposons un cursus scolaire ambitieux et rigoureux, à la fois en français et en anglais, au sein d’un environnement multiculturel riche. Nous apportons à chacun de nos élèves le soutien nécessaire à l’acquisition des connaissances et au développement de la personnalité qui leur seront indispensables face aux exigences d’un monde toujours plus complexe. Our Mission Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley educates a diverse population of boys and girls, inspiring them to strive for academic excellence and to develop a high sense of personal and social responsibility. We offer a challenging and rigorous course of study in both French and English, set in a multicultural environment. We support each student in the acquisition of skills and the development of character necessary for citizenship in an increasingly complex world.
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Message from the Head of School Message from the Chair of the Board of Trustees Board of Trustees Highlights from the Year Learning Beyond the Classroom Graduating Class of 2018: Off to High School Graduating Class of 2014: Off to College EB Celebrates 40! Alumni Spotlight Awardee Alumni Profiles Alumni Stay in Touch The Alumni Committee in Action EB Says Goodbye Finance Message Development Message Thank You to Our Donors Special Gifts The EB Endowment Auction Supporters Fund For the Future Thank You to Our Departing Volunteers Parents’ Association Room Representatives In Memoriam EB By the Numbers 2017–2018
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: Mei-Lin Ha Byers, Florence Kragen, and Véronique Jordan PHOTOGRAPHY: Cécile Gregoriades, Véronique Jordan, and many others LAYOUT: Véronique Jordan
2017–2018 Annual Report
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Message from the Head of School
Dear EB Community, As I start my second year at EB, I am grateful and delighted to continue this journey as Head of School. Over the past year, I have had the chance to get to know the community and discover what an incredible place this school is. The 2017–2018 school year was an important year for EB. The school celebrated its 40th anniversary, honoring its rich history, humble roots, and impressive growth. As you will read in this report, our entire community— students, alumni, alumni parents, current and former teachers, and of course parents—came together to fête this milestone with wonderful celebrations. EB is the oldest and largest bilingual school in the East Bay and continues to lead the way as an international school of reference in the area. Last year also paved the way for a crucial step in our school’s life: the new Strategic Plan. Hard work among various steering committees composed of faculty, staff, parents and board members led to the emergence of key strategic initiatives. These initiatives were translated into three ambitious strategic goals, as well as a new mission statement that sets EB on a path of innovation for the next five years. You can read more about these goals in our Board Chair’s message. Our bilingual preschool is as dynamic as ever, with the highest enrollment in EB’s history. The successful opening of a “toute petite section” (YPK) class welcoming two-year old students highlights how parents value bilingual education at a very young age.
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In the higher grades, teachers reflected on their practices last year and created a “Framework for Teaching and Learning” specific to EB. I am looking forward to witnessing the adaptation of this framework this year. We also worked on strengthening our unique bilingual curriculum. With balanced literacy for example, we used three strategies— language acquisition, bilingual reading comprehension, and decoding—to deepen our students’ understanding. In science, an experienced coach & UC Berkeley scientist helped our faculty develop a new science curriculum that focuses on the scientific process and experiential learning. We used content standards from both the French and American curricula to include a strong emphasis on the scientific process, and increased experiential learning opportunities, hands-on experiments, and specialist workshops. Last but not least, we feel strongly that our Social and Emotional Learning curriculum has been having a positive impact in our students’ well being and school experience and we’re looking forward to furthering its reach this year. The Middle School has been the center of much of my focus and I’m excited to see it blossom in the near future. A dedicated Middle School Expansion task force created an exciting and viable project for the Grayson street west wing of our building. This expansion will create more experiential and multidisciplinary learning opportunities for our students via the addition of a “Creativity Hub,” additional classrooms, and more spacious educational spaces.
As you see, EB is at a very promising turning point in its history and I invite you—our entire community—to join me in supporting the school in this worthy endeavor.
Dr. Mehdi Lazar Head of School
“The successful
opening of a “toute petite section” class welcoming twoyear-old students highlights how parents value bilingual education at a very young age.”
Chère communauté d’EB, Alors que j’entame ma deuxième année à EB, je suis honoré et ravi de poursuivre ce parcours en tant que Chef d’établissement. Au cours de l’année écoulée, j’ai eu la chance de faire connaissance avec la communauté et de découvrir cette école incroyable. L’année scolaire 2017–2018 a été une année importante. L’école a célébré son 40e anniversaire, rendant hommage à notre riche histoire, nos origines modestes et notre croissance impressionnante. Comme vous le lirez dans ce rapport, toute notre communauté – élèves, anciens élèves, parents d’anciens élèves, anciens et nouveaux enseignants et, bien sûr, parents – se sont réunis pour célébrer cette étape marquante à travers de mémorables célébrations. EB est la plus ancienne et la plus grande école bilingue de la East Bay et continue d’être une école internationale de référence dans la région. L’année dernière a également été témoin d’une étape décisive dans la vie de notre école : celle du nouveau Plan Stratégique. Le travail acharné des divers comités composés d’enseignants, de membres du personnel, de parents et de membres du Conseil d’Administration, a permis l’émergence d’initiatives clés ainsi que l’énoncé d’une nouvelle mission. Ces initiatives ont été consolidées sous trois objectifs stratégiques ambitieux et placent EB sur la voie de l’innovation pour les cinq prochaines années. Vous trouverez de plus amples informations sur ces initiatives dans le message d’Emma Gimon, la Présidente du Conseil d’Administration de l’école. Notre école maternelle bilingue est toujours aussi dynamique ; elle a enregistré le nombre d’inscriptions le plus élevé qu’EB ait jamais connu. L’ouverture réussie d’une classe de « toute petite section » accueillant des élèves de deux ans montre à quel point les parents apprécient l’éducation bilingue dès le plus jeune âge.
Dans les niveaux plus élevés, les enseignants ont réfléchi l’an dernier sur leurs pratiques et ont créé un « Cadre pour l’Enseignement et l’Apprentissage » spécifique à EB. Je suis impatient de voir la mise en place de ce cadre cette année. Nous avons également travaillé sur la manière dont nous pouvions renforcer notre programme bilingue unique. Par exemple, avec notre programme de « balanced Literacy », nous avons utilisé trois stratégies – l’acquisition du langage, la compréhension de la lecture bilingue et le décodage – pour que nos élèves approfondissent leur compréhension de la langue. En science, nous avons fait appel à un coach et professeur de sciences de l’Université de UC Berkeley pour développer un nouveau programme avec notre corps enseignant. Nous avons concentré nos efforts tant sur le contenu que sur la méthode scientifique. Ce nouveau programme de sciences, qui harmonise les contenus français et américain, met en avant de nouvelles opportunités d’apprentissage expérientiel et propose davantage de séquences dispensées par des spécialistes. Enfin, nous sommes convaincus de l’importance de notre programme d’apprentissage social et émotionnel « SEL » et de l’impact positif sur le bien-être et l’expérience scolaire de nos élèves et nous sommes déterminés à le développer davantage cette année. Le collège a été au centre de beaucoup de nos efforts et de ma réflexion et je suis ravi de le voir s’agrandir dans un avenir proche. Un groupe de travail dédié à l’expansion du Collège a créé un projet passionnant et viable pour l’aile ouest de notre bâtiment sur la rue Grayson. Cette expansion créera davantage de possibilités d’apprentissage expérientiel et multidisciplinaire pour nos élèves, notamment grâce à l’ajout d’un centre de créativité « Creativity Hub», de salles de classe supplémentaires et d’espaces éducatifs plus spacieux.
Comme vous le constatez, EB se trouve à un tournant très prometteur de son histoire et je vous invite tous à vous joindre à moi pour soutenir l’école dans cette entreprise louable. Cordialement,
Dr. Medhi Lazar Chef d’établissement
“L’ouverture
réussie d’une classe de “toute petite section” accueillant des élèves de deux ans montre à quel point les parents apprécient l’éducation bilingue dès le plus jeune âge.”
2017–2018 Annual Report
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Message du Chef d’Etablissement
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Message the Chair of the Board Volunteerfrom Spotlight
Dear EB Community, During 2017–2018, EB celebrated its 40th anniversary and I want to thank you all for make this a great success—thanks to you EB is truly “40 and Fabulous”! Our wonderful celebrations throughout the year always remind me of how singular our students and community are. The blend of French, international and Berkeley flavors is uniquely ours–kicking off with World Celebrations and ending with the fabulous Marché, and a new Fun Run and an amazing Alumni Reunion in between. This all reflects EB’s uniqueness perfectly, and I am grateful to be part of this community with you. The Board had two important efforts for 2017–2018. The first was ensuring a successful transition and integration for our Head of School, Mehdi Lazar, during his first year at EB. Thank you for the warm welcome that he has received from you all; we are heartened to see how smooth his transition has been, and the Board is delighted to see him settle in so well. Of course, the transition couldn’t have been such a success without the active support and commitment of the faculty and staff. I would like to give an extra thanks to them for this. We can see that with the teamwork of Mehdi and our faculty and staff, EB continues to be in good hands. The second effort was to work with the Administration to develop a Strategic Plan for EB and its future. This work made for a very busy and engaged twelve months working with all our community to build a shared vision and a strong direction for the school. The resulting Strategic Plan has identified three strategic goals for EB.
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The first, Deepen Our Program, recognizes EB’s leadership in international bilingual education while identifying opportunities to strengthen
and expand the experience for our children. Our objective is to surpass excellence through the wonderful format that our bilingual education offers, enhancing and harmonizing our programs further, as well as increasing our emphasis on student engagement and active-learning through beyondthe-classroom experiences and service learning. The second, Advance Our School, speaks to building and implementing an advancement plan in line with EB’s mission and vision: a necessary tool for being a leader in the competitive landscape of Bay Area independent schools. We wish to further EB’s position in the broader community. To achieve this goal, the possible initiatives being explored are broad; such as, increasing outreach as a cultural hub, exploring potential implementation of additional entry points to the school and more financial aid strategies to continue providing diverse access, as well as improving and better articulating the unique journey that EB provides to our students and families. The third, Enhance our Facilities and Finance, speaks for itself— focusing on improving our facilities and schoolgrounds to expand the learning experience, as well as ensuring strong compensation to recruit, develop and sustain our excellent faculty and staff. Some of the facilities improvement work has already begun, most notably the expansion of the Middle School— we’re looking forward to gaining over 3600 ft2 allowing for a Creativity Hub, a Performance Hub, larger classrooms and more during the 2018–2019 school year! I’d like to thank Mark Westover, the chair of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, for his fearless leadership. I would also like to give a big thanks to the
parents, faculty, staff, alumni and trustees who made up the Steering Committee and did the lion’s share of the hard work. We’re very much looking forward to implementing the Plan and working together to continue nurturing bright, creative and internationally-minded students poised to thrive and make their mark in the world! Finally, I have some important thanks and farewells to make. I have four outgoing Board members to thank for their talent and dedication: Catherine Dower, Setenay Bozkurt-Frucht, Todd Vollmerhausen and Gabrielle Hedlund. They have all made innumerable important contributions to the school and their influence will continue to be felt. This year, EB also bid farewell to our retiring Lower School Head, Thierry Durandard. We wish him a very welldeserved retirement and thank him for his many dedicated years of leadership at EB. He will be missed. Warm Regards,
Emma Gimon Board Chair
Annual Message de laPrésident Présidente Conseild’Administration d’Administration Message duFund dudu Conseil
En 2017–2018, EB a célébré son 40e anniversaire et je tiens à vous remercier pour avoir contribué à en faire un tel succès. Grâce à vous, EB a véritablement « 40 ans et demeure fantastique » ! Nos merveilleuses célébrations tout au long de l’année me rappellent toujours combien nos élèves et notre communauté sont uniques. C’est ce mélange combiné des saveurs françaises et internationales avec les saveurs de Berkeley qui nous rend unique - pour n’en nommer que quelques-unes : en passant par les Fêtes du Monde « World Celebrations », la nouvelle course à pieds « Run-a-Thon », puis cette incroyable réunion d’anciens élèves, et en terminant avec la fabuleuse Place du Marché. Tous ces événements reflètent parfaitement le caractère unique d’EB et je suis honorée de faire partie de cette communauté. Le Conseil d’Administration a mis en œuvre deux actions importantes en 2017–2018. La première était d’assurer la transition et l’intégration de notre chef d’établissement, Mehdi Lazar, au cours de sa première année à EB. Je vous remercie pour l’accueil chaleureux que vous lui avez tous réservé. Nous sommes ravis de voir que cette transition s’est faite en douceur et le Conseil d’Administration est enchanté de constater que Mehdi Lazar s’est bien établi dans ses fonctions. Bien entendu, la transition n’aurait pu être un tel succès sans le soutien et l’engagement du corps enseignant et de tous les membres du personnel. Je les remercie à nouveau infiniment. Grâce au travail d’équipe de Mehdi, du corps enseignant et de tous les membres du personnel, nous sommes certains qu’EB continue d’être entre de bonnes mains. La deuxième action consistait à collaborer avec l’administration afin d’élaborer un plan stratégique pour EB et son futur. Ce projet, l’aboutissement d’un travail acharné sur douze mois avec toute notre communauté, a permis d’établir une vision commune et un cap à suivre pour l’école. Le Plan Stratégique qui en a résulté, a identifié trois objectifs majeurs pour EB.
Le premier objectif, «Deepen Our Program» (Approfondir notre programme), est d’affirmer le positionnement d’EB comme leader dans le domaine de l’éducation bilingue internationale, tout en identifiant les possibilités de renforcer et d’élargir l’expérience pédagogique de nos enfants. Notre objectif est d’aller au delà de l’excellence qui caractérise notre éducation bilingue, de se surpasser et d’harmoniser encore plus nos programmes, tout en mettant l’accent sur l’engagement des élèves et la pédagogie active par le biais d’activités et de volontariat réalisées en dehors de l’école. Le second objectif, «Advance Our School» (Assurer le développement de l’école) concerne l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre d’un Programme de Développement conforme à la mission et à la vision d’EB. Ce programme est un outil indispensable pour rester le leader dans le paysage concurrentiel des écoles indépendantes de la Baie. Nous souhaitons ainsi renforcer le positionnement d’EB au sein de la communauté élargie. Pour atteindre cet objectif, nous étudions plusieurs initiatives : promouvoir l’école en tant que centre culturel francophone de référence, explorer d’autres portes d’entrée supplémentaires à celles déjà en place à EB, apporter d’autres stratégies d’aide financière permettant à l’école de continuer à offrir un accès diversifié, et enfin améliorer et redéfinir ce qui caractérise le parcours unique qu’EB offre aux élèves et à leurs familles. Le troisième objectif, «Enhance our Facilities and Finance» (Améliorer les locaux et les finances de l’école), parle de lui-même. Nous devons nous concentrer sur l’amélioration des installations et des locaux de l’école pour enrichir l’expérience d’apprentissage. Nous devons aussi pouvoir garantir aux employés un salaire compétitif pour favoriser et développer le recrutement ainsi que pour conserver nos excellents professeurs et membres du personnel. Certains des travaux d’amélioration ont déjà commencé, notamment l’agrandissement du collège. Nous nous
réjouissons d’avoir 350 m2 supplémentaires, ce qui permettra d’avoir un “Maker Space,” (espace de loisirs créatif), ainsi qu’un espace dédié aux arts, de plus grandes salles de classe et bien plus encore, au cours de l’année scolaire 2018–2019 ! J’aimerais remercier le président du Comité du Plan Stratégique, Mark Westover, pour son leadership audacieux. Je tiens également à remercier vivement les membres de ce comité : les parents, le corps enseignant, les membres du personnel, les anciens élèves et les membres du Conseil d’Administration qui ont tous effectué la majeure partie du travail. Nous sommes impatients de mettre le plan stratégique en oeuvre et de travailler ensemble pour continuer à éduquer des élèves intelligents et créatifs, tournés vers l’international avec la volonté de réussir et d’avoir un impact sur le monde ! Enfin, j’aimerai remercier tout particulièrement certaines personnes et faire mes adieux à une autre. Il y a quatre membres qui ont quitté le Conseil d’Administration que je souhaite remercier pour leur talent et leur dévouement : Catherine Dower, Setenay Bozkurt-Frucht, Todd Vollmerhausen et Gabrielle Hedlund. Ils ont tous apporté d’innombrables contributions à l’école et leur influence se fera ressentir encore longtemps. Cette année, l’école a également fait ses adieux à Thierry Durandard, le directeur du primaire, qui est parti à la retraite. Nous lui souhaitons une très bonne retraite bien méritée, et nous le remercions pour ses nombreuses années consacrées au succès de l’école et pour son leadership à EB. Il va nous manquer. Bien chaleureusement,
Emma Gimon Présidente du Conseil d’Administration
2017–2018 Annual Report
Chère communauté d’EB,
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Board of Trustees 2017–2018
Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, Consul Général de France Sophie Laffite, Consul Général Adjoint Thierry Bognon, Chef de Chancellerie Juliette Donadieu, Attachée Culturelle Jean Charconnet, Attaché de Coopération pour le Français Emma Gimon, Chair Catherine Dower, Member at Large Jeff Loustau, Secretary; Buildings & Grounds Committee Chair Michael Pincus, Member at Large; Organization & Governance Committee Chair Alexandra Thusy-Privat, Vice-Chair Nick Waugh, Treasurer; Finance Chair Mark Westover, Chair of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee
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Paul-André Abboud Jaime Araujo-Bézian, Marketing Committee Chair Setenay Bozkurt-Frucht, PA Francophone Co-President Antoine Carrière Gabrielle Hedlund, English Faculty Participant Pascal Hoffmann Jean-Philippe Kouakou-Zebouah Emma Ragot, French Faculty Participant Aaron Ross Stephanie Sullivan, Development Committee Co-Chair Mehdi Lazar, Head of School Todd Vollmerhausen, PA Anglophone Co-President Stephanie Walton, Development Committee Co-Chair
Incoming Trustees 2018–2019
Pria Hidisyan joined the EB Board in 2018. She has been an Annual Fund volunteer for five years and Co-Chair of the Annual Fund for three years. She is an urban planner by training with more than a decade’s experience in long range, regional planning and consulting for state agencies and local municipalities, focused on community development and sustainability. Beyond her planning work, she is an active real estate investor in Oakland. Pria graduated with honors from Brown University, and received a master’s degree from the University of Southern California in planning. She and her husband Ben have two children at EB: Arek and Lucine.
Steve Levine joined the Board in 2018. He served on the EB Parents’ Association Board for many years and also chaired many committees, and served in numerous other volunteer positions at the school. He is deeply committed to EB’s mission, success and its community. His professional experience is in risk management, fraud detection and prevention, due diligence, and physical security assessments. He is a Certified International Investigator. He formerly worked at The Center for Investigative Reporting as a Senior Staff Reporter, has been awarded a national EMMY award, a James Madison First Amendment Award and a National Press Club Award. He serves as the Treasurer of the California Voter Foundation, and as the Treasurer of the Berkeley High PTSA. Steve’s son, Marco, graduated from EB in June 2018. Karine Tripier joined the EB Board in 2018 as PA Co-President, after 3 years on the PA Board as Room Rep Coordinator for the Lower School and Middle School. Karine is a French citizen who moved to the South Bay in 2000, and then moved to Berkeley in 2014. She has held product management and program management roles at leading software and hardware companies. Currently at NETGEAR, Karine manages the program management team deploying networking devices and applications in Cloud. Karine and her husband have three daughters: two alumnae and one attending EB at the Lower School. When not involved in the EB community, Karine enjoys cycling, hiking and skiing.
Brian Turner has been a member of the EB community since 2012, with two boys in 5th and 2nd grades, and appreciates the opportunity to give back as a member of the Board and Co-President of the Parents’ Association Board starting in 2018. Professionally, Brian is a former senior executive in California government who currently consults with government agencies and nonprofit groups in energy and environmental policy. He earned two graduate degrees from UC Berkeley. Personally, Brian enjoys navigating the frisson of a bicultural Paris-Berkeley family. Patrice Zauret Originally from Côte d’Ivoire, Patrice graduated from Ecole Normale Supérieure d’Abidjan with a bachelors degree in literature and teaching credentials. He worked for a few years in Abidjan as a French teacher in high school and in a vocational school. In 1997, he joined Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley. He is passionate about sports and coaches soccer. He has two children currently attending EB. He enjoys walking in nature, fishing and reading. 2017–2018 Annual Report
Christine Beliveau Christine joined the Board in 2018 after one year on the Finance Committee. Christine is originally from Québec, Canada and moved to the Bay Area in 2000. She is a CPA and after more than 20 years in public accounting and consulting firms, is now the Director of Forensic Accounting Services at Morrison & Foerster LLP. At MoFo, Christine specializes in providing assistance with internal and SEC investigations, cases involving the securities law, and other disputes involving accounting issues. Christine and her husband, Neill, have one son who is in Kindergarten at EB.
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Highlights from the Year
Run-a-Thon School traditions are a vital part of school culture. It can be a tricky thing to change them, so when EB’s PA suggested swapping out the Raffle for a Run-a-Thon, we were a bit hesitant. Would people understand what a Run-a-Thon was? Would we be able to pull it off ourselves? We needn’t have worried, however. The Run-a-Thon was a smashing success.
As a community, we were tremendously successful: raising a net of more than $36,000—double what the Raffle had brought us previously! And one of the best parts of the new Run-aThon? The introduction of our new mascot, the EB Jaguar! He was a constant presence the day of the event, cheering on our students and bringing that EB spirit to the fore… Think it’s safe to say, we’ve got a new tradition in the making!
Explorations at the Middle School This year, the Middle School debuted their Explorations program. Explorations is a two-year course of study that touches upon identified areas of need in both STEM and “soft skills.” STEM emcompasses curriculum related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, while “soft skills” refer to personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people—skills such as cooperation, negotiation, communication, and problemsolving. A combination of these skills has been proven to be an important factor for future success.
With a month to fundraise and a dedicated week of pumping up our students and teachers, the entire community was on board for this healthy and active event, featuring three separate courses: our preschoolers completed an awesome obstacle course in their yard; our elementary students ran laps around the outdoor playground (and their teachers); and our middle schoolers stretched their legs by racing around the entire perimeter of the Lower School. Our students were so excited to play an active role in this event—in truth, they were the stars! Every single one participated enthusiastically and for the entire duration of their allotted run time. Our teachers and staff were also 100% behind the event, and their enthusiasm really made the event shine. The morning culminated in a school-wide party on the playground with healthy snacks, music, and dancing from all! It was truly an incredible launch to the Run-a-Thon and we were blown away by the energy, joy, and spirit displayed by everyone involved.
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Explorations classes—Robotics, Coding, Media Education and Social Philosophy—are taken once a week by a combination of 7th and 8th grade students. Beginning in seventh-grade, students take one of these courses every semester through the end of eighth grade, allowing all students access to each of these classes during their time in the Middle School. Through Explorations, all students have the opportunity to benefit from classes that will help them through high school, college and beyond. Coding—Ender Choo, Chinese Teacher and Tom Ferrera, Tech Assistant Students taking Coding Class learn computer programming and computer science skills through interactive and exciting projects. They get hands-on experience programming software and applying the code to hardware, including programming tiny handheld computers called “Micro:bit,” and also coding a drone flight pattern. In this class, students are also introduced to basic computer science concepts, including encryption and how computers read and output data.
Robotics—Jamie Bascom, Science Teacher Seventh and Eighth graders have been building “Clawbots” using VEX Robotics kits! In the first five weeks of this Explorations class, students have learned and employed engineering practices such as following the “Think,” “Do,” “Test” cycle for troubleshooting issues that arise in the build process. For example, students are instructed to identify problems, list possible causes of the problem, then design and implement tests to determine whether they have accurately identified and fixed the problem. The next stage in robotics will task students with designing a program for their robots to run independently. Science teacher Jamie Bascom says “We’re thrilled with student progress in this class!”
Social Philosophy—Jennifer Hammond, Social Studies Teacher, and Emmanuel Labadie, French Teacher Students discovered philosophy in their Explorations class where they met to learn about and discuss the topics of love, friendship, and differences. Some of the goals of the class were to hone skills like listening respectfully to each person’s point of view, engage in healthy debate, and think deeply about the human condition.
Media education is the process through which individuals become media literate: able to critically understand the nature, techniques and impacts of media messages and productions. Students began the semester by identifying different mediums of information and understanding the importance of critically analyzing those sources. Studying famous cases, examining headlines of local and national newspapers, and using interactive news sites, students began discovering how their personal perception of society around them can shape their interpretation of facts. Students have been extremely responsive and engaged, and in addition to creating their own survey, they will also work on how best to use social media and protect one’s privacy.
2017–2018 Annual Report
Media Education—Aurélia Filato, History Geography Teacher and Russ Whismore, English Math Teacher
During class, students studied different mediums (movies, songs, videos) and gave every student a chance to share their thoughts and feelings: “We had a lot of discussions and spoke from different perspectives. I believe it really allowed people to see things in a new light and also be able to voice their opinion in a safe space,” said one student.
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Highlights from the Year
Child Centered Hands-On Learning EB believes that our kids do best when they are active participants in their own learning. Hands-on activities and project-based programs took center stage this year as our students explored STEAM concepts at every level, in and out of the classroom. Défi Scientifique: There’s nothing like a challenge to learn science! Every year, EB students participate in the Défi Scientifique, an age-based science challenge organized by l’Agence de l’Éducation Française à l’Étranger (AEFE) for North American schools. This year, students in Grades 1, 2, 3 and 5 spent several weeks solving an “air and wind” challenge by building on their collaborative, problemsolving, and critical thinking skills. Younger students had to build objects set in motion by air or wind, while students in higher grades had the trickier challenge of creating objects that could glide or move autonomously with the wind for 30 seconds. Students unveiled their objects in front of their peers, teachers, and a representative from the AEFE to great success. These projects encourage students to tinker, try, fail, try again, and foster a love of learning.
TEDxYouth: Seven Middle Schoolers embraced the challenge of giving a live talk during EB’s third annual inspiring TEDxYouth event organized on November 11, 2017. This year’s theme was “The Future You,” and our young speakers covered a range of topics, from a future without “isms” to a meatless future to choosing the best future for you. In addition to our students, our TEDx event featured talks from two adult speakers: Michael Assadi, EB alum and entrepreneur, spoke to our students about “The Power of Starting Now” in pursuing your passions, and EB parent and energy policy consultant Eric Gimon talked about “what climate change means for your future.” Combined with hands-on activities—building a living wall installation from recycled bottles and making “Bristlebots” aka mini-robots—this TEDx tradition continues to inspire curiosity, ignite new ideas and empower young leaders. Thank you to our organizers Hélène Cahen, Laura Clydesdale, Ann Lefkovits, Angie Jacobson, and Jennifer Villarina for bringing this amazing event to life!
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Math Games: Math games are a great way for students to apply what they have learned in class, explore new ideas, and make use of strategies and mathematical thinking. Our first Family Math Night, on March 15, 2018, was an unadulterated success. Students and their parents from Kindergarten through fifth grade participated in a variety of interactive games and activities, led by EB teachers. Puzzles, graphs, symmetry boards, origami, multiplication, math strategy, and more challenged our participants to discuss numbers, patterns, and explore the beauty of mathematics.
STUDENT LIFE
Maker Faire: Our fourth annual Maker Faire on June 4, 2018, brought together students from third to eighth grade, as well as teachers, staff, and friends to revel in all things DIY. Students had a blast creating, discovering, and exploring at the 18 different booths—all but one of which was organized by students or staff! They built rockets, flew drones, felted, played instruments, painted a mural, drove in a race car simulator, cooked omelettes and boba tea, sewed pillows for the homeless, and the list goes on! It was great to see how many students signed up to lead their own projects—including fifth graders who made up nearly one third of the booths! Everyone’s creativity and innovation were on full display and showcased how sophisticated our students are. Thank you to all the teachers, students, and staff involved, and in particular to Gabrielle Hedlund for all her amazing work in putting this event together. We look forward to seeing you at next year’s faire!
Research shows that students benefit from exploring math through games and art. One of the primary benefits of having fun with math is fostering a positive attitude towards the subject—which has been proven to increase achievement in math. Math games let students apply their understanding of numbers, forms, and patterns in different environments with different purposes, which is at the heart of learning.
Bricolarium: Thanks to our community’s generosity, funds raised for a student maker space were put to use this year in the form of the Bricolarium. Part science lab, part maker space, part art room, the Bricolarium seeks to build a STEAM culture at school, allowing our students to develop their skills while garnering curiosity and excitement around creation and learning outside the classroom. Our students tackled their first challenge with the design, implementation, and construction of a Lego Wall. Students worked with teachers and our facilities team to come up with a cohesive design, calculate correct measurements, select cost-effective materials, and experiment with how to make their designs work on the actual wall. Our kids had a blast with this project and were involved every step of the way. We can’t wait to see what other projects take place in the Bricolarium!
2017–2018 Annual Report
Creating Found Objects: EB welcomed back visiting French author Christian Voltz, well known for his whimsical books where the illustrations are made up of arrangements of found objects. During his week-long visit, Voltz facilitated workshops with students, met with teachers to discuss his background and work process, signed books for parents and children, and participated in memorable classroom activities. Merci M. Voltz !
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Learning Beyond the Classroom G3: Marin Headlands
ALUMNI
Our third graders spend most of their first overnight trip outdoors, exploring the beaches, grounds, and unique ecosystems of the Marin Headlands. Students get the chance to directly observe plants and animals, both in the wild and in the marine lab. Team-building activities round out this wonderful introduction to overnight trips.
G5: France
Our fifth graders enjoy their first international school trip in the Bordeaux region of France. They stay with host families for a true cultural experience and visit museums, monuments, parks, and attractions.
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G4: Coloma
Our fourth graders pan for gold during their annual Coloma trip. This three-day overnight experience includes hiking, campfires, and learning about the Gold Rush, native peoples, and ecosystems of the Sierra foothills.
Annual EB Overnight Trips G7: Washington DC
Our seventh graders stand tall at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in DC where they spend a week learning about American history and receiving a hands-on civics education.
STUDENT LIFE
Our sixth grade snorkelers before one of their numerous activities with the Catalina Island Marine Institute. This science-focused five-day trip is a favorite, filled with natural science education, exploration, tons of activities like kayaking, snorkeling, ropes-course challenges, and more!
G8: France
Our eighth grade classes in front of the Basilique du Sacré Cœur in Montmartre, Paris. This second class trip to France offers opportunities for more in-depth cultural and linguistic studies, not to mention another chance to bond with their classmates before heading off to high school.
2017–2018 Annual Report
G6: Catalina Island
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Graduating Class of 2018: Off to High School
Dorotea Bartlett College Preparatory School
Charlotte Gaultier Oakland Technical High School
Joaquin Maxey Miramonte High School
Annika Salamon Miramonte High School
Lisette Choo Castro Valley High School
Sarah Jonath College Preparatory School
Mahogany Morris Bishop O’Dowd High School
Samuel Strich Berkeley High School
Raquel Clydesdale Berkeley High School
Cameron Jordan Cambridge School of Weston, MA
Kyler Oakley-Gibbs Berkeley High School
Chloé Tripier Berkeley High School
Aleksander Ramirez Miramonte High School
Thomas Triponez Summit High School, Bend, OR
Anais Reiss Bentley High School
Natasha Wadlund Berkeley High School Jess Walton Berkeley High School
Koceyla Dahmani Berkeley High School
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Evan Dastous Lycée Français de San Francisco
Fuad Khabbaz Saint Mary’s College High School
Elliot Deléger Lick-Wilmerding High School
Theodore Lee The Athenian School
Abigail Richter Bishop O’Dowd High School
Lorenzo Drilleau-Craft Oakland Technical High School
Cody Levine Berkeley High School
Bahia Rozan Berkeley High School
Diana Garcia-Becerra Bishop O’Dowd High School
Marco Levine Berkeley High School
Acceyah Safi-Eddine Berkeley High School
Sophie Adams Berkeley City College
Camille El Ghaoui UC Berkeley
Josephine Lehmann TBA
Thomas Poppas TBA
Cameron Addis Loyola Marymount University
Isabella Estrada New York University
Tillman Lerner-Thomas University of British Columbia
Ketan Prunet-Sharma Emory College
Karim Amr Diablo Valley College
Benjamin Forest Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Nicolas Lukan UC Los Angeles
Oliver Riskin-Kutz Harvard University
Marcel Azouri Diablo Valley College
Stella Getz Carnegie Mellon University
Sofiya Lyall American University
Alexander Roddier Arizona State University
Briana Bazile New York University
Malo Gostlin College of Marin
Colette Lyman UC Davis
Lily Sabath TBA
Capucine Bonabeau TBA
Ali Hannaoui UC Davis
Jake Lyons Northwestern
Frerik Smit Queen Mary University, London
Hippolyte Bonabeau TBA
Tate Hoyer Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Nick Micic TBA
Antoine Sobel TBA
Oliver Bourdrel TBA
Mateo Jeanneau McGill University
Kostya Natsoulis Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Amina Tuqan New York University
Philippine Chauvet Colorado State University
JosĂŠphine Joliff UC Santa Cruz
Elliot Oechsner TBA
Emma Van de Wyngaerde TBA
Jade Chevalier American University of Paris
Zoe Kratins Rome, Italy
Hanna Ogburn Boston University
Benjamin Crocker California College of the Arts
Simon Labadie Berkeley City College
Luco Parsons UC Santa Barbara
2017–2018 Annual Report
Graduating Class of 2014: Off to College
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EB Celebrates 40!
Through numerous celebrations, a commemorative magazine, and new records and traditions, we marked this year as one to remember! It was especially meaningful to share this milestone with so many of our constituencies: a special week with our students featuring assemblies, costumes, and dances; an extraordinary Auction, MarchÊ, and World Celebrations with our parents; and a festive reunion of alumni, alumni parents, founders, faculty and staff. We are so thankful for this incredible community that continues to demonstrate the depth of its strength, forty years later. Here’s a look back at an incredible year.
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EB Celebrates 40!
7 6 WE’VE GOT SPIRIT: Our Jaguar mascot dances with students during one of the student assemblies.
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FROM NEAR AND FAR: Our “community poles” are unveiled, listing the countries and capitals from which our families come. Special thanks to Sylvie Le Meur and Patrick Coulon!
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THAT 70s SHOW: Students come dressed in 70s garb to celebrate EB’s founding decade.
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DECADES OF HISTORY: With the help of students, Roberte Rountree and Thierry Durandard create a timeline of EB’s 40-year history.
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TIME TREASURES: Lower School students add significant items from their class into the Time Capsule.
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A SWEET SIGHT: Art teacher Olga Popova and students create a fabulous centerpiece for all our 40th events.
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FORTY & FABULOUS: Our Auction embraces EB’s birthday with its “Forty & Fabulous” theme featuring a touch of gold!
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EB AROUND THE WORLD: EB launches into its birthday year with the World Celebrations event, reveling in our diversity and delicious food-making abilities! CIRQUE DU MARCHE: Our end-of-the year Place du Marché is bigger than ever in honor of the anniversary, featuring a trapeze!
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2017–2018 Annual Report
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EB Celebrates 40!
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PAST & PRESENT: Former trustees and friends gather to kick off this celebratory year and meet new Head Dr. Mehdi Lazar.
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LET’S PARTY: Alumni, alumni parents, former and current teachers and staff gather together to celebrate EB’s milestone.
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CETTE ANNEE-LA: Teachers and staff sing a special 40th anniversary song with lyrics written in-house, set to the tune of “Oh What a Night!”
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I COMMEND YOU: EB receives commendations from the City of Berkeley, the California State Assembly and Senate, Congresswoman Barbara Leee, and the US Senate in honor of our 40th anniversary.
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40 IN MOTION: EB publishes its 40th anniversary magazine, which includes a historical timeline, staff dedication, alumni around the globe, and more.
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At Home in the World
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Celebrating our Bilingual Community
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Inspiring Citizens of the World
EB Celebrates 40!
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COMMUNITY DONORS: All food, drink, and entertainment for our anniversary event is donated by EB community members: alumni parents, current parents, and alumni!
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CHEERS! SANTE !: EB honors its faculty and staff who have been a part of EB for twenty years and more; there are 31 total!
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A BIG DEAL: EB Head Mehdi Lazar stands with two EB founding families, the Mayor of Berkeley, members of the French Consulate, the EB Board Chair, and a representative from the office of Congresswoman Lee. SAY CHEESE: Our alumni-owned photo and gif booth is a hit with party guests. Thank you to Nick Fehr, Class of 2001!
2016–2017 Annual Report
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EB Celebrates 40!
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Thank you to our 40th Anniversary Circle Annual Fund Donors ($4,000+)
Thank you to our Alumni Families’ Fête Sponsors!
Paul-André Abboud and Kristen Sidell Jaime Araujo-Bézian and Stéphane Bézian Alexandre Bayen and Zoe Abrams Jeremy Bled and Katherine Dawson Natasha Boissier Scott and Jessica Chacon Pierre-François Choquet and Stéphanie Long Choquet Renée Cole Clyde and Thomas Clyde Catherine Dower and Jon Strich Emma and Eric Gimon Christopher Harrelson and Sara Rahimian David and Yvette Hatton Gabrielle and Marc Hedlund Pascal and Tegan Hoffmann Charis Kaskiris and Vanessa Arce-Kaskiris Tanny Keeler and Kent Hodgetts Neill Knox and Christine Beliveau Jean-Philippe Kouakou-Zebouah and Jesica Goldhammer-Zebouah Mehdi and Caroline Lazar Steve and Ann Lefkovits James Levine and Angela Jacobson Stephen Levine Jeffrey and Eileen Loustau Roger Myers and Erin McCormick Gideon Myles and Stephanie Battle Gregory Nemitz and Sarah Sawyer Mark and Tracy Poff Kameshwar Poolla and Radhika Rao Olga Popova and David Gay Antoine and Melissa Portales John Rosenthal and Sally Drach Aaron and Stéphanie Ross Stuart Russell and Loy Sheflott Edward Sweet and Harold Stevens Alexandra Thusy-Privat and Guillaume Privat Robert Tjian and Claudia Belcher David and Virginia Vogel Todd Vollmerhausen and Denise Glagau Myrna Walton Stephanie and Zachary Walton Nick Waugh and Riley Bove Anonymous (1)
900 Grayson ACME Bread Co. Aykut Events Bette’s Oceanview Diner The Bosco Ethel Brennan Broadside Wines Kokkari Estiatorio La Noisette Sweets La Note Lamia Cuisine Baking Melissa Rossi Cuisinière Katia Sabbah, The Farmer & the Fig Souvenir Coffee Co. St Michel Stella Nonna Vigneron Imports XOX Truffles
EB launches the Alumni Spotlight Award In honor of our 40th Anniversary, EB launched its first Alumni Spotlight Award, to recognize and honor our alumni. Iliana Montauk, class of 1997, was chosen as the first recipient for her entrepreneurial spirit, her financial, social, and feminist impact in Gaza’s tech sector, and her desire to be a positive force for change. Iliana demonstrates EB’s values of global citizenship, multilingualism, and the pursuit of excellence in everything she does.
Board Chair Emma Gimon presents the award to Iliana Montauk
EB Alumni Spotlight Awardee: Iliana Montauk, Class of 1997
EB grew my curiosity and confidence to explore many different interests. It also exposed me to Western Europe so much as a child that I ended up wanting to have more extreme adventures by the time I was in high school and college. As a result, when I recently was offered paid trips to speak at conferences in Barcelona and Pakistan, I declined the one in Barcelona but enthusiastically accepted the one in Pakistan (Peshawar, no less!) What I loved about EB was the intellectual rigor combined with variety. I remember so many things: playing sports, enjoying galettes des rois, passionate yet strict teachers, science with Michael Rossman (dissecting animals and blowing up their lungs with a straw, growing mushrooms, and so much more!), Marin Headlands and other outdoor experiences where night hikes and kissing banana slugs were an integral part, French and English math—no other school I knew exposed kids to two entirely different curricula, theater and music, book readings, and so much more. 2. Do you feel that EB prepared you with a global outlook or mindset? My favorite cultural exchange experience
I’ve often connected to people who are vastly different from me, sought out our common humanity, and expanded my life experience by observing theirs. When I lived in Jordan for a year before moving to Gaza, my roommate was Syrian. His family showed up at our doorstep one day and we have been close ever since. The equivalent of my pen pal relationship with Magnolia now is my weekly video chat with Rasha, a 25-year-old Syrian who is now a refugee in Germany. In both cases, I took advantage of the connection to practice my language skills, too! 3. How has your study of languages, begun early at EB, been useful to you in your studies and work? French has been useful for travel in places that used to be colonized by France, and for studying colonialism, which is fascinating and still much more relevant now than we often realize. I visited Morocco four times and wrote my thesis on colonial and post-colonial theater there. More recently, I’ve spent lots of time in Israel and Palestine, and have been struck by how many of the
Spanish has been useful for everyday life and meeting new people. It has also been useful for work, including when I worked at EARN, a microfinance organization helping California low-wage workers save for the future. Many of our clients were Spanish and being able to speak to them in their native language was very useful. Most important has been my confidence in learning languages. I started studying Arabic when I was in high school, taking classes at UC Berkeley, and now dabble in Hebrew as well. 4. What’s your favorite memory of EB? I have many, but always remember planting flowers in elementary school. We each received a flower of a specific type to plant; I think it was an annual tradition. Also, the DC trip in 8th grade. I loved my homestay family—I brought them a baby redwood tree from California.
VOLUNTEERS
1. How did attending EB influence your future choice of career path? What do you remember most?
This long-distance pen pal relationship with a near-stranger left a strong impression on me because we were deeply committed to each other despite being so different. She lived in the countryside, never traveled, and had a very simple life. For her, meeting an American was a big deal. I still have a bottle of perfume that Magnolia gave me in 7th grade. Looking at it always reminds me of the commitment we had to each other despite barely knowing each other and having very little in common.
lessons on colonialism I learned in the French context apply there, too.
“I have often
connected to people who are vastly different from me, sought out our common humanity, and expanded my life experience by observing theirs.”
2016–2017 Annual Report
at EB was through a teacher who organized pen pals with a school in Normandy. I ended up corresponding with my pen pal, Magnolia Joalland, for decades.
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Alumni Profile: Jonathan Wachter, Class of 2002
1. What did you enjoy most about your time at EB and why? I have so many fond memories of EB, its amazing teachers, and its vibrant community. I think it’s telling that a few of my closest friends to this day are classmates from EB. 2. Please describe your current work/studies. I recently started working at the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, which works to protect family farms and ranches in Marin County. I’m helping to lead a program to promote soil health and carbon sequestration on farmland. Before this, I was finishing a Ph.D. in soil science at Washington State University.
“As a student, I
was encouraged to be independent and to think critically. At the same time, I was instilled with a strong sense of our international community and a desire to give back to the world around me.” 24
3. How do you feel EB has influenced you or led you towards your choice of profession? I have no doubt that our elementary school science teacher, Michael Rossman, played a big role in encouraging me to become a scientist. He inspired us to be curious, to ask hard questions, and to think for ourselves. I think those things are a big part of EB as a whole. As a student, I was encouraged to be independent and to think critically. At the same time, I was instilled with a strong sense of our international community and a desire to give back to the world around me. 4. What would you say to parents just starting out at EB? You are giving your child—and yourselves—an incredible gift! The academic and cultural education I got as a student at EB was amazing. And I know that my parents loved being part of the strong EB community of teachers and parents.
5. Describe your favorite memory from EB. I remember running laps around the classroom to practice our times tables with Sylvie Petit. Or getting the fève in the fête des rois one year and being king for the day. Or Jean-Philippe helping me flip crêpes in mid-K. I still think about that now whenever I make crêpes! 6. Do you feel that EB adequately prepared you for life after EB? Do you feel you are a citizen of the world? I feel very fortunate to have grown up with the cultural exposure and bilingual education of EB. Of course, it prepared me academically and linguistically. But more importantly, it gave me an appreciation for other perspectives at a young age.
Current EB alumni
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Alumni Profile: Kate Solomon-Tilley, Class of 2001
1. What did you enjoy most about your time at EB and why? My favorite aspects of EB are the community and culture, the friendships that EB creates. I feel that Ecole Bilingue was, and is, very much a little slice of France in America, creating a unique Franco-American hybrid. There’s a mix of traditional French academic vigor with elements of the American system of learning through play and creativity and arts... and of course let’s not forget the food. 2. Please describe your current work/studies. I am a Child Wrangler (or Child Guardian) for Disney’s Lion King on Broadway. A child wrangler is a stage manager for the child actors who work in the show playing Young Simba and Young Nala. Wranglers, like stage managers, help make sure the actors get to their cues on time, remember lines, and ensure their costumes and makeup are stage-ready. When not working at the Lion King, I work as a freelance stage manager, often on developing musicals on and off Broadway, and as a personal assistant to the legendary villain Jafar from Aladdin. 3. How do you feel EB has influenced you or led you towards your choice of profession?
More importantly, having grown up in a bilingual and bicultural community has opened my eyes and ears to appreciating the complexities and beauty of all cultures and languages, and therefore created a global citizen who is comfortable moving between cultures and bridging differences. 4. What would you say to parents just starting out at EB? As a former student of EB coming from a family with no background in French, I would emphasize the importance of remembering that EB is not only giving your child a foreign language, but also a culture, and a unique view of the world. They are being given a chance to walk in someone else’s shoes, to see the world from a different perspective. They are planting the seeds of empathy and compassion. 5. Describe your favorite memory from EB. My favorite memory at EB was crêpe day. I remember the first time, when I was in kindergarten I could barely believe what I saw: one whole side of the Multi-Purpose room had a line of tables with adults cooking endless amounts of crêpes, and on the other side stood two tables of toppings, a savory (ham, cheese spinach) and a sweet side (strawberries, bananas, Nutella, and my soon-to-be
discovered favorite, the traditional lemon & sugar). 6. Do you feel that EB adequately prepared you for life after EB? Do you feel you are a citizen of the world? Overall, I would say EB went above and beyond in preparing me for life after. Academically, I felt on par or more often, beyond my age/grade level in subjects, but what EB prepared me for that I didn’t realize or expect was the ethos, moral compass, and just plain perspective of a global citizen. 7. Would you consider sending your kid to EB? Why? Since I was a child, I recognized the beauty and uniqueness of the world that EB created: the community. I’ve never had a doubt that when the time came, if I were able to, I would send my child to EB. In fact, twenty-five years after I started EB, my nephew became a student there!
“Having grown
up in a bilingual and bicultural community has […]created a global citizen who is comfortable moving between cultures and bridging differences.”
2016–2017 Annual Report
EB has influenced my choice of profession in a number of ways. Firstly, the small but mighty theater department in Middle School helped students find their place and passion in the theater world and really helped me grow as I was discovering new aspects of the field (set design, stagecraft, directing). The teachers created roles that would allow me to experience multiple sides of theater: in sixth grade as an actor, seventh as a set designer/crafter, and in eighth as Student Director.
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Alumni Profile: David Breslauer, Class of 1997
you towards your choice of profession? I was always obsessed with science and technology, and the teachers at EB were incredibly supportive of exploration. In math class, I was allowed to program an advanced graphing calculator and for science class projects, Mr. Coup encouraged my Lego robotic creations. The autonomy and personalized attention provided by the EB faculty fostered my scientific inquiry, which is the basis of everything I do today. 4. What would you say to parents just starting out at EB?
1. What did you enjoy most about your time at EB and why?
5. Describe your favorite memory from EB.
As a child, I most enjoyed playing tag in the Big Yard! Looking back, I am most appreciative of the multifaceted perspectives of the world that I acquired. From culturally diverse classmates to the differences in curriculum between “French Math” and “English Math,” EB taught me to appreciate different experiences and viewpoints in the world.
I have fond memories of Mr. Rossman, our science teacher, taking us on walks outside the school area during class. He would point out plants, animals, and insects and teach us about them. He would always encourage us to bring specimens we found into class as show and tell so that he could teach us the science behind them.
2. Please describe your current work/studies.
6. Do you feel that EB adequately prepared you for life after EB? Do you feel you are a citizen of the world?
I co-founded Bolt Threads out of my graduate studies. We harness materials found in nature to create environmentally-friendly and sustainable consumer products. I run the research and development for new materials, currently studying the incredible properties of spider silk and making leathers using mushrooms. 3. How do you feel EB has influenced you or led
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You’ve made a great decision. Now if you can, try to speak French at home! You’ll learn from your child and their language skills will benefit from a more around-the-clock immersive experience.
EB shaped my life by providing me with exposure to the world outside of the Bay Area. I have been extraordinarily fortunate to spend time in many different countries. At EB I learned to appreciate the differences in cultures, societies, traditions, and religions that make up the world and how they all richly interact.
7. Would you consider sending your children to EB? Why? Absolutely. I strongly believe a multicultural and multilingual childhood education is beneficial for raising the global citizens of the future. EB provides this experience on many fronts, from the diversity of classmates and teachers, the combination of courses taught in the American and French styles, the penpals, and the Washington DC and Paris trips. 8. Anything else you’d like to add? Thank you to all my EB teachers from pre-K through 8th grade!
“The autonomy
and personalized attention provided by the EB faculty fostered my scientific inquiry, which is the basis of everything I do today.”
Alumni Profile: Laura Spiekerman, Class of 2000
3. How do you feel EB has influenced you or led you towards your choice of profession?
as well as navigating new cities, languages, and cultures.
EB made me interested in other cultures, and that background was part of what drove me to move to Kenya a few years after college, which was when I discovered my love for building next-generation mass-market financial services and products, first in East Africa and now in the United States. I became interested in that by studying microfinance in Senegal (during college), a country I chose to spend time in because I could use my French!
7. Would you consider sending your children to EB? Why?
1. What did you enjoy most about your time at EB and why? First and foremost, the teachers. I will always think fondly of people like Thierry [Durandard] and Odile [Marie], among many others, who gave me confidence and encouraged my learning and growth over the years. Second, growing up in a bi-cultural community gave me an early appreciation for travel and learning about other people, places, languages, cultures, and cuisines. That has shaped who I am, what I care about, and how I view the world. 2. Please describe your current work/studies. I’m an entrepreneur in the financial services technology space, having started my company three years ago after several years at other startups and investing in private equity & venture capital funds. My company, Alloy, helps enable fintech (financial technology) companies and financial institutions to better manage user onboarding and identity/ compliance requirements.
Exposing your kids to as many cultural experiences—whether local or global— has long-lasting, positive effects. Let them access education and new experiences through something tangible and exciting (e.g. cooking) because there are many years ahead (high school and college) where your kids will mostly be head-down in books worried about their grades. 5. Describe your favorite memory from EB. One of my favorite memories was our 7th grade Yosemite trip, visiting pitchblack caves and learning to rely on each other and our senses to get through them. It was such a fun trip! 6. Do you feel that EB adequately prepared you for life after EB? Do you feel you are a citizen of the world? It certainly made me feel like a citizen of the world, and even now I travel to new places and feel more at home than I would without my EB experiences. I’m more comfortable talking to new people from completely different backgrounds,
Decades later, EB still feels like home to me. I will never forget so many people— administrators, teachers, and students alike—who shaped my worldview and helped raise me.
“Exposing
your kids to as many cultural experiences— whether local or global—has longlasting, positive effects.” 2016–2017 Annual Report
4. What would you say to parents just starting out at EB?
Yes! I’d love to send my kids to EB. I want them to grow up appreciating other cultures and being exposed to things outside our direct sphere of influence. 8. Anything else you’d like to add?
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Alumni Stay in Touch
Reunion Time Every year, we bring our alumni together to reconnect, share memories, and celebrate the holidays with good food, drink, and lots of cheer. Our 18 and over alums gathered in out of the cold at Stella Nonna in Berkeley (owned by an EB alumni parent!), while our high school grads headed to EB’s MultiPurpose Room for photos and galettes des rois. They ate, drank, laughed, took photos, and reminisced about the good old days at EB. It was a great opportunity to see what our alumni have been up to and hear about all the interesting and diverse things they are doing in their communities!
High School alumni gathered in EB’s Multi-Purpose Room in January 2018
A special additional reunion took place during our 40th Anniversary Alumni Families’ Fête this past May. Alumni, alumni parents, former faculty and staff came together with current faculty, staff, and Board members to celebrate EB’s forty-year history and enjoy our beautiful outdoor campus.
EB Alumni Reconnect EB alumni are special. They’re confident, well-spoken, interested in a myriad number of things, and at home in many different parts of the world. We caught up with some of them this year, either at our annual reunions, through our 40th anniversary celebrations, or when they came to give back to EB. Camille Clausen, class of 2009, spent September through November interning in EB’s Development Office. She assisted with alumni projects, database entry, event planning, and more while applying to grad school. We loved having her and welcome any alumni to intern with us! Michael Assadi, class of 2012, came back to EB to participate in our third annual TEDxYouth conference, sharing his knowledge and expertise with our current Middle Schoolers. As an entrepreneur, Michael has developed top charting mobile applications and created a best-selling online course that demonstrates how to make apps. He spoke to our students about “The Power of Starting Now” and achieving the unthinkable through taking advantage of the present. His inspiring story left our students with the idea that you’re never too young to start following your dreams!
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Camille Clausen
Michael Assadi
The Alumni Committee in Action
Alumni Committee
Members of EB’s Alumni Committee at the 8th grade graduation dinner
EB’s Alumni Committee, comprised primarily of alumni parents, was busy this year, volunteering at EB events and helping to plan for our 40th anniversary celebrations. In addition to our two annual alumni reunions, our committee organized a festive barbecue for graduating high school seniors, a tribute party to honor departing 8th grade families and welcome them into the alumni community, and served wine and dinner at the 8th grade graduation dinner. The bulk of the year, however, was focused on our big spring event: our Alumni Families’ Fête on May 18, 2018. Held on EB’s Lower School campus, the fête was a great way for our alumni community to reconnect with EB for a special celebration. Led by Nasi Maghsoudnia White, Karoline Robbins, Roberte Rountree, and Katia Sabbah, our committee members went all out to create a memorable and special evening for former students, parents, faculty, and staff. Featuring food and wine generously donated by members of our community, plus a fantastic high-tech photo and gif booth created by one of EB’s own alums, it was a great night for our alumni community. Other highlights included EB’s commendation awarded by the Mayor of Berkeley, honoring the first recipient of EB’s new Alumni Spotlight Award, listening to the faculty and staff ’s original song about EB, seeing the impressive 40-year collection of EB photos, and gathering our alumni on stage all together. After such a success, we’re determined not to wait another forty years for the next big fête! Thank you to all the Alumni Committee members, alumni parents and students, teachers and staff, and additional volunteers who contributed their time and efforts to making this event possible!
2017–2018 Annual Report
Susan Acquistapace Becky Andersen Brigitte Bastrenta Anne Brandon Pat Burns Christine Chapon Tina Chen-Chardonnet Awatif Chirar Steve Cook Tamara Daney Luz de la Riva Fériel El Ghaoui Fabiola Etienne Joan Finnie Douglas Gostlin Amy Gordon-Risz Hülya Gürtuna Mei-Lin Ha Byers Ann Hasse Brooke Hauch Joyce Hemmer Elizabeth Herzberg Virginia Hoyt Devyani Jain Véronique Jordan Florence Kragen Kathleen Letellier Steve Levine Vivian Lopez Nasi Maghsoudnia White, Co-Chair Michelle Maguire Johnelle Mancha Tina Meyer Susan Nehme Kim Nogay Brenda Ogburn Fatima Osman Gloria Polanski Natalie Powell Rick Richetta Karoline Robbins, Co-Chair Karma Roberts Cottie Rood Roberte Rountree Marie-José Sat Vicki Schumb Joan Steele Nathalie Stringfellow Nathalie Valette Jacqueline Van Lang Susan Vinluan-Morrison Priscilla Wanerus Azadeh Yazdi
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EB Says Goodbye
Thierry Durandard On our 40th anniversary, and with great affection, we want to salute Thierry Durandard, EB’s original gentleman. For the past 30 years he has put his heart and soul into his work and has been a constant in our lives: his elegant presence has graced every Marché, Auction and World Celebrations; he has emceed (and coached from the sidelines) all our Lower School talent shows and led the faculty meetings; his tact and finesse have softened the blow for those students sent to him for discipline. His impact has been felt as a teacher, in Admissions and, most importantly, as our Lower School Head. Thierry has truly left his mark on our school and on all of us. We are grateful for his love of music and finding ways to expose the students to culture—bringing us Opéra à la Carte, the Festival of Lights and the Grade 5 trip to France. We are touched by his care for the school: the way he always took the time to water the plants in the garden and hang the clothes in the lost and found. We thank him for his dedication, his enthusiasm, his kindness and good humor, and for the many personal touches he brought, from the flowers on the table at faculty and staff breakfasts to the countless events he’s hosted in his home. Thierry’s warmth has done so much to make us all feel a part of a community. Though it is impossible to thank him enough for all the extra hours and commitment he has put into his work, we want Thierry to know that he is an essential part of what EB has become, and his efforts are appreciated beyond measure. We hope he realizes how cherished he is, and how much he will be missed.
Faye Fruchtman How fun it is to be greeted by a cheerful kindergarten teacher in the morning! Since 1982, Faye has shared her sense of humor, love for books, and passion for science with preschoolers and kindergarteners. Faye is curious about everything and has taken her students on many paths of discovery and learning. For the past ten years, Faye has found her sweet spot in Kindergarten, with students she calls true pleasers at this age! We thank Faye for always building these young learners’ self confidence, for making them laugh, and giving them hugs. She leaves us with unforgettable memories of her out-of-the-box thinking and suggestions, and how much fun it was when she made them happen! We wish Faye all the best in her retirement—developing her yoga practice, and sharing all of her many stories with her grandchildren.
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EB Says Goodbye
Suzanne McNeill
ALUMNI
Suzanne took on the challenge of teaching first and second grade in 2005 with passion and gusto after one year as a kindergarten teacher’s assistant. Suzanne took EB’s mission of nurturing bilingual children to heart, and has given our students the strong foundation they need to be successful bilingual learners. She has been an example for us all—it’s always such a pleasure to see her students bloom into readers. Her passion was translated in the daily routine of reading aloud to her students, making the stories come alive (including a tea party for the Beatrix Potter unit!). For Suzanne, reading to our students is a way of nurturing them. We wish Suzanne a happy retirement, with more rock climbing, and the joy of sharing her love of reading with her grandchildren.
Colette Lapeyre Colette joined EB in 1982 and was the pillar of the first and second grade team until June 2006. In the fall of that year, Colette became the Lower School librarian, where she brought the same dedication and enthusiasm that she had shared with her students. Colette has always set the bar very high, and she rearranged our Lower School library according to these high standards to make it an inviting and efficiently organized learning environment. In her teaching Colette brought an equal attention to critical thinking, creativity, and rigor.
2017–2018 Annual Report
We are thankful for the example Colette set for students and teachers alike, challenging us (in a gentle way) to do our best. We wish Colette all the best in her retirement, with countless hours of yoga and swimming, and many books to savor.
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Finance Message Nick Waugh Treasurer
Our fortieth anniversary year was a stable one, in terms of finances. We ended the 2017–2018 year with a modest operating surplus of $39,000 (EB’s budget is $14M). The Board remained committed to limiting the tuition increase to less than 5% per year, maintaining a robust financial aid program, and investing in our future. EB’s current ratio is 1.54 as of June 30, 2018. In other words, EB’s current assets (mainly cash) were 1.54 times higher than its current liabilities (mostly tuition pre-payments and vacation compensation owed to faculty and staff). Translated into dollars, EB’s current assets surpassed its current liabilities by close to $3M, which corresponds to approximately three months of expenses. The Board remains optimistic about EB’s financial future, and we are excited to develop the new Middle School space, as well as expand our preschool program with a full TPS class (Young Pre-K). We thank you for placing your trust in us and for being part of this unique school and community. Nick Waugh Treasurer
Antoine Portales Director of Business and Finance
Revenues 90.55% 5.35%
Gross Tuition and fees Ancillary Programs (Extended day, camps, after-school classes, interests)
2.94%
Annual Fund
1.16%
Events and Other Gifts
Gross Tuition and Fees
$12,838,664
Ancillary Programs
$759,244
Annual Fund
$417,127
Events and Other Gifts
$163,879
Total Revenues
$14,178,914
Expenses
Antoine Portales Director of Business and Finance
63.70%
Salaries and Benefits
15.24%
Tuition Assistance
7.17%
Plant
6.08%
Debt Service
5.38%
General and Administrative
2.43%
Instructional Programs
Salaries and Benefits
$9,006,923
Tuition Assistance
$2,154,641
Plant $1,013,530
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Debt Service
$860,411
General and Administrative
$760,789
Instructional Programs
$343,431
Total Expenses
$14,139,725
Development Message Stephanie Sullivan Development Co-Chair
Florence Kragen Director of Development
Stephanie Walton Development Co-Chair
What a year it’s been! Celebrating EB’s 40th anniversary this year has given us the chance to honor our roots and be proud of how far we’ve come. As a community, we’ve given $690,887 in total fundraising revenues this year. That means more support for our students, more training for our teachers, more tuition assistance for our families, and more opportunities for growth and progress. Thank you!
Fundraising Revenues
While the past took center stage this year, we also had the opportunity to embrace new ideas and practices. We kicked off a brand new tradition with lots of gusto: the Run-a-Thon of course! Netting over $36,000, it was not only a wonderful fundraiser, but also a fabulous, healthy activity which was wildly popular with our entire community. We introduced the new EB Alumni Spotlight Award, highlighting alumni who are making valuable contributions through their work and lives.
Retail Programs
$1,849
Place du Marché
$1,726
We have been so touched by your generosity and enthusiasm for embracing our past, while celebrating a new chapter in EB’s history. This year, we danced, we laughed, we toasted, and we broke records. We are inspired by what we’ve achieved and are excited about the journey ahead. Here’s to 40 more years! Stephanie Sullivan Stephanie Walton Development Development Co-Chair Co-Chair Florence Kragen Director of Development
Unrestricted Annual Fund
$417,127
Auction and Gala
$53,702
Run-a-Thon $36,926
Restricted Field Mithoefer Memorial Financial Aid Fund
$100,000
Fund For the Future
$50,450
Endowment
$29,107
60.38%
Annual Fund
7.77%
Auction and Gala
5.34%
Run-a-Thon
0.27%
Retail Programs
0.25%
Place du Marché
14.47%
Field Mithoefer
7.30%
Fund For the Future
4.21%
Endowment
2017–2018 Annual Report
EB was built on a foundation of active parent volunteers and this year really demonstrated how much this tradition still matters. From our tremendous PA leadership; to our dedicated Annual Fund and event chairs; to our faithful Alumni Committee members; to our devoted parents who spent countless hours organizing events, volunteering in the classrooms, driving for field trips, and so much more; we could not have done it without all of you.
$690,887
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Thank You to Our Donors
Hal Stevens and Pria Hidisyan, Annual Fund Co-Chairs
Président ($10,000+) Anonymous (1)
Ambassadeur ($5,000–$9,999) Paul-André Abboud and Kristen Sidell Jaime Araujo-Bézian and Stéphane Bézian Natasha Boissier Catherine Dower and Jon Strich Emma and Eric Gimon Google Inc. Christopher Harrelson and Sara Rahimian David and Yvette Hatton Tanny Keeler and Kent Hodgetts Gideon Myles and Stephanie Battle Stuart Russell and Loy Sheflott Alexandra Thusy-Privat and Guillaume Privat David and Virginia Vogel
Consul ($1,850–4,999)
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Adobe Systems Inc. Arnaud Allezy and Robin Brewer Matt and Kate Arnold Autodesk Julianne Balmain
The Annual Fund campaign is EB’s most important fundraiser of the year, contributing crucial funds to the school’s budget. This year, our incredible team of volunteers, led by our tireless co-chairs Pria Hidisyan and Hal Stevens, worked diligently to ensure our 25-day campaign was a success. Through generous donations from an amazing 87% of our parent community, combined with gifts from faculty, staff, Board members, grandparents, alumni, and friends, we were able to surpass our goal, together contributing a total of $417,177 for our students and teachers. We are especially thankful to the incredible 41 families who joined our 40th anniversary circle this year, making a donation of $4,000 or more to commemorate this milestone (see p. 22). Thank you to our diverse community of givers—you help make EB an amazing school for our kids!
Bank of the West Robert Bartlett and Victoria Plaut Alexandre Bayen and Zoe Abrams Richard and Lynn Bentley Jeremy Bled and Katherine Dawson Eric Bottino and Sara Buckelew Dirk Brockstedt Scott and Jessica Chacon Pierre Chew and Kristin Nolan Pierre-François Choquet and Stéphanie Long Choquet Michael Cohen Thiago Da Costa and Suzy Lord Dell Samir Dzankic and Golriz Ghassem-Ardebili Frank Fletcher and Elisabeth Hruska Setenay and Kenneth Frucht Genentech Benjamin Gold and Pria Hidisyan Dustin Grzesik and Joanne Sum-Ping Dean Hanley and Hélène Cahen David Harding and Minsu Longiaru Gabrielle and Marc Hedlund Joshua and Kelley Hinds Pascal and Tegan Hoffmann Andrew Honan and Anne Chapelle Justin and Brooke Howell Ashley and Anneliese Jameson
Charis Kaskiris and Vanessa Arce-Kaskiris Casey and Catherine Keller John and Janice Kirk Neill Knox and Christine Beliveau Serge Kogan and Stephanie Profitt Jean-Philippe Kouakou-Zebouah and Jesica GoldhammerZebouah Max Kozlov and Tatiana Pavlova Goran and Koraljka Kukic Carl Langford and Wendy Bernstein Mehdi and Caroline Lazar Steve and Ann Lefkovits James Levine and Angela Jacobson Stephen Levine Jeffrey and Eileen Loustau Michael Lukan and Laura Pantaleo John MacFarlane and Colleen Boyle Robert Madison and Alexis Tjian Joy McCarthy Michael, Tina and Joshua Meyer Alain Montiel Roger Myers and Erin McCormick Gregory Nemitz and Sarah Sawyer Adam Noily and Maia BeylerNoily Erich Pfeifer and Kelly EvansPfeifer
Mark and Tracy Poff Kameshwar Poolla and Radhika Rao Olga Popova and David Gay Antoine and Melissa Portales David and Françoise Rees Michael Roberts and Mindy Longinotti James Robertson and Daniela Strijleva Aaron and Stéphanie Ross Christopher and Heather Saulnier David and Laura Schummers Kapil Shrikhande and Sylvia Ratnasamy Mike and Katie Slemmer Sony Interactive Entertainment Edward Sweet and Harold Stevens Nicholas Szeto and Gordon Runnels Ning Tang and Qingfang Wu Robert Tjian and Claudia Belcher Jean-Yves and Karine Tripier Rafael and Yani Vargas Todd Vollmerhausen and Denise Glagau Myrna Walton Stephanie and Zachary Walton Nick Waugh and Riley Bove Aaron and Kate Weiss Wells Fargo Dan Widmaier and Aimee Aikin Bill Woodcock and Audrey Plonk Anonymous (3)
Annual Fund Participation Rates n 100% Trustees n 100% Administration & Staff n
90% Faculty
n
87% Parents
Sources of Giving for the 2017–2018 Annual Fund n 62% Parents n 16% Board n 13% Other* n 5% Alumni/Alumni parents n 4% Faculty/Staff *Grandparents, corporations, friends
In-Kind Donations Mario and Sarah Assadi, GreenerPrinter Aykut Akcaoglu Berkeley Horticultural Nursery Jeremy Bled, Souvenir Coffee Michael Cruse Neree Dastous Michael Lukan, Broadside Wines Luigi Oldani, Oldani Art Studio Stella Nonna
Christopher and Anne Anderson Jonathon Angell and Suna YalazAngell Mark Blake and Sally Stephens Patrick and Hannah BrownLopes Vincent Cocula and Kartika Palar Emmanuel Cohen and Flore d’Astier de la Vigerie Stuart and Vanessa CorreaKendall Phillip and Lorraine DeMello Disney Steven and Betsy Dixon Dropbox Thierry Durandard and Rick Richetta François Gaultier and Rachel Silver Phyllis Grant and Matthew Ross Reginald and Sherryl Hairston Paul Johnson and Joan Steele Philip Kaminsky and Lisa Materson Paul and Robin Kirby Patrick Kirtland Florence and Jules Kragen Sébastien Le Pape and Virginie Arnaud Le Pape Robert Lee and Andrea Bacigalupo-Lee Alex Liu and Crystal Yu Jack and Kathie Longinotti Henry Massie and Bridget Connelly Musa Mawanda and Digne Nahimana Kirill Mazin and Gwen Coyne John McCarthy and Sodabeh Fazlollahi Kili McGowan and Jeremy Townsend Robert Petrossian and Melineh Ohanjanian Maria Ross Alan and Sophie Shabel Alistair Sinclair and Nataliya Libina David St. Jean and Irene Bloemraad Timothy Stokes and Anya Lewis Arnaud Teichert and Chia-Han Jennifer Chang TIAA Thomas and Sharon Vialle
Evelio Vila Sanchez and Marianne Vila-Irissou Matthew Wadlund Gordon and Berna Watson Brian Watt and Daisy Nguyen Wetherby Asset Management Yahoo! Nadia Zaks and Aaron Rust Artur Zawadzki and Anna Zawadzka Anonymous (5)
Diplomate ($400 to $999) Ben Abadi and Christina Coleman Abadi Hiwot Atakilti Anthony Barker Darryl and Khadija Bartlow Maer and JoAnna Ben-Yisrael Rodrigo Castaneda and Adriana Parcero Jason Cohn and Camille ServanSchreiber Jean-Gaël Collomb and Maria DiGiano Freddy and Lisa Corbin Alexandre and Cécile Cottus Michael Cruse and Patricia Grob Stéphane and Delphine Deléger Jean Drapp and Jena Parson Gaspard Duchêne and Laura Sterponi Wilfried and Lorena Eisinger Alexandra Erman Fatimatou Fall and Moussa Dia Rose Fall Anthony Fejes and Elaine Lau Marek Fibrich and Petra Fibrichova Laurent Garre and Agnès Douillet Michael Geddes and Mmakgantsi Mafojane William and Ladan Gehring Jacob and Rhonda Goldstein Rich Gonzales and Mary Kanan Benjamin Grant and Kelley Kahn Mei-Lin Ha Byers and Wayne Byers William and Margaret Hart Laurent Hautefeuille and Daniela Cronembold Joyce Hemmer Saqueo Hernandez and Anais Mazzoleni
Nicolas Janes and Manon JanesRossi Kaiser Permanente Patrick Kennedy and Nichele Harris Ernest and Julianne Knell Matthieu and Christine Kohlmeyer Cécile Laurent Isabelle Le Blanc and Voytek Okreglak Logitech Inc. David Macquart-Moulin and Laura Mitchel Guevara Sylvestre and Angela Marlaud Thomas and Merideth Marschak Gautier Mary-Dauphin and Candis Mary-Dauphin Louise McGowan Kamran and Anosha Misaghi Steven Moore and Carla Vasques dos Santos-Moore Daniel Morse and Nicola Pravato Magali Noth and Micheline Bogey Yousef Nouri and Ann Winterman Jeanne Oakley OSIsoft John Pomfret and Mei Zhang David and Nadège Pouncy Larry Pratt and Christina Wells Phil Purdom and Jennifer Dawson Made Putrayasa and Annette Hackett Steven Ramirez and Jacqueline Espinoza Paul and Ondine Rangel S&P Global Alexander Schopff and Emma Pollack Dirk and Marjorie Setchko Shahin and Muna Shadfar Gary Smith and Coline David Stephanie Sullivan Nicolas Tackett and Kan Liu Donald Thompson and Laura Kuhlemann Brian Turner and Emilie Mazzacurati Louis and Sylvie Vaillant Fair Wang and Hui Chuan Liao Robert Watkins and Mona Moy Brian Wu and Ellen Yu Valeriy and Florence Zakharov Anonymous (6)
2017–2018 Annual Report
Attaché ($1,000–$1,849)
35
Thank You to Our Donors
Membre (up to $399)
36
Robert Abbott and Katherine Fairbanks Abbott Frank and Sandra Acebo Manuel and Claire Acevedo Marie-Anne Allain Cyril and Lorien Allouche Bassem Al-Sady and Hana El-Samad Floriane Anglio Asli Apkan and Stephan Wenger Giovana Arellano Javier Arizmendi and Odile Leland-Arizmendi Samuel and Magali Arons Patrice Aymé and Constance Ramos Jamie Bascom Brigitte Bastrenta and Rudolph Walter Neil and Rosemarie Bell François Besnard and Jennifer Zweig Valérie and Daniel Bishop Michael Biskintawi Natalya Blair Jean-Jacques and Valeska Boissier Gun Bolin and Heidi Mayer Mark Bostick and Marna Mignone Eleanor Boyle Anne Brandon George and Yvette Breslauer Kendall and Cheryl Brown Hervé Bruckert and Emari Dimagiba Chauncey Burnett and Tommy Corbett Patricia Camacho Bénédicte Cambon-Ritter and Mark Ritter Timothea and William Campbell Odile Canadas Bianca Cano Nakamura and Shizen Nakamura David and Laura Carmany Antoine Carrière and Irina WolfCarrière Andrea Cavallo and Kyle Jeffers Maurice Charrière Zeta-Elizabeth Chen Lionel Chocron and Rebecca Malkin-Chocron Ender Choo and Cheah Hui Siow Amod Chopra and Vicky Gellon
Heather Clague Thomas and Laura Clydesdale Jean-Baptiste Cochereau Michael Cohen and Josiane Saulnier Sally Cohen Christopher Colebourn Marie-Claude Colker Richard Colker Pat Conners Steve and Wendy Cook Betsy Cory Patrick Coulon Linnard Craft Addy and Nelly da Silva Lopes Djamel and Rebecca Dahmani Neree and Céline Dastous Luc and Leah DeArmey Natalia Del Pozo Garcia Karine Delambily Clémence Demoncheaux Francis and Ann DiGiano René and Evelynia Dimagiba Daniel Distante Dolby Laboratories, Inc. Lynne Dominguez Clélia Donovan Randall Elarco and Camille Winet Stephen and Theresa Englehart Cédric Espenel and Megan van Overbeek Hervé Estimbre and Caitlin Campbell Abraham and Elizabeth Estrada Syltin Etienne Christopher Evans and Naomi Edelson Virginie Falquerho Marcella Fassò Tom Ferrera Aurélia Filato Jean-Philippe Filhol Joan Finnie Amanda and Michael Fox Faye Fruchtman Miguel and Mayra Garcia Nicolae Garleanu and Linda Cox-Garleanu Oleg Gidirim and Bahar Ozgur Michael Gill and Caryn Augst Michel and Barbara Girerd Mathew Glaser and Maureen Cane Matthew Goff and Dushka Hernandez Michael Goldbach and Zahra Mahloudji
Gabriela Gonzalez Pineda Google, Inc. Jean-Marc and Casimira Gorce Douglas Gostlin Andrée Graham Richard and Gretchen Grant Douglas and Sarah Greenholz Cécile Gregoriades and Paco Link Damon Growl and Johanna Paillet-Growl Romain Guillen and Giselle Vigneron Jennifer and William Hammond James and Cassiopée Hett William Higgins and Susan Knecht Higgins William and Mijo Horwich Phil and Virginia Hoyt Guy and Yuni Huel Eric Hughes and Priscilla Wanerus Nghi Huynh Rotha Ieng Michael Ignaszewski and Barbra Walker Yong Jeon and Cathy Kim Manon and Adam Johnson Michael Jonath and Sylvie Mwila Jonath Kevin and Rosemary Jordan Véronique and Sean Jordan Omayya Kanafani and Logan Ray Sidharth Kapila and Ritu Rai Donald Kelley and Susan Getman Hana and Naji Khabbaz Charles and Alix Koliha Mirza Kopelman Yat Hung Kot and Bo Fun Yuan Patrick Krzyzosiak and Teresa Parker Bruce Kuhlemann Emmanuel Labadie Fanny Labadie Richard and Marie-Paule Laden Alexandra LaGatta Carine Lapicque Hannah Lê Sylvie Le Meur Yves and Sonia Le Traon Hayne and Kit Leland Jean-Marie and Kathleen Letellier William Little Alfredo and Vivian Lopez Richard Lyon Janice MacKenzie-Fast
Nasi Maghsoudnia White Anand Maharathi and Angela Hollowell-Fuentes Steven and Janice Marcom Jackeline and Hugo Mariz Antoine and Chase Martin Kate Massie and Jamal Perry Rosa Materson Jason and Chanté Maxey Matt McCarthy and Anna Kern Andrée McGiffin Robert McLaughlin and Theresa Alfaro-Velcamp Suzanne McNeill Michelle Mebine Kaveh Mehrjoo and Simone Ehrlich Howard Menashe Kevinn Minor and Chanée Franklin-Minor Luc Molitor Kai Moore Béatrice Morand and Ian MacLeod Gregory and Monique Morris Frank Morrison and Susan Vinluan-Morrison Aude Morvan Eric Naiman and Anne Nesbet Chudi Ndubaku and Nicole Blaquière Jane Newhard-Parks Sara Nicklès Carl and Carolyn Nodolf Novartis Thomas Odermatt and Yumi Nakao Luigi Oldani Coretta Ondongo Christopher Osborn Benjamin Padilla and Tamara Garcia Albert Pappalardo Joe Parreira Chris and Trang Pawlowski Michael Pincus Roy and Olga Plaut Corinne Pluche Andrea Popa Jano and Troy Porter David Pruess and Chloe Le Marchand Javier Quintero Emma and Xavier Ragot Erik and Lauren Rainey Bénédicte Remaud Gary and Lee Richter Laurent Rigobert and Ethel Brennan
Jeffrey and Karoline Robbins Dominique Roddier and Wendy Sitler-Roddier Jeffrey Rodriguez Mauricio Rojas-Sandoval and Stéphanie Debourg Andrea Rondini Catherine Ronneberg Melissa Rossi Roberte Rountree Gaël Rozan and Vanessa Kahn David Rust and Joy Smith Hugh Salamon and Beverly King Marie-Elise Sallat and José-Luis Villasante Yves and Estela Sallat Orville and Baifang Schell James and Carol Scherrer Maggie and Jason Schoon Sherry Shannon Peter and Mary Kay Sidell
From left to right: Mei-Lin Ha Byers, Frank Fletcher, Natasha Boissier, Stéphanie Long Choquet, Florence Kragen, Sarah Sawyer, Greg Nemitz, Pria Hidisyan, Hal Stevens, Flore d’Astier de la Vigerie, Andrea Bacigalupo-Lee, Stephanie Profitt, Golriz Ghassem-Ardebili, Stephanie Sullivan, Heather Saulnier, Mehdi Lazar, Steve Levine, Emma Gimon, Reginald Hairston Front: Stephanie Walton, Laura Schummers
Zachary Sifuentes and Claret Vargas Michael Silpa and Jerri Mariott Noelle Simmaly Alison Skubic Bernard Smits and Theresa Nelson Robert Spear Sarah and Andy Spear Vikram Sridharan and Annika Hacin Sridharan David and Erinn Stephan Sébastien and Audrey Strebelle Virginie Téjéro-Gostlin Sarah and Chad Thompson Dylan Thornton and Jennifer Sorensen William Thornton Michael Ting and Stéphane de la Rue du Can Glenn Valenzuela and Itziar Aperribay Domonique Veasley Elodie Voleau Emmanuel Vuillequez and Vanessa Chong Elaine Wang Steven Weinberg and Georganne Ferrier Michael and Evelyne Westerman Mark Westover and Barbara Galligan
Russell Whismore Eric Wilkins and Maureen Akika Arlena Winn Danya Winterman Joshua Wold and Silvana Bacigalupo-Wold Stephen and Laura Wong Michael Yarwood and Adelaide Papazoglou Azadeh Yazdi Kai Zhang and Qi Cai Anonymous (12)
Please Note: Every effort has been made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions. If, however, your name was in some way listed incorrectly or omitted, please accept our sincere apologies. At a convenient time, please notify Véronique Jordan at the EB Development Office at (510) 809-0619, so that our records can be corrected.
Thank you to our generous event hosts Becky and David Andersen Jeremy Bled and Katherine Dawson Christine Chapon and Alan Korman Steve and Wendy Cook Emma and Eric Gimon Pria Hidisyan and Benjamin Gold Ann and Steve Lefkovits, Pacific Landscapes Gallery Nasi Maghsoudnia White Tina and Michael Meyer Karoline and Jeff Robbins Karine and Jean-Yves Tripier
2017–2018 Annual Report
Paul-André Abboud Matt Arnold Charlotte Attry Andrea Bacigalupo-Lee Bobby Bartlett Jeremy Bled Natasha Boissier Riley Bove Flore d’Astier de la Vigerie Frank Fletcher Golriz Ghassem-Ardebili Reginald Hairston Pria Hidisyan, Co-Chair Ashley Jameson Janice Kirk Max Kozlov Ann Lefkovits Steve Levine Stephanie Long Choquet Greg Nemitz Tracy Poff Stephanie Profitt Sara Rahimian Heather Saulnier Sarah Sawyer Laura Schummers Hal Stevens, Co-Chair Stephanie Sullivan Stephanie Walton Berna Watson Arlena Winn
ANNUAL FUND
Annual Fund Volunteers
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Special Gifts
Citizenship Award The Middle School Citizenship Award was created in 2011 to honor a student or group of students for acts of leadership small or large, for inspiring others to higher levels of civic engagement, and for their commitment to building community. The goal of this award is to encourage Middle School students to take positive action in the EB community and beyond by modeling EB values. The Middle School is pleased to grant this year’s award to eighth grader Dorotea “Téa” Bartlett. Téa constantly reinforces the EB Middle School core values of Respect, Discipline, Growth, and Community with and through her actions: She regularly helps others, leads by example, and encourages people to be their best selves. She is one of the founders of the ‘Rights Against Injustice and Stereotypes Club’ (RAIS) and is always looking for ways to improve others’ lives. This year, Téa organized Speech Fund for Kids, a fundraiser for children who suffer from speech impediments, with which she herself has struggled. Téa was a positive force at EB and made an impact through her fundraisers, her RAIS leadership, and the many ways she helped others this year, both around campus and in her home community.
Téa Bartlett receiving her Citizenship Award from Mehdi Lazar, Head of School (left) and Richard Lyon, Middle School Head
Gifts for Restricted Programs
• Watson Long, great grandfather David and Erinn Stephan
• Natasha and Delphine Wadlund Carl and Carolyn Nodolf
• Berkeley Unified School District (Science Project) • The Sequoia Foundation for the Arts and Education (Financial Aid)
• Claire MacFarlane Eleanor Boyle
• Jess and Penny Walton Lynne Dominguez
• Hope Hairston Reginald and Sherryl Hairston
• Ella Zaks David Rust and Joy Smith
• Willow Parks Jane Newhard-Parks
Gifts in memory of…
Gifts in honor of… • Pippa Brown-Lopes Kendall and Cheryl Brown • Marielle, Geneviève and Amélie Bled Phil Purdom and Jennifer Dawson • Patrick Coulon Bill Woodcock and Audrey Plonk • Erin Kirby William and Margaret Hart • Joshua Kaminsky Rosa Materson
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Through a gift of $1,000 from an anonymous alumni family to the EB Endowment fund, the Citizenship Award honors Téa for her commitment and example this year. Bravo!
• Diane Langford Carl Langford and Wendy Bernstein
• Felice Massie Perry Henry Massie and Bridget Connelly • Bénédicte Remaud Bill Woodcock and Audrey Plonk
• Renée Cole Clyde William Little Gun Bolin and Heidi Mayer Stuart Russell and Loy Sheflott
• Margot Saulnier Michael Cohen and Josiane Saulnier
• Greer Collins Chauncey Burnett
• Teachers at EB Thierry Durandard and Rick Richetta
• David Gibbs Jeanne Oakley
• Eleanor Thompson Bruce Kuhlemann • Lorelai Vasques dos SantosMoore Steven Moore and Carla Vasques dos Santos-Moore
• Teresa Goodman Olivia Kragen • James and Miranda Pappalardo Albert Pappalardo • Thomas C. Tellefsen Myrna Walton
Gifts to the Endowment Fund, in memory of Renée Cole Clyde Antoine Carrière and Irina Wolf Carrière Catherine Dower and Jon Strich Setenay and Kenneth Frucht Emma and Eric Gimon Kaiser Permanente Jeffrey and Eileen Loustau Kili McGowan and Jeremy Townsend Emmanuelle and Xavier Ragot Loy Sheflott and Stuart Russell Stephanie Sullivan Todd Vollmerhausen and Denise Glagau Stephanie and Zachary Walton Nick Waugh and Riley Bove
The EB Endowment
Endowment Donors
The Silver Jubilee Endowment Fund was created in 2003 by one of EB’s founders in celebration of the school’s 25th anniversary.
G8 Class Gift Parent Donors
Most recently, in 2015, alumni parents John Rosenthal and Sally Drach established the Fund for Excellence. Allocations from this fund will support specific expenses intended to enhance the educational experience of EB students. Class of 2018 raises $12,007 for EB’s Endowment! In 2008, the graduating students and their parents created an EB tradition of presenting the school with their legacy gifts to the EB endowment. This year, the students and parents continued the tradition through personal gifts, as well as a strong presence at this year’s Marché. Under the guidance and support of Co-Chairs Laura Clydesdale and Catherine Dower, the eighth graders embraced the idea of giving back to EB. They took over the Gâteaux à Gogo table at the Marché, baking and selling a dizzying array of desserts! Every student participated, from set up to selling on the go to promoting their wares—they truly hustled! Beyond these sales, students made their own financial contributions to their class gift alongside their parents’ gifts. Thanks to the leadership, motivation, and encouragement from the Class Gift to the Endowment Co-Chairs, Laura and Catherine, our parents and students raised a total of $12,007 for the Endowment Fund! This total gift was made possible by a generous matching gift of $1,523 from an alumni family. We are grateful for their continued support of the EB Endowment.
Robert Bartlett and Victoria Plaut Ender Choo and Cheah Hui Siow Thomas and Laura Clydesdale Stéphane and Delphine Deléger Catherine Dower and Jon Strich Michael Jonath and Sylvie Mwila Jonath Hana and Naji Khabbaz Robert Lee and Andrea Bacigalupo-Lee James Levine and Angela Jacobson Stephen Levine Jeanne Oakley Stephanie Sullivan Jean-Yves and Karine Tripier Stephanie and Zachary Walton Robert Watkins and Mona Moy
Téa Bartlett Lisette Choo Raquel Clydesdale Koceyla Dahmani Diana Garcia-Becerra Charlotte Gaultier Sarah Jonath Cameron Jordan Fuad Khabbaz Theodore Lee Cody Levine Marco Levine Mahogany Morris Kyler Oakley-Gibbs Anais Reiss Abigale Richter Aceeyah Safi-Eddine Samuel Strich Chloe Tripier Jess Walton
Current Value of Endowment Funds: Silver Jubilee Endowment Fund EB Class Gift Endowment Fund EB Fund for Excellence
$190,147 $118,249 $65,587
TOTAL $373,983
As of June 30, 2018
2017–2018 Annual Report
In 2008, the idea of the class gift, dedicated to EB’s Endowment, was born. For the last ten years, the parents and students of the graduating class have continued this legacy, contributing generously to the EB Class Gift Endowment Fund. Every year, an alumni family offers a matching grant tied to student fundraising. The purpose of these two funds is to provide a source of permanent financial security for EB.
Tanny Keeler and Ken Hodgetts John Rosenthal and Sally Drach See additional donors on page 38
G8 Class Gift Student Donors
ENDOWMENT
EB has been blessed with generous donors who value the longterm sustainability and health of the school. These gifts make up EB’s Endowment, which is currently comprised of three separate funds.
The total G8 Class Gifts to the EB Endowment (from 2008 to 2018) are now equal to $118,249. Ecole Bilingue is proud of this legacy that our students have left behind for future generations of EB families. EB 8th graders run the Gâteaux à Gogo table at the 2018 Marché
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Auction Supporters
This year’s “Forty and Fabulous” auction and gala was just that: fabulous! Parents, alumni parents, friends, and a record number of faculty and staff gathered together in the Claremont Country Club on April 7, 2018 for a night of fun and fundraising for EB. Dressed with a touch of gold, our guests sparkled as they mingled, laughed, bid and danced, all while raising $103,000 for our students! Bravo!
Silent Auction Donors
Stéphanie Ross, Auction Chair
Live Auction Donors 2017–2018 EB Board of Trustees Jaime Araujo-Bézian and Stéphane Bézian Natasha Boissier Michael Cruse and Patricia Grob Lorraine Fenaille and Serge Bouyssou Four Seasons Resort Lana’i Emma and Eric Gimon Paul and Robin Kirby, Kokkari Mehdi and Caroline Lazar Ann and Steve Lefkovits Stéphanie Long Choquet and Pierre-François Choquet Daniel Marschak Kili and Louise McGowan, Next Adventure James Robertson Aaron and Stéphanie Ross Maria Ross Marie-Elise Sallat and José-Luis Villasante Myrna Walton
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Amour Vert Jaime Araujo-Bézian and Stéphane Bézian Azur Wines BeautyCounter, Lynn Bentley Rosie Bell Natasha Boissier Camille DESIGN, Camille Winet Liz and Michael Canady Covert Estate Darioush Winery Thierry Durandard and Rick Richetta Grand Paradé Coffee, Priscilla Mulei William Hart Henriot Joseph Phelps Vineyard Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant Paul and Robin Kirby La Tourangelle, Christine and Matthieu Kohlmeyer Sophie Le Doré Steven Lefkovits, Pacific Landscapes Gallery Stéphanie Long Choquet and Pierre-François Choquet Anand Maharathi, DMD Morningtide, Lisa Fontaine Les Petits Carreaux, Stéphanie Ross Lauren Rainey, DDS Raja Blue, Ann Lefkovits Aaron and Stéphanie Ross Ira Serkes Terry Solomon-Tilley and Brian Hallinan Souvenir Coffee, Jeremy Bled Karine Tripier Troix Noix Wine
Online Auction Donors 900 Grayson Marie-Anne Allain and the students of G2-8 Floriane Anglio, Brigitte Little and the students of K-3 Barney’s Gourmet Hamburgers Berkeley Ironworks Berkeley Repertory Theatre Berkeley Symphony Orchestra Bird & Bean Micheline Bogey Cafe Raj California Shakespeare Theatre California State Railroad Museum Foundation Chez Panisse Chipotle The Coder School Berkeley Karine Delambily, Béatrice Morand and the students of K-4 Thierry Durandard Virginie Falquerho, Hana Khabbaz and the students of TPS/PS-A Petra Fibrichova Jean-Philippe Filhol and the students of G2-11 Fillgood.co Five Little Monkeys Flowerland Nursery & Store Setenay Frucht Gaumenkitzel Restaurant Head Over Heels Athletic Arts Highcom Security Systems Homegrown Oakland Homestead Indy Blue & Co Jack Hyde Soccer Camp Catherine and Casey Keller Kinetic Arts Center Kiss That Frog Kitchen on Fire Cooking School KQED Bay Area, Sarah Sawyer La Méditerranée Hélène Le Guiniec Ann Lefkovits Les Petits Carreaux Little River Inn Logitech Inc. Erin McCormick and Roger Myers
Suzanne McNeill Michelle Mebine Mint Leaf Aude Morvan and the students of G1-10 Oakland Fitness Company Oakland Zoo Pavé Fine Jewelry Design Tatiana Pavlova Perle Restaurant & Wine Bar Picante Tracy Poff Olga Popova Presidio Bowling Center Emma Ragot Emma Ragot and the students of G1-6 Rêve Bistro Rick and Ann’s Restaurant Laurent Rigobert Laurent Rigobert and the students of G1-5 Riva Cucina Rivoli Roughing It Day Camp Sasa Scandia Family Center Semifreddi’s Bakery Shawl-Anderson Dance Center Sideshow Kenneth Solomon Kate Solomon-Tilley Terry Solomon-Tilley and Brian Hallinan Deborah Spangler Stella Nonna Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics Pauline Tajchman and the students of G3 Pauline Tajchman and the students of G4 Pauline Tajchman and the students of G5 Talavera Ceramics and Tile Virginie Téjéro-Gostlin and the students of G2-9 Toy Go Round Karine Tripier Tutu School Berkeley Vibe Pilates Studio, Vanessa Kaskiris Walt Disney Museum Yang Wang
Auction Supporters
Auction Volunteers Auction & Gala Chair Stéphanie Ross Graphic Designer Lynn Bentley Décor Designers Rosie Bell Lynn Bentley Nichele Harris Auction Committee Jaimie Araujo-Bézian Lynn Bentley Stéphane Bézian Baptiste Gouin Mei-Lin Ha Byers Véronique Jordan Robin Kirby Florence Kragen Maria Reyes Stéphanie Ross Terry Solomon-Tilley Event Volunteers Aykut Akcaoglu Flore d’Astier de la Vigerie Rosie Bell Cécile Cottus Michael Elie Randy Griffin Nichele Harris Isabelle Le Blanc Jennifer Monahan Karoline Robbins Stephanie Walton
Special Thanks to Mario and Sarah Assadi, GreenerPrinter John E. Dittoe and Alanna B. Dittoe Margaret Martin, Class of 2015
Faculty Ticket Sponsors Maer and JoAnna Ben-Yisrael Jeremy Bled and Katherine Dawson Natasha Boissier Michael Clausen and Barbara Scullion Frank Fletcher and Elisabeth Hruska Eric and Emma Gimon Jacob and Rhonda Goldstein Casey and Catherine Keller Neill Knox and Christine Beliveau Jeff and Eileen Loustau Michael and Tina Meyer Roger Myers and Erin McCormick Gregory Nemitz and Sara Sawyer Matthew and Brenda Ogburn Matthew Ross and Phyllis Grant Dan Widmaier and Aime Aikin
2017–2018 Annual Report
Winchester Mystery House XOX Truffles Zachary’s Chicago Pizza Zaytoon
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Our Fund for the Future is a special portion of the auction, where funds raised are dedicated to a specific need for EB. This year, the $50,450 so generously contributed by our community has been earmarked for improving the music and performing arts spaces for all our students, from preschool to eighth grade. Studies have shown that exposure to art education promotes self-directed learning, increases reading and writing proficiency, and has an impressive impact on students’ cognitive, social, and emotional development. Skills like patience, teamwork, focus, perseverance, and decision-making flourish through learning a musical instrument, performing a play, or painting a self portrait. We hope to give our students all these benefits and more through the improvement of our Lower School MultiPurpose Room and the new expansion of the Middle School space. Over the next two years, the MPR will be outfitted with professional stage lighting, a new sound system, new video projector, as well as a new stage and backdrop curtains to enhance the atmosphere. At the Middle School, we will equip a new performing arts classroom with a brand new compliment of instruments, a projector, and two miniature digital recording studios that will allow students to express their creativity while building composition, editing, and mixing skills. Thank you to our community for helping us turn these plans into reality!
“We’ll be able to create a state-ofthe-art space for Music and Drama for our students. We envision this being the kind of space that sends the message to our community that the performing arts are an important part of who we are, and what we do at EB.
”
Richard Lyon, Middle School Head
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Fund for the Future Donors Paul-André Abboud and Kristen Sidell Aykut Akcaoglu and Maria Reyes Jonathon Angell and Suna YalazAngell Jaime Araujo-Bézian and Stéphane Bézian Matt and Kate Arnold Autodesk Julianne Balmain Richard and Lynn Bentley Jeremy Bled and Katherine Dawson Natasha Boissier Tarak and Christine Borchani Anne Brandon Bénédicte Cambon-Ritter and Mark Ritter Tina Chen-Chardonnet Pierre-François Choquet and Stéphanie Long Choquet Thomas Clyde Alexandre and Cécile Cottus John E. Dittoe and Alanna B. Dittoe Thierry Durandard and Rick Richetta Samir Dzankic and Golriz Ghassem-Ardebili Alexandra Erman Jeremie Febvre and Charlotte Attry Frank Fletcher and Elisabeth Hruska Emma and Eric Gimon Benjamin Gold and Pria Hidisyan Jacob and Rhonda Goldstein Phyllis Grant and Matthew Ross Randolph and Sylvaine Griffin Brian Hallinan and Terry Solomon-Tilley Justin and Brooke Howell Manon and Adam Johnson Michael Jonath and Sylvie Mwila Jonath Charis Kaskiris and Vanessa Arce-Kaskiris Neill Knox and Christine Beliveau Serge Kogan and Stephanie Profitt
Florence and Jules Kragen Mehdi and Caroline Lazar Sylvie Le Meur and Patrick Coulon Robert Lee and Andrea Bacigalupo-Lee Steve and Ann Lefkovits James Levine and Angela Jacobson Jeffrey and Eileen Loustau Richard Lyon Nasi Maghsoudnia White John McCarthy and Sodabeh Fazlollahi Kili McGowan and Jeremy Townsend Michael and Tina Meyer Gregory Nemitz and Sarah Sawyer Janelle Noble and George Martin Magali Noth and Micheline Bogey Pierre-Ludovic and Kye Perrot Erich Pfeifer and Kelly EvansPfeifer Mark and Tracy Poff Kameshwar Poolla and Radhika Rao Olga Popova and David Gay Antoine and Melissa Portales Emma and Xavier Ragot Laurent Rigobert and Ethel Brennan Sébastien and Marjorie Robert Michael Roberts and Mindy Longinotti Aaron and Stéphanie Ross Christopher and Heather Saulnier Shahin and Muna Shadfar Sébastien and Audrey Strebelle William Stringfellow and Nathalie Dubois-Stringfellow Alexandra Thusy-Privat and Guillaume Privat Brian Turner and Emilie Mazzacurati Jean and Annie Walrand Stephanie and Zachary Walton Mark Westover and Barbara Galligan Dan Widmaier and Aimee Aikin Bill Woodcock and Audrey Plonk
AUCTION
Fund For the Future
Thank You to Our Departing Volunteers: Tom & Laura Clydesdale
Raquel, Jack, Laura and Thomas Clydesdale
From the first minute we walked into EB on our tour, both of us felt a connection. My husband, Thomas, attended an international school in Hong Kong and identified immediately with EB’s multilingual approach to academic excellence. I grew up in Wisconsin and connected with the hands-on learning that leads to creativity and connectivity that I was familiar with as a child. There was never a doubt that our two children, Jack and Raquel (now at Berkeley High School), would thrive in this environment. But for this environment to thrive, we knew that initiative and leadership from the many volunteers in our community was hugely important. World Celebrations, the Auction, Marché, and PA are all examples of the incredible devotion our community has to each other and we wanted to be a part of it. We started small but in lots of different areas; this helped us get a feel for the school and the community. Room parenting, baking/cooking for various events, calling people for the Annual Fund, and working the carpool were just a few things we did early on. However, as our kids got older we felt comfortable adopting areas related to our professional background to assist the school. This is where we felt we made the biggest impact.
At the same time, I was able to leverage my leadership development background to help launch TEDxYouth@EB at the Middle School and to support the very important 8th Grade Endowment program for both of our children’s graduation years. I had so much fun teaming up with Hélène Cahen and Jennifer Villarina to produce our annual TedxYouth event (now in its fourth year). Our EB faculty works incredibly hard to prepare our kids in and out of the classroom, and nothing exemplifies their work more than when our Middle Schoolers take the Tedx stage and own it! Every year, the 8th graders raise money for EB’s Endowment. It was my pleasure to work with Jacqueline Van Lang and Catherine Dower to help spearhead projects the students could sell at the Marché and help our 8th graders learn about the mechanics of investing their proceeds for the school. These are not easy life concepts to grasp, but don’t ever let this kind of advanced learning by our EB students surprise you. I don’t think we could have taken on such weighty projects had we not had the the smaller, but no less important, volunteer experiences early on. Just as the foundation and building blocks for our EB kids began early and on day one, we also felt it was important to jump into this community on day one. Some of our closest friends have come from the connections we made through volunteering and it has been an absolute joy to support our students, faculty, alumni, and fellow parents, all along the way.
2017–2018 Annual Report
AUCTION
Sharing his skills as a CFO in his professional life, Thomas took on the the role of Trustee for seven years. When Thomas became a Trustee in 2007 it was obvious that for the school to be sustainable, we would have to buy our properties and not be subject to the whim of a landlord. As Treasurer of the school, Thomas and the Board successfully negotiated transactions to purchase both the Lower and Middle school properties. It was during our country’s great recession but our entire Board was very experienced and had great resolve. Thomas had incredible support from fellow trustees such as John Rosenthal, Jim Levine, Tanu Sankalia, Mark Poff, Tim Stokes, Lynn Van Housen, and from our Head, Frédéric Canadas. The transaction gave us the ability to enlarge the size of our school campus, and very importantly, create multiple outdoor learning and recreational spaces. This last piece was done with the amazing financial support from our school founders, along with so many members of our alumni, faculty, staff, parent, and grandparent communities.
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Parents’ Association
Ask any parent what their favorite thing about EB is and chances are they’ll tell you, it’s the community. That’s because there really is a special and unique community feeling that makes EB a one-of-a-kind place. It’s a warm, inviting, diverse group of people who make EB as special for the parents as it is for the kids. And these are the wonderful people who make up our Parents’ Association—all of you. This year, the PA, led by an immensely hard-working and dedicated team—in particular Todd Vollmerhausen, Setenay Frucht, Maria Reyes, and Steve Levine —created some wonderful events and collaborated with the Administration to ensure our 40th anniversary was well celebrated within our entire community. From surpassing our goals in the Annual Fund to launching the extremely popular Run-a-Thon—thanks to Maria’s leadership and initiative—to a fabulous Anniversary Week in celebration of EB’s birthday, the PA is present in every aspect of EB life and gives EB its joie de vivre! Thank you to all of our parents for a wonderful year: the level of community participation at EB is truly touching. You create this wonderful community that we are grateful to be a part of. And a special thank you to the PA Board for their leadership, commitment and dedication to the school and the community. We are grateful to have such stellar members of the community taking on these important roles for the school. Thank you to all!
2017–2018 Parents’ Association PA Officers: Anglophone Co-President Todd Vollmerhausen Francophone Co-President Setenay Bozkurt-Frucht Anglophone Co-Vice-President Steve Levine Francophone Co-Vice-President Maria Reyes Secretary Beverly King Treasurer Laura Carmany Communications Secretary Libby Hruska Room Rep Coordinators Sherryl Hairston (PK–G1) Jesica Goldhammer-Zebouah (G2–G5) Karine Tripier (G6–G8)
Committee Chairs: Annual Fund Live & Silent Auction Run-a-Thon Festival of Lights Marché Chairs World Celebrations Welcome Committee/Buddy Program Diversity Events Parent Enrichment Teacher & Staff Appreciation First Friday Coffees Rebates & Scrip
Pria Hidisyan, Hal Stevens Stéphanie Ross Maria Reyes, Mike Geddes Christine Borchani Robert Lee, Natasha Boissier Fatimatou Fall, Alex Lagatta Karoline Robbins, Karine Tripier Anosha Misaghi, Rachel Scherrer Steve Levine Petra Fibrichova Golriz Ardebili, Erin McCormick, Jeremy Bled Yvette Hatton
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From left to right: Golriz Ghassem-Ardebili, Todd Vollmerhausen, Robert Lee, Hal Stevens, Petra Fibrichova, Steve Levine, Erin McCormick, Karoline Robbins, Karine Tripier, Maria Reyes, Stéphanie Ross, and Anosha Misaghi.
Room Representatives
Thank you to our numerous room reps who enrich our students’ experience every day!
Room Rep Coordinators: Sherryl Hairston (PK–G1) Jesica GoldhammerZebouah (G2–G5) Karine Tripier (G6–G8) Ameena Ahmed Aimee Aikin Silvana Bacigalupo-Wold Christine Beliveau Christine Borchani Laura Schummers Hannah Brown-Lopes Maureen Cane Anne Chapelle Linda Cox-Garleanu
Coline David Sodabeh Fazlollahi Petra Fibrichova Golriz Ghassem-Ardebili Gabriela Gonzalez-Piñeda Randy Griffin Laura Guevara Reginald Hairston Will Hammond Nichele Harris Yvette Hatton Gabrielle Hedlund Sharon Jolly Anna Kozlachkova Laura Kuhlemann Laura Kuo Carmany
throughout the school year. We know how much time you spend sending emails and helping to coordinate field trips, carpool, lice checks, teacher appreciation... and the list just goes on. Thank you for your dedication to your classes and to EB; we appreciate each and every one of you!
Elaine Lau Jennifer Le Thery Steve Levine Colleen MacFarlane Chase Martin Candis Mary-Dauphin Kate Massie Emilie Mazzacurati Erin McCormick Tina Meyer Kate Muir Weiss Johanna Paillet-Growl Kartika Palar Yael Perez Rebecca Pluche Andrea Popa
Stephanie Profitt Koraljka Rade Kukic Sara Rahimian Maria Reyes Karoline Robbins Mike Roberts Estela Sallat Rachel Scherrer Marjorie Setchko Rhonda Goldstein Sharon Vialle Evelio Vila-Sanchez Eric Wilkins
2016–2017 Annual Report
Every day at EB is a new adventure for our students. Whether they’re learning about new cultures, studying biology in the garden, or exploring water facilities at EBMUD, they’re only able to do all of this thanks to the work of some incredible parent volunteers: our Room Reps. Thank you so much to all the Room Reps who help both teachers and parents alike
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In Memoriam
Renée Cole Clyde 1971–2017
Douglas Saunders 1949–2017
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Renée Cole Clyde, the mother of three EB alumni, George, Cole, and Adeline Clyde, died from complications brought on by colon cancer on the night of November 27, 2017. She was surrounded by her loved ones. Renée was diagnosed with cancer in January of 2008, when her oldest child, George, was still in PK, and she was in her very first year as an EB parent. Those who knew her, however, will attest that she never let cancer hold her back from becoming deeply interwoven with the EB community. While seeing her children through their daily experiences at school, Renée served as a room rep multiple times, as auction head multiple times, communications secretary and then Co-President of the Parents’ Association, and finally, as an active member of the Board of Trustees. She was also the impetus behind some memorable events in support of EB, such as the annual “Shakescene” dinner and play, staged in June for eight years running, the Moveable Feast, Turkish dinners, and many more. Renée did all this, and also wrote plays, wrote a novel, wrote screenplays, and gave beautifully and generously to everyone she met. Her family is glad to know that Renée Cole Clyde is held fast in the hearts of so many at EB. For it is true that the school became a sacred ground for Renée as the place where she raised her children, walked the halls (often smiling and holding hands with her husband Tom), and made so many forever friends. She will be missed.
Douglas Saunders, dad to Hannah, class of 2007, passed away on December 14, 2017. Douglas was an intrepid explorer, and a legal advocate for people who needed his help. But above all, his passion was as a dad to Hannah. Everyone who knew him would agree that you could not find a more devoted and proud father. Douglas was an involved and devoted parent at EB during the ten years his daughter Hannah attended, and touched many lives both in and out of school. Many students had fond memories of the various games he would play with them, and the silly voices he could do—above all, his Donald Duck impression. He was a real driving force behind the creation of World Celebrations and an avid participant in all school events. We will remember Douglas for his humor, intelligence, tremendous heart, and the love he had for his daughter. To end with his favorite short description of himself—he was a lawyer, but still a nice guy. He will be sorely missed.
EB By the Numbers 2017–2018
total athletic championships
44 students perform in the Talent Shows
of teachers undergo professional development
220 students compete in the DĂŠfi Scientifique
538 pieces of artwork hung during La Grande Lessive
149
personal school laptops given out
100% of staff receive Gender Spectrum training
41%
30 8th graders participate in National History Day
students of color
465 41% students total
students receive financial aid
2017–2018 Annual Report
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57%
76
student hours spent in the new Bricolarium
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Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Oakland, CA Permit No. 259
1009 Heinz Avenue | Berkeley CA 94710
Mark your calendars ➤ NOV 16, 2018 MOVIE NIGHT 7:30–10 pm EB ➤ DEC 19, 2018 ALUMNI 18+ REUNION 6–8 pm Stella Nonna, Berkeley ➤ JAN 11, 2019 EB ALUMNI REUNION 6–8 pm at EB ➤ MAR 16, 2019 MOVIE NIGHT 7:30–10 pm EB ➤ APR 6, 2019 AUCTION GALA 5:30 pm–midnight Claremont Country Club ➤ MAY 19, 2019 LA PLACE DU MARCHÉ 11 am–4 pm at EB
ALUMNI UPDATES
Please send your news to alumni@eb.org Like EB’s Facebook Page at Facebook.com/EcoleBilingueDeBerkeley
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Follow EB’s Head of School Mehdi Lazar on Twitter at @obsbilinguisme Find us on LinkedIn!