2023/2024 Impact Report by themcgillisschool

Inside this Impact Report are inspiring examples of what the McGillis kehilah can accomplish when we come together.

We are grateful for all you’ve made possible with your generosity— this year and for years to come!

463 donors

Thank you to the 463 donors who gave to the School in 2023/2024!

16 donors

$10,000+

18 donors

$5,000-9,999

91 donors

$1,000-$4,999

84 donors

$500-999

198 donors

$100-$499

56 donors

$1-99

Dear McGillis Families and Friends,

We are pleased to present to you our very first Impact Report, a new way for us to show you how your giving directly influences everyday life at McGillis. In the following pages, you’ll read about the ways in which our culture of philanthropy impacts students, teachers, and the broader community.

As we reflect on the 2023/2024 school year, we feel incredibly fortunate to have received gifts that are as varied as the interests and abilities of our kehilah. In addition to hundreds of volunteer hours and in-kind donations, 463 donors gave financially to the School in amounts that range from $1 to more than $10,000!

Thanks to you, we raised $775,064 during the 2023/2024 school year, including:

Total Tuition Assistance raised at McGillis at the Garden: $150,000

Total donations to The McGillis Fund: $407,024

Total donations to TREEkun Olam: $25,859

We invite you to continue reading to learn more about the impact of philanthropy on our students, our teachers, and the community beyond our campus. Like the saplings planted by Family Groups at our annual TREEkun Olam, your good and kind deeds grow month upon month, year upon year, helping McGillis extend its commitment to repairing the world through our students and alumni.

Every gift matters. And every time you give, you're putting one of our foundational values, tzedakah—giving to others—into practice. Your participation makes our school better in every way. Your generosity helps create learners who are committed to repairing the world. We honor YOU for the impact you made last school year!

With gratitude,

Jim Brewer Head of School

Cory Sinclair Chair, Board of Trustees

YOUR IMPACT ON OUR STUDENTS IMPACT

McGillis students seek knowledge, demonstrate character, build confidence, and experience joy in our unique values-centered community.

Your philanthropic investment supports our students and the signature programs that help them flourish, preparing them for a lifetime of repairing the world.

McGILLIS AT THE GARDEN

On June 1, 2024, over 500 members of the McGillis community came together for McGillis at the Garden—a private concert in Red Butte Garden benefiting our Tuition Assistance program and featuring performances by The Secret Sisters and Houndmouth.

The event raised $150,000 for Tuition Assistance, creating opportunities for all McGillis students to benefit as members of a more inclusive and vibrant community. This success is an amazing testament to the generosity of the McGillis community!

We are grateful for the many ways the community supported this special evening—by purchasing tickets and Sponsorship packages; by making donations at the event; by promoting the event to friends, family, and neighbors; and by attending the event. Special thanks to our Concert Chair, Whitney Call, for her incredible support.

The event raised $150,000 for Tuition Assistance $150,000

Concert Sponsors

Beau & Evan Burbidge

Rick & Shaunna Clark

Whitney Call & Kyle Blanchard

Ashley Rothwell-Campagna & Mark Campagna

John & Connie Desha

Patrick Greis & Ellie Hirshberg

Chris & Kelly Manning

Jamie & Keith Morley

Chris & Ellen Rossi

Amy & Ryan Taylor

Jason & Letitia Webster

Lori Hendry and Lisa Woodbury

THE McGILLIS FUND

Supporting every student, every day

The McGillis Fund is the School’s largest and most important annual fundraising effort.

Gifts made to The McGillis Fund from our community of parents, grandparents, alumni, and parents of alumni allow the promise of a McGillis education to be experienced by Every Magpie, Every Day—whether in the classroom or out in the world.

In 2023/2024, 463 of you found your reasons to give to McGillis: our diverse, motivated, and

kind student body; exceptional faculty and staff who know and care about our students; a strong academic program supported by innovative teaching; and an inclusive community committed to our six Jewish values.

We raise, receive, and spend all McGillis Fund revenue in the current school year.

The McGillis School is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and all gifts to the McGillis Fund are tax deductible.

975 pounds of clay used in Art by McGillis students Your giving in action!

Students in Grades 1, 3, & 4 adopted 57 trees on campus

Students made 1,505 observations in their Math/Art collaboration

1,590 miles traveled for OEE trips

2 DNA extraction labs completed in Middle School Science

Lower School Science students conducted

200+ experiments

500 ladybugs released in the outdoor classroom

92 musical performances by McGillis students in all grades

MAGPIE MARKET

Our second annual Magpie Market took place on September 20, 2023. Thanks to the collective efforts of our kehilah we raised over $18,000 to support our Ethics & Cultures program!

From the delightful offerings at the bake sale to the enticing opportunities in the opportunity drawing, and the diverse selections available for purchase at the market, we were amazed by the support and enthusiasm from our community. Many talented students also contributed unique items for our Mini Market, which was a big hit with both students and adults alike!

We are grateful to everyone who participated in and supported the Market, making it another unforgettable and successful event.

Special thanks to Quinn Novak (aka DJ Q), Class of 2024, for bringing the party vibes to a beautiful autumn night on campus!

THE HAL J. POS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Inaugural Hal J. Pos Memorial Scholarship recipient joins McGillis kehilah

We are proud to share that our first Hal J. Pos Scholar joined the McGillis community at the beginning of the 2024/2025 school year! Thanks to the endowed scholarship created in March 2023, our new Magpie will receive full-tuition support throughout their time at McGillis.

Hal Pos was a long-time McGillis Trustee and father of Hannah, Class of 2012. He served as Trustee from 2008-2022, including a term as Board President from 2011-2013. He passed away peacefully in December of 2022 after a four-year battle with cancer.

Hal believed deeply in the positive impact of the McGillis experience and embodied our values personally. His love for the School was evident and his dedication to advancing our mission was constant.

An endowed scholarship like The Hal J. Pos Memorial Scholarship is an investment in McGillis, its mission, and its students, both today and for years to come!

$475,617 Fund balance (as of 6/30/2024)

Hal believed deeply in the positive impact of the McGillis experience and embodied our values personally. His love for the School was evident and his dedication to advancing our mission was constant.

The Hal J. Pos Memorial Scholarship provides financial support to a student who demonstrates financial need and, like Hal, embodies the values of the School. Priority is given to students from underrepresented backgrounds and will support the student throughout their time at McGillis. Full scholarship includes tuition and fees, as well as all OEE and Class trips.

Learn more about Hal J. Pos Memorial Scholarship below:

Hal J. Pos Former trustee and parent of Hannah ‘12

YOUR IMPACT ON OUR TEACHERS IMPACT

McGillis faculty lead by example when it comes to being lifelong learners! Our faculty pride themselves on staying up to date with the most innovative and engaging teaching methodologies. Professional development, continuing education, and experiential learning funded by your giving allow our teachers to further hone their craft.

THE McGILLIS FUND

Supporting every teacher, every day

The McGillis Fund not only impacts our students; it also impacts our teachers. Gifts made to The McGillis Fund allow our teachers to deliver our unique valuesbased curriculum in an environment that supports the unique needs of each student. Our teachers have the flexibility to design innovative lesson plans that take

31 professional development conferences attended Your giving

our students out into the world to put their learning into action.

Gifts to The McGillis Fund also ensure that our teachers have the equipment and supplies necessary to ensure that each day of learning at McGillis is full of curiosity, exploration, and fun!

ALL faculty & staff received First Aid training and certification McGillis purchased over $60,000 in classroom supplies to support teaching and learning in all grades

TLC IMPACT FUND

In December of 2022, McGillis received a generous gift of $100,000 from McGillis parents Chris and Kelly Manning, who wished to make a meaningful difference for students in The Learning Center (TLC) by establishing the TLC Impact Fund.

The TLC Impact Fund provides resources to invest in professional development for our faculty and curriculum, and to create opportunities to educate our community about the unique gifts of neurodiverse learners. Since its inception, the Impact Fund has made an immediate impact on the TLC, including:

• Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) Writing curriculum implementation

• Wit & Wisdom Reading curriculum pilot

• Dyslexia Assessment implementation

• Landmark Summer Academy Executive Function Training for faculty

• Association of Learning Differences Schools (ALDS) Leadership event and membership fees

• New TLC faculty onboarding and training

We look forward to many ways in which the TLC Impact Fund will continue to contribute to further learning for TLC teachers and growth in the TLC curriculum!

BRAVING THE WAVES TO TRY NEW THINGS

My daughter and I could see the Golden Gate Bridge from the tiny plane window as we descended into San Francisco. Instead of visiting the famous city hills, we hopped on the highway and immediately headed to the Pacific Ocean. Surprisingly, in less than 30 minutes, we were enjoying a picnic at Half Moon Bay Beach, our first state park of the day. After a few more stops with views at the edge of dramatic cliffs that met a cerulean sea, we settled into Carmel, our home for the next few days.

The coast of California is a magical location, filled with bright blue water, loud sea lions, redwood trees, stunning waterfalls, and beautiful trails. We enjoyed Point Lobos State Park in Carmel, the Monterey Aquarium, and Fisherman’s Wharf. Hiking in Big Sur and picnicking at Pfeiffer Beach with its purple sand completed our special trip.

But my absolute favorite part (besides getting to spend time with my daughter) was about pushing my boundaries to experience something brand new.

The huge ocean is something I’ve always admired— safely, from the shore. The thought of going out into the deep sea has prevented me from venturing out too far. This changed on a slightly foggy morning in Monterey Bay. My daughter’s love for wildlife, coupled with my commitment to pushing my fear aside, led us on a whale watching excursion. Before starting, the guide spoke about how we were going to feel the power of Monterey Bay. We sure felt it as the boat was flung around! I’ve never been so grateful for Dramamine and my yoga “dragon” breaths that equipped me to thoroughly enjoy what came next.

While watching dolphins torpedoing through the air, something big splashed and the boat sped ahead. We thought we would see one large creature, but it turned out to be both a mama and a baby humpback whale traveling together! They rose to the surface together and breathed together, their water spouting up and giving us a breathtaking view. Up together, breathe together, back down together. The guide said these synchronized movements show us that they’re mother and child.

When the babies are grown enough to be on their own, they venture away. This baby is going to grow up and be a powerful whale, traveling the ocean from Mexico to California.

I felt a special connection with that mama whale. It has been so amazing watching my daughters also go through leaving the nest and finding their footing in our world above the sea. This experience also makes me reflect on my time at McGillis, where I get to join a family’s team while their child is young. We have built a strong community where we navigate waves of possibility together. I am deeply enriched by my relationships with each child and their family.

Thank you, Baughman and Norris Families, for this generous award and the opportunity to experience something new last summer!

- Emily Bauman, 1st Grade teacher 2023 Robert Norris award recipient

Robert Norris Excellence in Teaching Award

The Robert Norris Award was established by the Baughman and Norris Families to honor the work of special teachers who see the potential in each student. Selected by a committee of faculty and administrators, this award recognizes the educator’s contributions to the education, enrichment, and wellbeing of students, in addition to the greater McGillis School community.

This cash award is specifically designated for the winner to enrich themselves as a student of the world, which, in turn, enriches the world of their students. Funds are to be used for travel, adventure, educational opportunities, and/or personal and professional enrichment.

Prior Award Recipients

2022 Karen Nielsen-Anson

2021 Matt Schrier

2020 Anne Goldberg

2019 Jocelyn Gukeisen

2018 Lou Ann Stevens

2017 Teresa Totorica

2016 Laura Bradford

2015 Cassi Lanie

2014 Paul Chung

2013 Suky Stewart

2012 Logan Campbell

2011 Susan Morgan

2010 Natalie Enevoldsen

2009 Jayde Prudden

2008 Jan Lundquist

JOANNE McGILLIS ENDOWMENT FUND

Established in 2021 after Joanne McGillis’ passing, the Endowment Fund represents her love for the School and her confidence in its future.

In keeping with her wishes, the Joanne S. McGillis Endowment Fund will remain invested. The proceeds will provide and support competitive salaries, benefits, professional development, and other related expenses in order to attract and retain the very best teachers, Head of School, and administration the School can afford.

Joanne loved nothing more than visiting

the School and seeing our students’ love of learning. She visited us regularly, seeing every play, concert, and event she could attend. She also created special moments that she maintained over the years and were cherished by McGillis students, including passing out taffy before Thanksgiving Break and handing out cookies to each student during the final week of the school year.

$5,492,262 Fund balance (as of 6/30/2024)

What is an Endowment?

A gift to the Endowment is an investment in the future of the School.

An endowment is an investment fund set up to last in perpetuity, where the principal remains intact and the proceeds generated are used for a specific purpose. Endowments are:

• charitable funds that offer a source of financial stability for schools

• critical to the financial health of institutions

• essential in supporting schools as they work to offer high-quality, affordable, accessible education

• not a single fund, but a compilation of funds given by many donors over time, for specific purposes that cannot typically be changed after the gift is made

At McGillis, the Endowment is comprised of three named funds. The McGillis School’s Endowment provides an ongoing source of sustained, long-term funding for McGillis, making it possible for the School to be less reliant on tuition and annual fundraising programs.

Endowment growth enhances our ability to fulfill our mission now and for many years to come.

Learn more about The McGillis School Endowment below:

YOUR IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY IMPACT

Our purpose is to create individuals committed to tikkun olam—repairing the world. There is no better way for our Magpies to put that commitment into action than by serving the community outside our building!

Your philanthropy makes a difference to us because it supports the students, teachers, curriculum, and resources that allow us to make a difference to others.

SMALL ACTS, BIG IMPACT

The Outdoor Environmental Education (OEE) program is one of our signature McGillis experiences, and it’s not just about helping students get some fresh air! They are learning through movement, through their senses, through the connections they make between the natural world and our school values.

OEE is one of the most memorable ways our students impact the community beyond the walls of the school. Our Magpies prove that you don’t have to go far to lend a helping hand, and every little bit helps!

Helping Hands at Tracy Aviary

For over a decade, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders have donned gloves and galoshes while clearing algae and watercress from our adopted portion of Red Butte Creek in nearby Tracy Aviary. Every time they visit, they fill a dozen large bins of debris, helping the water to flow much more smoothly and taking a load off the long list of todo’s for Aviary staffers!

A Tree for You, and a Tree for Me!

Near the beginning of every year, Ms. Jayde prompts Lower School students to adopt one of the trees on our campus as their own. They return to the tree month after month, journaling about the tree’s health as the seasons change, painting the tree’s portrait in watercolors, and gathering its leaves in the fall. Magpies take their stewardship seriously all year, learning that derech eretz—respect for all—applies not only to our human family, but also to all living things.

Gemilut Hasadim at Faultline Park

Thanks to the coordination of Outdoor Environmental Education (OEE) teachers Jayde Prudden and Heidi MacNaughton, McGillis is now the proud adoptive sponsor of Faultline Park! Located within walking distance of McGillis at 1041 South 400 East, this park has a playground, picnic benches, plenty of shade, and a wide-open west-facing view of downtown Salt Lake City and beyond. Despite these great amenities, Faultline has long been in need of some love. Our students in 4th through 8th grades visited multiple times to pick up trash, pull weeds, rake leaves, plant bulbs, and even install inspirational grabado murals they made in Art class onto the cement walls bordering the playground.

PRACTICING TZEDAKAH TOGETHER

Fall Leaf Haul

Every McGillis graduate knows the song, and they sing the chorus as loud as they can: “We’re havin’ a ball at Fall Leaf Haul!”

In November 2023, just as we have since our earliest days as a school, everyone in our building grabbed a rake and some green compostable garbage bags and fanned out around the block to help our neighbors. Our Magpies cleared front lawns and curb cuts, filling over 500 bags with leaves! (We may have seen a few of them jumping into the large leaf piles, too.) Fall Leaf Haul is an important way we give back to the Douglas Neighborhood, which has supported McGillis and its mission for the two-plus decades since we moved into our historic building.

Food Drive

We were proud to partner with the Utah Food Bank in the fall of 2023 for our Sukkot Food Drive. We loved to see even our youngest Magpies drop non-perishable items into our big blue drums! The School’s food donations contribute to the approximately 1.8 billion pounds worth of food drive donations collected by the Food Bank each year to help fight hunger across the state.

TREEkun Olam

Our 3rd annual TREEkun Olam may have been the best yet! On a beautiful morning in May, our kehilah, organized into mixed-age Family Groups, planted 39 trees to replace those lost in the heavy winds of September 2020. TREEkun has fast become one of the most anticipated events of the year for children and adults alike, and it is one of the most tangible ways we live our values: tzedakah (giving to others), gemilut hasadim (doing good and kind deeds), and tikkun olam (repairing the world).

TREEkun Olam is the result of our ongoing partnership with TreeUtah, a local nonprofit that works with organizations like ours to plant trees of all types and sizes “to make Utah a greener place to live, work, and play.”

“TreeUtah loves partnering with McGillis to plant trees to celebrate TREEkun Olam. The family trees we plant will serve the ecosystems in our community for many generations to come.”

Amy May Executive Director, TreeUtah

BECOMING BRAVE ALLIES FOR OTHERS

One of our highest hopes for McGillis students is that they develop into courageous activists—thoughtful humans who are resourceful caretakers of our future. Whether we are learning more about neurodiversity, doing work to understand the Holocaust and speak up against antisemitism, or celebrating a diversity of identities, our kehilah is continually gaining the wisdom they need to advocate for themselves and for others.

TLC Impact Fund

Thanks to the TLC Impact Fund (learn more on page 16!), we hosted an event in March of 2024 featuring powerful stories of neurodiversity in the 2017 documentary, Normal Isn’t Real: Succeeding with Learning Disabilities & ADHD. We were proud to host nearly 40 audience members, including members of our McGillis community and the greater Salt Lake City educator and therapist communities.

In addition to viewing the powerful stories told by the documentary and one of our McGillis parents who identifies as neurodiverse, TLC Director Mary Kimball also presented valuable education and opportunities for group discussion. It was a moving evening that broadened our understanding of our neurodiverse community members and deepened our commitment to supporting each other in all of the different ways we learn.

Showing our “MagPride”

At McGillis, we want every person to feel they truly belong. We strive to make the School a safe place for every person who walks through our doors, regardless of their age, sexuality, or gender expression.

This year marked the debut of “MagPride” socks, which sold out so quickly that we had to put in a second, much larger order to make more available! We have loved receiving photos from our community showing off their socks all over the world, from SLC Pride at the Gateway to the U.S. Gymnastics Trials in Minneapolis to a bike tour in Belgium! These socks are just one way we outwardly show support for the LGBTQ+ community, both within our school’s walls and out in the world.

Strengthening Allies in Washington, DC

Every year, our 7th graders consider a central question in their Holocaust Studies unit: What does learning about the rise of the Nazi party and the Holocaust teach us about the power and impact of our choices today? It is vital that we ask this question, both as a school rooted in Jewish values and as a school inspiring its learners to create a better world. In a time of rising antisemitism, this part of our curriculum is essential to creating allies. As Middle School Director Tim Campbell shares, “We want our students to understand through a study of the Holocaust the intersection of power and identity, and how that can be a force to repair the world.”

Building upon this foundation, 8th graders travel to Washington, DC in their final months as a Magpie, spending one of their mornings at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. After a series of four preparatory classes back home at McGillis, their time at themuseum is entirely

self-paced, lasting anywhere from 90 minutes to three hours. Every year, Mr. Campbell says he is in awe of our students, who “read everything” and are fully engaged as they move through exhibits. “Outside the museum, they are appropriately boisterous and loud for their age, [but] they’re remarkably precocious and wise when they’re at the museum. It’s not lost on them, how meaningful that experience is.”

We are proud of the work our students do to learn about the Holocaust. We believe that the lessons they learn from it are invaluable as they seek to repair the world. And there is no better reflection than this, written by an 8th grader after the May 2023 trip: “The Holocaust Museum was devastating, but super important, and I cherished the opportunity to learn more.”

Because this trip is such an important capstone experience for our Magpies, every 8th grader goes to Washington, DC, regardless of their family’s ability to pay. Your support of our Tuition Assistance program ensures that every graduate leaves the nest having had this formative experience!

“We want our students to understand through a study of the Holocaust the intersection of power and identity, and how that can be a force to repair the world.”

Tim Campbell Middle School Director

(Photo by Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)