The Post Oak School

To be honest, Maura, I did not really notice a leadership change,” the parentsaid to me at an event this past April. Little did she know it was the most profound compliment I could have received at the end of my first year ashead at Post Oak.

What a difference a year makes.

“

8/24

As we s tepped onto bo th campuses a t Post Oak th i s pastyear, we were reminded o f t he so l i d f ounda t i on o f ourschoo l m iss i on—to prepare t he env i ronment so t ha t

w i th every s tep s tudents can reach the i r f u l l po ten t i a l .

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10/5Post Oak fam i l i e s en j oyed the Museum D i s t r i c t CampusGrand Open ing i n Oc tober—an open-space and open-p l a t fo rm l earn ing env i ronment f o r M idd l e and H ighSchoo l s tudents . Psycho log is t Dr. Sharon Maxwe l l spokewi th parents about the impor tance o f nur tur ing a ch i l d ’sinner wor ld in response to today ’s increas ing on l ine one .

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Walking onto the Bissonnet Campus a year ago on my first day as head ofschool, I was escorted to a folding table, chair, computer, and a stack of fileboxes labeled “Head of School.” This was in a Primary classroom; in adjacentclassrooms, the Business Office, Development team, division directors, Admissions, and IT were all in close quarters and working out of boxes. Down the road, at the Museum District Campus, things were just as tight. The Houston Montessori Institute (HMI) teacher training course was underway,and the Middle School and High School directors were squeezed into theirown makeshift offices, patiently awaiting the completion of the new HighSchool building while conducting their usual summer business.

Four days into the new job, while taking a tour of the renovations at Bissonnetand the construction of the new High School, I thought, “Oh, dear. My firstcommunication to Post Oak parents will be an email saying that the start ofschool will be delayed because construction is not complete.” It was going to be an interesting summer.

Everyone could see there was so much change going on.

To everyone’s delight (and relief), school began on schedule, classrooms andoffices were ready for occupancy, and students walked into their new spaceswith awe-inspired faces. It was quite a feat to get all construction completedover the summer, but it was not Post Oak’s only challenge. The Middle Schoolprogram, housed at Bissonnet for 20+ years, moved over to the Museum District to join their adolescent peers. The logistics around everything frombuses and after-school care to physical fitness classes and community servicetook a lot of trial and error and out-of-the-box thinking. All faculty on bothcampuses adjusted quickly to make Post Oak ready for the students, and ithad been a daunting task.

And there was more. Post Oak had a busy year ahead. The Big Work CapitalCampaign had concluded and there was the celebration of our major donorsin August, and the Grand Opening of the Museum District Campus in October,not to mention the volunteer work that was happening as planning for the

2/16

The M idd l e Schoo l academic p rogram i s g rounded i n ahuman i t i es curr i cu lum , enhanced by i n te rd i sc i p l i narys tud i es i n math , sc i ence , l anguage , and soc i a l s tud i es

us ing a seminar-sty le approach . For severa l weeks s tudents s tud i ed “Dramat i c Change” i n t he wor ld

from 1400 to 1850 with in the Ot toman Empire , Franceand Russ i a , As i a and Europe .

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4/20

E lementary s tudents expressed the i r many mus ica l i n te res ts i n t he beau t i f u l new mus ic room. The l a rge ,

f l ex i b l e space a l so enab les c l asses t o use i t f o r s tudentrehearsa l s and c l ass p roduc t i ons l i ke L i ndsay

M is t re t ta’s Lower E lementary c l ass spr ing per formance o f “ The B i g Bad P i g and t he Four L i t t l e Wo lves .”

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Biennial Gala was in full force. If that wasn’t enough, the 10-year reaccreditationvisit for Post Oak as a member of the Independent School Association of theSouthwest (ISAS) was scheduled for March.

It was a flurry of activity, but a great opportunity for a new head of school todive in head first. Building relationships with students, parents, and staff waseased by the busy schedule, meetings, and events lined up at the beginningof the year. It was a total immersion into all aspects of this dynamic community.The reaccreditation process gave me the opportunity to listen to faculty, administration, and staff as they told me about our strengths and where wecan improve. The Gala gave me the opportunity to witness the work of ourtruly dedicated parent volunteers and the big-heartedness of our community.Parent education events allowed me to connect with the current familiesabout the Montessori vision of education. I was fortunate enough to meetand thank in person all those whose generosity made the new High Schoolbuilding and renovations a reality.

And the students.

Amidst all the changes and activity, students entered each school day to findtheir learning environment ready for them, their teachers eager to sharesomething new, and their friends ready to greet them. They engaged in theirlife at Post Oak peacefully and productively as they always have, because theauthentic Montessori program remained fully intact. At its core, Post Oak wasstill Post Oak despite construction, changing logistics, and a new head of school. For students, it was business as usual, and the comfort and securityof their classroom and learning environments allowed them to carry on theirexploration and discovery, their growth and development, without interruption.As it has been for 54 years, the focus of The Post Oak School continues to bethe children. No change in personnel or paint color can change that.

There is much to look forward to: the board’s strategic planning work to envision the next five years; focusing on the children and programs to furtherour mission; sustaining excellent outcomes; and enhancing our culture andcommunity to benefit each student. All of this makes me truly excited aboutthe future of The Post Oak School. —Maura Joyce , Head o f Schoo l

Before-school and af ter-school programs involve studentsf rom Young Ch i l d ren’s Commun i t y t o M idd l e Schoo l . TheA f te r -Schoo l Enr i chment P rogram prov ides E l ementarys tudents w i th a deep immers ion i n sub j ec t s as var i edas bu i l d i ng bas i c Mandar in l anguage sk i l l s t o improv ingba lance and coord inat i on through hu la hoops .

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5/19

A checklist summarizing the beginning of the

2016–2017 school year was impressive (and a little

overwhelming): building construction was almost

complete; renovated environments needed finishing

touches; a new head of school was taking the reins;

our ten-year reaccreditation review was in progress;

and several major events were in the works. In spite

of all these changes, students moved with ease into

the new environments, gracefully adjusting into the

school year.

Even with so much activity, Post Oak’s volunteer

community was ready. The year started with a Big

Work Major Donors’ Evening of Thanks along with a

Grand Opening at our Museum District Campus. Both events celebrated the com-

mitment of our community and the excitement of new construction. The Parent

Association kicked off the year with the annual POPA Dinner in September at the

Junior League, which had a record-breaking crowd. In October, Family Fun Day

entertained students from YCC through High School and was another all-

community hit; Grandparents Days brought in relatives and friends to both

campuses to view and experience Montessori in action; and, our annual Book

Fair filled Brazos Bookstore with students of all ages and then filled the shelves

of our libraries with new books. The grand event of the year was our Biennial Gala,

with the theme “The Great Gatsby.” Post Oak parents, Jennifer Chavis and Stelli

Parsapour were our high-spirited co-chairs, committed to making this soirée

“one great party!” Months of preparation went into the countless details of this

event. Toddlers up through twelfth graders created incredible works of art that

were bid on at the live (and raucous) auction that night. Multiple committees

worked on underwriting, decorations, auction, and more, which led to an

incredibly successful event both in funds collected—more than $600,000, a

record breaker—and in the unanimous sentiment that it was one heck of a party!

All of this volunteer effort built community and raised funds to support the

school in a variety of ways. Our Biennial Gala, Annual Fund, and major gift

contributions brought in unrestricted gifts that allowed the school to do things

like increase our financial aid allocation; help with the purchase of the new

71-seat passenger bus; install new rooftop HVAC units; help cover the cost of a

new roof on the Bissonnet Campus; install gardens for Elementary and Middle

School; purchase new equipment for our High School tinkerlab; provide wood-

working tools for our Middle School; increase our professional development

budget; and install much needed window blinds at the High School.

On behalf of faculty and administration, I offer sincere thanks for the generous

support and strong commitment that this community has given The Post Oak

School. We are all in service together to the students of Post Oak.

—Chr i s t i na Kopan id i s -Cantu , Deve l opment D i rec tor

Our Volunteer Community

Leadership Circle

AnonymousShonali and Rakesh AgrawalMaura Joyce and Roberto ArgentinaLouisa and Henry BergeronJennifer and Doug BoschHeather and Max BulkKimberly and Michael CallahanCynthia and Michael ChangNadya and Nadeem DhananiLisa Heyden and Stephen DouglasSunday Riley and Bruce EamesAbbe and Adam FormanLawrence FossiAmy and Blair GarrouEileen GlennElizabeth and Joel GoochDana and John GreevesJessica and Vean GreggHolly Crisp-Han and Gregory HanRochelle Tafolla and Richard HessVictoria Goldstein and Randall JamailKelly and Erich JanzenReena and Medhavi JogiAmy and Lloyd KirchnerSusan and Jack LeeSara and Gabriel LoperenaJenny and André MarshallPauline and Robert MertensottoPaula and Mark Mey

Stelli and Todd ParsapourMelissa Coleman and Robert PascoeMayuri and Dharmesh PatelPaige PenchasShelley Rice and James Rice IIIKristen and David RidgwayAlicia Kowalchuk and Benjamin SaldañaDaniela and Manolo SanchezSherri and Charles SchugartJordan and Dylan SeffTricia and Mark SingerRebecca and Jeffrey TapickNikayla and Aaron ThomasBrittney and Max TribblePammy and Irfan UmatiyaStacy and Richard UrsoWhitney and Marc WalshMelanie Gray and Mark WawroCourtney WulfeKim Yates and Chuck YatesRocio Diaz and Francisco Zorrilla

Individual Contributors

Anonymous

Charlotte and Carlos AguilarAmita and Abid AliSumera and Adil AliSehba AliSadia and Zuqair AliNancy and John AlmonAlison and Joaquin AltenbergMarcela Beltran-Alvarez and Gus AlvarezFrank ApolloFasiha Kanwal and Yassir AshrafAzadeh Motekallem and Shervin AssassiDr. Olamide AtandaElenir and Rony AvritscherRosa Garcia and Carlos AyalaMarjaneh AzadShazia Nota and Aziz BaigTeri and Thomas BairDiana Ayala and Juan BalderasJessica and Darrell Barger

Heather Barkley and Christopher HensleyOdette Arredondo and Clark BarteeMarcel BartolazziEsha Rau and Visveshwar BaskaranAshley and David BesselmanErin and Mark BisconeKathleen BoydJennifer and Christian BrenckmannElena and Alexander BrokhinCourtney and Bill BucyErin and Brett BusbySara and Brent BushellReyes Lizarraga and Miguel CalatayudCarla CampbellElizabeth and Walter CassidySara and Juan Pablo CatáYonca Korkmaz Ceyhan and Ismail CeyhanPayal and Manny ChanaSteven CharnquistJennifer and Cliff ChavisBelisa Diaz and Maninder CheemaDeepa Poduval and Rajesh ChelapurathCourtney and David ChlebusLaura and Martin CitardiDeborah and Ricky ClearyCasie and Andrew CobosAudra French and Arnold ColungaDee and Shaki CommissariatLaura and Mark ConelyVareen and Dave CunninghamNatasha Bashir and Wasim DarKelly and Garth DavisKelly and James DavisArlene and Robert DavisRobyn DavisCandace and Frederick DayMontserrat Trujillo and Luis de la FuenteLaura and Darryll De VeraEd and Tori DeCoraMary and Rony Dev

Post Oak DonorsThe 2016–2017 Post Oak FundChaired by Lisa Heyden and Stephen Douglas

Donors who generously contributed gifts of APIMMM andabove to e Post Oak Fund are members of e Post Oak Leadership Circle.

Maneesha Sharma and Manoj DevashishCarmen and Kiki DikmenBetul Oran and Serdar DincTina Petersen and John DuboiseMonica and Derek DunawayJudith and Harry EllenzweigEmily and Robert EmmettErica and Glenn EngleKathleen Padden and Richard EvansAsmaa Olwi and Yaser FaquihElizabeth and George FarishMargaret and TJ FarnsworthJeri Amundsen and Arthur FeldmanSheryl and Bernard Feldman (in Honor of Harry Feldman)Gina and Charles FertittaErin FlorescuDominique and Nicholas FlorescuLori Ann and Michael FoertschMolly Ann and Bruce FrankelChrista Filak and Martin FraskeCari and Tyler GillHannah and Leonard GolubErin and Justin GoodmanCynthia Alonso and Ashok GowdaChristine and Ted GreenDeborah Lester and Stephen GriffeeLisa and Ira GrossSowmini and Ravi GudimetlaSilvia Paulino and Marcos GuerraLeashanne and James GuoAllison and David HamiltonSusan Hardwick-SmithLauren Harte and Kevin HargroveSumita Chunchu and Krishnadev HariharanJennifer HarrisonCherish and Chris HarvellVicki and Robert HarveyEnid and Lance HendersonStephanie and Ben HertzogKelly and Blake HillLindsey and Jesse Hirsch

Anh Doan and Doanh HoangLinh Ha and Duynh HoangBianca and Greg HollandCarol and John HowenstineCynthia and Darren HubbardJae Yi and Randy HyunMuriel Brisson-Jackson and Eric JacksonShazma and Masroor JatoiAriella Perlman and Robert JohnsonParul and Emmanuel JuneSaima Shaikh and Abdul KafrayCatherine and Andrew KaldisKomal Shah and Vijay KaleJane Greenberg and Gregory KaplanShilpa Chunchu and Douglas KarabaszNazira and Niyaz KarediaNesrin and Dogan KartaltepeKristen and Matthew KatzEylem Tekin and Ersin KececiogluSamantha and Ronald KeggeJanice and Allan KingLili and Hans KirchnerLuan Troxel and Andrew KittellSuzy and Greg KopelHemali and Ashish KothariVasanthi Jayaraman and Ramanan KrishnamoortiKatherine and Jesse KrynakNeha Gupta and Ankush KumarTeresa Lin and Stephen LaiMatthew LakeAna Paula Sánchez and Javier Lamuño Renee Wells Lancelin and Eric LancelinTim LangenkampTracy and Adam LarsonBeth and Matt LavineAndrea LazarPhuong and George LevanGrace and James LewisNicole LombardoKathy and John LongCarolina Gutierrez and Gabriel LopezLucinda and Javier LoyaMichelle and Thomas LuChikako and Denny Luk

Sheung Wong and Gary LukFrances Mac Donald-Donovan and Timothy DonovanAna and João MacielLumarie Santiago and Armeen MahvashHeide MairsLyndia and Ryan MakolPenelope Gonzalez Marks and Lester MarksKathryn and Roy MarreroStacey and Mark MartinCarolina Quiroga and Victor MartinezJessica and Robert MatosVictoria MatthewsEmily Browning and Adam MayErinn Boyle and Alejandro Mayral BlancoThe Mazziotti FamilyJo and Shawn McDonaldAlison Wong and Blaine McElroyBonnye and Robert McGillSarah Ellenzweig and Scott McGillLane and Rhian McKinneyLindsley and Robert McLeanKelly McNamaraAmi and Mit MehtaMichele MeiclerRegina and Bert MellingerAfshi Charania Merchant and Murad MerchantLorena Rojas Bucheli and Pietro MilazzoPamela Griffin-Minnich and Gene MinnichPatricia and William MitchellJessica and Chad ModadAmbreen and Jamshed MominRufina Sunesara and Shehzad MominQuianta and Demango MooreMary and John MooreJenny and Stanford MooreAnn Hester and Cornelius MorleyTara and Alex NeblettKavitha and Sattva NeelapuKaren Hoffman and Eric Neumann

Therese and Christopher OdellWendy and Meir O’HannaAmy O’NeillHeather and Brenden O’NeillAvit Romano and David PactorTahia Khan and Shoyab PanchbhayaLorena Rojas and Oscar ParadaPragnya Patel and Kaushik ParekhRenee ParkerJaana Porra and Michael ParksDiana Cabrales and Alex PastuszakPamela Quiroz and James PateraNicole and Anders PedersenCarole Dickinson and Arthur PerkinsIngrid and Tom PerringTatiana and Ty PetersonJudith and William PetersonLisa and Patrick PhelpsJacqueline Pourciau and Robert PhillpottDikla Biton and Daniel PickelnerKimberly and Ryan PinckneyNancy and Michael PolychronopoulosKaren Ting and Michelle PortisCarlin and Damon PutmanFyza Piracha and Athar QureshiShamsha and Saahir Ramji (in Honor of Isa, Pasha, and Ezra Umatiya)Amber Luong and Terry RayKaren and Ken ReddingKelley Kurtz and Gabriel RezaLaura and Tom RichardsonHeidi and Bryan RosenstrauchJennifer Norten and Mark RoutbortSandhya and Naresh SabhnaniAnita Manasiya and Sarfaraz SadruddinCristina Gracia and Gabriel SalinasRabia and Omar SamjiSuzan and Jeremy Samuels

Ashumi Shah and Parag SanghaniMarisol Valencia and Jose Fernando SantacruzSarah ScottGena ScurryYun Shin and Justin SegravesZeenath and Arjun SelvakumarSandy and Robert ShawErica and Vadim ShermanMorgan and David ShinSheetal and Girish ShroffJennifer and Robert ShultsNadia Fida and Umair SiddiquiJenny and Michael SiegelNicole SimoneauxAriana and Steve SmetanaVrushali Deshpande and Aditya SomanMarilyn and Alexander SomersRona and Michael SonabendValerie and Michael SonsinoEvy Pappas and Nickolas SpiliotisSarah and Michael StauderJacqueline Stewart and Hasting Stewart, Jr.Julie and Jeffrey StreichJulie and Jason StylesAlefiya Akbarally and Omar SubyAinee and Sarfaraz SunesaraSophia and Aftab TajVirginia TamesChristina and Isaac TapiaLeane Mercier-Tardif and Pierre TardifJudy Le and Don TomJennifer and Sam TouchetKaren and Raul ValdezMichael VaughnDeepa and Neil VermaClaudia Macias and Alex VillegasValerie and Jay VolpiCatherine Than and Hoang Quan VuSabina and Mani WaliaNgoc Le and Jason WallsStephanie and Stanley WatowichEmily and Adam WeinsteinEllen and Mark Weinstein

Suzanne Weisinger (in Honor of Brook and Sophia Lee)Lisa Gubbels and Robert WingoSusan Shi and Michael WongBarbara WulfeSamantha and Charles WykoffAnita and Alan YingCarlie and Richard YooYingli Luo and Hui ZhangXinya and Yanbin ZhangLauren and Garrison ZiffJennifer Zumbado

Employees

Irma AlarconNazario AnastacioAlma ArmendarizCrosby and Jacob BayerTamara and Zach BashamZach BelisLauren BergeronCynthia BlessmanVivian and Henry BlumNinfa BridgesDeidre and Patrick BrooksSuzanne BrooksChristina Kopanidis-Cantu and Jorge CantuDinah ChetritRachel ChetritAnthony CisnerosSandra De LeonElizabeth DicksonRebecca Duran and Joshua DunnCory EckertSaida FagalaBethany GarrettLilia GarzaAna GiraltAmy and Jeremy GrisbeeKatherine Guani NavaSusan GuerreroKim HarrisonDebbie and Todd HendersonMatt JacobsLaura JimenezOrly KlukRebecca Smith and Matthew KondratowiczDanielle and Chad Kimball

Kaelee KressJamie and Andrew LeeLupe and Michael LopezManuel MejiaAmanda MillerLindsay MistrettaMonica MorenoSarah and James MoudryAlicia MoutonDebbie and Rick NickersonAndrea NovakEmily Hansen and Kyle O’HeronBeth OlitzkiDiana and Albert OnofrePatricia OnofreJanet OttJulie ParraguirreJenna PelChristine PetersonAmanda Phelps-SmithMaya and Errol PintoBenjamin PrestonShelley and James QuillinArgentina QuinonesKeri and Mauro RebuffiniCeirro RobinsonDiana Lopez and Joseph Rogowski Mirna Andrade-Salgado and José M. SalgadoJessica and Hugo SamanoShonali Jacob and Jeff SchneiderElaine and Jean-Marie SchweizerLori ScovillLauren SelbyElizabeth SilveiraEmily SloanMonica Lundeen and Michael SmithMirani SmithSimran and Manish SoodNina StraneSarah and Jami SweeneyAnita Taj MahmoodJeni and Matt ThompsonTamara and Robert TownsendKatherine TreviñoNancy and Mark TuckerKelly and Ben VaughnSuzette and Francesco VetriniSarah Watson

James WinslowMiriam WintonShoulong ZhouCharles Ziegler

Foundations

D. Kent & Linda C. Anderson Foundation (in Honor of Sutton, Anderson, and Quinton Walsh)The Samuels Family Foundation

Corporations

ConocoPhillips CompanyHartline, Dacus, Barger Dreyer LLP IBM Matching Grants ProgramKinder MorganMidtown DentistryOccidental Petroleum CorporationSafeway Inc.Shell Oil Company Foundation Matching GiftsYourCause—Chevron Matching Employee Funds

Friends of the Library

Shonali and Rakesh AgrawalOdette Arredondo and Clark BarteeBrazos BookstoreLane and Rhian McKinneyLindsley and Robert McLeanCourtney WulfeSamantha and Charles Wykoff

The Great Gatsby Biennial Gala Chaired by Jennifer Chavis and Stelli Parsapour

unDerwriters

Friends of FitzgeraldRandall H. Jamail

Jennifer and Doug Bosch, Inn at Dos BrisasSunday Riley and Bruce EamesAbbe and Adam FormanLisa and Ira GrossMorgan and David ShinCourtney Wulfe

Melissa ColemanJessica and Vean GreggSherri and Charles SchugartWhitney and Marc WalshKim Yates

Gatsby’s GuestsJennifer and Cliff ChavisAmy and Lloyd KirchnerPaula and Mark MeyCarole Dickinson and Val PerkinsFelicia and Rafael Stone

Gina and Charles Fertitta, Jr.Cari and Tyler GillRochelle Tafolla and Richard HessStelli and Todd Parsapour

American Dreamer’sKim and Michael CallahanLaura and Martin CitardiKelly and Erich JanzenSuzan and Jeremy SamuelsAriana and Steve Smetana

Robyn DavisCarol and John HowenstineJenny and André MarshallHeather and Brenden O ’NeillHeidi and Bryan RosenstrauchErin Stus

Jennifer ZumbadoAmy and Blair GarrouDrs. Reena and Medhavi JogiPhuong and George LevanRebecca and Jeffrey TapickAnita and Alan Ying

Jane Greenberg and Gregory KaplanPauline and Robert MertensottoKatie and Bob OrrMidtown Dentistry, Dr. Jonathan PenchasEmily and Adam Weinstein

Brittney and Max TribbleMelanie Gray and Mark Wawro

Carlie and Richard Yoo

Bubbles and BaublesShonali and Rakesh AgrawalRebecca Smith and Matthew KondratowiczNikayla and Aaron Thomas

AnonymousReyes Lizarraga and Miguel CalatayudAna Paula Sánchez and Javier LamuñoCarolina Quiroga and Victor MartinezMarisol Valencia and Jose Fernando Santacruz

Dr. Olamide AtandaDeborah and Ricky ClearyEnid and Lance HendersonKathryn Marrero and Dr. Roy R. Marrero, Jr.Jessica and Chad Modad

Marjaneh AzadLaura and Mark ConelyKaryn and Charles CrispHolly Crisp-Han and Gregory HanTherese and Christopher Odell

Erin and Brett BusbyJudy and William PetersonDeepa and Neil VermaCatherine Than and Hoang Quan Vu

Sara and Juan CatáHannah and Leonard GolubJamie and Andy LeeDaniela and Manolo SánchezRocio Diaz and Francisco Zorrilla

Dee and Shaki CommissariatJae Yi and Randy HyunNeha and Ankush KumarRhian and Lane McKinneyLeane Mercier-Tardif and Pierre Tardif

Vareen and Dave CunninghamKelly and Jim DavisTori and Ed DeCora

Lori Martinez and Phillip Thompson Lisa Gubbels and Robert Wingo

Kelly and Garth DavisStacey and Mark MartinErica and Vadim ShermanValerie and Michael SonsinoJulie and Jason Styles

Lori Ann and Michael FoertschElizabeth and Joel GoochSamantha KeggeAlison Wong and Blaine McElroyKatie PaddenRona and Mike Sonabend

Cynthia and Dr. Ashok Gowda

Teresa Lin and Stephen LaiPamela Griffin-Minnich and Gene MinnichPragnya Patel and Kaushik ParekhJackie Pourciau and Robert PhillpottValerie and Jay Volpi

Feathers and FlappersAnonymousMaura Joyce and Roberto ArgentinaAzadeh and Shervin AssassiMontse and Luis de la FuenteAllison and David HamiltonJanice and Allan KingSara and Gabriel LoperenaMichael Chang, PLLCPat and Bill MitchellKelley Kurtz and Gabriel RezaKristen and David RidgwayDrs. Alicia Kowalchuk and Benjamin Saldaña

Owl EyesJennifer and Christian BrenckmannDeepa Poduval and Rajesh ChelapurathCandace and Fred DayEmily and Robert EmmettChrista Filak and Martin FraskeLauren and Kevin HargroveBrittany Ann Hildebrand

Monica Lopez and Richard Lyn-CookDr. Penelope and Mr. Lester MarksVictoria MatthewsErinn Boyle and Alex MayralRegina and Albert MellingerKaren and Eric NeumannTom NguyenTatiana and Ty PetersonNancy and Michael PolychronopoulosCarlin and Damon PutmanThe SegravesSimran and Manish SoodJulie and Jeff Streich

Donations

Margaret BraggJennifer and Christian BrenckmannAnh Doan and Doanh HoangAmy and Lloyd KirchnerKathy and John LongStacey and Mark MartinVictoria MatthewsEmily Browning and Adam MayMuriel, Marcel, and Michelle Meicler

Classroom Corner Donations

Maura Joyce and Roberto ArgentinaJennifer and Clifton ChavisKelly and Garth DavisTori and Ed DeCoraCarmen and Kiki DikmenAmy and Blair GarrouCari and Tyler GillElizabeth and Joel GoochHolly Crisp-Han and Gregory HanSumita Chunchu and Krishnadev HariharanCarol and John HowenstineReena and Medhavi JogiShilpa Chunchu and Douglas KarabaszAmy and Lloyd Kirchner

Lyndia and Ryan MakolJenny and André MarshallStacey and Mark MartinPauline and Robert MertensottoAnn Hester and Cornelius MorleyKaren Hoffman and Eric NeumannNancy and Michael PolychronopoulosCarlin and Damon Putman Kelley Kurtz and Gabriel RezaSherri and Charles SchugartSandy and Robert ShawMorgan and David ShinRebecca and Jeffrey TapickLeane Mercier-Tardif and Pierre TardifNikayla and Aaron ThomasSusan Shi and Michael WongCarlie and Richard YooLauren and Garrison ZiffRocio Diaz and Francisco Zorrilla

Live Auction—ClassroomArtwork Purchasers

Shonali and Rakesh AgrawalJennifer and Doug BoschTori and Ed DeCoraSunday Riley and Bruce EamesGina and Charles FertittaLeashanne and James GuoPhuong and George LevanSara and Gabriel LoperenaPamela Griffin-Minnich and Gene MinnichCatherine and Robert OrrVicky and Harris PappasStelli and Todd ParsapourDaniela and Manolo SanchezSherri and Charles SchugartLisa Gubbels and Robert WingoKim Yates

The 2016–2017 POPA Dinner Underwriting

Shonali and Rakesh AgrawalMaura Joyce and Roberto ArgentinaLouisa and Henry BergeronSuzanne BrooksHeather and Max BulkErin and Brett BusbyChristina Kopanidis-Cantu and Jorge CantuDee and Shaki CommissariatLeslie and Myles CulhaneVareen and Dave CunninghamCandace and Frederick DayLaura and Darryll De VeraTina Petersen and John DuboiseSaida FagalaMargaret and TJ FarnsworthLori Ann and Michael FoertschAbbe and Adam FormanAmy and Blair GarrouAllison and David HamiltonHolly Crisp-Han and Gregory HanRochelle Tafolla and Richard HessKelly and Erich JanzenEylem Tekin and Ersin KececiogluAmy and Lloyd KirchnerLuan Troxel and Andrew KittellRebecca Smith and Matthew KondratowiczSara and Gabriel LoperenaStacey and Mark MartinEmily Browning and Adam MaySarah Ellenzweig and Scott McGillAlison Wong and Blaine McElroyLane and Rhian McKinneyPaula and Mark MeyKaren Hoffman and Eric NeumannMayuri and Dharmesh PatelDiana Cabrales and Alex Pastuszak

Alicia Kowalchuk and Benjamin SaldañaDaniela and Manolo SanchezMorgan and David ShinRebecca and Jeffrey TapickNikayla and Aaron ThomasJudy Le and Don TomWhitney and Marc WalshCourtney WulfeSamantha and Charles WykoffLauren and Garrison ZiffRocio Diaz and Francisco Zorrilla

BigWork Capital Campaign

Chairs: Melanie Gray and Mark WawroHonorary Chairs: Laurie and Leland FondrenFamily Chairs: Anita and Alan Ying

inDiviDuaL

COntributOrs

Anonymous (2)Ashley and Herbert AddisonSushila and Durga AgrawalShonali and Rakesh AgrawalCharlotte and Carlos AguilarIrma AlarconSadia and Zuqair AliKay AllenNancy and John AlmonMarcela Beltran-Alvarez and Gus AlvarezMaura Joyce and Roberto ArgentinaAlma ArmendarizTerri and Chris ArmstrongFasiha and Yassir AshrafElenir and Rony AvritscherRosa and Carlos AyalaDiana and Juan BalderasJessica and Darrell BargerOdette and Clark BarteeTamara and Zach BashamEsha and Visveshwar BaskaranMario BeltranLouisa and Henry Bergeron

Lauren BergeronJeannine and David BergtBailey Dalton-Binion and Greg BinionMary BirkVivian and Henry BlumBeverly BontragerGreg Borski and Phillip BowdenPam and Bill BoyarMargaret and James BraggJessica and Ben BraunNinfa BridgesElena and Alexander BrokhinDeidre and Patrick BrooksSandy BurckleErin and Brett BusbyBetty and R. J. CaballeroReyes Lizarraga and Miguel CalatayudWendy CaliseKimberly and Michael CallahanCarla CampbellChristina Kopanidis-Cantu and Jorge CantuElizabeth and Walter CassidySara and Juan Pablo CatáHarpal and Harminder ChanaPayal and Manny ChanaJennifer and Clifton ChavisBelisa and Maninder CheemaDeepa Poduval and Rajesh ChelapurathDinah ChetritRachel ChetritCourtney and David ChlebusJane and John CiliegeLaura and Martin CitardiJennifer and Scott ClearmanCasie and Andrew CobosAudra French and Arnold ColungaKaryn and Charles CrispLeslie and Myles CulhaneVareen and Dave CunninghamNatasha and Wasim DarArlene DavisKelly and Garth DavisKelly and James DavisJeffrey DavisRobyn DavisIvy and Samuel DavisCandace and Frederick DayTori and Ed DeCora

Robert DebesSandra DeLeonMary and Rony DevManeesha and Manoj DevashishBetul Oran and Serdar DincVictoria and Gislar DonnenbergAnne Singleton and Jack DouglasLisa Heyden and Stephen DouglasTina Petersen and John DuboiseSunday Riley and Bruce EamesMichael ElamEmily and Robert EmmettErica and Glenn EngleKathleen Padden and Richard EvansSaida FagalaAsmaa and Yaser FaquihHebe Gutierrez and Gabriel FloresDominique and Nicholas FlorescuLori Ann and Michael FoertschLaurie and Leland FondrenAbbe and Adam FormanRachel and Wayne FranklinChrista Filak and Martin FraskeSeunghee and Christopher FullerAmy and Blair GarrouKarri and Alfredo GarzaLilia GarzaCari and Tyler GillHannah and Leonard GolubElizabeth and Joel GoochErin and Justin GoodmanCynthia Alonso and Ashok GowdaJanice and Barrett GreenJessica and Vean GreggWindi and David GrimesSowmini and Ravi GudimetlaLeashanne and James GuoAllison and David HamiltonSusan Hardwick-SmithLauren and Kevin HargroveSumita and Krishnadev HariharanJennifer Harrison

Cherish and Chris HarvellVicki and Robert HarveyEnid and Lance HendersonDebbie and Todd HendersonJoseph HenryRennae HenryHeather Barkley and Christopher HensleyStephanie and Ben HertzogRochelle Tafolla and Richard HessKelly and Blake HillAnh and Doanh HoangCarol and John HowenstineCynthia and Darren HubbardLady and David HuffstutlerMuriel Brisson-Jackson and Eric JacksonRandall JamailBryan JandaKelly and Erich JanzenCatherine and Andrew KaldisKomal Shah and Vijay KaleJane Greenberg and Gregory KaplanJanet and Mario KapustaShilpa Chunchu and Douglas KarabaszNesrin and Dogan KartaltepeKristen and Matthew KatzSamantha and Ronald KeggePatricia and Keith KilgoreLinda KingCarol and Stephen KingCynthia DeLaney and Stephan KinsellaLili and Hans KirchnerAmy and Lloyd KirchnerOrly KlukYoel KlukAndrew KovalVasanthi Jayaraman and Ramanan KrishnamoortiNeha and Ankush KumarTeresa Lin and Stephen LaiMarcel Bartolazzi and Matthew LakeAna Paula Sánchez and Javier LamuñoRenee Wells Lancelin and Eric LancelinTim LangenkampAndrea Lazar

Jamie and Andrew LeeSusan and Timothy LeverenzGrace and James LewisYan and Haiyang LiZoe LittlepageRenee and Michael LocklarChristopher LombardoNicole LombardoKathy and John LongLupe and Michael LopezLucinda and Javier LoyaMichelle and Thomas LuHelene and Darrell LubelChikako and Denny LukSheung Wong and Gary LukRobin and Jeff LunsfordMonica Lopez and Richard Lyn-CookWinnie and MJ MaloofHarold MalveauxHuma and Nabeel ManalJenny and André MarshallStacey and Mark MartinVictoria MatthewsJessica and Robert MatosEmily Browning and Adam MayAlison Wong and Blaine McElroySarah Ellenzweig and Scott McGillAlicia and Christopher McIntoshRhian and Lane McKinneyAmi and Mit MehtaMuriel and Marcel MeiclerMichele MeiclerManuel MejiaRegina and Bert MellingerMelanie and Nathaniel MendozaPaula and Mark MeyLorena and Pietro MilazzoPamela Griffin-Minnich and Gene MinnichPat and Bill MitchellNandita Gupta and Vikas MittalQuianta and Demango MooreJenny and Stanford MooreMonica MorenoRenee and Milton MorrisQuenby and Paul MottSharon and George Moudry

Alicia MoutonTara and Alex NeblettKavitha and Sattva NeelapuDebbie NickersonMobeen and Khuram NizamiAndrea NovakKevin O ’GormanWendy and Meir O’HannaEmily Hansen and Kyle O’HeronBeth OlitzkiAmy O’NeillHeather and Brenden O’NeillDiana and Albert OnofreCatherine and Robert OrrAvit and David PactorTahia and Shoyab PanchbhayaSharon Engelstein and Aaron ParazettePragnya Patel and Kaushik ParekhMeredith and Mark ParentiJenny Mohr and Matthew ParkerJaana Porra and Michael ParksJulie ParraguirreStelli and Todd ParsapourMelissa Coleman and Robert PascoeMayuri and Dharmesh PatelPamela Quiroz and James PateraNicole and Anders PedersenJenna PelJennifer and Jonathan PenchasPaige PenchasCarole Dickinson and Val PerkinsStephanie and Bill PerkinsAshley and Sidney PerkinsChristine PetersonJudy and William PetersonLisa and Patrick PhelpsAmanda Phelps-SmithJackie Pourciau and Robert PhillpottMaya and Errol PintoTeresa and Carlos Pinto CoelhoKristy Ton and Hock Guan PngKelly and Anthony PolicastroNancy and Michael PolychronopoulosMonica Pope

Amy and Thomas PughJoy and Richard PulaskiShelley and James QuillinFyza and Athar QureshiSusie and Larry RachleffLaura and Thomas RahlfsPaula and Charlie RandallKaren and Ken ReddingElizabeth ReeseBill RichterKristen and David RidgwayCelia RodriguezHeidi and Bryan RosenstrauchJennifer Norten and Mark RoutbortAndrea and Anthony RussoAlicia Kowalchuk and Benjamin SaldañaMirna Andrade-Salgado and José SalgadoJessica and Hugo SamanoSuzan and Jeremy SamuelsDaniela and Manolo SanchezMarisol and Jose Fernando SantacruzFarrell and Stuart SaundersKate and Greg ScheinmanShonali Jacob and Jeff SchneiderSherri and Charles SchugartGena ScurryZeenath and Arjun SelvakumarChristianne Melanson and Durwin SharpJennifer and Robert ShultsJenny and Michael SiegelElizabeth SilveiraEmily SloanAriana and Steve SmetanaMonica Lundeen and Michael SmithMirani SmithVrushali and Aditya SomanRona and Michael SonabendValerie and Michael SonsinoAsha and Gaurav SoodSimran and Manish SoodEvy Pappas and Nickolas SpiliotisMary and Garland StephensCeline and Richard StetzerFelicia and Rafael StoneNina Strane

Ellen and Dale StraubJulie and Jeffrey StreichTish StringerErin and Thomas StusJulie and Jason StylesSarah and Jami SweeneyAnita Taj MahmoodChristina and Isaac TapiaNikayla and Aaron ThomasJeni and Matt ThompsonKelly and David Tobin Phylis TomlinsonJennifer and Sam TouchetTamara and Robert TownsendKatherine TrevinoBrittney and Max TribbleGinya and Clayton TrierNancy and Mark TuckerNatalia and Angel UrretaStacy and Richard UrsoKaren and Raul ValdezMichael VaughnAparajitha and Amit VermaClaudia and Alex VillegasKhanhuyen and Huy VinhValerie and Jay VolpiCatherine Than and Hoang Quan VuSabina and Mani WaliaNgoc Le and Jason WallsWhitney and Marc WalshMonique WalshGeraldine and Louis WatersStephanie and Stanley WatowichMelanie Gray and Mark WawroMisty and Tyson WeihsEmily and Adam WeinsteinVallette and Russell WindhamLisa Gubbels and Robert WingoJames WinslowMiriam WintonSusan and Michael WongConstance and Jeffrey WoodmanTerry Fisher and Karl WygantSamantha and Charles WykoffKim and Chuck YatesAnita and Alan YingCarlie and Richard YooMichelle and Kenneth ZagorskiMichelle Luo and Hui Zhang

Rocio Diaz and Francisco ZorrillaThe Zumbado Family

FOunDatiOns

D. Kent & Linda C. Anderson FoundationThe F.R. Apollo FoundationThe Brown Foundation, Inc.The Cullen FoundationThe Elkins FoundationRay C. Fish FoundationThe George and Mary Josephine Hamman FoundationHouston Endowment Inc.Steven J. and Melissa C. Kean Charitable Foundation, Inc.The Rochlis Family FoundationThe Samuels Family Foundation

COrPOratiOns

Bank of AmericaBlue Teddy, LLCConocoPhillips CompanyEOG Resources, Inc.HalliburtonHartline Dacus Barger Dreyer LLPHP YourCause, LLCLadner & AssociatesMotiva Enterprises LLCNational Oilwell VarcoShell Oil Company Foundation Matching GiftsYourCause–Chevron Matching Employee Funds

Other Contributions

BHP BillitonKathleen Padden and Richard EvansVictoria Goldstein and Randall JamailWhitney and Marc Walsh

Scholarship Gifts inMemory of Post OakSchool former trustee,Mike MooreGiglio Distributing CompanySharon and Mark IronsmithKathy and John LongJan and Jim Ramsey

Gifts in Kind

Karri and Alfredo GarzaPamela Griffin-Minnich and Gene MinnichKelly and Blake HillMarcee and Dan LundeenEmily Browning and Adam MayPostNet–Christina Kopanidis- Cantu and Jorge CantuJennifer Norten and Mark RoutbortPammy and Irfan Umatiya

Recognizing our donors isa high priority for ThePost Oak School. We havemade every effort to ensurethe accuracy of our honorrolls, but it is possible forerrors to occur. If you wishto report an error or omission, please contactChristina Kopanidis-Cantuat 713-661-6688 or emailat christinacantu@postoakschool.org. Thank you.

Operating income

a. 75% Tuition and Feesb. 06% Fundraising, NetC. 05% All Other OperatingD. 15% Net Assets Released from Restriction

Operating expenses

a. 59% Salaries and Benefitsb. 10% Financial AidC. 10% Other Program ExpensesD. 14% Plant Expensese. 7% General Administration

a

a

b

C

D

e

b

C

D

2016–2017 Financial Report

The financial stability of the Post Oak School continued to grow during the 2016–2017 school year. With the help of the Capital Campaign,the Post Oak High School building was completed and held its first year of school. The School experienced an overall increase in en-rollment to 492 in 2016–2017 from 474 students the previous year. The overall financial success for the 2016–2017 School year was drivenby positive budget variances in the operating budget and an extremely successful Gala and annual fund. The School maintains a strongworking capital position throughout the year due to the prompt collection of tuition and fees in advance of the need for funds to operatethe School. The School continued to build cash reserves during 2016–2017 and kept with its commitment to the Post Oak School Endow mentby transfering $40,612 into the fund at the end of the school year. The market value of the endowment was $2,194,016 at June 30, 2017.

Assets 2016–2017 Total

Cash and Investments $ 6,333,818

Receivables 103,294

Prepaid Expenses and Deposits 134,964

Fixed Assets 17,004,392

tOtaL assets $ 23,576,467

Liabilities

Accounts Payable $ 129,754

Accrued Salaries and Benefits 293,508

Deferred Income 2,280,803

Other Accrued Expenses 53,502

Notes Payable 7,446,174

Due to Temporary Restricted Funds 199,727

Fair Value of Derivative Agreement 178,489

tOtaL LiabiLities $ 10,581,956

Fund Balance

Net Assets $ 12,994,510

tOtaL LiabiLities anD FunD baLanCe $ 23,576,467

Operating Balance Sheet

Income 2016–2017 Total

Tuition and Fees $ 10,444,742

Fundraising, Net 828,807

All Other Operating 730,982

Net Assets Released from Restriction 2,043,611

tOtaL revenue $ 14,048,142

Expenses

Salaries and Benefits $ 6,839,182

Financial Aid 1,161,492

Other Program Expenses 1,156,258

Plant Expenses 1,557,210

General Administration 823,787

Transfer to Endowment 40,612

tOtaL exPense $ 11,578,541

Operating Income Statement

’80s

Payal Chana

This past summer, Payal Chana traveled with her fam-

ily to Honduras, Mexico, and Spain, and she worked

with her husband, Dev, in the family diamond jewelry

business. The Chanas are a legacy family at Post Oak,

where their daughter, Dia (3), is a Primary student.

Mark ChristopherattenDeD thrOugh 3rD graDe

Last January, Mark Christopher and his wife welcomed

twins, Alina and Lorenzo. They live in New York,

where Mark heads up the America’s operation for

Blackpeak, an international investigation and risk

advisory firm.

’90s

Carlin Putman8th graDe CLass OF 1991

Since graduation from The University of Texas at

Austin with a bachelor of business degree in

marketing, Carlin has enjoyed a 17-year career with

AIG. For the past three years, she focused her efforts

streamlining and improving AIG’s internal meetings

and events approval, management, and oversight

processes. This new, part-time role allows her to focus

more time on her two children, Brady (6) and Taylor

(5), both of whom are proud Post Oak students. In

addition to professional and family roles, Carlin

founded Page-One Meetings and Events, which

provides non-profit work for charities in Houston.

’00s

Lauren Fondren8th graDe CLass OF 2001

Lauren graduated from Middlebury College in 2009

with a degree in theater (directing). While in school,

she studied Arabic and spent a year living in Alexan-

dria, Egypt. After graduation, she worked with the

State Department as a Foreign Service Officer, and

she was assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad

Juarez, where she lived from 2012 to 2014. She also

completed a temporary assignment at the embassy

in Cairo, Egypt. She left the State Department in

2014 after getting engaged to another Foreign Serv-

ice Officer. From 2014 to 2016, she and her partner

lived in Dusseldorf, Germany, during her partner’s

tour of duty. She married in April 2016, with Post Oak

alums Amelinda (Melanson) Hendrickx and Erika

Mathre-Peters in attendance. In September 2016,

Lauren moved to New York City, where she is enrolled

in Columbia’s MFA film program.

Brittany Fondren8th graDe CLass OF 2003

Brittany Fondren started a new business in Houston

as a freelance grant and content writer, in which she

does anything from writing grants to designing web-

sites (www.brittanyfondren.com). Brittany is currently

writing a script for a comedy podcast about a fictional

small town and how they are dealing with the big

cities in the country being attacked by supervillains

and “defended” by superheroes. She is also writing

a book about two bookends possessed by the spirits

of twin children killed in a flood and the stories of

the families that they live with. She is studying for her

GRE and plans to attend grad school to earn an MFA

in creative writing.

William Wawro8th graDe CLass OF 2003

William Wawro works at a post-production company

in Los Angeles that makes trailers and commercials

for movies. He recently traveled to Washington, D.C.

where his short film, ESCAPE, was screened at the G.I.

Film Festival. ESCAPE was written, directed, edited,

Post Oak Alumni Updates

and produced by William with the help of friends.

The film was well received, and he looks forward to

hearing from other festivals. He is proud of the short

and is happy to share it with the world. To view the

film, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

lt2cudgkTUs&feature=youtu.be

Jennie Kamin8th graDe CLass OF 2004

Jennie Kamin recently graduated from the Columbia

School of Journalism with a master’s degree. She is

currently working at CBS on a project to launch a new

documentary series.

Lara Brenner8th graDe CLass OF 2005

Lara Brenner is completing a master’s degree in

wildlife biology at Missoula University, Montana,

studying the behavior of cougars. She attended

Carleton College for her undergraduate degree.

Joshua Brenner8th graDe CLass OF 2009

Joshua Brenner recently graduated from the University

of Texas at Austin, Plan 2, with a BA and BS in Biology.

This fall, he started graduate school at the University

of California, San Francisco, where he is working on

a PhD in neuroscience.

’10s

Sarah Al-Shaikh8th graDe CLass OF 2010

Sarah Al-Shaikh is a senior at St. Edward’s University

in Austin, where she is majoring in global studies with

a focus on the Middle East. While at St. Edward’s,

Sarah completed a service experience in Bangalore,

India, where she and ten students worked at an

orphanage. Sarah cites this as one of the best

experiences of her life. She is currently completing

a study abroad experience in Morocco, after which

she will return to Austin to complete her studies.

Karis Baker8th graDe CLass OF 2010

Karis Baker is a junior majoring in psychology with a

minor in biological sciences at the University of

California, Irvine. She is working part-time as an ABA

therapist, which involves working with children with

autism or children who are on or suspected to be on

the spectrum. At school, Karis is the secretary for the

club lacrosse team, which competes in Division II.

Amelia Eskeridge8th graDe CLass OF 2010

Amelia Eskeridge is a senior at Southern Methodist

University, where she is studying management science

and Spanish. This summer, Amelia worked for Citi in

their Technology Infrastructure Analysis program. She

is a member of an a capella group on campus and

serves as a tour guide and resident assistant.

Fabiana Scionti8th graDe CLass OF 2010

Fabiana Scionti is majoring in mechanical engineering

at Boston University. Her interests in finance and MBA

programs led her to an internship in New York City

at Ernst & Young within their Advisory department

working with investment banks. This experience

inspired her to travel abroad to Milan, Italy, and she

took additional courses at Bocconi in that realm. She

is an intern at Goldman Sachs in their Risk Division,

and she attended Harvard Business School’s HBS

Peek Weekend, where she received an introduction

to the MBA program and case method. She has had

the opportunity to travel to many different countries

while abroad and learn Italian.

Allison Wawro8th graDe CLass OF 2010

Allison Wawro is a senior biopsychology major at the

University of California, Santa Barbara. Originally a

physics major, Allison switched to biopsychology to

combine her interests in hard and social sciences.

This summer, she completed an internship at the

Baylor College of Medicine Center for Medical Ethics

and Health Policy.

Benjamin Brenner8th graDe CLass OF 2011

Benjamin Brenner is a biomedical engineer major

at Purdue University. This summer, he worked at a

lab in the Purdue Veterinary Pathology department,

where he tracked the migration of T-cells using

confocal microscopy.

Daniel Brenner8th graDe CLass OF 2011

Daniel Brenner is a junior at Case Western Reserve

University, where he majors in biomedical engineering

in the biomechanics track. His research focuses on

engineering collagen scaffolds on which to grow

tenocytes and other tendon-specific cells. His project

involves the idea that mesenchymal stem cells are

more likely to differentiate into cells with tendon

markers on collagen sheets whose threads have been

electrochemically aligned. Daniel is a photographer

for the school newspaper.

Amy Pascoe8th graDe CLass OF 2011

Amy Pascoe is a junior at Macalester College in Saint

Paul, Minnesota. She is majoring in history with minors

in German and philosophy. This semester, she is living

in Macalester’s “German House,” a residential living

experience on campus with an immersive language

focus. She hopes to improve her German before

studying abroad in Europe for six months in the

spring, where she will spend two months in Berlin

and four months in Vienna, learning the language

and studying modern European history.

Thomas Rasor8th graDe CLass OF 2011

Thomas Rasor is a junior at Oklahoma State University,

where he is majoring in economics.

Carter Green8th graDe CLass OF 2012

Carter Green attended The Kinkaid School after

Post Oak. He is in his second year at the Rhode

Island School of Design.

Emily Randall12th graDe CLass OF 2016

After interning at the Houston Museum of Natural

Science while at Post Oak, Emily is continuing studies

in geology at the College of Wooster. Last year, she

received a scholarship in recognition for her freshman

writing, which was chosen by all first-year seminar

teachers. She was on the Dean’s List both semesters

with a 4.0 GPA.

She recently completed a five-week research

project in the Tree Ring Lab working on tree cores

from Glacier Bay, Alaska. She wrote a report to send

to the National Park Service and hopes to publish

her work. This summer, she visited Utah to do field

work in the Ice Springs Volcanic Field to date a

sequence of previously undated volcanic eruptions.

She will be creating an abstract and poster to

present at the annual Geological Society of America

meeting in the fall. To read more about Emily’s

project and view pictures, visit: woostergeologists.

scotblogs.wooster.edu

2016–2017 Board of Trustees

Rakesh AgrawalSebha AliBrett BusbyMelissa Coleman, chairBlair GarrouVean GreggGregory HanMaura Joyce, presidentBert MellingerKatie OrrJaana PorraManolo Sánchez, chair-electRochelle TafollaMarc WalshAlison WongAlan YingJennifer Zumbado

Trustees EmeritiFrank ApolloAdam FormanMelanie GrayBob HarveyLloyd KirchnerPat Mitchell

Post Oak Parents Association

POPA ChairsStacey Martin Alison Wong

Gala Chairs

Jennifer ChavisStelli Parsapour

POPA Dinner ChairsErin BusbyJackie Pourciau

Family Fun Day Chairs

Kristen KatzSandhya Sabhnani

Book Fair Chairs

Katie PaddenNikayla Thomas

Dads’ Club

Rick EvansBlair GarrouAaron Thomas

2016–2017 Gala Committee

Gala ChairsJennifer ChavisStelli Parsapour

AuctionFelicia StoneBrittney Tribble

Auction DataNicole PedersenSuzan Samuels

Auction DisplayAllison HamiltonValerie Volpi

Class ProjectsSarah Moudry

UnderwritingAbbe FormanCari GillEmily Weinstein

Done in a DayAmy KirchnerValerie Sonsino

Fun CommitteeCarol HowenstineWhitney Walsh

DecorationsJenny Marshall

Mystery BoxesNeha Gupta

Wine TeamEnid Henderson

Table Toppers

Laura Citardi

Room Parents, Fund Captains & Gala Coordinators

Cynthia bLessman

Room ParentCarlie Yoo

Fund CaptainCynthia Hubbard

Gala CoordinatorLauren Ziff

DeiDre brOOks

Room ParentEvy Pappas

Fund CaptainsMargaret FarnsworthT.J. Farnsworth

Gala CoordinatorKelly Hill

Dinah Chetrit

Room ParentsAlison WongBlaine McElroy

eLizabeth DiCksOn

Room ParentQuianta Moore

Fund CaptainHeather BulkGala CoordinatorAfshi Merchant

sue guerrerO

Room ParentPammy Umatiya

Fund CaptainYonca Korkmaz Ceyhan

Gala CoordinatorSara Loperena

Community

emiLy hansen

Room ParentLaura De Vera

Fund CaptainJessica Matos

Gala CoordinatorCristina Gracia

DanieLLe DaLsey

kimbaLL

Room ParentAllison Hamilton

Fund CaptainTodd Parsapour

Gala CoordinatorJae Yi

OrLy kLuk

Room Parent

Ana Paula Lamuño

Fund CaptainCourtney Wulfe

Gala CoordinatorValerie Volpi

LinDsay mistretta

Room ParentsSandhya SabhnaniDaniela Sanchez

Fund CaptainReena Jogi

Gala CoordinatorKarri Garza

Debbie niCkersOn

Room ParentsKelly DavisDaniela Sanchez

Fund CaptainPaula Mey

beth OLitzki

Room ParentPragnya Patel

Fund CaptainClaudia Macias

Gala CoordinatorEvy Pappas

juLie Parraguirre

Room ParentsJennifer Brenckmann Heather Bulk

Fund CaptainMayuri Patel

errOL PintO

Room ParentsMichele LuZeenath Selvakumar

Fund CaptainNicole Pedersen

Gala CoordinatorKim Yates

maya PintO

Room ParentEmily Weinstein

Fund CaptainWhitney Walsh

Gala CoordinatorKelly Davis

simran sOOD

Room ParentsMayuri Patel

Fund CaptainBeth Cassidy

Gala CoordinatorKim Yates

anita taj mahmOOD

Room ParentsShonali AgrawalKelly Davis

Fund CaptainPaige Penchas

Gala CoordinatorSarah Moudry

tamara tOwnsenD

Room ParentsJessica Matos

Fund CaptainLindsey Hirsch

miDDLe sChOOL

Room ParentAmy Kirchner

Fund CaptainsJessica GreggVean Gregg

Gala CoordinatorJenny Marshall

high sChOOL (Vt h)Room ParentEmily Weinstein

Fund CaptainLouisa Bergeron

Gala CoordinatorJane Greenberg

high sChOOL (NMt h)Room ParentMarjaneh Azad

Fund CaptainDee Commissariat

Gala CoordinatorJane Greenberg

high sChOOL (NNt h)Room ParentsHolly Crisp-HanGreg Han

Fund CaptainJohn Greeves

Gala CoordinatorCarole Dickenson

high sChOOL (NOt h)Room ParentJennifer Chavis

Fund CaptainStan Watowich

Gala CoordinatorCarole Dickenson

Administration

Admission OfficeVivian Blum, Admission DirectorTamara Basham, Associate Admission Director for Middle & High SchoolCeirro Robinson, Registrar

AthleticsMark Tucker, Athletics Director

Business OfficeKelly Vaughn, Chief Financial OfficerChristine Peterson, ControllerAlicia Mouton, AP/AR Specialist

Development OfficeChristina Kopanidis-Cantu, Development DirectorElaine Schweizer, Communications CoordinatorLucia Cerritos, Development Assistant

Division DirectorsMirani Smith, Early Childhood DirectorJeff Schneider, Elementary DirectorJami Sweeney, Middle School DirectorJames Moudry, High School DirectorMiriam Winton, Auxiliary Programs Director

FacilitiesMatt Thompson, Facilities DirectorNazario Anastacio, Maintenance Manager, MDCAnthony Cisneros, Facilities TechnicianManuel Mejia, Maintenance Director

Front OfficeDebbie Henderson, Office ManagerSuzanne Brooks, Museum District Campus ReceptionistBethany Garrett, Bissonnet Campus Receptionist

Head of SchoolMaura Joyce

TechnologyMirna Andrade-Salgado, Technology DirectorElvyn Mendez, Technology Support Specialist

Faculty

yOung ChiLDren’sCOmmunity

Deidre Brooks, Half-Day Teacher

Argentina Quiñones, Assistant

Sue Guerrero, Half-Day TeacherDiana Onofre, Assistant

Emily Hansen, Full-Day TeacherLauren Bergeron, AssistantEdee Fuller, AssistantAna Giralt, AssistantElizabeth Silveira, Assistant

Primary DePartment

Cynthia Blessman, TeacherLilia Garza, Assistant

Elizabeth Dickson, TeacherMonica Moreno, Assistant/ Intern

Danielle Kimball, TeacherAlma Armendariz, Assistant

Orly Kluk, TeacherKsenia Crandall, AssistantCelia Rodriguez, Assistant

Julie Parraguirre, TeacherNina Strane, Assistant

Tamara Townsend, TeacherKathy Guani, Assistant/ Intern

Dinah Chetrit, Home Environment TeacherAlma Armendariz, Before- School AssistantLaura Jimenez, AssistantSara Ann Ziemnicki, AssistantDiana Onofre, Afternoon AssistantArgentina Quiñones, Afternoon AssistantNina Strane, Before-School Assistant

eLementary

DePartment

Lindsay Mistretta, Lower Elementary TeacherSuzette Vetrini, Assistant/ Intern

Debbie Nickerson, TeacherSandra De Leon, Assistant/ Intern

Beth Olitzki, TeacherKeri Rebuffini, Assistant/ Intern

Errol Pinto, TeacherKaelee Kress, Assistant

Maya Pinto, TeacherIrma Alarcon, Assistant

Simran Sood, TeacherAmanda Miller, Assistant

Anita Taj Mahmood, TeacherLupe Lopez, Assistant

miDDLe sChOOL

Zach Belis, ScienceRachel Chetrit, Humanities & Language ArtsDiana Lopez, Service Specialist/OccupationsMonica Lundeen, Mathematics Patricia Onofre, SpanishJessica Samano, Service Specialist/Community OutreachRachelle Vasquez, Art

high sChOOL

Robert Awkward, College Counseling Director, SpanishJeremy Grisbee, MathematicsKim Harrison English Language ArtsMatt Jacobs, MathematicsJamie Lee, History & Social SciencesAndrea Novak, SpanishJanet Ott, ScienceBenjamin Preston, EconomicsJames Quillin, Upper Level Coordinator, History & Social Sciences, TOK CoordinatorEmily Sloan, Visual ArtsAmanda Phelps Smith, College CouselorShoulong “Shawn” Zhou, ChineseCharles Ziegler, Physics

sPeCiaLists/museum

DistriCt CamPus

Dana Bowman, TheaterGaby Guzman, Coach

Cliff McBride, CoachLori Scovill, CounselorSarah Watson, Music

sPeCiaLists/bissOnnet

CamPus

Crosby Bayer, Full-Time SubstituteNinfa Bridges, Spanish SpecialistLauren Dean, Full-Time SubstituteRebecca Duran, Full-Time SubstituteCory Eckert, LibrarianSaida Fagala, Art SpecialistRebecca Smith, School CounselorKat Treviño, Physical Fitness SpecialistMark Tucker, Athletics Director, Bearkats CoachJames Winslow, Music Specialist

eLementary

aFter-Care

Jenna Pel, After-Care TeacherNaomi Prevot, After-Care AssistantLindsey Rozell, After-Care Assistant

Academy of Art UniversityThe American University of Paris Auburn UniversityBaylor UniversityCalifornia College of the Arts Carleton College*Colorado School of MinesColumbia College ChicagoEckerd CollegeEmory University*The Evergreen State CollegeGoucher CollegeGuilford CollegeHampshire College Hendrix CollegeIthaca CollegeLouisiana State University Lynn UniversityMarlboro College*Montserrat College of ArtMount Holyoke College Pratt InstituteRhode Island School of Design*

Rice University*The University of Colorado, BoulderUniversity of DenverUniversity of HoustonUniversity of South Carolina Honors CollegeThe University of Texas at Austin*Saint Mary’s College of CaliforniaStephen F. Austin State UniversitySt. Lawrence UniversityTexas Tech University*Trinity University*University of Puget SoundUniversity of Southern CaliforniaWake Forest University

*Deontes school attending

The mission of The PostOak School is to preparean outstanding Montessorienvironment that fosterscollaboration, cooperationand peace, and to provideexperiences that promotecuriosity, inquiry and engagement. Designed according to the physical,emotional, social, and intellectual characteristicsand needs of the learner,our methods guide andnurture each individualfrom infancy to adulthood.The school’s approach isgrounded in the principlesof AMI Montessori education.

College AdmissionsThe 2017 graduating class of Post Oak School was accepted to the following colleges and universities. The group of seniors received more than $2.1 million in merit and aid scholarships.

4600 BISSONNET BELLAIRE, TEXAS 77401 | 1010 AUTREY HOUSTON, TEXAS 77OO6 | WWW.POSTOAKSCHOOL.ORG