Message from the Board of Trustees Advancement Chair

John Hotchkis, Board of Trustees, Advancement Committee Chair

Wow! Another year is flying by. As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, I give thanks to you and the many generous donors who support and enrich our Holy Child school. My family joined the Mayfield Senior School family in 2012 when our daughter, Perry, entered the Class of 2016. Today, she carries the Mayfield ‘Fearless Girl’ spirit as she studies cognitive science at UC Berkeley and our younger daughter, Ellery, is thriving as a member of the Class of 2021. My wife Courtney and I feel so strongly about the benefits of a Mayfield education that we have made volunteering and donating to the school a top priority. Yes, we have happily gone Mayfield-crazy! Courtney serves as president of the Parents Board and I serve on the Board of Trustees as Advancement Committee Chair, taking the baton from former trustee Britt McConnell. During Britt’s five-year tenure, the school raised over $9.5 million dollars for annual, capital and endowment growth initiatives, and we are deeply grateful for his strong and enduring commitment to our school. Thanks, Britt! Now is our chance to do even better!

In this 2017-18 Annual Gratitude Report, we celebrate the generosity of so many parents, trustees, alumnae, grandparents, faculty, staff and friends who have made Mayfield Senior School a philanthropic priority. This past year, our generous donors contributed over $1.3 million to our operating, capital and endowment funds. With your help, the Annual Giving program reached new heights, with a 10% increase in gifts over the previous financial year. Thank you!

Our terrific 2018 Benefit—even with the rain, wasn’t that just the best? The Greatest Show on Bellefontaine honored three beloved Mayfield friends and benefactors, Julie and Tom Condon and Joyce O’Hagan Nores ’49, and was our most successful benefit, raising a record $230,000 in net income. This helped us purchase four new classroom SMARTBoards and 200 Steelcase Node desk units to support interactive learning.

Giving Days were also very successful in 2017-18, from our #GivingTuesday alumnae challenge to the Be Our Heroes crowdfunding day, which featured three special initiatives: a new Latina scholarship in memory of Jeanette Acosta ’04, sponsorship for teachers and students to attend the NAIS Diversity Leadership Conference, and support for our faculty to engage in interdisciplinary lesson planning over the summer.

Many may recall the dull lighting in the Connelly Chapel. No longer! Now, thanks to generous financial support, custom adjustable lighting casts a beautiful glow in the wonderful hub of our campus spiritual and prayer life.

In short, your giving makes an immediate and long-lasting impact. I look forward to seeing many of you on campus in the coming year, and I thank you in advance for your continued and generous support.

Best,

John Hotchkis