2021-2022 Annual Report

A PLACE WHERE CHILDREN THE FAY

CHILDREN COME FIRST SCHOOL

LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

MORGAN B. SCOVILLE, M.Ed.

Fay Family, Everything we do and every moment we experience at The Fay School is designed “to deliberately build and educate the next generation of leaders for our world!” The 2021-2022 school year was no different, and we are all pleased to present this Annual Report to celebrate everything we accomplished as a school for your children this past year. To best communicate the successes that your children enjoyed in the near and far term, we present these highlights from the 2021-2022 school year:

• We created a myriad of valuable community partnerships with organizations such as the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Urban Harvest, and more.

• Your children helped create our first-ever Fay Farmer’s Market and sold produce from our Fay Farm and Chicken Coop in partnership with Urban Harvest!

• Fifth Grade Leaders established a composting program through a Project Based Learning Unit with Moonshot Compost and advanced sustainability efforts at Fay.

• We implemented Trust Based Observations to fuel teacher growth and enhanced our ambitious teaching and learning.

• We moved to an Evergreen Enrollment Contract process for admissions and re-enrollment. As a result, we have simplified the re-enrollment process and eliminated the need for annual contracts.

• We broke the previous record for student retention by re-enrolling more than 90% of our students.

• Spark Time sparked joy by allowing our students to begin each school day by energizing their minds and bodies outdoors.

• We utilized Project Based Learning, a teaching method where students learn by actively engaging in real-world projects, for powerful instruction.

• We received the Bronze Award for Special Tactical Projects from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Houston Chapter for the reveal of our mascot, Ernie the Gator. Our Second Graders led this project, and it will forever leave its mark on Fay’s history!

• We awarded the first-ever Gena Lewis Distinguished Teaching Award to Art Teacher Katherine Price for her proposal to involve every child at Fay in creating our first-ever art car for the 2023 Houston Art Car Parade.

• We celebrated the Class of 2022, a group equipped with dynamic leadership tools. Go Gators!

• To read more about these highlights and all things Fay, please visit thefayschool.org/blog.

We experienced so many incredible achievements and such progress in implementing our future-focused strategic plan during the 2021-2022 school year. As such, we have much to celebrate while building on the robust foundation that continues to expand and strengthen. With more work to be done, more goals to achieve, and more progress to enjoy, I speak for everyone when I say it is absolutely our pleasure to put your children first, just as Marie Fay Evnochides imagined!

Sincerely,

Morgan B. Scoville, M.Ed. Head of School

2021-2022

THE FAY SCHOOL BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Omar Samji BOARD CHAIR Ruth Calabrese Sabrina Colgin Marie Fay Evnochides FOUNDING HEAD OF SCHOOL Alicia Gordy Jason Itkin Erin Jones

Matthew Kardesch

Jared Levinthal

Jeff Margolis

Roy Moore

Sarah Pollock

Megan Pond Kate Withall

LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIR

OMAR SAMJI

The Fay School is extremely fortunate that multiple powerful positive forces propel the school forward in unique ways today. These forces include:

• A strong and established Head of School and Leadership Team, with Morgan Scoville in his fifth year at Fay.

• A committed and enthusiastic parent community, which just achieved back-to-back 100% Annual Fund participation this year and last year.

• Steady enrollment and long-term financial stability, with a student body of just under 300 and reserves replenished.

• A robust strategic plan that focuses on Fay’s key differentiators, including outdoor and experiential learning, leadership development through emotional intelligence, and innovation.

Very rarely does a school have all four of these powerful factors in its favor at once. The result is a unique opportunity being harnessed and taken advantage of to ensure The Fay School remains the best early childhood and elementary school in Houston and beyond.

While the Board focuses on strengthening the school for future children, Morgan and the Leadership Team are focused on ensuring that the resources available today are used to enhance the experience of our children attending Fay right now. Whether it is the new playscape, innovative professional development for our teachers, or unique experiential learning resources, Fay has the luxury of opting for the very best resources available to fulfill the hopes and dreams that each parent has for our child’s education at Fay – a place (as Morgan reminds us) that Marie Fay Evnochides founded on the principle that children come first.

Never has Fay’s present and future been brighter and more exciting than it is today. Credit for that goes equally to all those who came before us and those who are here today. We have much to celebrate and look forward to. I am grateful to be on this journey with each of you.

Sincerely,

Omar Samji Board Chair

PHILANTHROPY

AT FAY, WE SEE FUNDRAISING AS ONE OF MANY NATURAL OUTCOMES TO DELIVERING ON OUR VISION EACH AND EVERY DAY.

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT

MONICA BERCKLEY

Since 1991, The Fay School has thrived because of the strong bond between the school and our extended Fay Family. Looking back at the 2021-2022 school year, I am grateful for our Fay community’s support. Community engagement is a pillar for any school’s success, and the 2021-2022 school year was no exception.

Philanthropy at Fay during the last year showed extremely high and record levels of support. Our Annual Fund, led by Kirsten and David Polyansky, achieved TEAM FAY’s goal of 100% participation from faculty and staff, the Board of Trustees, and Fay families. Every single member of our current Fay Family came together as one team to support our efforts. This record figure is far above the national independent school average of 66% and is evidence of the true strength of the Fay community. As we seek to deliberately build and educate the next generation of leaders, our community support allows The Fay School to lead the way on a state and national platform.

Our strong and devoted Parents’ Club, led by Co-Chairs Lauren Duke and James Spitz, paved the way as we welcomed visitors back to campus during the 2021-2022 school year. From our first Halloween Carnival in two years, to a new Book Fair structure, to staffing Garden Days, the Parents’ Club efforts laid the groundwork for more frequent parent involvement and engagement opportunities on campus. The Fay School experience is enhanced by this devoted group of parents whose impact goes far.

The 2021-2022 school year culminated in the return of our in-person Spring Gala. Chaired by Kristina Brar and Megan Levy, the evening was a success on every metric. The Gala committee transformed the Houstonian Grand Ballroom into an Enchanted Forest, and our community truly enjoyed being together again. The evening’s energy, celebration, camaraderie, and intention surpassed all expectations. Together, we raised an epic and record-setting $640,000 that will continue to enhance your children’s educational experience for years to come.

As we reflect on the last school year, it is evident that The Fay School community is strong and leading the way. But, most importantly, this record support allows Fay to focus on our most valuable asset: your children and their educational experience. We are deeply grateful for your support and partnership.

With Gator Pride, Monica Berckley Director of Advancement

The Advancement Team consists of the Director of Advancement, Assistant Director of Advancement, Director of Admissions, Director of Extended Day, and the Director of Communications. The goal of this team is to provide innovative and future-focused tactics to promote the mission and strategic plan of the school. The Advancement Team strives to create a culture of philanthropy and engagement amongst the various constituencies. The Advancement Team deliberately creates opportunities to further solidify The Fay School as a Texas and national leader of early childhood and elementary education.

Jasmyn Artis Director of Communications

Monica Berckley Director of Advancement Megan McNair Director of Admissions

Rachel Rubin Director of Extended Day

Lauren Sposato Assistant Director of Advancement

2022-2023

PRELIMINARY ANNUAL FUND RESULTS

After the 5-week 2022-2023 parent campaign, the Annual Fund triumphantly raised over $575,000 and saw 100% Fay Family, Faculty & Staff, and Board of Trustee participation in support of the mission of Fay for the second year in a row. Thank you to the 79 families who supported at the 1991 Society Circle Level with a gift of over $2,500. We are grateful for Annual Fund Chairs, Sami and Justin Grefé, the dedicated group of parents who made up the Annual Fund Committee, and all who supported the fund! We look forward to continuing our campaign as we reach out to our Fay grandparents and alumni.

If you wish to support the 2022-2023 Annual Fund, please contact the Director of Advancement, Monica Berckley, at mberckley@thefayschool.org. We look forward to celebrating our donors with our 2022-2023 Annual Report to be released in the fall of 2023.

*The 2022-2023 Audited Financials will be released upon completion of our formal audit.

ANNUAL FUND RESULTS

It is essential to take the opportunity every year to present our fundraising results and share the impact on your children. This continued level of support has translated to an immediate impact for your children. During the 2021-2022 Annual Fund Campaign, the Fay community came together all in as TEAM FAY with 100% of faculty & staff, Board of Trustees, and current Fay families participating with their support.

The Annual Fund directly advances the various initiatives identified in our Strategic Plan. This plan captures Fay’s future and places your children on an accelerated and authentic path to leadership through social, emotional intelligence while leveraging experiential and outdoor learning. Some of the ways that the 2021-2022 Annual Fund was put into action included:

• Upgrading indoor learning spaces to reflect the 21st century approach to excellent teaching and learning. This aligns with our Strategic Priority 3: reimagine time, place, and assessment.

• Partnership with the World Leadership School, which conducted professional development for our teachers surrounding best practices in project-based learning. This aligns with our Strategic Priority 2: redefine the academic experience by excelling in experiential and outdoor learning.

• Modernizing the fire alarm structure with an evacuation voice system, mass notification announcement, LED announcement signs, intercom systems, including an external announcement system that can be heard throughout campus.

• Updates to outdoor learning spaces such as Fay’s orchard (damaged during the 2021 frost) and fencing in and around campus. This aligns with our Strategic Priority 2: redefine the academic experience by excelling in experiential and outdoor learning.

Leadership giving at the top circles of support constituted over 69% of the total funds received in the 2021-2022 Annual Fund. These monies represent the core of the fund’s ability to support programs at The Fay School. We thank the following leadership donors for their vision and willingness to support Fay.

2021-2022 72 Donors 2020-2021 70 Donors 2019-2020 79 Donors 2018-2019 80 Donors 2017-2018 86 Donors 2016-2017 101 Donors 2015-2016 126 Donors 2014-2015 119 Donors

Founder’s Circle ($25,000 and above)

Danielle and Lawrence Berry Marie Fay and Steve Evnochides Lina Ortega and Joseph Ngo

Chairman’s Circle ($10,000 - $24,999)

Bailey Dalton and Greg Binion Thanatcha and Matthew Goitia Kisha and Jason Itkin Jennifer and Thomas Kane Megan and Andrew Levy Karan Sra and Nishil Patel Kirsten and David Polyansky

Head’s Circle ($7,500 - $9,999)

Lauren and Brandon Duke Shell Oil Company Julie and Karl Sturm

Courtney Wulfe

Leadership Circle ($5,000 - $7,499)

Ali and Richard Bruskoff Maris and Jason Castro Tina and Troy Cotton Dana and Stephen David Don and Coletta McMilian  Foundation

Elizabeth Eason Amanda and Randall Fenlon Judy and Thomas Feutrill Ann and Phillip Fox Joanna Kornfeld  and Paul Friedman Elissa and Nicholas Gole Gaby and Steven Graubart Sami and Justin Grefé

Kelly and Kim Hales

Lauren and Russell Libby Aimie Killeen and Chris Mastoris Kallie and Benjamin Miller Kranthi and Amish Patel Mahwish and Haroonur Rashid Mindy and Connor Riseden

Mary Rose Sonia Scarselli Stephanie Pullen and Weisun Teh Amy and Michael Trahan

Honor Circle ($2,500 - $4,999)

Lisa and Amir Ansari Michelle and Renzo Bolivar Katie and Jas Brar Natasha and Michael Cannon Tess and John Chaney II Angela and Andrew Chang Sabrina and Paul Colgin Sandra and Lynn Eastham Paula Guraieb  and Jonathan Goldberg Alicia and Garrett Gordy Priscila and David Gross Lisa and Robert Hearn Kimberly and Daniel Horowitz Cheryl and William Jordan Annette and Michael Keuss

Cheryl Goudy and David Lavallee Sarjana Momin  and Sayeed Khowja Ann and James Lebeck Susan Lee and Henry Mok Emma Lewis and Charles Orzech Nida and Fiyyaz Pirani Beau and Sarah Pollock Marina and Andrew Roberts Jenny and James Rogers Brooke and Holden Rushing Morgan Scoville Erin and Jacob Slosburg James and Brian Spitz Jody and Howard Sweed Kate and Tim Withall Oxana and Forrest Wylie Kay and Fred Zeidman Lauren and Charles Ziff

My son goes to school every day, happy and excited to learn. Whether in the classroom with amazing teachers, in the Fay Forest for Outdoor Education, digging in the Garden, or hatching baby chicks for the Chicken Coop, the children at Fay have many unique and enriching learning experiences. That is why I support the Annual Fund; it makes all of those truly special opportunities possible.

– Courtney Wulfe, Parent of Ky ‘24

Supporter ($1,000-$2,499)

Heather and Mark Adam

Tawnia and David Adelman

Nilofur and David Alfi Mina and Oluwaseun Alonge Adele Houghton

and Fernando Autrique Baker Hughes Foundation Suzanne and Ian Blakely Kristina and Kuldeep Brar Amy and Josh Bray

Charlotte Broussard Melissa and Phillip Brown Sylvia and Adam Burke Ruth and Scott Calabrese

Theodore Carpenter

Diane and John Chaney

Melissa and Marc Cougle

Haifa Hamdi and Daly Daly

Jamie and Peter Dillon

Shoshana and Jeffrey Dinerstein

Lauren and Clark Edlund

Kristen Latta and David Endelman

Seema and Sam Farooqi

Mayra and Yuri Gelfand

Carin and Sameer Giga

Kristin Kott and Steve Granda

Melinda Hall

Jaclyn and Charles Harrison

Sabeena and Jazib Hasan Kelly and Travis Hedgpeth

David Hock

Sam and Jonathan Holroyd

Taylor and Stuart Imel Samantha and Christopher Jacobe Sushma and Zeeshan Jivani Katherine and Matthew Kardesch Amy and Justin Keiter Sana and Mudassir Khan April and Benjamin Leibman Carolyn Rubenstein  and Greg Lerner Libbie and Jesse Libby Eugene Loveland

Jana and David Macfarlane

Nazma and Altaf Makanojia Ashye and Robert Marcus Marcy and Jeffrey Margolis

Jo and Shawn McDonald

Sara and Nathen McEown

Kelty Baker and R. Bruce McFarlin

Fabiola Bonari and Filippo Meacci

Jenya and Alex Menkhaus

Jennie and Edward Miller

Rahila and Arif Momin

Griffin Morris

Kerri Namoc

Lee Bar-Eli and Clifford Nash

Andrea Osborne

Janak and Reshma Parikh Kavita and Tejas Patel

Syeda and Adrian Reyes

Eliza and Alexander Romeo Rabia and Omar Samji

Joam Viani and Rene Sanchez

Erica Rose and Charles Sanders

Kent Schaffer

Noreen Shaw

Travis Shaw

Mana Yegani and Jed Silverman

Rekha Chalasani and Aditya Singh Ellen and Richard Slosburg Leslie and Andrew Snelgrove Betty and Michael Tapick Jennifer and Adam Taylor

Caroline and Gerrit Ten Cate Steffie and Ross Tomson Gorana Tosic Kelly and Matthew Turner Heather and Hernan Vargas Shelley and Jeff Williams Barbara Wulfe Asraa Rehman and Faeez Yousuff Atessa and Keu Zafar

Friend ($1-$999)

Betty and Ken Adam Delores Adams

Alvin Adelman Neha and Mohit Agrawal Safia Durab and Faraz Ahmad Erica and Michael Akerman Albertsons Safeway

Linleigh Alford Asra and Syed Ali Alyssa Allen Amazon Smile

Daniel Armstrong Sandra and Ben Backor Robert Baldwin Cristina Cordeddu

and Renato Barbedo John Bauer

Monica and Jay Berckley Lauren Berger Emma Berno Caroline Best

Alisa Baker and Ryan Black

Courtney Black Mahereen Maherali  and Faizan Bodhani Nancy and Stephen Bostic Kathryn McFarlane

and Michael Boxer

Alan Brewer

Lizzie Bright

Jazzlyne Brown

Beverly Browne

Yau-San Tam and Nicholas Bryant

Kathryn Burrow

Kristine Caldwell

Alex Cammarota Smith

Erin Kondelis  and Brandon Campbell

Tanisha and Paul Cannings

Kathleen and James Carrington

Caroline Carter

Begoña Chapital

Lauren and Charles Chapman

Kimberly and James D. Chapman Kerry and Clay Conkling

Jacy and Grant Cooper Evelyn Crockett

Scott Cunningham Barbara Davenport

Juanita David

Mary Davies

Serena Dhukka

Shiva Patel and Richard Di Virgilio Dish Restaurant

Stephanie Martinez Larrea and Rodrigo Dominguez Sotomayor Barbara and Robert Doty Barbara Duecker

Ann Eberle

Diana Elamrani

Zahra and Kenneth Fenelon

Jennifer and Jeffrey Fountain Kelly Froelich

Michael Garcia

Edward Gavrila

Pam Gibaut

Michelle Goddin

Vandana Thapar and Leonel Gomez

Anangela and Rodolfo Gonzalez Neha and Abhinav Goyal

Xochytl Greer

Nancy Gross

John Grube

Shalini and Chet Gupta Arthur J. Halleran

Melissa Halleran

Lesley Davis and William Harrison

Laura and Terry Harvey Susan and Aubrey Harvey Kulsoom and Muzzamil Hasan

Jennifer and Bert Hayes

Meredith Hedemann

Abby and Chris Hendel

Megan Hopkins Aaron Howard

Dillon Hutyra Russel Jacobe Erin Jones

Seema Patel and Sagar Kamdar Melissa Velasquez and Tamir Kayal Merih and Hasan Kayar Natasha Khan and Aadel Khan Clea and Kody Kobza

Kroger Food Stores

RuDell Kylander

Roshni and Ankil Lalu Leveil Lander

Dilnaz and Sulmaan Lateef Nina and Phong Le Suzanne Elmilady and Todd Leffler Linzi and Justin Leighton Angie and Jared Levinthal

Brenda Lockett Nancy and David Loncarich Jana Low

Katherine Lydecker

Ali Lyman

Leah and Andrew Madof Megan and Matthew Markland

Stephanie Martinez

Coby and Frank McElroy K.C. McMordie Carmen Medina Shumaila and Fayyaz Mohamedali

Tracy Patel and Harish Moorjani

Arleen Nadler

Angelica and Ramzi Nassar

Shoba and Neema Navai

Gabriela Torres and Rahul Nayak Kaitlin and Kevin Necas Thresa Newkirk

Ozden and Fatih Ozkanoglu Palace Social Lyndsie and Ian Palmer Han Pham and Joon Park Dalal and Nasir Pasha Jaanki and Ronak Patel

Elizabeth Perez Elizabeth and Stefano Perotta Emma and Timothy Peterson Jane and Jon Pollock

Megan and Matt Pond Stacey Pougatcheva Katherine Price Ross Purdy

Deborah and Michael Reinstein

Alice Rekeweg

Cathie and William Riley

Anna and Rick Riseden

Emily and Brady Rodgers Franklin Rose Babs and Jay Rosenfeld

Annie and Gregory Rosenfeld

Rachel Rubin

Ashley Rutherford

Oksana and Robert Sabo

Margaret Sanchez Ryan Sanchez

Jacki and Andrew Schaefer

Pam and Michael Schell

Crystal and Hussein Shel

Melissa and Karl Sherman

Amy-Noelle and James Shih Ashley and Ryan Shinkle

Stephanie and Christopher Smith

Gabriela and Quitman Smith

Adrianne and Jared Spain

Lauren and Anthony Sposato Danielle and Jonathan Stewart Lindsay Stewart

Alefiya Akbarally and Omar Suby

Ronnie and Norman Sweed Jenna and Gary Tabakman

Madalyn Tadrowski

Nathalie Tardif and Philippe Teijeira Sky and Michael Tessari

Felicia Tew

Maria Torres-Calle

Leanna Tran

Lindsay Lambert and Mark Valdez Alicia and Jay Villarreal

Valerie Wallace Maren Silberstein

and Michael Watson

Jamie and Jeffrey Weinberg

Emily Wells Aaron Williams

Giselle and Darryl Wilson

Alexandra and Eli Witus

Emily Womack

Marlie Wuntch

Beatrice Riviere and Ingmar Yao

Khadija and Naveed Zafar

Julie and Ziad Zieni

Our contribution to the Annual Fund exemplifies our confidence in the educational approach and alignment with the school’s strategic vision. The strength of the community at The Fay School is one of the school’s defining qualities. The success of the Annual Fund is a testament to the whole community rallying together around a common goal - our children, the Fay Gators. It feels good to be a part of something bigger and see the tangible impact on our children’s school experience yearly from our collective participation in the Annual Fund. We love The Fay School!

– Lauren Libby, Parent of Shaun ‘27 and Nathan ‘30

Faculty + Staff

The Fay School Staff is a group of dedicated individuals working each day to fulfill the school’s mission. As professionals in their respective fields, they perform to the highest standards in elementary and preschool education. We are proud that these community members have expressed their support of the school’s mission through a gift to the 2021-2022 Annual Fund.

Delores Adams

Linleigh Alford

Monica Berckley

Emma Berno

Caroline Best

Courtney Black

Allan Brewer

Lizzie Bright

Jazzlynne Brown

Beverly Browne

Kathryn Burrow

Kristine Caldwell

Alex Cammarota

Evelyn Crockett

Scott Cunningham

Barbara Davenport

Mary Davies

Serena Dhukka

Adam Dock

Barbara Duecker

Ann Eberle

Jeff Fountain

Kelly Froelich

Michael Garcia

Pam Gibaut

Michelle Goddin

Tia Green

John Grube

Jennifer Hayes

Meredith Hedemann

David Hock

Megan Hopkins Dillon Hutyra

Leviel Lander

Brenda Lockett

Nancy Loncarich

Jana Low Ali Lyman

K.C. McMordie

Carmen Medina Kaitlin Necas

Thresa Newkirk

Ozden Okanoglu

Emma Peterson

Stacey Pougatcheva

Katherine Price

Ross Purdy

Cathie Riley

Rachel Rubin

Ashley Rutherford

Margaret Sanchez Ryan Sanchez

Morgan Scoville

Melissa Sherman

Lauren Sposato

Lindsay Stewart

Madalyn Tadrowski

Felicia Tew

Maria Torres-Calle

Emily Wells

Aaron Williams

Emily Womack

Marlie Wuntch

GRANDPARENTS

A gift to the next generation

We would like to thank the following grandparents who made gifts to The Fay School in 2021-2022 in honor of their grandchildren. We are lucky to have such a wonderful group of grandparents who take the extra step and support our school through one of our fundraising opportunities..

Betty and Ken Adam in honor of Henry and Theo Adam

Sandra and Ben Backor in honor of Maris Duke John Bauer in honor of Kelsey Ayer

Kerry and Clay Conkling in honor of Johnny and Nora Chaney

Juanita David in honor of Olivia David Barbara and Robert Doty in honor of Cooper and Eloise Polyansky Robyn and Edward Gavrila in honor of Beau Rosenfeld Nancy and Mel Gross in honor of Johnny Gross Melinda Hall in honor of Olivia Shurin

Arthur J. Halleran, Jr. in honor of Jack Chipman Susan and Aubrey Harvey in honor of Penelope Harvey Brenda and Russel Jacobe in honor of Russel and Mary Kate Jacobe Arleen Nadler in honor of Braelyn Sweed Jane and Jon Pollock in honor of Bryce, Marin, and Grahm Pollock

Deborah and Michael Reinstein in honor of Max and Penelope Madof Alice Rekeweg in honor of Cooper and Eloise Polyansky

Rick and Anna Riseden in honor of Reese and Tristan Riseden Cindi and Franklin Rose in honor of Aspen Sanders and Holland Gentry Babs and Jay Rosenfeld in honor of Beau Rosenfeld

Michael and Pam Schell in honor of Duncan Chapman Ronnie and Norman Sweed in honor of Braelyn Sweed

Betty and Michael Tapick in honor of Jordan Ansari Barbara Wulfe in honor of Ky Wulfe Kay and Fred Zeidman in honor of Charlie and Sam Snelgrove

ALUMNI PARENTS

We would like to thank the following alumni parents and friends of Fay who continue to support our mission.

Caroline Carter Diana Elamrani

Alicia and Garrett Gordy

Aaron Howard RuDell Kylander Angelyn and Jared Levinthal

Kelty Baker and Bruce McFarlin Megan and Matt Pond

HONORING

Over thirty years ago, The Fay School opened its doors and began a journey that would touch the lives of all who encountered it. The founding Head of School, Marie Fay Evnochides, envisioned “a place where children come first.” Today, that vision reverberates in all that we do, creating an environment unlike any other—a special place made possible due to our unwavering commitment to children and families. In the school’s 20th year, we were incredibly proud to announce the formation of the Marie Fay Evnochides Society. Named for our visionary founder, the society was created to permanently recognize Annual Fund supporters who make The Fay School a philanthropic priority. Members of the Marie Fay Evnochides Society are those who have made lifetime, cumulative gifts to The Fay School Annual Fund of $25,000 or more. They exemplify Marie’s vision, and their support ensures that The Fay School continues to impact young lives.

IT IS WITH GREAT PRIDE THAT WE HONOR OUR FOUNDER, MARIE FAY EVNOCHIDES, AND THOSE WHO CONTINUE TO STAND BEHIND HER VISION FOR FAY.

TEAM FAY

2021-2022

ANNUAL FUND COMMITTEE

Kirsten and David Polyansky Annual Fund Chairs

Katie and Jas Brar Tess and John Chaney Judy and Tom Feutrill Ann and Phillip Fox Lisa and Robert Hearn Lauren and Russell Libby Leah and Andrew Madof Megan and Matt Markland

PARENT COMMITTEE:

Sami and Justin Grefé New Family Chairs

Jo and Shawn McDonald Kallie and Ben Miller

Emma Lewis and Charles Orzech Mindy and Connor Riseden Jenny and James Rogers Mary Rose Leslie and Andrew Snelgrove Amy and Mike Trahan

FAY STAFF REPRESENTATIVE

Lindsay Stewart

The success of the 2021-2022 Annual Fund would not have been possible without this dedicated group of parent volunteers. “

We are constantly blown away by how much our children learn. Whether it’s an outdoor education class, a math lesson on the porch, or Gaga ball during recess, the energy and positivity surrounding our kids’ experiences is palpable. The school’s focus on leadership development through emotional intelligence, highlighted in the recent strategic plan, sets the school apart as the gold standard in Houston.

– Sami and Justin Grefé, Parents of Annabel ‘24, Ellie ‘26, and Jack ‘27

PARENTS’ CLUB HARD

WORK, PHILANTHROPY, AND COMMUNITY

Many thanks to this devoted team of parent volunteers who helped us navigate an unprecedented school year.

Parents’ Club Co-Chairs: Lauren Duke James Spitz Book Fair

Lauren Duke Jana Macfarlane Nathalie Tardif

Campus Decorations Begoña Chapital Stephanie Martinez

Clothing Nook Lindsay Lambert

Gala Kristina Brar Megan Levy

Green Team Sami Grefé

Faculty & Staff Appreciation Dana David Jennifer Kane Jenny Rogers Halloween Carnival Lauren Edlund Amy Keiter Kavita Patel Library Coordinator Ann Lebeck

GINA LEWIS FUND

The Gena Lewis Fund was established by the Marie Fay Evnochides Fund (MFE Fund) in the fall of 2021 to celebrate former Fay teacher Gena Lewis and to help further drive the implementation of Priority 2 in our Strategic Plan, redefining the academic experience by excelling in experiential and outdoor learning.

Gena Lewis left an indelible mark at The Fay School as a First Grade Teacher. During her 18-year tenure at The Fay School, Gena started the “Open Work” program that laid the groundwork for the experiential learning in Fay’s classrooms today. As a result, the Marie Fay Evnochides Fund established a teaching award in her honor. This annual award will fund selected experiential activities or projects and recognize the teacher or teachers who proposed the idea.

Last year, for the first time in Fay’s history, we awarded the first annual Gena Lewis Distinguished Teaching Award to Art Teacher Katherine Price! Ms. Price was awarded in an outdoor ceremony just behind The Fay House with Fay’s founder, Marie Fay Evnochides, the family of Gena Lewis, and the MFE Board in attendance. Her winning proposal focused on engaging and including children in every grade at The Fay School to design and build Fay’s first-ever Art Car for entering Houston’s Art Car Parade during the 2022-2023 school year.

Julie and Stewart Baker

Pat and John Berry

Claire and Dan Boyles

Barbara and Larry Brownback

Marjorie and J. Walker Cain

Karen Desenberg

Hanifa and Danny Dishongh

Jan and Billy Doherty

Lucie Dunwoody

Margaret Eggleston

Lori and Efisio Farris

Marie Fay Evnochides Fund

Tracy and Robert Gay Anita and Stuart Gaylor Dana and Charlie Hartwell

Lauren and Benjamin Hendin Sheri Henriksen

Carol and James King Coy Lewis Bonnie and Larry Likover Marcy and Jeffrey Margolis

Olga and Theron McLaren

Mary Miller Marijo and Denman Moody

Joan

Barbara and Steven Perlick

Georgene and Michael Quirke

Jeanie and Darryl Shaper

Lynda and Charles Smythe

Leslie and Ten Eyck Swackhamer

Adri and Bruce Swanson

Anna and Joe Teagarden

Meta and John Tyler

Babys Veyna

Betty Westmoreland

Karen and Tim Womack

Neuhaus

Gena Lewis Donors

2023 Art Car Parade on April 13 -16 and witness Fay’s first-ever entry in action!

We look forward to seeing the impact of Gena Lewis’ legacy and this award in the future! Save the date for the

2022 GALA HIGHLIGHT

The 2022 Gala will go down as the best Gala that Fay has ever hosted. The energy, celebration, camaraderie, and intention of the evening surpassed all expectations. The Gala committee, led by Co-Chairs Kristina Brar and Megan Levy, came together as a strong force to create an evening to remember. The Houstonian Hotel was transformed into an Enchanted Forest and over 300 guests enjoyed being together for the first time in three years.

Attendees enjoyed an engaging live auction, big board, and participated in a record-breaking Paddles Up initiative raising over $140,000 for our new natural playscape. Altogether, the event raised over $640,000 for your children’s education! Thank you to our Title Sponsor Nichols Brar Weitzner and Thomas Attorneys and thank you to the talented, enthusiastic, and dedicated volunteers for their work on a beautiful evening celebrating the Fay community.

Auction

Sign Up Socials

Ali Bruskoff Sami Grefé

Decorations Lyndsie Palmer Ashley Shinkle Gala Games Lauren Edlund Liquor Pull Lina Ortega Joseph Ngo

New Family Chairs Rekha Chalasani Rabia Samji Photography Jacki Schaefer Preview Party Melissa Cougle Jamie Dillon

and Teacher Treasures Fabiola Bonari Lauren Chapman Student Art Dana David Underwriting Tess and Jack Chaney Taylor and Stuart Imel Emma Lewis and Charles Orzech

Corporate Partners

Title Partner

Nichols Brar Weitzner & Thomas

Made possible by Kristina and Kip Brar

Diamond Partners

Bayou City Dermatology

Made possible by Karan Sra and Nishil Patel Hsiao Family Foundation

Made possible by Lina Ortega and Joseph Ngo

Gold Partners

Bay Ltd

Made possible by Danielle and Lawrence Berry Pasha Law PC

Made possible by Dalal and Nasir Pasha

Silver Partners

American Gilsonite

Made possible by Kristin Kott and Steve Granda

Koons Fuller Houston Family Law

Made possible by Taylor Toombs Imel, Shareholder

Bronze Partners

Amegy

Made possible by James and Brian Spitz Da Gama Canteen

Made possibly by Shiva Patel and Rick Di Virgilio DDH Law

Made possible by Kimberly and Daniel Horowitz

Martha Turner Sotheby’s

Made possibly by Tess and Jack Chaney Sam’s Boat

Made possible by Dana and Stephen David

The Breathing Room

Made possible by Alicia and Garrett Gordy

Tito Perez Painting Company

Made possibly by Elizabeth Perez

Underwriters

Treetop Table

Ivy Liu and Xuan Dong

Treetop Couple

Bailey Dalton Binion and Greg Binion

Elizabeth Eason

Kisha and Jason Itkin

Sonia Scarselli

Lantern Couple

Paula and Jonathan Goldberg

Mindy and Connor Riseden

Jenny and James Rogers

Erin and Jake Slosburg

Firefly Couple

Lisa and Amir Ansari

Mimi and Zachry Brown

Ali and Rich Bruskoff

Sandra and Lynn Eastham

Lauren and Clark Edlund

Ann and Phillip Fox

Thanatcha and Matthew Goitia

Neha and Abhinav Goyal

Sami and Justin Grefé

Priscila and David Gross

Lisa and Robert Hearn

Jennifer and Tom Kane Lee Bar-Eli and Clifford Nash

Kavita and Tejas Patel

Sarah and Beau Pollock

Crystal and Hussein Shel

Stephanie and Weisun Teh

Courtney Wulfe

Wooded Glen

Mohit and Neha Agrawal

Alisa Baker and Ryan Black

Maris and Jason Castro

Kim and Dan Chapman Jamie and Peter Dillon

Zahra and Kenneth Fenelon

Amanda and Randall Fenlon

Carin and Sam Giga

Gaby and Steven Graubart

Amy and Justin Keiter

Cheryl Goudy and David Lavallee

Ann and James Lebeck

Lauren and Rusty Libby

Aimie Killeen and Chris Mastoris

Emma Lewis and Charles Orzech

Lyndsie and Ian Palmer

Han Pham and Joon Park

Annie and Greg Rosenfeld

Erica Rose and Charles Sanders

Jacqueline and Andrew Schaefer

Gabriela and Quitman Smith

Jenna and Gary Tabakman

Steffie and Ross Tomson

Alexandra and Eli Witus

Asraa and Faezz Yousuff

Gala Event Sponsors

Bar Sponsor

Megan and Andrew Levy

Valet Sponsor Carolyn Rubenstein and Greg Lerner

Preview Party Sponsor Kranthi and Amish Patel

Photography Sponsor Adele Houghton and Fernando Autrique Liquor Pull Sponsor Libbie and Jesse Libby Program Sponsor PJS

CORPORATE PARTNERS

These generous businesses have committed significant funding to help Fay accomplish its mission on a daily basis. Please consider supporting those who support Fay, our corporate partners:

TITLE PARTNER

Made possible by Kristina and Kip Brar

DIAMOND PARTNERS

Made possible by Karan Sra and Nishil Patel

Made possible by Lina Ortega and Joseph Ngo

GOLD PARTNERS

Made possible by Danielle and Lawrence Berry

Made possible by Dalal and Nasir Pasha

For more information on becoming a 2023 Corporate Partner please contact Director of Advancement, Monica Berckley, at mberckley@thefayschool.org

Made possible by Kristin Kott and Steve Granda

Made possible by Taylor Toombs Imel, Shareholder

BRONZE PARTNERS

Made possible by Kimberly and Daniel Horowitz

Made possible by James and Brian Spitz

Made possibly by Shiva Patel and Rick Di Virgilio

Made possibly by Tess and Jack Chaney

Made possible by Dana and Stephen David

Made possible by Alicia and Garrett Gordy

Made possibly by Elizabeth Perez

Save the Date for our Golf Tournament

Calling all golfers, novice and experienced!

Our biennial Golf Tournament will be held Monday, February 27, 2023 at Sugar Creek Golf Club.

Save the Date for our Backyard Bash

This year, we will be transitioning to an every other year Gala format. Our Spring event fundraiser for 2023 will be our Backyard Bash. This adults-only event will be held on Fay’s very own campus and will feature fine cuisine, cocktails, a live auction, and entertainment. Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 1, 2023 for this not to miss event.

Images Captured by Gary Blake Photography Annual Report Design by 396 Studios