I have learned to dig “ deeper

the po s t oak s choo l annual repor t

andbewhat some people may callstubborn. I like to call it ‘persistent.’ Because ofthis, a lot of doors have been opened for me,and I have developed into a curious younglady.” That was fourteen year old Emily Paulspeaking last May. Each eighth-grade studentgives a valedictory speech, looking back attheir Post Oak experiences and the impactPost Oak has made on them, while lookingforward to what lies ahead.

Anna Arnett spoke of Post Oak’s academicexcellence, identifying specific skills she mastered, “From learning toand write, to learning geom -etry and algebra,” while her classmate, BenjaminBrenner, said he acquired executive functioningskills and character traits: “time-management,self-reliance, and self-motivation.”

Amy Pascoe thanked Post Oak for, “Teachingme to ask the question ‘Why’.” Daniel Brennerexpanded on this idea: “Montessori teachesstudents to understand concepts, to know whythings are the way they are. It focuses less onmemorization of facts and more on logical induction in order to learn things. Because of

read

> With thought fu l organizat ion andguidance f rom teacher s ,

conducted an exce l l ent . Wel l - re s earchedand intere s t ing pro jec t s were pre s ented by s tudent s wi th

a s ense o f owner ship and enthus ia sm. A fun and informative evening was enjoyed by a l l who at t ended.

this, I have acquired a deeper understandingof all I have learned at Post Oak. It has providedme with the fundamentals of how to understandthings, how to figure things out, and how toovercome obstacles I meet throughout my life.”

Megan Routbort also spoke of perseveranceand optimism, character traits that contributeto emotional intelligence. “Post Oak taught meto never give up; no matter how frustratingthe road ahead looks, problems can be solvedwith a little ingenuity.”

> Each

was accepted to hi s /her . More than percent o f graduate s were p laced into geometr y.

Al l graduate s p laced into l eve l Spani sh . Most graduate s wi l l take honor s l eve l Engl i sh a s a f re shman.

Through independent and collaborative workin the classroom over many years, Post Oakgraduates develop the skills required of leadersand entrepreneurs. This includes a healthy doseof reality while embracing our interdependence.Brian Henderson said,“Post Oak has taught me the importance of asking for help, how not to underestimate a project’s size, and theimportance of little things.”

To complement this perspective, Nora O’Neillcelebrated the novel and risk-taking side ofinnovation. “Post Oak has inspired me to seeknew Theindependence I have learned taught me tomake my own choices. It has taught me to wantto do new things and to learn new things.”

adventures.

> Increased emphasis on

at the resulted in extra time given to those classes for PF and added equipment specif ic to

the needs of the Primary-age child.

To the conversation about leadership skills andcharacter development, Thomas Rasor addeda comment about personal integrity. “The mostimportant qualities that I have developed frommy time at The Post Oak School are leadership,

and flexibility. I have been able to grow mystrengths and practice my skills inside andoutside of school. Being able to be yourself 24hours a day, even with your teachers, is unique.”

These statements from last year’s eighth gradeclass create not only a portrait of a Post Oakgraduate, but also a portrait of the school itself.Consider a final comment from DevinaSchneider, “I am leaving Post Oak with manyexciting, happy memories, and a mind that willalways be yearning for knowledge.”

independence,

> Pos t Oak cont inues to ident i f y and sponsor candidate s for the .

Po s t Oak sponsored Simran Sood who rece ived herdip loma in May. As s i s tant s Jamie Ward and Anita Taj

rece ived sponsor ship s to take the t ra ining cour se beg inning in the summer and fa l l o f .

These are the kinds of young people who willenter The Post Oak High School when its doorsopen in the fall of 2012. During the past yeartrustees and administration have been hard atwork to make that new division of Post Oak a reality. Everywhere we have gone in the museum district, the concept of a high schooloffering partnerships with museums has gainedimmediate traction with the leaders of thosecultural institutions. Wait until they encounterour students, enthusiastic and insightfulyoung people such as those quoted here.Post Oak students have developed strong

and more significantly, the character traits andleadership skills to prepare them for an extraor -dinary high school experience. They will beprepared to contribute to an amazing school.

— John Long, Head of School

academic skills,

> For students at the

, the world real ly wil l be their classroom. The s choo l , to be located on Autrey

Stree t , wi l l be the f i r s t h igh s choo l located in the hear t o f .

Successful and entertaining events led by hardworking and talented volunteers filled the school’s calendar this year. The listin the back of the report catalogs the event chairs who workedtirelessly throughout the year. They created a warm welcome atthe POPA Dinner, an assort ment of fun new activities at Field Day, the magnificent World’s Fair at the Book Fair, and a gloriousperformance at the Cinco de Mayo celebration. Our Biennial Gala,Dancing Across Cultures, was chaired by Post Oak parent AnnetteGregory. The event broke all previous fundraising records andwas a smashing success despite the ice storm that blew in the nightbefore. We offer heartfelt thanks to each and every volunteer whogave time and talent, and to all donors who supported these effortsand in doing so supported the life of the school.

A word of thanks to Melissa Cordero and Erin Stus who, as chairsof the Parent Association for the past two years, have had a handin every event. They’ve creatively solved problems and broughtnew ideas to life, and their unyielding support for Post Oak hasmade them true ambassadors of the school. Erin additionally took on the creation of this year’s yearbook with a superb result.Melissa and Erin are both extraordinary people and the school is a better place because of their work.

HeartfeltThanks

There are a handful of individuals who have goneabove and beyond in thevolunteer work they havedone this year for Post Oak.Their names do not appearas event chairs or in anyprogram for recognition.They have worked behindthe scenes in benefit to theschool. We recognize theirefforts with special thanks.

Robert (Bob) Harvey.

Bob’s countless hours as

board chair working on

Post Oak’s path forward has

strengthened this institution

and has brought excitement

for our future. His bold

leadership and approach-

able kindness make him

one-of-a-kind.

Lana Rigsby. Lana makes

Post Oak look good. Her

design team at Rigsby Hull,

has had a hand in our

publications and specifically

on our website, recently

creating the Montessori

gallery pages; beautiful,

elegant, and meaningful

work.

Lynne Mathre. As a former

parent she knows the school

well, and her keen guidance

as our financial advisor

has helped the endowment

remain strong even during

economically challenging

times.

Vikas Mittal. His marketing

expertise has provided

valuable insight into under-

standing the way we present

ourselves and the way we

communicate. We keep

trying to get better, and

Vikas’ work is helping us

on this journey.

The 2011 Post Oak Fund

Donors who generously con-tributed gifts of $2500 andabove to The Post Oak Fundare members of The Post OakFund Leadership Circle.

AnonymousBeth and Frank ApolloSara and Brian BinauBeverly BontragerKimberly and Michael CallahanGina Li and Leon ChenAnne Singleton and

Jack DouglasLaurie and Leland FondrenAbbe and Adam FormanTanya and Jerry GeeRaka and Jay GohelJanice and Barrett GreenJessica and Vean GreggWindi and David GrimesVicki and Robert HarveyRennae and Joe HenryKelly and Blake HillCarol and John HowenstineJeanne-Mey Sun and

Tom JanssensJane Greenberg and

Gregory KaplanJanet and Mario KapustaHallie and Eugene KimAmy and Lloyd KirchnerVivian and Kenneth LeeRenée and Michael LocklarKathy and John LongLucinda and Javier LoyaD'arcy and Robert MaddenJenny and André MarshallMelissa and Michael MithoffNandita Gupta and Vikas MittalTara and Alex NeblettMelissa Coleman and

Robert PascoeAnh Nguyen and Victor PhanMarilyn Wilson and

Robert RasorAndrea and Anthony RussoAlicia Kowalchuk and

Benjamin SaldañaDaniela and Manolo SanchezFarrell and Stuart SaundersSherri and Charles SchugartJenee and Nick StefanakisWhitney and Marc Walsh

Melanie Gray and Mark WawroVallette and Russell WindhamKim and Chuck YatesAnita and Alan Ying

Sushila and Durga AgrawalShonali and Rakesh AgrawalCynthia and Bucky AllshouseNancy and John AlmonStephanie and Phil ArnettTeri and Thomas BairSusan and Walker BeaversJeannine and David BergtPam and Bill BoyarJessica and Ben BraunJennifer and Christian

BrenckmannCliona Rooney and

Malcolm BrennerJamie and James BroachCourtney and Bill BucyErin and Brett BusbyNataya and Johnny CarterElizabeth and Walter CassidyDeepa and Rajesh ChelapurathLaura and Martin CitardiJennifer and Todd ColterAudra French and

Arnold ColungaMelissa and Felix CorderoRebecca CornwellLili and Jorge CortesKarla and Travis CrabtreeJodie and Laith DaikMaday and Jay DarganKelly and Garth DavisKelly and James DavisRobyn DavisLissa and Bobby DebesSusan and Marc DellameaManeesha Sharma and

Manoj DevashishSangeeta Cheema and

Karam DhillonSandra Fogiel and Stuart DowMonica and Derek DunawayPrarthana DurgamKya and Russell EddingtonLisa and W. Christian

EddlemanJoAnne and Charles EskridgeMonica and Charles EskridgeRichard EvansAnalitza and Justin FactorKaren and Stephan Farber

Lori Ann and Michael FoertschBentley FondrenRachel and Wayne FranklinChrista Filak and Martin FraskeDolley Levan and

Duncan FrearsonMeghan and Casey FreemanAmy and Blair GarrouEva and Enrique GascaCathy and Tim GoffHannah and Leonard GolubCynthia and Ashok GowdaAnnette and Roger GregoryLenna and Jeff GroudanSowmini and Ravi GudimetlaLeashanne and James GuoColleen and Rudy HaddadSophia Banu and

Muzammil HanifSanjiv and Sandhya HarpavatKristin and Joey HaylesStephanie and Ben HertzogClaudia and David HertzogDavid HilfmanMaureen and Douglas HirschAnh and Doanh HoangBianca and Greg HollandClaudia Rojas-Jimenez and

Carlos JimenezCatherine and Andrew KaldisBessie KaldisBirgit KampsJosie and Jonathan KaplowCynthia DeLaney and

Stephan KinsellaLili and Hans KirchnerAlyson and Andrew KovalVasanthi and Ramanan

KrishnamoortiDinh LamClaire LangstonBeth and Matt LavineAshley and Robert LederJamie and Andrew LeeAmy and James LeeAnn and Kelvin LeeLaurie and Doron LevinBubba LevyYan and Haiyang LiAmy and Alan LindseyMary and Christopher

LivingstoneDawn and Peter LorenzKaren and Charles LuMichelle and Thomas LuCindy and Andrew LubetkinRosa Wong and Gary Luk

GenerousSupport

Gina and Carl LunaStacey and Mark MartinJohn and Lori MartinezVictoria MatthewsElise McClainTanya Bennett and

David McConkeyKaren and Jim McConkeyMuriel and Marcel MeiclerMichele MeiclerSara Jurney and

Todd MensingPaula and Mark MeyJessica and Philipp MeyerBernadette Verzosa and

Len Cannon MintzPat and Bill MitchellSonia Einstein and Ofer MoladSharon and George MoudryCinda and Brian MoyeMichelle and Michael MunnJenny and Edwin MurphyAlana Kennedy-Nasser and

Dean NasserShailaja Menon and

Sanjay NayyarKavitha and Sattva NeelapuJacklyn NguyenPhuong and Sun NguyenWendy and Meir O'HannaHeather and Brenden O'NeillTeresa OnofreKatie and Bob OrrTahia and Shoyab PanchbhayaMeredith and Mark ParentiJenny Mohr and

Matthew ParkerRenee ParkerJaana Porra and Michael ParksNadia and Nader ParvizCallie and Stephen PaulStephanie and Bill PerkinsLisa and Patrick PhelpsJacqueline and Robert PhillpottKelly and Anthony PolicastroJennifer PonLana Rigsby and John PowellHillery Hugg and

Gregory PressJocelyn and Paul PuaElizabeth and Adam PulaskiJoy PulaskiJoyce and Danny RafatiKim and Randy RandolphPartow and Farhad RavandiKaren and Ken ReddingLisa and John Reed

Deanna and Glenn ReitmanSabrina ReynoldsShelly and Bill RichterHeidi and Bryan RosenstrauchJennifer Norten and

Mark RoutbortManju and Manish RungtaSherri and Gary SagarnagaSuzan and Jeremy SamuelsKara and Dax SandersElizabeth and Mark SantikosMona and Sanjeev SawhneyShealynn and Paul SchankKate and Greg ScheinmanJacqualin and Jeff SeelyZeenath and Arjun SelvakumarJian and Mike ShortTina and John SimsNina and Stephen SkinnerCarmen Garcia-Smith and

Todd SmithValerie and Michael SonsinoAsha and Gaurav SoodSimran and Manish SoodAnne and Alan SpeedMary and Garland StephensErin and Thomas StusJulie and Jason StylesLaverne and John StylesAimee and Greg TaylorNikayla and Aaron ThomasJennifer and Sam TouchetSusan GrangerTyler and

Seth TylerNatalia and Angel UrretaKaren and Raul ValdezAparajitha and Amit VermaJulia and Terry VineKhanhuyen and Huy VinhMolly and Coert VoorheesCatherine Than and

Hoang Quan VuLiliana and Shabir WaljiConnie and John WallaceGerry and Lou WatersEllen and Mark WeinsteinConnie and Jeff WoodmanMichelle and Kenneth ZagorskiAllison and Gustavo ZapataJohn J. ZelisRocio Diaz and Francisco

ZorrillaJennifer and Fernando

Zumbado

Nazario AnastacioAlma ArmendarizDiana AyalaMarisol BennerVivian and Henry BlumYolanda BucioRuth CañasChristina Kopanidis-Cantu

and Jorge CantuMillie ChavezDinah ChetritSandra DeLeonRaul DiazElizabeth DiCesareAndrea DilgerAsenet GarciaLilia GarzaMaria GarzaLuiza GrandchampShekkola GrayBarbara HackerDebbie and Todd HendersonChristine KarnabeOrly and Yoel KlukDeidre LodrigLupe LopezKimberly MagillKelly McNamaraChristoper MejiaManuel MejiaMarvin MejiaSarah and James MoudryDiana MuñizShannon and Paul NeufeldDebbie NickersonJoshua NoahEmily Hansen and

Patrick O'HeronDiana and Albert OnofrePatricia OnofreJulie ParraguirreNorma PaulinJenna PelChristine PetersonMaya and Errol PintoKathryn RadeckerLaura RoarkCelia RodriguezMirna Andrade-Salgado and

Lino SalgadoJessica SamanoShonali Jacob and

Jeff SchneiderDonna ScottFrancesca ShoemakerB.R. Simon

Erin SmithMirani SmithHifa SobhaniNina StraneAnita TajMatthew ThompsonPhylis TomlinsonMark TuckerJamie WardMiriam Winton

D. Kent and Linda C. Anderson Foundation

Houston Endowment Inc.Mithoff Family FoundationThe Oshman FoundationThe Rochlis Family Foundation

AnadarkoBank of AmericaBHP BillitonBoss and HughesBouquelle CleanersChevronConocoPhillips CompanyEngineered Procurement

Solutions Inc.JPMorgan Chase FoundationKinder MorganLands' EndPipescape International, Inc.Rilco Manufacturing Co., Inc.Safeway Inc.The Tasting Room 1 Ltd.The Williams Companies Inc.

The 2011 Biennial Gala:Dancing Across Cultures

Ray C. Fish Foundation

-

Bev Bontrager,Carol and John HowenstineJenny and André MarshallLisa and John ReedErin and Tom StusGerry and Lou Waters

Abbe and Adam FormanAmy and Blair GarrouWindi and David GrimesKara and Dax SandersFarrell and Stuart Saunders Vallette and Russell Windham

The Gray/Wawro Family

Beth and Frank Apollo

Courtney and Bill BucyJennifer and Todd ColterStephanie and Ben HertzogDawn and Peter LorenzJian and Mike ShortJulie and Jason Styles

Kim and Mike CallahanJeanne-Mey Sun and

Tom JanssensAnn and Kelvin LeeShelly and Bill RichterMary and Garland Stephens

Melissa Coleman and Rob Pascoe

Anita and Alan Ying

Lisa and Christian EddlemanAnnette and Roger GregoryPaula and Mark MeySuzan and Jeremy Samuels

Andrea and Anthony RussoJenee and Nick Stefanakis

The Salners Family Foundation

Shonali and Rakesh Agrawal

Erin and Brett BusbyNataya and Johnny CarterMonica and Charles EskridgeRochelle Tafolla and

Richard HessJacqualin and Jeff Seely

Amy and Jim LeeLucinda and Javier LoyaJessica and Philipp MeyerMelissa and Michael Mithoff

Sangeeta Cheema and Karam Dhillon

Cindy and Stephan KinsellaLana Rigsby and John Powell Julia and Terry VineKim and Chuck Yates

Jamie and Andrew LeeVivian and Kenneth LeeDaniela and Manolo SanchezWhitney and Marc WalshRocio Diaz and Francisco

Zorrilla

Laurie and Doron LevinSonia Einstein and Ofer MoladKate and Greg ScheinmanValerie and Michael SonsinoJennifer and Fernando Zumbado

Claudia and David HertzogKelly and Blake HillBernadette Verzosa and

Len Cannon MintzJenny Mohr and

Matthew ParkerNikayla and Aaron Thomas

D’arcy and Robert Madden

Stephanie and Bill Perkins

Proler Steel International

Sherri and Charles Schugart

Complete Women’s Care Center (Susan Hardwick-Smith and Sara Jurney)

The Douglas FamilyJanice and Barrett GreenVicki and Bob HarveyKristin and Joey HaylesThe Kapusta FamilyAmy, Lloyd and Luke KirchnerDrs. Alicia Kowalchuk and

Benjamin SaldañaWendy and Meir O’HannaKatie and Bob OrrPM RealtyThe Samuels Family Foundation

Jodie and Laith DaikKelly and James D. DavisBianca and Greg HollandVasanthi and Ramanan

KrishnamoortiRenée and Michael LocklarKathy and John LongMeredith and Mark ParentiCallie and Steve PaulAparajitha and Amit Verma Molly and Coert VoorheesCatherine Than and Quan Vu

Other DonationsJennifer and Christian

BrenckmannErin and Brett BusbyChristina Kopanidis-Cantu

and Jorge CantuComplete Women’s Care

Center (Susan Hardwick-Smith and Sara Jurney)

Dinah Chetrit and Rich Levyin honor of Melanie Gray and Mark Wawro

Melissa and Felix CorderoRobyn DavisRennae and Joe HenryAnh Doan and Doanh HoangTanya and Jerry GeeMary Ann and Victor GuerreroThe Kapusta FamilyThe Lindsey FamilyKaren and Charles LuPat and Bill MitchellKatie and Bob OrrDrs. Alicia Kowalchuk and

Benjamin SaldañaPhylis TomlinsonKaren and Raul ValdezConnie and John Wallace

Live Auction PurchasersAnonymousCourtney and Bill BucyLissa and Bobby DebesAnne Singleton and

Jack DouglasAnnette and Roger GregoryStephanie and Ben HertzogMaureen and Douglas HirschCatherine and Andrew KaldisJanet and Mario KapustaAmy and Lloyd KirchnerLucinda and Javier LoyaMelissa and Michael MithoffAlana Kennedy-Nasser and

Dean NasserHeather and Brendan O’NeillMelissa Coleman and

Rob PascoeStephanie and Bill Perkins Kimberly and Cristopher

ProlerDaniela and Manolo SanchezJenee and Nick StefanakisAllison Wawro

Gifts to EndowmentPat and Bill Mitchell

POPA Dinner UnderwritersShonali and Rakesh AgrawalBeth and Frank ApolloLaura and Martin CitardiMelissa and Felix CorderoLili and Jorge CortesMaday and Jay DarganRobyn DavisAnne Singleton and

Jack DouglasLisa and Christian EddlemanKathleen Padden and

Richard EvansAbbe and Adam FormanTanya and Jerry GeeJessica and Vean GreggAnnette and Roger GregoryWindi and David GrimesLeashanne and James GuoRennae and Joe HenryKelly and Blake HillAnh and Doanh HoangBianca and Greg HollandCarol and John HowenstineJeanne-Mey Sun and

Tom JanssensJane Greenberg and

Gregory KaplanJanet and Mario KapustaAmy and Lloyd KirchnerBeth and Matt LavineAmy and James LeeAnn and Kelvin LeeVivian and Kenneth LeeRenee and Michael LocklarKathy and John LongVictoria MatthewsElise McClainBernadette Verzosa and

Len Cannon MintzDebbie NickersonHeather and Brenden O'NeillMeredith and Mark ParentiNadia and Nader ParvizStephanie and Bill PerkinsAnh Nguyen and Victor PhanKaren and Ken ReddingLisa and John ReedHeidi and Bryan RosenstrauchAndrea and Anthony RussoAlicia Kowalchuk and

Benjamin SaldañaDaniela and Manolo SanchezFarrell and Stuart SaundersMona and Sanjeev SawhneyAldona and Damon SpiegelJenee and Nick Stefanakis

Erin and Thomas StusJulie and Jason StylesNikayla and Aaron ThomasAparajitha and Amit VermaJulia and Terry VineCatherine Than and

Hoang Quan VuMelanie Gray and Mark WawroKim and Chuck YatesRocio Diaz and Francisco

ZorrillaJennifer and Fernando

Zumbado

Friends of the LibraryBarnes & NobleChick-fil-AJanice and Barrett GreenMary Ann and Victor GuerreroMelanie HarrellAmelia Ng and Tam Ho

Book Fair ContributorsShonali and Rakesh AgrawalRoy AlexanderCynthia and Bucky AllshouseNancy and John AlmonStephanie and Phil ArnettTamara and William BashamJeannine and David BergtSara and Brian BinauJessica and Ben BraunJennifer and Christian

BrenckmannJamie and James BroachKimberly and Michael

CallahanChristina Kopanidis-Cantu

and Jorge CantuNataya and Johnny CarterSherry and Lewis ChandlerJennifer and Clifton ChavisDeepa and Rajesh

ChelapurathJennifer and Todd ColterCindy ComfortMelissa and Felix CorderoLili and Jorge CortesKarla and Travis CrabtreeJodie and Laith DaikRobyn DavisLissa and Bobby DebesSangeeta Cheema and

Karam DhillonZarafsheen and Imran

DossaniKya and Russell Eddington

Lisa and Christian EddlemanMonica and Charles EskridgeAnalitza and Justin FactorKaren and Stephan FarberBentley FondrenAbbe and Adam FormanRachel and Wayne FranklinTanya and Jerry GeeHannah and Leonard GolubCynthia and Ashok GowdaShekkola GrayJessica and Vean GreggAnnette and Roger GregoryWindi and David GrimesLeashanne and James GuoColleen and Rudy HaddadSophia Banu and

Muzammil HanifKristin and Joey HaylesRennae and Joe HenryMaureen and Douglas HirschAnh and Doanh HoangBianca and Greg HollandClaudia Rojas-Jimenez and

Carlos JimenezJane Greenberg and

Gregory KaplanCynthia DeLaney and

Stephan KinsellaAmy and Lloyd KirchnerBhushan KukkalliJamie and Andrew LeeVivian and Kenneth LeeYan and Haiyang LiRenée and Michael LocklarDawn and Peter LorenzMichelle and Thomas LuCindy and Andrew LubetkinRosa Wong and Gary LukD'arcy and Robert MaddenJenny and André MarshallStacey and Mark MartinJohn and Lori MartinezVictoria MatthewsAlan McClainTanya Bennett and

David McConkeyKelly McNamaraPaula and Mark MeyMelissa and Michael MithoffNandita Gupta and

Vikas MittalSarah and James MoudryTara and Alex NeblettKavitha and Sattva NeelapuSusan Hardwick-Smith and

Kevin O'Gorman

Wendy and Meir O'HannaHeather and Brenden O'NeillTeresa OnofreKatie and Bob OrrTahia and Shoyab PanchbhayaJenny Mohr and

Matthew ParkerNadia and Nader ParvizMelissa Coleman and

Robert PascoeStephanie and Bill PerkinsLisa and Patrick PhelpsJennifer PonKimberly and Cristopher ProlerJoyce and Danny RafatiKim and Randy RandolphKaren and Ken ReddingLisa and John ReedShelly and Bill RichterHeidi and Bryan RosenstrauchAndrea and Anthony RussoSherri and Gary SagarnagaAlicia Kowalchuk and

Benjamin SaldañaSuzan and Jeremy SamuelsDaniela and Manolo SanchezKara and Dax SandersFarrell and Stuart SaundersMona and Sanjeev SawhneyKate and Greg ScheinmanShonali Jacob and

Jeff SchneiderJian and Mike ShortCarmen Garcia-Smith and

Todd SmithValerie and Michael SonsinoAldona and Damon SpiegelJenee and Nick StefanakisMary and Garland StephensErin and Thomas StusJulie and Jason StylesAimee and Greg TaylorNikayla and Aaron ThomasSusan GrangerTyler and

Seth TylerNatalia and Angel UrretaAparajitha and Amit VermaMolly and Coert VoorheesWhitney and Marc WalshKim and Chuck YatesAnita and Alan YingMichelle and Kenneth ZagorskiAllison and Gustavo Zapata

Gifts in KindAsset Management AdvisorsKelly and James DavisHannah and Leonard GolubMax MoversPostNetRigsby HullKim and Chuck Yates

The first gift for The Post Oak High SchoolWindi and David Grimesin memory of Bobby Sue Smith Cohn

* * * * *Recognizing our donors is a high

priority for The Post Oak School.

We have made every effort to

ensure the accuracy of our honor

rolls, but it is possible for errors

to occur. If you wish to report an

error or omission, please contact

Christina Kopanidis-Cantu at

-- or by email at

christinacantu@postoakschool.org.

Thank you.

The Post Oak School continues to be financially stable and strong.Our audited financial statements for the 2009–2010 school year resulted in an increase in net assets of $471,241; unaudited resultsfor 2010–2011 show an increase of $578,191. Enrollment increasedfrom 389 in 2009–2010 to 397 in 2010–2011.

Successful fundraising for both the annual fund and Gala combinedwith increased enrollment and careful stewardship of the School’sassets resulted in growth of our combined cash/property mainte-nance reserve to 21 percent of operating expenses or $1,163,667. TheSchool was also able to transfer $30,500 to our Endowment Fund.

The School’s Endowment policy allows disbursements once theendowment exceeds $1 million average balance for three years.The current asset allocation target is 20 percent cash and fixed income, and 80 percent equities to maximize long-term returns.More than 80 percent of the portfolio is invested in low cost insti-tutional asset class mutual funds managed by Dimensional FundAdvisors.

The year ended June 30, 2011 was a challenge for fixed income because of low interest rates. The fixed income is invested veryconservatively and generated a positive return of just under 2percent for the year. Continued recovery in the equity markets resulted in the equity accounts averaging a 33 percent gain forthe year. To put this in perspective, both the S&P 500 CompositeTotal Return and MSCI EAFE foreign index gained just over 30percent year ended June 30, 2011.

The combined portfolio returned 27.2 percent for the year, resultingin a gain of $232,375 for the one year ended June 30, 2011.

Plans for long-term programming needs and for our new highschool move forward. This year we hired a high school directorand completed marketing and development work. The School’scontinued fiscal discipline has allowed us to continue our workon these projects without an additional capital campaign.

2010–2011FinancialReport

General Fund Temporary Restricted Endowment ‒ Total

Total Cash and Investments ,, — ,, ,,Net Student Receivables , — — ,Other Pledges and Receivables Net , — , ,Prepaid Expenses and Other Deposits , — — ,Interfund Receivables , , , ,

Total Current Assets ,, , ,, ,,

Land ,, — — ,,Property, Plant and Equipment ,, — — ,,

Total Fixed Assets ,, — — ,,

Total Assets ,, , ,, ,,

Accounts Payable , — — ,Accrued Salaries and Benefits , — — ,Deferred Income , — — ,Interfund Payables , — , ,Other Accrued Expenses , — — ,

Total Liabilities ,, — , ,,

Net Assets Unrestricted ,, — — ,,Net Assets–Cash Reserve Board Restricted ( ,,) — — ( ,,)

Net Assets–Temp Restricted — , — ,Net Assets–Endowment — — ,, ,,

Total Liabilities and Fund Balance ,, , ,, ,,

Operating Fund Temporary Restricted Endowment ‒ Total

Tuition Based Revenues ,, — — ,,Other Tuition and Fees , — — ,Other Income (Loss) , — , ,Annual Giving , — — ,Gala Revenue , , — ,All Other Giving (Net) , , — ,

Total Revenue ,, , , ,,

Net Assets Released from Restriction , (,) — —

Total Revenue ,, ( ,) , ,,

Salaries and Benefits ,, — — ,,Financial Aid , — — ,Other Program Expense , — — ,Plant Expenses , — — ,General Administration ,, — — ,,

Total Expenses ,, — — ,,

Transfers In/Out (,) — , —

Increase in Net Assets , ( ,) , ,

Income Statement

Consolidated Balance Sheet

Class of 1981Stephen Marchione is theowner of Marchione Guitars.He became a full time luthierin 1989. Montessori education“made me the artist andbusiness man that I am now.”

Class of 1991Jessica Wagner, an alum andformer Post Oak teacher, isgetting married in the springand is teaching first grade atThe Fay School.

Class of 1995Masoud Darvishi is an at-torney in the Houston area.

Class of 1996Allison Dryden recentlycompleted her residency atVanderbilt Medical Centerand is an ER doctor. She ismarried to a musician whotravels around the world andthey have an infant daughter.

Rahim Kurji is attending theWharton School pursuinghis MBA. He just completedfive years working for theClinton Foundation in Indiaand South Africa, working onAIDS projects and recentlyon alternative energy.

Class of 1997Philip Storey completedthree years at John HopkinsMedical School after leavingVanderbilt Medical Center.Prior to that he completed ayear of study in Australiaduring which he obtainedhis Masters in World Health.He has also studied in China.Philip currently lives in a remote village in Tanzania.

Class of 1998After working for UBS inNew York for four years,Rehman Kurji is a student at Pepperdine University in its MBA program.

Ellen White completed hereducation at Austin TheaterAlliance in 2006. She is con-tinuing her studies at Circlein the Square Theatre School.Off-Broadway plays as wellas many other acting projectsallow Ellen to continue tobuild her rapport with theperformance industry andshe hopes to start a familyonce her career is established.

Class of 2001Lauren Fondren has starteda job as a Foreign ServiceOfficer at the State Depart-ment.

Kristy Eddington attendsWestern State UniversityCollege of Law.

Class of 2002Sam Geer lives and works inLos Angeles pursuing a career in the film industry.Sam worked on The Tree ofLife, which premiered in Mayof 2011 at the Cannes FilmFestival and was awardedthe Palme d'Or for featurefilms. Sam also recentlyworked on the film, Beginners, which was re-leased in June of 2011.

Ben Jawdat is in graduatestudies at the University ofHouston. He completed hisundergraduate degree atEmory University in 2010with a major in physics.

Josh Tobin graduated fromDavidson College. He isworking toward his Mastersof Fine Arts in the profes-sional actor training programat the University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill. Thispast summer he performedwith the Chautauqua TheatreConservatory in New York.

Alumni Update

Our graduates remain part of the Post Oak community. Many returnto volunteer in a classroom, or work in the front office as summerassistants. Often they come back to visit with teachers, or to talkabout their Montessori experiences at our annual Alumni Night.They always remember the community that nurtured them, andare willing to talk about how those early experiences at Post Oakshaped the people they have become.

Class of 2003Lindsey Moore graduatedwith honors from Southwest-ern in May 2011 with a degreein English. She plans to stayin Houston while embarkingon a career as a writer.

Brittany Fondren graduatedPhi Beta Kappa from South-western University. She worksat Texas Inter-Faith whereshe is developing a groupthat will publicize the com-pany and help Texas providemore complete communitiesfor its residents.

Laura McClure is continuingstudies at University of Colorado and plans to grad-uate in the spring of 2012.

Sam Boyar had a paid sum-mer internship with PlainsExploration Co. He plans topursue an MBA, but wouldlike to work as a geologistfor a few years first.

Class of 2004Jennie Kamin is studying atTulane University and willgraduate in 2012. She is apolitical science and com-munications major. This pastfall she studied in London.

Christina Moser is currentlya student at The Universityof Texas in Austin. She spenthalf of her 2011 summerbreak traveling in Italy, visit-ing Rome, Venice, Florence,and more.

Bethany Sharp is an under-grad working toward her BA

in graphic design at BostonUniversity. This past summer,she took animation classesat New York University.

Class of 2005Allison Bereswill is a juniorat Southern Methodist Uni-versity studying accountingat the Cox School of Business.She served four years on thehonor counsel board at Epis-copal High School and is

serving her third year as anofficer at SMU. She is servingher second year as an internat The George Bush Presi-dential Center.

Rebecca Bereswill is a soph-omore at the University ofMichigan in Ann Arbor. Shepractices figure skating intensely for six hours a dayto build her skills. Rebeccaaims to become a part of theU.S. Olympics team.

Stephanie Styles has wonseveral awards for her per-formances in music theatre.She is attending the Univer-sity of Michigan.

Lara Brenner studies biologyat Carleton College. She aspires to become a veteri-narian. This past summer,Lara had an internship witha wildlife rehabilitationcoalition.

Class of 2006Michael Harvey is an honorstudent at The University ofNotre Dame. He studies economics as well as politicalscience. Michael was an intern at United Way for thesummer.

Class of 2008Alexi Beaver is a senior atSt. John's School. She plansto travel to Costa Rica withher school, where she willtutor young students.

Jeffrey Davis, a senior atEpiscopal High School, received the RensselaerMedal, a scholarship awardedfor academic achievementin mathematics and science.

Tom Harvey is in his senioryear and is the vice headprefect at St. John's School.This summer he interned forthe Ellen Cohen campaign.

Now in his senior year atEpiscopal High School,Nikhil Schneider is very in-terested in movie making.

He has earned awards forMost Promising MovieMaker, and Most Outstand-ing Screenwriter. He is alsointerested in environmentalscience, runs on the crosscountry and track teams,and worked backstage on afew on-stage productions.During his sophomore year,he also rode the MS 150 withhis sisters, Devina and Jahnavi (2011), and dad, Elementary Director JeffSchneider.

Class of 2009Joshua Brenner is a junior atSt. John’s School in Houston.

Upon graduation, NatalieWade moved to Tucson toattend St. Gregory CollegePreparatory High School,where she is a junior this year.She says, “Post Oak Schoolwas such a great experiencefor me and really shaped therelationship I have withschool and learning.” Shelooks forward to going toschool each day and tolearning new things, as wellas traveling to Kenya withher high school this year tohelp teach children.

Class of 2011Benjamin Brenner is attend-ing Carnegie Vanguard HighSchool.

Daniel Brenner is attendingSt. John’s School.

Other AlumniVanessa Friedemann is afreshman at Stanford University.

Will Geer is a sophomore atthe University of SouthernCalifornia. He is in the inau-gural class of the PopularMusic Program at the USC

Thornton School of Music.

Mary Elizabeth Harvey is in her freshman year at St. Johns School.

Both Aziza and Azam Janmohamed received thePresident’s Award for Edu-cational Excellence in 2011.They left The Post OakSchool last year and movedto Pakistan where they attendKarachi American School.Aziza achieved outstandingstudent for the eighth grade,and participated in a community service trip toGalapagos Island. Azam wasselected to speak at his Ele-mentary graduation becauseof his academic qualification.He attended the Cowboysfootball camp in Dallas andis trying to introduce Ameri-can football at his new school.

Pooja Salhotra completedHouston Chronicle’s fourweek summer fundamentalsof journalism program andwas listed by them as a “Future Headliner,” creditingher journalistic maturity.Pooja received the news quiz plaque for being anoutstanding student. Whenat Post Oak, she was in Barbara Hacker's Primaryclassroom.

Elizabeth Sills attendedPost Oak for four years beforeher family moved to San Antonio in early 2010. She iscurrently in the third gradeand spends five days a weekice skating and competes atthe pre-preliminary level.Elizabeth supplements iceskating training with classesin ballet and modern dance.

Alison Wong is living inHouston and works as an attorney/trial consultant.Her child will start at PostOak this year.

2010–2011 TrusteesFrank ApolloBev BontragerMelissa ColemanStuart DowAdam FormanWindi GrimesBob Harvey, chairJohn HowenstineAndrew KaldisLloyd KirchnerRenée LocklarJohn Long, presidentVikas MittalManolo SanchezMarilyn WilsonRussell Windham

Walker BeaversPam BoyarLeland FondrenMelanie GrayPat MitchellJenny MurphyJohn Wallace

POPA ChairsMelissa CorderoErin Stus

POPA Dinner ChairsTanya GeeJulia Vine

Field Day ChairsTeri BairAmy Garrou

Book Fair ChairsJennifer ChavisJessica Gregg

Cinco de MayoAnn LeeElise McClain

2011 Biennial GalaAnnette Gregory, Chair

2010–2011 Room Parents

Tamara BashamKim Yates

Dinah ChetritAimee Taylor

Luiza GrandchampElizabeth Santikos

Barbara HackerJeannine Bergt

Emily HansenSonia EinsteinJamie Lee

Orly KlukRennae Henry

Deidre LodrigMeghan Freeman

Kathy LongHeather O’NeillJessica Gregg

Middle SchoolJian Short

Sarah MoudryKara Sanders

Debbie NickersonElise McClain

Julie ParraguirreVivian Lee

Errol PintoTanya GeeCinda Moye

Maya PintoKaren Redding

Phoebe YeagerCynthia AlonsoBeth Cassidy

Laura RoarkLaurie LevinJennifer Touchet

Erin SmithLeashanne GuoGerry Waters

Hifa SobhaniLisa Reed

Miriam WintonMichelle LuValerie Sonsino

The Post Oak Fund 2010–2011 ChairsAmy and Lloyd Kirchner

Tamara BashamAlicia KowalchukBenjamin Saldaña

Barbara HackerAnn Lee

Emily HansenTanya Gee

Orly KlukStephan Kinsella

Deidre LodrigRochelle Tafolla

Kathy LongDinh Lam

Middle SchoolBev Bontrager

Sarah MoudryShonali Agrawal

Debbie NickersonAnnie Singleton

Julie ParraguirreDaniela Sanchez

Errol PintoLewis & Sherry Chandler

Maya PintoLiz Pulaski

Phoebe YeagerAimee Taylor

Laura RoarkBeth Apollo

Erin SmithGina Luna

Hifa SobhaniShonali Agrawal

Miriam WintonMary Stephens

BoardJohn Long

EmployeesShekkola Gray

Post OakSchool Community

Faculty and Staff

Half-Day Infant Community (ages 14 months – 3 years)

Deidre Lodrig, Lead Teacher Diana Ayala, Classroom

Assistant

Sarah Moudry, Lead TeacherYolanda Bucio, Classroom

Assistant

Full-Day Infant Community (ages 14 months – 3 years)

Phoebe Yeager, Lead Teacher Elizabeth DiCesare,

Classroom AssistantLilia Garza, Classroom

AssistantDiana Onofre, Classroom

Assistant

Primary Department (ages 3 – 6 years)

Tamara Basham, Lead Teacher Celia Rodriguez, Classroom

Assistant

Barbara Hacker, Lead Teacher Norma Paulin, Classroom

Assistant

Emily Hansen, Lead TeacherRuth Cañas, Classroom

Assistant

Julie Parraguirre, Lead Teacher

Nina Strane, Classroom Assistant

Erin Smith, Lead TeacherAlma Armendariz, Classroom

Assistant

Miriam Winton, Lead TeacherChristine Karnabe, Classroom

Assistant

Primary Home EnvironmentDinah Chetrit, Lead Teacher Alma Armendariz, Before-

School Assistant (7:00–8:15 am)

Marisol Benner, Classroom Assistant

Millie Chavez, Classroom Assistant

Norma Paulin, Before-School Assistant (7:00–8:15 am)

Lower Elementary (grades 1– 3)

Orly Kluk, Lead TeacherJamie Ward , Classroom

Assistant

Kathy Long, Lead Teacher Melanie Koehn, Classroom

Assistant

Maya Pinto, Lead Teacher Anita Taj, Classroom Assistant

Hifa Sobhani , Lower Elementary Teacher

Lupe Lopez, Classroom Assistant

Upper Elementary (grades 4– 6)

Debbie Nickerson, Lead Teacher

Sandra DeLeon, Classroom Assistant

Errol Pinto, Lead TeacherJessica Samano, Classroom

Assistant

Laura Roark, Lead TeacherKimberly Magill, Classroom

Assistant

Middle School (grades 7– 8)Shekkola Gray, Middle School

Coordinator & Mathematics Teacher

Kelly McNamara, Science Teacher

Joshua Noah, Humanities Teacher

Before- & After-CareAsenet Garcia, Upper School

After-Care Director Jenna Pel, Upper School

After-Care Assistant

Andrea Dilger, Physical FitnessSpecialist & Bearkats Coach/Meg O’Connell

Luiza Grandchamp, Art Specialist

Diana Muniz, Art Specialist

Patricia Onofre, Spanish Specialist

Donna Scott, Music TeacherB.R. Simon, LibrarianPhylis Tomlinson, CounselorMark Tucker, Athletics

Director & Bearkats Coach

Mirna Andrade-Salgado, Technology Director

Vivian Blum, Admission Director

Debbie Henderson, Office Manager

Christina Kopanidis-Cantu, Development Director

John Long, Head of School Robin Lunsford, Director of

Finance and FacilitiesJames Moudry, Middle School

& High School Director Shannon Neufeld/Elaine

Schweizer, CommunicationsCoordinator

Christine Peterson, Business Office /HR Specialist

Jeff Schneider, Elementary Director

Francesca Shoemaker, Receptionist

Mirani Smith, Early ChildhoodDirector

Matt Thompson, Facilities Manager

Mark Tucker, After-School Enrichment Program (ASEP) director

Miriam Winton, Summer School Director

Manuel Mejia, Maintenance Director

Daniel Anastacio, CustodianNazario Anastacio, CustodianChristopher Mejia, CustodianMarvin Mejia, Custodian

In MemoryWe celebrate the wonderfullife of Post Oak parent, wife,and friend, Tracey Hilfman.Tracey’s work as a room parent,her constant willingness tovolunteer, and her unendinggood humor and positive energy was an inspiration tothose who knew her. We wereblessed to have her in ourcommunity and we miss herdearly.

High School Admissions

During 2011 Post Oak Schoolgraduates were admitted to thefollowing highly recognizedcollege preparatory schools:

Awty International SchoolBellaire High SchoolCarnegie Vanguard High

School (CVHS)*Duchesne AcademyEmery/Weiner SchoolEpiscopal High School* High School for the Perform-

ing and Visual Arts*Incarnate Word AcademyThe Kinkaid School*St. Agnes Academy*St. John’s School*St. Pius XSt. Thomas High SchoolXavier Educational Academy*

* Denotes school attending

College Admissions

Post Oak alumni populate top colleges and universitiesthroughout the state, the nation, and abroad. In 2011,all but one 2007 middle schoolgraduates were accepted totheir college of first choice.Post Oak college acceptancesover the past eight years include:

American UniversityArt Institute of BostonArt Institute of ChicagoArt Institute of HoustonAuburn UniversityAustin CollegeBaylor UniversityBoston UniversityBrooks Institute of PhotographyBrown UniversityCalifornia College of the ArtsCarnegie Mellon UniversityClemson UniversityCollege of CharlestonColorado CollegeColorado School of MinesCranbrook Academy of ArtDrexel UniversityEckerd College

Elon UniversityEvergreen State CollegeFashion Institute of TechnologyFordham UniversityGeorgetown UniversityGeorgia TechGoucher CollegeHampshire CollegeIthaca CollegeLone Star Community CollegeLouisiana State UniversityLoyola MarymountLoyola University, New OrleansMillsaps CollegeNew York UniversityNotre Dame University

(Honors)Oberlin CollegeRhodes CollegeRice UniversityRollins CollegeSan Diego State UniversitySan Francisco Conservatory

of MusicSarah Lawrence CollegeSavannah College of Art

and DesignSewanee — The University

of the SouthSkidmore CollegeSmith CollegeSouthern Methodist UniversitySouthwestern UniversityStanford UniversitySt. Edwards UniversitySt. John’s CollegeSyracuse UniversityTexas A&M UniversityTexas Christian UniversityTexas Christian University

(Honors)The CitadelTrinity UniversityTulane UniversityUniversity of AlabamaUniversity of ArkansasUniversity of ArizonaUniversity of California —

Los AngelesUniversity of California —

San DiegoUniversity of California —

Santa BarbaraUniversity of California —

Santa ClaraUniversity of Colorado —

Boulder

University of GeorgiaUniversity of HoustonUniversity of Houston

(Honors)University of IndianaUniversity of KansasUniversity of Massachusetts —

AmherstUniversity of MiamiUniversity of MichiganUniversity of MississippiUniversity of North CarolinaUniversity of Notre DameUniversity of OklahomaUniversity of the PacificUniversity of South CarolinaUniversity of Southern

CaliforniaUniversity of Southern

California — School of Cinematic Arts

University of Texas — AustinUniversity of Texas — Austin,

Plan IIUniversity of Texas —

Business HonorsUniversity of Texas —

San AntonioUniversity of Texas — TylerUniversity of TulsaUniversity of VermontUniversity of Virginia —

RichmondU.S. Naval AcademyVanderbilt UniversityWest PointWesleyan University

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AlumniOutcomes

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Mission StatementThe mission of The Post OakSchool, as an accredited Association Montessori Inter-nationale (AMI) school, is toprovide a superior Montessorienvironment and dynamiclearning experiences whichare designed according to thedevelopmental characteristicsand needs of children; to guideand nurture each child —intellectually, socially, andemotionally.

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