Making Our Mark - Winter 2018

st. mark's episcopal school

winter 2018

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#houstonstrong

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m ag a z i n e

vol. 2

parent guild events

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remembering steve salley

winter 2018

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#houstonstrong

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in this issue

events

From the Headmaster garhett wagers

vol. 2

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remembering

Garhett Wagers Headmaster

Mary Brophy, and Kariana Carlson, Class of 2023, support the Houston Astros

Matt, Class of 2027, and Jack, Class of 2025, Kaplan, at Breakfast with Santa

Remembering 8th Grade Science teacher, Steve Salley Ava Toubassi, ‘19, gets a hug from Vero Perryman, ‘27

table of contents 1

From the Headmaster

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Feature: #houstonstrong

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Engaging Children,

Inspiring Learning

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Episcopal Identity

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Student Snapshots

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Student Writers

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Athletics News

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Events

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Remembering Steve Salley

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Development Office

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2016 - 2017 Annual Report

Shray Aliota, Class of 2026, works with Ali Hamzeh, Class of 2021, in Tinker Lab

On the cover: Austen Hill and Vincent Lopez, Class of 2018, experiment in science On the back cover: Peter Pearson, Adell Anderson, and Tyler Jensen-Roman, Class of 2026, pose on the playground

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t would be easy, and, honestly even somewhat acceptable to describe the first half of the 2017-2018 school year as difficult. This is only natural, as there were events that made it such a significant challenge and an emotionally exhausting experience. Two days after school opened, Harvey hit Houston, leaving this city devastated. Many in the St. Mark’s community were impacted, directly and indirectly. The immediate effort required to address urgent needs, and the ongoing challenges people continue to face have worn us out, leaving many to feel in December the level of fatigue that usually comes with May. Our community lost a beloved teacher and friend, Mr. Steve Salley. The suddenness of this loss was like a gut punch in December to a collection of people who were already running on fumes. Additionally, the people of this community still faced the normal challenges of life, work, relationships, money, etc., while feeling exhausted and less equipped to handle them.

That said, I don’t want to write about the sadness. It has become my practice to look for places to express gratitude, especially when things are hard. By focusing on the things I am grateful for, and taking the time to share that gratitude with others, I am reminded that we still have so much to celebrate, despite the challenges life throws at us. I am grateful for an incredible community at St. Mark’s, where many hands helped care for those who lost so much during the storm. I’m grateful for the generosity of folks who

contributed to the Faculty Harvey Relief Fund, which was a true blessing to those on our team who needed immediate financial support. I’m grateful we saw snow on the ground in Houston, and I loved watching our children try to make mini-snowmen and tiny snowballs. In fact, I’m grateful winter actually came to Houston this year. I’m grateful for an incredible team of faculty and staff at St. Mark’s who spend each day nurturing their environment to spark curiosity and passion for discovery in our children. I am grateful we found three incredible new team members to join us in January, ready to celebrate the uniqueness of our children. I’m grateful for my wife, Christine, and my daughter, Isabel, who love me, even when I make it hard. Finally, I’m grateful for our Houston Astros. Of course I love that they won the World Series; what an incredible accomplishment that uplifted this city at just the right time. However, I really appreciate them because they are fun to watch, play the game with integrity, and remind me why I loved baseball as kid.

We wake up each day with a choice: to see what is hard in life and lament it, or to see the joy in the world and be grateful for it. Some days this choice may feel harder than others; for me, choosing a practice of daily gratitude helps me make the right choice for me to be my best self.

Garhett Wagers Headmaster

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It has become my practice to look for places to express gratitude, especially when things are hard.

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n Thursday, August 24, members of the school’s leadership team huddled around a conference table, looking at the radar and forecast, and making a plan. The decision to close school is never made lightly, but we could see that the storm brewing in the gulf was ominous, and that our families may need time to evacuate, prepare their homes, or get Above (clockwise): Sophia Hays, ‘24, and Alex Curran, ‘24, do demo work after Harvey; Coulson Batchelor, ‘21, Beckett Batchelor, ‘23, Nick Gillette, ‘22, and Trip Ducey, ‘19, work alongside 1st Grade Teacher, Lindsey Benefiel, and St. Mark’s dad, David Herr, at the home of a flooded teacher; St. Mark’s parents come together to help another parent, whose office flooded Left: Hudson Chapman, ‘29, poses with Preschool 2s Teaching Assistant, Alfreda Donato, on Go Astros Day

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Above (clockwise): Sofia Mercado, Mia Tribble, and Brooke Crabtree, all class of 2021, pose on Go Astros Day; Sarah Doan, Alex Ortiz, Madie Taylor, Annabeth Whittaker, Allison Artlip, ‘20, decorate Mrs. Anderson’s classroom during advisory in Astros orange and blue; Heldner Roddy, Luke Carter, and Will Ramani, all Class of 2023, support the Houston Astros

provisions for themselves.

When Hurricane Harvey reached Houston over the weekend, we worked quickly to confirm that all faculty and staff members were safe. Then we turned our eyes to our school families, and attempted to understand the impact that the storm was having on our community.

Between August 25th and 28th, Harvey parked itself over Houston, dumping over 50 inches of rain on some parts of town.

As the clouds rolled away, the city rejoiced over the first beams of sunshine that had been seen in Houston in days.

Houstonians did what Houstonians do best - we got to work. Within our community, we saw our families and staff helping one another by ripping drywall, packing boxes, moving possessions, doing laundry, bringing food, providing shelter, holding hands, and praying. We

established the St. Mark’s Community Cares Facebook Group - a private space where school and church families could offer support and ask for help from their St. Mark’s friends and neighbors.

We restarted our school year quickly after Labor Day so we could continue to be a second home to our students and a place that offers consistency and predictability in the lives of our families. In the words of Garhett Wagers, “This is what A Community Engaged looks like from your school. We are engaged in developing and sustaining an atmosphere that stewards our students’ intellectual curiosity, faith, and passion for discovery, no matter the outside circumstances.”

Shortly after our return to school, the Houston Astros made a run for the playoffs.

The city rallied behind our baseball team, unified around the excitement of playing at

the division series, championship series, and eventually, the World Series. Here on campus, we held several Go Astros days, where students could wear their Astros gear to school to show support for our city and our team. When the Astros won the World Series on November 1, the city erupted into joyful celebration. On Friday, November 3, we live streamed the parade, providing popcorn for students as they watched the celebrations taking place downtown. The impact of winning the World Series was bigger than a sporting event to Houstonians this year; it was a tough battle to show the country our strength, resilience, and unity as a city.

While Hurricane Harvey’s impact is still being felt by many in our city and in our St. Mark’s family, we are proud to be a part of a community that cares for its members and offers support to those in need. This year, and every year, we are #HoustonStrong.

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Karen Dunlap

Shannon Duncan

Engaging Children children who love learning” - Robert John Meehan

Kristin Sullivan

Inspiring Learning

Karen Dunlap,

Shannon Duncan,

Kaitlyn Todsen,

Kristin Sullivan,

The reason I came to St. Mark’s continues to be the reason I love St. Mark’s: it is a wonderful community that I am proud to be a part of. I love coming to school each day to work alongside incredible teachers that challenge me to think outside the box and become a better teacher.

This year I learned about the “heart” of St. Mark’s and how truly dedicated and committed we are as a community.

The effects of Hurricane Harvey were widespread, bringing challenges and hardships to many families. In these devastating times, the St. Mark’s community jumped into action embracing those in need and lifting up those facing challenges that seemed insurmountable. I witnessed students, parents and staff working together to help in whatever ways possible.

Every day, I am reminded of the kindness, strength, and generosity of the St. Mark’s community and I am blessed to be a part of it. It is a wonderful feeling knowing I will never walk alone while I am at St. Mark’s.

When I first interviewed at St. Mark’s, I was very happy with the immediate feeling of belonging, warmth, and small community atmosphere. I love that I get to know not only my 3rd grade students, but also their families. It always brings a smile to my face when I see former students around campus and can say hello and continue to connect with them.

In 3rd grade, we embrace our children’s learning styles through the responsive classroom approach, which consists of a set of practices that build academic and social-emotional skills. I see such joy in our children’s eyes when it is time for a morning or afternoon meeting.

They love to sit on the carpet and share their experiences and plans with their friends or ask questions about something we discovered together in our learning.

I love teaching reading to 3rd graders not only because I am an avid reader myself, but because at this age they are not learning to read but reading to learn.

Reading leads to creativity, imagination, and the realization that one can achieve any dreams imagined.

I love St. Mark’s because of the community of educators, families, and students who all work to make this campus such a special place. From events like Scarborough Fair to Breakfast with Santa, the entire community works together to make each of our students feel cherished and valued.

I love teaching science because our classroom is a special place where students can learn through their own discoveries, observations, and discussions with their peers. During our experiments, my students constantly amaze me with their questions and curiosity about the world around us. There is nothing more rewarding than having students develop a love of discovery and science, and I feel that it is such a privilege to teach them.

Over the course of the year I’ve learned that our staff at St. Mark’s works constantly to help each other grow as educators. I am grateful for how much our science department has supported me, which has been a tremendous help during my first year of teaching science. St. Mark’s is truly a special place to be!

I love being part of a community that is always looking for new ways to engage our students. St. Mark’s truly is a place that encourages faculty to think outside the box and find ways to creatively engage students.

Our kids are so curious! I love when I can connect something that we are learning in religion class to what they have learned in other subjects. In 5th grade this fall we made scale models of Noah’s ark using the dimensions given in the Bible. The kids used math skills to figure out how big their cubit was going to be and what they would use to represent it in their models.

It was great to see them using rulers and calculators to make blueprints!

So often faith and church is something that kids see as boring or irrelevant. I love finding ways to make the Bible exciting, and to unpack the story of God in a way that makes kids want to learn more. I want them to think and wrestle with their faith, and I try to give them a safe place to ask question and explore what it means to them.

Preschool 2s Teacher

“Teachers who love teaching, teach

Kaitlyn Todsen

3rd Grade Teacher

3rd through 5th Grade Science Teacher

School Chaplain; Religion Teacher

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The Liturgical Calendar

Episcopal Identity

A liturgical calendar helps us to orient ourselves on God as we move through the year.

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Rev. Kristin Sullivan, School Chaplain

Left: Leo Olivarez, ‘25, in chapel

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ost weeks when students walk into my classroom their first question is, “did the arrow move?” The arrow they are talking about is the pointer on the liturgical calendar that hangs on the wall of the religion room. This liturgical calendar helps us to orient ourselves on God as we move through the year. Unlike a traditional calendar that has a start and finish, a straight line of motion, the liturgical calendar moves in a circle.

Each year we move from the beginning of Advent, through Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Pentecost, and the long green season after Pentecost...and then we start all over again.

In school we celebrate these liturgical season in the classroom and in chapel. We remember how God has worked in history and how he still works in our lives today.

We watch as the colors that hang in the chapel change, and count down weeks until Christmas, or Easter. The liturgical seasons give us a chance to step back and prepare ourselves for the mystery of God among us; to make sure that we don’t miss what is happening in the midst of our busy lives. The liturgical year orients us to God, and helps us to remember the sacred that is lurking in every corner of our lives.

Lucas Inman, ‘26, acolytes during Early Childhood Chapel

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Ava Phillips, ‘18, at Genius Hour, a self-guided, capstone study where students are challenged to think about a passion or an interest that they would like to explore further

Student Snapshots st. mark’s lions making our mark

Catie Merrill and

William Walker, ‘28, wears his turkey

Elise Stewart, ‘26, show the

crown at the Thanksgiving Friendship Feast

spiders they made with Mr. Salley as a part of a science project

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A group of students from the Class of 2028 learn about the violin from a guest musician from the University of Houston

The Class of 2025 learns about Diwali from a classmate

Top Row: Rats! The Musical was a great hit!

Ann Michelle Manner, Sarah Doan, Alex Flores, and Wesley Barton, ‘20, perform on stage

Carson Ferstl, ‘18, at Genius Hour, a self-guided, capstone study where students are challenged to think about a passion or an interest that they would like to explore further

Mrs. Jackson’s Kindergarten class received a visit from famous Houston Sculptor, David Adickes, who poses here with Ryan Ackerman, Johnny Carlton, and Merrick Roth, all Class of 2026

Scarlett Murphy, ‘25, tries honey with apples as the 1st Grade students learn

Left: Philip Holmes, ‘27, listens to a guest speaker from the Houston Audubon who came to speak about owls

about the Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanna Ella Johnston, ‘29, on the playground

Leanne Currier, Tess Padon, Greer

Kiera Gilmour, ‘22, reads

Drinnon, and Jamilah Citizen, ‘18,

during Lessons and Carols

experiment with dry ice in science

Student Writers marking their own stories

Shown clockwise: Tessa Dillard, Colin Livingston, and Caden Albright, all Class of 2022, show their In December books

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ODE TO MY CREEK

ODE TO WORDS

Going going gone leaving me with frozen feet watching the golden leaves fall effortlessly from their perch above where they plunge into the roaring whirlpool making themselves frozen there they get swished around then dunked going going gone they emerge 6 feet later a mouse hops on they move together as one downstream they crash into the bank the mouse jumps off then the water carries the leaves away until they’re just a memory gone

Words.

Scattered.

But then you fit perfectly together to make a perfect sentence.

The ink of the pen soaking into the paper as a new story begins that turns into a magical story of wonder.

You fill up the pages of a blank notebook and capture people’s thoughts and dreams.

The way you can hurt and heal, the way that you can describe things, is deeper than the unfathomable darkness in the deepest depths of the ocean.

You help us express who we are.

You are a carousel that never stops turning.

You can be powerful alone, but when you come together as one, You make a story come to life.

By: Abby Golub

By: Layla Younis

Above: Students in 7th grade (the class of 2019) wrote odes to celebrate an object that represents something they love to do and pay tribute to it in an exaggerated way. Students showed tremendous growth as writers in their use of figurative language, line and stanza breaks, rhythm, clarity, and the emotion conveyed in their poems. Students also improved their speaking skills by practicing eye contact, posture, pitch, pauses, clarity, volume, and expression in order to perform their poems in a compelling way for the audience.

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Athletics News

it’s always writing season at st. mark’s! our athletes gain inspiration for poetry on the field, court, and track. read more about the class of 2019’s odes on page 17.

fall sports

We had a great fall athletics seasons!

Our lions represented St. Mark’s well, and had a lot of fun on the track, field, and court. Basketball season continues through January, and then we’re off to our spring sports: baseball, golf, tennis, and track and field.

Right: Varsity Soccer; JV Soccer

Soccer | 2 Teams | 29 Student Athletes Varsity | 2-5 Overall Record | 2-4 Conference Record JV | 8-1-1 Overall Record | 1-0 Conference Record

Top Row: Varsity Volleyball; JV Red Volleyball; JV White Volleyball; Bottom Row: 6th Grade Volleyball Team; 5th Grade Volleyball Team; Cross Country

Volleyball | 5 Teams | 45 Student Athletes Varsity | 5-17 Overall Record | 0-12 Conference Record | 2nd place finish in the Silver Division of the Bellaire Tournament JV Red | 11-6 Overall Record | 9-4 Conference Record JV White | 3-5-1 Overall Record 6th Grade Team | 8-6 Overall Record | 1-5 Conference Record 5th Grade Team | 5-7-1 Overall Record Cross Country | CiCi Calhoun, ‘18, placed in the top 10 in every race she competed in this season Sixth in the Trinity Klein Meet | Fourth in the Houston Christian Meet | Third in the St. John’s Maverick Ramble Second in the Westbury Classic Meet | Second in the GHAC Cross Country Championships 18

From Top: Georgia Bailey, 2020, serves the ball for a volleyball game; Oscar Lipski and Clive Kurtin, both class of 2020, playing soccer; Jack Hrachovy, class of 2019, takes a shot at a basketball game

O’ tennis racket You are my shield and sword You protect me and keep me from harm You deflect the malicious yellow bullets away from me Your glorious wires hit the ball at the speed of light The ball cracks as you collide with it Defender of the court Protector of my doubles partner You serve with pristine perfection When you tap the ball, it soars With gracious speed and accuracy The ball will strike the court with the strength of a lightning bolt Your intricate strings woven to perfection Your grip wrapped to perfection Your beautiful frame ever so perfect You are a racket of perfection Each point ends with a strike Each set ends with a smash Each game ends with a bang O’ but each tournament ends with you - Garner Kelling, St. Mark’s Class of 2019

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Events

co-sponsored by parent guild

Walker Evans, ‘24, flies high at Scarborough Fair; Eleanor Durden and Lulu Kovalik, ‘21; Wheatley Ducey and Yasmeen Younis, ‘22, enjoy Scarborough Fair

Our Parent Guild Officers at Scarborough Fair, Charlene Coddington, Ashley Baxter, Sara Elkins, and Jennifer Anderson

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vents at St. Mark’s are part of what makes our community special. These fun opportunities to come together bring joy to the faces of our students and help us preserve childhood. Many thanks to our Parent Guild who lead or co-sponsor these events with St. Mark’s.

Save the Date for these Upcoming Events

Scarborough Fair October 28, 2017

Grandparents and Friends Day

November 17, 2017

Breakfast with Santa December 2, 2017

February 27, 2018 Viewing of Screenagers April 27, 2018 All School Field Day

Left: Sophia Shaw,’26, and her sister, Emmie Shaw, ‘29, pose with Santa at Breakfast with Santa Photo Credit: Meredith Flaherty

Alyssa Skaggs, ‘23, and her dad, David, at Dads Donuts

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Remembering Steve Salley january 26, 1950 - december 3, 2017

Above: Steve Salley, 8th Grade Science Teacher, served St. Mark’s from December 2012 to December 2017; Mr. Salley being recognized by Ms. Hernandez’s 8th grade advisory from the Class of 2016 in 2014

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he St. Mark’s family lost a beloved member of the community in December.

Steve Salley was our 8th grade science teacher and had recently been appointed as a science expert for our early childhood and early elementary science programs.

Coming out of retirement in 2012 to serve as a long-term substitute for 7th and 8th grade science, we were fortunate to hire him full time and spend 5 years with Mr. Salley.

Mr. Salley’s 45 year career as an educator spanned across various school districts and cities. He taught children as young as three and as old as 18, in schools with a wide variety of racial, ethnic, and socio-economic diversity. According to Mr.

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Salley, “In common, all [students] are the most precious of our resources. All can and do learn. Coming from different life experiences, all require unique, individual teaching methods and tools to learn. Also, they all need positive role models in order to remain on the road to find success in learning, and in life. My goal is to do everything in my power to assist children to succeed.”

Mr. Salley truly lived our mission.

He celebrated the uniqueness of each individual as he created a space where we could be curious, playful, and joyful. As a school, we are committed to striving to emulate his example to honor his legacy.

Right: Kristen Cleary, ‘20, reads the tributes shared by students on Mr. Salley’s lab door and windows

Development Office

update on annual fund | upcoming gala

Lou Ellen Stansell Director of Development

april 20th Save the Date | April 20, 2018 Join us on Friday, April 20, at the beautiful St. Regis Hotel. We invite all parents and friends of St. Mark’s to faire la fête with us for an evening full of festive cocktails, delicious fare, and great company. The origin of the word rendezvous in French is “present yourselves!” and we hope you will all do just that at this très chic affair.

Merci in advance for your support!

Underwriting and reservation opportunities are available online at: www.bidpal.net/stmes2018 If you are interested in donating an auction item, we would love to work with you!

Rohan Chaudhry, ‘27, plays with Gustavo Solari-Neumann, ‘19, in the courtyard

St. Mark’s Annual Fund

The St. Mark’s Annual Fund continues to be a source of pride in our community.

We facilitated an abbreviated parent campaign this year, due to Harvey. With active fundraising happening between October 1 and November 30, we were able to reach 83% participation in just 8 weeks. As a reminder, our parent campaign has ended, but gifts can still be received, and counted. We receive gifts from Grandparents, Alumni, and Friends

Aimee Shapiro aimee_shapiro@yahoo.com or

throughout the year and we remain grateful for this important support. If you still wish to give, you can do so at www.stmes.org/makeagift.

We are especially thankful for Gury and Pratik Doshi, shown here, who served as Annual Fund chairs for this year’s 201718 campaign. They recruited a strong group of Class Representatives who we rely on to make this effort successful. We are especially appreciative of their flexibility and enthusiasm for this crucial initiative in a unique year with the challenges of the fall.

Joanie Andrews andrewsfamily777@gmail.com

merci Gala Chairs Cecilia Edwards, and Merrily Calhoun Auction Chairs Aimee Shapiro, and Joanie Andrews

2017-18 Annual Fund Chairs Gury and Pratik Doshi

Decor Chairs Tori Fitzpatrick, and Jackie Freeman

Class Representatives

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Please email our auction chairs,

8th Grade

Donna and Mike McGinnis

2nd Grade

Kourtney and Vijay D’Cruz

7th Grade

Kelly Apple and Jason Orsak

1st Grade

Sonia and Gary Monteiro

6th Grade

Julie and Stephen Chiu

Kindergarten Ana Lisa Ramirez-Chapman

5th Grade

Katie Van Immerzeel and

and Mike Chapman

Brandon Anderson

Pre-K

Winnie and Ben Powell

4th Grade

Freda and Michael Lee

Preschool 3s Heather and Stephen O’Keefe

3rd Grade

Hilary Suzawa and Daniel Lemke

Preschool 2s Jennifer and Ryan Cassens

Parent Socials Elizabeth Trammell Student Socials Stacia Currier, Hazel McWhinnie, and Angela Lopez Student Art Jennifer Ducey

St. Mark’s Episcopal School 2016-2017 Academic Year At a Glance

A Note from the Director of Development A Community Engaged in Giving

473 TOTAL ENROLLMENT

ENROLLMENT 51

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2016-2017 Annual Fund

We owe a debt of gratitude to Danielle and Josh Batchelor, and to our dedicated Class Representatives for their excellent leadership of the 2016-2017 Annual Fund. The Annual Fund continues to be the most important way that we fundraise at St. Mark’s and the best way to support our children’s experience here. Donations to this fund impact our ability to provide enhanced curriculum, strong professional development, continually updated technology, and improvements to our facilities and campus. We reached new heights last year, raising $426,993 for our Annual Fund. In addition to reaching 100% participation for our Board of Trustees and faculty and staff, we reached a remarkable 90% parent participation.

capital campaign goal during this period.

The official end to our fiscal year was June 30, 2017 and at that time we had reached a phenomenal $1.9 million. Be on the lookout for our final campaign report, coming soon!

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CLASS OF

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2017

7TH

2018

6TH

2019

5TH

2020

4TH

2021

3RD

2022

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Pre-K 2026

Pre-3S

Pre-2S

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Parent Guild & Volunteers

Our parent organization enthusiastically serves the needs of our student and parent community with numerous events, and programs. St. Mark’s parents are uniquely passionate, and their commitment to our community shines through their efforts.

We are tremendously grateful for the work of Suzanne Hays, who served as the Parent Guild president for the 2016-2017 school year. Part of what makes our community warm and inviting are traditions like Scarborough Fair, Breakfast with Santa, Parent Education events, Dads and Donuts, Visiting Authors, Grandparents Day, and the New Family Ice Cream Social. There are also parent volunteers on our campus literally every day working in classrooms or the library, facilitating classroom events or serving the Friends of the Library program. When we have tried to enumerate the number of volunteer hours that it takes to make a year at St. Mark’s run, the process is overwhelming. But our parents don’t volunteer here to be counted or be recognized, they do it to make us better and our community stronger. They also help us have a whole lot of fun along the way.

A year’s worth of gift recognition appears in the pages that follow. We are proud to present this to you in a new format, and we hope you see the cumulative impact that we make as a community. We are a community engaged in giving with our time, talent, and treasure, and we thank you for your investment.

ANNUAL REPORT FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

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COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHICS

Fundraising 5% Annual Fund 2% Gala 2% Capital and

Designated Gifts Other 88% Tuition and Fees 4% Auxiliary Services

80 60 40 20

70% Salaries and Benefits 10% School Program and

Instructional 7% Maintenance and

Utilities 6% General and Admin 4% Financial Aid /

Tuition Assistance 3% G Building 1% Gala and Fundraising

100 80 60 40 20

Student Body 67% Caucasian 13% Bi-Racial / Other 7% Asian 6% Hispanic 6% Chose Not to Answer 1% African American Faculty and Staff 64% Caucasian 14% Hispanic 7% Chose Not to Answer 6% African American 5% Asian 3% Bi-Racial / Other 1% Native American

67%

7% 6%

1%

6%

64% 6%

5% 6% 14%

7% 1%

*For the 2016-2017 school year, our ethnicity options in our student information system are: African American, Native American, Hispanic, Asian, Bi-Racial / Other, and Caucasian. Beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, our options will be more inclusive and comprehensive.

STUDENT RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION Sincerely,

More. The St. Mark’s Campaign for Growth

The 2016-2017 school year marked the second year in our new expanded space, and we continued to fundraise for our

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REVENUE

It is my privilege to continue to serve the community of St. Mark’s Episcopal School. In each of my 6 years here, I have been reminded of the incredible generosity of our families and parents for different reasons. The 2016-2017 school year was marked with continued success in the Annual Fund and our other programs.

As we forge ahead into the new year and the current priorities for St. Mark’s, it is sometimes difficult to pause and reflect upon the previous year. However, part of how we steward your gifts to St. Mark’s is through an Annual Report, which you may have seen on our website in the past.

Our new robust magazine affords us an opportunity to tell our story in real time, and it seems prudent to recognize our generous community in this printed form, alongside this publication. We remain enormously grateful for your support and confidence in us.

EXPENSES

Annual Report 2016-2017

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Lou Ellen Stansell Director of Development

1% Jewish 1% Muslim 2% Hindu

36% Chose Not to Answer

60% Christian

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LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

Annual Report 2016-2017

Emily and Joe Bill Whittenburg

Carolyn and Edmund Gaither

Trepanjeet and Jasvinder Sidhu

Joanie and David Andrews

Ketti Awad and George Younis

Carrie and Tim Gillette

Lisa and David Skaggs

Jae and Michael Graham

Grace and Benjamin Smith

Stasa and Michael Cushman

Sheryl Gussett and Phil Watts

Kristina Shu and Dean Smith

Shalini Dalal

Suzanne and John Hays

Sharon and Scott Soler

Randall Davis

Cathy and David Herr

Rita and Michael Stringer

Alex and Matt Doan

Amanda and Daniel Hrachovy

Yan Gao and Lei Sun

Cecilia and James Edwards

Rele and Saheed Jimoh

Liesbeth and Tim Tieleman

Peggy Eggelston

Jenny and Mark Johnson

Walter Lynch and Emily Todd

Stefanie and Ole Engels

Denise and Chad Joost

John Tressa

Amy and Eric Enger

Megan and Kevin Kaplan

Julie Kinzelman and

Diane and Glenn Finch

Jennifer and Ryan Cassens Catherine and David Crabtree Allee and Jim Crosby Jackie and Scott Freeman Yasmine and Mauro Gibellini Amy and Mark Melton Elizabeth and Christopher Mooney

HEADMASTER’S COUNCIL Sarah and Robert Amato Anonymous Marie and Charles Anstead Kathryn and Mark Artlip Najat and Ruchdi Barakat Laura and Steve Bradford

2016-17 ANNUAL FUND CHAIRS Danielle and Josh Batchelor

CLASS REPRESENTATIVES Laura and Steve Bradford BriAnne and Brian Dillard Tori and Sean Fitzpatrick Holly and Hugh Heslep

CIRCLE OF EXCELLENCE

Jill and Jerry Brooks

Danielle and Josh Batchelor

Kari and Kevin Brophy

Michael Bollinger

Karla and John Buergler

Karen and Michael Brisch

JoAnna and Allen Burton

Marsha and Sam Dodson

Beth and Ed Cadena

Jane and Robert Durden

Merrily and Jack Calhoun

Janice and Richard Kellogg

Julie and Stephen Chiu

Alyson and Ryan McConnell

William Citizen

Donna and Michael McGinnis

Sallie Morian and Michael Clark

Lauren and John Toubassi

Julie Kinzelman and Christopher Tribble Amy and Mark Melton Bethany and Chad Pedley Jessica and Ethan Phillips Cortney Richa-Hebert Emily and Matthew Spalding Lou Ellen and Brian Stansell

Sherry and James Kennett

Christopher Tribble

Michael Curran

Kelli and Joseph Gallegos

Jill and Clay King

Kathy and Jeff Vrabec

Jamie and Greg Grissom

Pamela and Jason Klein

Aniko Sabo and Richard Willson

Sowmini and Ravi Gudimetla Harleen and Abhinav Gupt

Diana and Roger Kurtin Hilary and Daniel Lemke

INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Laurie Hatfield

Abby and Cory Ludens

PRESIDENT’S LIST

Natasha and Darren Hill

Elizabeth and David MacConnell

Catherine and Mehmet Akay

Richa Himani and Neeraj Hingorani

Julie and Rob McGarr

Jonathan Aliota

Angela and Alex Holmes

Charlene and Justin Coddington

Robin and Kevin McGowan

Anonymous

Bruce Holzband

Mina and Robert Covington

Allison and Patrick Miller

Teresa and Roberto Ardenghi

Katie and Bradley Honeycutt

FOUNDERS’ CIRCLE

Kourtney and Vijay D’Cruz

Sonia and Gary Monteiro

Barbara and Dan Batchelor

Sonja Bruzsaukas and Houston Haymon

Kathryn Van Immerzeel and

Anton and Oxana Derkach

Susan and Ken Murphy

Benjamin Baze

Tiffany Tran and Phan Huynh

BriAnne and Brian Dillard

Susan and James Newell

Margaret and Bob Baze

Jill and Gregg Jackson

ZoeAnn and Judson Bailey

Alison Dodson

Heather and Stephen O’Keefe

Terri and Darden Bourne

Alicia and Corey Jensen

Ron and Dana Bankston

Bradley Dodson

Mary Healy and Paul O’Sullivan

Jessica and Ken Breitbeil

Jayne and Garrett Johnston

Abbey and David Branch

Pratik and Gury Doshi

Kristin and John Ownby

Kelly and Damian Burke

Deborah and Keith Jones

Anne and Shawn Cleary

Jennifer and B.J. Ducey

Kenneth Parker

Patricia and Steve Carter

Jessica and Daniel Keiser

Angela and Brandon Fisher

Nancy Gilbertson and David Dutch

Jessica and Ethan Phillips

Cookie and Lee Centracco

Holly and James Kinahan

Hanan and James Harkness

Sarah and Earl Dyke

Allison Piper Wall

Caroline and Brody Chapman

Kristin and Gregory Koush

Holly and Hugh Heslep

Nicole and Don Ellithorpe

Amanda and Jack Robbins

Ana Lisa Ramirez-Chapman and

Gisette and David Leathers

Alexandra and Zachary Inman

Kelley and Stephen Eubank

Deborah and David Roylance

Allison and Pablo Mercado

Susanne and Randall Evans

Briar and Ian Salmon

Enriqueta and John Merrell

Tori and Sean Fitzpatrick

Kirti and Sailesh Saxena

Rupesh Vakil and Ajanta Patra

Margaret and Tanner Franks

Amy and Peter Scaff

Corrie and Bruno Chumpitazi

Amanda McCann

Leslie and Ed Royer

Jennifer and Jason Funderburk

Jeannie and Craig Schneider

Jessica and Gregory Cortez

Jessica Cook and Christian Mehnert

Greta and John Rytlewski

Jennifer Finch and Hank Fuselier

Aimee and Dan Shapiro

Allyson and Michael Cunius

Beth and Scott Meshberger

Brandon Anderson Andrea and J.P. Hoelscher

Maria‑Isabel Zapata and

SOCIETY OF ST. MARK’S

Mike Chapman Larissa Meyer and Kristofer Charlton-Ouw

Freda and Michael Lee Liana and Tim Madraimov Ashley and Christopher Martin

29

2016-17 ANNUAL FUND INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Sara Ruppelt and Daniel Metzen

Tonja Martin and Claire Harvey

Jennifer and Trey Clark

Gail and Carl Reed

Ms. Caitlin Dillon

Allison and Ben Sonnier

Ramona and Dennis Murphy

Elizabeth and Michael Hatfield

Melissa Luzardo and Martin Cocco

Catherine Rodriguez

Mrs. Kristen Dorton

Lou Ellen and Brian Stansell

Rakshanda Aslam and Tariq Muzzafar

Kimberly and Charles Hebenstreit

Stephen Cooper

Cynthia Russ

Shannon Duncan

The Reverends Kristin and Brad

Karen Dunlap

Amal and George Nassar

Lori and David Hess

Stacia and David Currier

Ellie and Patrik Ryham

Bethany and Chad Pedley

Angela and Edgar Lopez

Heather Davis‑Thraen

Cindy and Howard Schmerin

Laura and John Giffin

Grace and Joseph Tan

Winnie and Ben Powell

Jai and Karan Madan

Allison and Clinton Doerr

Patricia and Leslie Shockley

Allison Gras

Amy Tichacek

Lauren and Michael Pulido

Elina and David Madrigal

Paige Dominey

Elaine and Gary Skaggs

Ines Grimaldi-Hakam

Ms. Kaitlyn Todsen

Yassin Sallam and Naveen Rabie

Amanda and Richard Makin

Gerri Kiefer and Rodney Drinnon

Ruth Ann and David Stiles

Sally Hale

Mrs. Kerrie B. Upenieks

Ruby and Alfonso Ramirez

Clark Maloney

Roxanne and Cullen Evans

Lisette and Paul Theriot

Leticia Hernandez

Kristin and Darrell Uptmor

Marcia and Leslie Randall

Kesha Mclean

Jessica and Christopher Farley

Elizabeth Trammell

Steve and Bobbye Hicks

Chau T. Vu

Christine and Brian Rew

Amy and Eric Moen

Lucinda and Brad Fleming

Patty and Christopher Wailes

Janet A. Hinojosa

Christine and Garhett Wagers

Alla and Tiberiu Riconte

Mark Padon

Amie Flowers

Nancy and William Warren

Andrea and J.P. Hoelscher

Barbara and Philip Williams

Sarah and Jonas Risen

Kathryn and James Prappas

William Frame

Carrie and Neil Willard

Dorinda and Craig Howard

Cindy Williams

Mitzi and Franscisco Rivero

Jill Reno

Clarence Gilmore

Lu Wolfe

Jean Marie and Cutter Howard

Mrs. Michele Woods

Carolyn and Oliver Rodz

Sandra and Craig Richa

Elizabeth and James Glenn

Emily and Matthew Spalding

Lisa Roth

Dina and Dee Green

Deanna and Michael Thomas

Carla and Reagan Singer

Elizabeth Strelow and Neil Gross

Tara and Shane Treleaven

Denise and Martin Snyder

Jamie and Russell Hardin

Kim and Jeff Van Gundy

Jill and Ben Stamets

Julia and Matthew Hastings

Ara and Phillipa Vaporciyan

Amy and Mark Thibodeaux

Benjamin Hildreth

Julie and Sonny Vu

Jill and Barkley Thompson

Candice and Kevin Hude

Priscilla and Keith Wellmeyer

Anuja and Udayan Vyas

Jennifer and Ross Huthmacher

Crystal and Michael Williams

Carmen Watrin

Cindy and William Irr

Dyann and Malcolm Whittaker

Trudy and Robert Johnson

Dora De Los Santos-Wilson and David Wilson

HONOR ROLL

Jeena Varghese and Justin Jose

Linda and Wayne Adamson

Elizabeth and Marc Kilbride

Elizabeth and Sergio Amelio

Maria and Anatoly Kolomeisky

DEAN’S LIST

Jennifer and John Anderson

Kathryn and Edward Kovalik

Emily and Gerardo Amelio

Anonymous

Emily and Alexander Large

Anonymous

Natalie and Mauricio Ariz

Wendy and Thaddeus Leopoulos

Rose Anton

Emily and Art Armenta

Friederike and Roy Lipski

Mary Rose and Link Browder

Ana and Giorgio Bampi

Leslie Manner

Ana and Alberto Caudillo

Bevin and Michael Barrett

Tracy and Scott McKinney

Angie and Vik Chadha

Ashley and Aaron Baxter

Cass and Scott McNinch

Victoria and Bruno Chumpitazi

Kendra Baze

Elizabeth and Ilyas Colombowala

Kimberly and Wolfgang Winkelmayer Stephanie and William Young

30

Pam and Ron Jorgensen

IN HONOR / IN MEMORY TRIBUTES Susanne and Randall Evans in Honor of their grandchildren, Catalina Amelio, Julian Amelio, Walker Evans, and August Evans Mr. Richard Lackey in Honor of his grandchild, Kendall Keiser

FACULTY AND STAFF Margaret and Michael Alvarez Christine Anderson Anonymous Gauri and Mohit Arora Ms. Elise Banks Ms. Julie Barker Scott and Cathy Basso Sara and Nicholas Beckman

Kathy Howe Anne and John Jackson Maria Jaramillo Ms. Charlotte Jump Yong and Erika Lee Angela and Edgar Lopez Mrs. Martha Mayfield

Sullivan

CORPORATIONS, MATCHING GIFT COMPANIES, FOUNDATIONS, & ORGANIZATIONS Air Liquide USA LLC Anadarko Baker Hughes Foundation Bank of America Matching Gift Program

Janet Mayr

BP Foundation, Inc

Ms. Amanda McGee

Chevron

Mrs. Hazel McWhinnie

Dell Employee Engagement Fund

Ms. Susan Meeks

Dow Chemical Company Foundation

Edward and Brandee Metz

Enterprise Products

Laurie and Gary Mitchell Ms. Gabriela Olivero Susan Orlicek Mrs. Emily Owens Cathy Partney

ExxonMobil GE Foundation Good Done Great Edu-Center Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Occidental Petroleum Corporation

Mrs. Lindsey Benefiel

Barbara W. Reid

Emily and Simon Brabo

Cortney Richa-Hebert

Sara Brannon

Mrs. Dawn Robins

Sharon Bukaty

Dr. and Mrs. Troy P. Roddy

Elizabeth Munro

Mr. Matthew R. Burgy

Ms. Sakara Ross

Shell Oil Company Foundation

Ed Blanton

Ana and Erik Neumann

Ms. Brittney Cappiello

Mr. Steve Salley

Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Beatriz and Orlando Diaz

Kristina and Bryan Blasingame

Tiffany and Jeff Nottingham

Jason Carroll

Ms. Allie Sarahan

The Carlyle Group

Sara and Christopher Elkins

Gunta and John Burt

Miwa and Juan Olivarez

Ms. Carrie Cherek

Mr. Brandon Scott

Wells Fargo

Hollie and Dave Fulghum

Lilian Dindo and Chadi Calarge

Kasteena and Sam Parikh

Ms. Rita Cofield

Scott Seaman

Fiona and Cameron Gilmour

Kitson Camp

Joanne and Nigel Patterson

Ms. Roma Coleman

Mary and Fred Silverstein

Fidaa and Ihab Hamzeh

Eka and Kenneth Chibuogwu

Margaret and Robert Pearce

Courtney Collins

Samantha Smith

St. Mark’s Parent Guild Phillips 66 Piper Jaffray & Co. Richard Stodder Charitable Foundation

31

The 2017-2018 National Junior Honor Society Officers, Sami Sabbagh, Class of 2019, Nia Mclean, Tess Padon, and Eliza Thompson, Class of 2018

winter 2018 | vol. 2 making our mark magazine team headmaster Garhett Wagers

director of communication and marketing Jean Marie Howard

graphic design Angie Coussirat, Winston Street Design House

photography Jean Marie Howard, Meredith Flaherty, Lou Ellen Stansell

writers and contributors Roma Coleman, Shannon Duncan, Karen Dunlap, Abby Golub, ‘19, Jean Marie Howard, Garner Kelling, ‘19, Lou Ellen Stansell, Rev. Kristin Sullivan, Kaitlyn Todsen, Garhett Wagers, Layla Younis, ‘19

Please note: We understand that multiple copies of Making Our Mark may have been sent to your address. In an ongoing effort to be good stewards of the school’s and the Earth’s resources, we would appreciate your help. Please let us know if: You received a copy of making our mark addressed to someone who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home or you have multiple community members at the same address, but you would prefer to receive only one copy for your household.

Making Our Mark is published by the school’s advancement office and is mailed free of charge to current St. Mark’s families, alumni, and friends of St. Mark’s.

For more information or to report an address change, please call 713-667-7030.

st. mark’s episcopal school 3816 bellaire boulevard houston, texas 77025

winter 2018

m ag a z i n e

vol. 2