2011-12 Post Oak School Annual Report

2012 ANNUAL REPORT The Post Oak School

said Post Oak alumnus Ben Jawdat. “I

think everyone has an inner voice that tells them what they really want to do, and

I think the vast majority of people ignore it every day. Basically, people don’t feel

they can do what they want to do, or that it’s not realistic, or particularly mean-

ingful, or that it won’t impress their colleagues. But it always seems like the most

successful people are the ones who actually do what they’re interested in

regardless what others think.”

“I listened,”

2012

After three years of plan-ning, the AssociationMontessori Internationale(AMI) approved the pro-posal to establish theHouston Montessori Institute (HMI), a teachertraining center to behoused at Post Oak. Thefirst class begins trainingin June .

2012

The Post Oak High Schoolopened in August .Last year we purchasedland in the Museum District, gutted and renovated the building at Autrey, hired faculty,recruited a freshman class,wrote curriculum, andinitiated accreditation by the IndependentSchools Association of the Southwest (ISAS)and International Baccalaureate (IB).

As a senior at Emory University three years ago, Ben was applying to med-

ical school. Perhaps it was the act of writing his personal statement for the

MCAT’s, and reflecting upon why he wanted to be a doctor, but at that moment

Ben real ized that he really wanted to continue studying physics. Now he’s two

years into the Ph.D. program at the University of Houston, and interested

in the next phase of space exploration. “It’s inevitable that we’re going to

explore the rest of the solar system; it’s just human curiosity, if not economic

incentives.”

This story reminds me of a comment from Lauren Fondren, who graduated

from Post Oak a year before Ben. “Post Oak helped me find my inner voice,” she

said. Lest I think that would have happened anywhere, Lauren continued, “My

high school quashed it.” As an undergraduate at Middlebury College, Lauren

learned Arabic and spent a year abroad studying in Egypt. (To do so, she

petitioned her college to extend the “Semester Abroad” to a full year —very

Montessori!) She is now serving as a foreign service officer in the U.S. Department

of State.

2012

Jackson and Ryan Archi-tects, working with thebuilding committee of the board, is developingfinal plans to renovate the Bissonnet campus.

2012

Kim Sterling and Associates is guiding theboard’s developmentcommittee and campaignleadership on the initialphases of BigWORK, the effort to raise capitalfor both the Bissonnet expansion and the HighSchool start-up costs.

What is the purpose of education? These days, parents and students are

likely to answer, “Preparation for a job, an occupation, a career or a vocation.”

Vocation conveys another meaning, “which is rooted in the Latin for ‘voice.’

Vocation does not mean a goal that I pursue. It means a calling that I hear….

The difficulty is compounded by the fact that from our first days in school, we

are taught to listen to everything and everyone but ourselves, to take all our

clues about living from the people and powers around us (Parker Palmer, Let

Your Life Speak).”

What Ben and Lauren reveal, is that a Post Oak education helps students

learn to listen to their own inner voice. Yes, this will lead to a career. More sig -

nif icantly, it leads to a vocation—work that aligns with the most deeply held

interests and values of the individual and provides more than a living wage—

the deep satisfaction of expressing meaning in one’s life. What better prepa ration

for life could there be?

Last year was one of major landmarks as we prepare for the future of Post

Oak. You will have many opportunities to join in and to support the life of the

school in the coming year. Thank you for all that you did in 2011–2012, the year

commemorated in this report.

—John Long, Head of School

2012

Admissions saw dramaticgrowth with a percentincrease over last year in the total number of inquiries, full enrollmentfrom Infant Communitythrough Lower Elementary,a record number of MiddleSchool students, and theHigh School openingwith students.

Post Oak’s th anniver -sary kicks off in January. Faculty, staff andparents have been atwork for two years now,planning a series of celebratory events.

Post Oak parents are generous in spirit and time as they volunteered countless hours and

energy this year to present several all-school events. Our annual Welcome Dinner, Field Day,

Book Fair, and Grandparents’ Days were fun for our families and very well attended. Each event

was tailored to the culture and cre ativ ity of this community. Thanks to all of our hard-working

event chairs. (Please read the list in the back of the report for their names.)

The fall season was filled with the sweet singing voices of Elementary students in prepa-

ration for the full children’s opera, Moon Maiden. This massive undertaking was carefully or-

chestrated by co-chairs Tanya Gee and Jane Greenberg. From the initial rehearsals all the

way to the stage production in February, they managed every detail and creatively responded

to all challenges—and there were many. Coordinating over 150 Elementary students in an

operatic production is no small feat. Heartfelt thanks to our chairs and all the volunteers who

brought together such an extraordinary production to help our students have a beautiful and

memorable life experience.

The Post Oak community is also generous in its support for this school. Our annual fund

brought in over $260,000 and had 98 percent parent participation. Thanks to our Post Oak

Fund chairs Kim and Michael Callahan. In addition, we began the early stages of our BigWORK

Capital Campaign to support start-up expenses of the High School and major renovations on

the Bissonnet campus. We offer thanks to each and every contributor. Their gifts are a nod of

support for the work accomplished each day at Post Oak.

Our Giving Community

The 2012 Post Oak Fund

Donors who generously contributed gifts of andabove to The Post Oak Fundare members of The Post OakFund Leadership Circle.

Leadership CircleShonali and Rakesh Agrawal

Cynthia and Bucky Allshouse

D. Kent & Linda C. Anderson

Foundation

Anonymous

Frank Apollo

Kimberly and Michael Callahan

Jodie and Laith Daik

Kelly and James Davis

Anne Singleton and

Jack Douglas

Laurie and Leland Fondren

Abbe and Adam Forman

Tanya and Jerry Gee

Cari and Tyler Gill

Raka and Jay Gohel

Janice and Barrett Green

Jessica and Vean Gregg

Windi and David Grimes

Rennae and Joseph Henry

Kelly and Blake Hill

Jeanne-Mey Sun and

Tom Janssens

Jane Greenberg and

Gregory Kaplan

Janet and Mario Kapusta

Hallie and Eugene Kim

Amy and Lloyd Kirchner

Vivian and Kenneth Lee

Renée and Michael Locklar

Kathy and John Long

Lucinda and Javier Loya

Nandita Gupta and Vikas Mittal

Tara and Alex Neblett

Katie and Bob Orr

Angel and Patrick Pan

Melissa Coleman and

Robert Pascoe

Stephanie and Bill Perkins

Anh Nguyen and Victor Phan

Kristen and David Ridgway

Manju and Manish Rungta

Alicia Kowalchuk and

Benjamin Saldaña

Daniela and Manolo Sanchez

Farrell and Stuart Saunders

Sherri and Charles Schugart

Jenee and Nick Stefanakis

Patricia and Edward Wade

Whitney and Marc Walsh

Gerry and Lou Waters

Melanie Gray and Mark Wawro

Vallette and Russell Windham

Connie and Jeff Woodman

Kim and Chuck Yates

Anita and Alan Ying

Rocio Diaz and Francisco

Zorrilla

Jennifer and Fernando Zumbado

Individual ContributorsNancy and John Almon

Beth Apollo

Stephanie and Phil Arnett

Elenir and Rony Avritscher

Teri and Thomas Bair

Jeannine and David Bergt

Sara and Brian Binau

Beverly Bontrager

Sipra and Scott Boyd

Jessica and Ben Braun

Jennifer and Christian

Brenckmann

Jamie and James Broach

Courtney and Bill Bucy

Erin and Brett Busby

Carla Campbell

Bernadette Verzosa and

Len Cannon Mintz

Elizabeth and Walter Cassidy

Sara and Juan Pablo Catá

Jennifer and Clifton Chavis

Deepa Poduval and

Rajesh Chelapurath

Laura and Martin Citardi

Melissa and Felix Cordero

Rebecca Cornwell

Vareen and Dave Cunningham

Maday and Jay Dargan

Kelly and Garth Davis

Jeffrey Davis

Robyn Davis

Lissa Debes

Robert Debes

Maneesha and Manoj

Devashish

Sangeeta Cheema and

Karam Dhillon

Zarafsheen and Imran Dossani

Lauren and David Dressler

Monica and Derek Dunaway

Lisa and W. Christian Eddleman

Monica and Charles Eskridge

Analitza and Justin Factor

Gina and Charles Fertitta

Lori Ann and Michael Foertsch

Rachel and Wayne Franklin

Christa Filak and Martin Fraske

Amy and Blair Garrou

Eva and Enrique Gasca

Dan Gilbane

Cathy and Tim Goff

Hannah and Leonard Golub

Cynthia and Ashok Gowda

Annette and Roger Gregory

Michele and Richard Griffiths

Sowmini and Ravi Gudimetla

Leashanne and James Guo

Sophia Banu and

Muzammil Hanif

Sanjiv and Sandhya Harpavat

Vicki and Robert Harvey

Kristin and Joey Hayles

Stephanie and Ben Hertzog

Claudia and David Hertzog

Rochelle Tafolla and

Richard Hess

Anh and Doanh Hoang

Generous Support

Bianca and Greg Holland

Carol and John Howenstine

Catherine and Andrew Kaldis

Cynthia DeLaney and

Stephan Kinsella

Alyson and Andrew Koval

Vasanthi and Ramanan

Krishnamoorti

Dinh Lam

Beth and Matt Lavine

Andrea Lazar

Ashley and Robert Leder

Jamie and Andrew Lee

Ann and Kelvin Lee

Katarzyna Leon-Lubowicz and

Alfonso Leon

Yan and Haiyang Li

Amy and Alan Lindsey

Mary and Christopher

Livingstone

Dawn and Peter Lorenz

Michelle and Thomas Lu

Sheung Wong and Gary Luk

D'arcy and Robert Madden

Jenny and André Marshall

Stacey and Mark Martin

John and Lori Martinez

Victoria Matthews

Elise McClain

Tanya Bennett and

David McConkey

Sarah Ellenzweig and

Scott McGill

Sara Jurney and Todd Mensing

Paula and Mark Mey

Jessica and Philipp Meyer

Pat and Bill Mitchell

Sonia Einstein and Ofer Molad

Shanell and Walker Moody

Dana and Russell Morris

Cinda and Brian Moye

Michelle and Michael Munn

Jenny and Edwin Murphy

Kate and Lance Murphy

Alana Kennedy-Nasser and

Dean Nasser

Kavitha and Sattva Neelapu

Raina and Jonathan Newsome

Phuong and Sun Nguyen

Susan Hardwick-Smith and

Kevin O’Gorman

Wendy and Meir O’Hanna

Kelley and Brent Oncale

Heather and Brenden O’Neill

Teresa Onofre

Tahia and Shoyab Panchbhaya

Sharon Engelstein and

Aaron Parazette

Pragnya and Kaushik Parekh

Meredith and Mark Parenti

Jenny Mohr and

Matthew Parker

Renee Parker

Jaana Porra and Michael Parks

Stelli and Todd Parsapour

Nadia and Nader Parviz

Mayuri and Dharmesh Patel

Lisa and Patrick Phelps

Tammira and Nicolas Philippe

Jacqueline and Robert

Phillpott

Kelly and Anthony Policastro

Jennifer Pon

Hillery Hugg and Gregory Press

Kimberly and Cristopher Proler

Jocelyn and Paul Pua

Elizabeth and Adam Pulaski

Joyce and Danny Rafati

Partow and Farhad Ravandi

Amber and Terry Ray

Karen and Ken Redding

Lisa and John Reed

Sabrina Reynolds

Shelly and Bill Richter

Heidi and Bryan Rosenstrauch

Jennifer Norten and

Mark Routbort

Andrea and Anthony Russo

Suzan and Jeremy Samuels

Kara and Dax Sanders

Mona and Sanjeev Sawhney

Kate and Greg Scheinman

Irina and Jan Schmedes

Veronica and Riccardo Scionti

Jacqualin and Jeff Seely

Zeenath and Arjun Selvakumar

Jian and Mike Short

Jennifer and Robert Shults

John and Tina Sims

Nina and Stephen Skinner

Ariana and Raymond Smetana

Carmen Garcia-Smith and

Todd Smith

Valerie and Michael Sonsino

Asha and Gaurav Sood

Simran and Manish Sood

Anne and Alan Speed

Evy Pappas and

Nickolas Spiliotis

Inna and Dmitriy Starikov

Mary and Garland Stephens

Jennifer Stern

Kevin Stevens

Erin and Thomas Stus

Julie and Jason Styles

Aimee and Greg Taylor

Nikayla and Aaron Thomas

Jennifer and Sam Touchet

Natalia and Angel Urreta

Mary Vaeza-Lopez and

Jesse Lopez

Karen and Raul Valdez

Gena and Michael Vaughn

Aparajitha and Amit Verma

Claudia and Alex Villegas

Julia and Terry Vine

Khanhuyen and Huy Vinh

Molly and Coert Voorhees

Catherine Than and

Hoang Quan Vu

Jennifer Wheler

Susan and Michael Wong

Michelle and Kenneth Zagorski

Daniela Weil and Erik Zanker

Allison and Gustavo Zapata

Yingli and Hui Zhang

Your contributions support The Post OakSchool through capitalimprovements to our facility, technology enhancements, facultytraining and develop-ment, student financialassistance and growingthe endowment.

GrandparentsWilliam Bucy

David Dressler

Judy and Harry Ellenzweig

Leah and Harry Engelstein

Don Forman and Paula Forman

Cheryl and Stephen Golub

Mary Ann and Victor Guerrero

Claire Langston

Carmen and Pedro Macias

Karen and Jim McConkey

Muriel and Marcel Meicler

Sharon and George Moudry

Joy Pulaski

Mark Weinstein and

Ellen Weinstein

EmployeesAshley Addison

Daniel Anastacio

Nazario Anastacio

Mirna Andrade-Salgado and

LIno Salgado

Alma Armendariz

Diana Ayala

Tamara and William Basham

Vivian Blum

Yolanda Bucio

Ruth Cañas

Millie Chavez

Dinah Chetrit

Sandra DeLeon

Elizabeth DiCesare

Andrea Dilger

Asenet Garcia

Lilia Garza

Shekkola Gray

Christine Green

Barbara Hacker

Debbie and Todd Henderson

Orly and Yoel Kluk

Christina Kopanidis-Cantu and

Jorge Cantu

Deidre Lodrig

Lupe Lopez

Robin and Jeff Lunsford

Kimberly Magill

Kelly McNamara

Manuel Mejia

Marvin Mejia

Marcela Menjivar

Sarah and James Moudry

Diana Muñiz

Kathryn Murphy

Debbie Nickerson

Emily Hansen and

Patrick O’Heron

Diana and Albert Onofre

Patricia Onofre

Julie Parraguirre

Norma Paulin

Jenna Pel

Christine Peterson

Maya and Errol Pinto

Laura Roark

Celia Rodriguez

Jessica Samano

Shonali Jacob and

Jeff Schneider

Meara Schwartz

Elaine Schweizer

B.R. Simon

Beth Smith

Erin Smith

Mirani Smith

Hifa Sobhani

Nina Strane

Jeni and Matt Thompson

Phylis Tomlinson

Mark Tucker

Ryan Tucker

Jamie Ward

James Winslow

Miriam Winton

Phoebe Yeager

FoundationsD. Kent & Linda C. Anderson

Foundation

Houston Endowment

Rochlis Family Foundation

The Samuels Family Foundation

CorporationsEmpties4Cash

JPMorgan Chase Foundation

Kinder Morgan

KL Modern Spine

Lands’ End

Rice Tutors

Safeway Inc.

School House Partners

Shell Oil Company Foundation

Matching Gifts

Target

BigWORK Capital Campaign

Shonali and Rakesh Agrawal

Beverly Bontrager

Melissa Coleman and

Robert Pascoe

The Ray C. Fish Foundation


Melanie Gray and Mark Wawro

Janice and Barrett Green

Catherine and Andrew Kaldis




Jorge Cantu


Kathy and John Long


Nandita Gupta and Vikas Mittal

Catherine and Robert Orr

The Rochlis Family Foundation



Anita and Alan Ying

Jennifer and Fernando

Zumbado

Gifts to the Endowment


The Fondren Foundation

POPA Dinner Underwriting

Shonali and Rakesh Agrawal



Brenckmann


Carla Campbell


Jorge Cantu

Deepa and Rajesh Chelapurath

Laura and Martin Citardi

Melissa and Felix Cordero

Jodie and Laith Daik

Robyn Davis

Lauren and David Dressler


Kathleen Padden and

Richard Evans

Gina and Charles Fertitta



Tanya and Jerry Gee

Rochelle Tafolla and

Richard Hess

Kelly and Blake Hill

Anh Doan and Doanh Hoang

Carol and John Howenstine

Jeanne-Mey Sun and

Tom Janssens

Jane Greenberg and

Gregory Kaplan



Dinh Lam

Ann and Kelvin Lee


Vivian and Kenneth Lee

Katarzyna Leon-Lubowicz and

Alfonso Leon


Kathy and John Long

Dawn and Peter Lorenz


Elise McClain

Paula and Mark Mey

Debbie Nickerson

Wendy and Meir O’Hanna

Heather and Brenden O’Neill

Catherine and Robert Orr


Pragnya Patel and

Kaushik Parekh

Jenny Mohr and

Matthew Parker

The Parviz Family

Stephanie and Bill Perkins


Partow and Farhad Ravandi

Amber Luong and Terry Ray


Lisa and John Reed


Alicia Kowalchuk and

Benjamin Saldaña


Farrell and Stuart Saunders

Jennifer and Robert Shults

Mirani Smith

Evy Pappas and

Nickolas Spiliotis


Jennifer Stern


Julie and Jason Styles



Whitney and Marc Walsh

Jennifer Wheler


Susan Shi and Michael Wong

Michelle and Kenneth Zagorski


Rocio Diaz and

Francisco Zorrilla

Jennifer and Fernando

Zumbado

Friends of the Library

Barnes & Noble

Melanie Harrell

Amelia Ng and Tam Ho



Book Fair Contributors

Charlotte and Carlos Aguilar

Nancy and John Almon


Jessica and Ben Braun


Brenckmann


Erin and Brett Busby

Elizabeth and Walter Cassidy

Audra French and

Arnold Colunga


Kathleen Padden and

Richard Evans



Tanya and Jerry Gee

Hannah and Leonard Golub

Windi and David Grimes

Kristin and Joey Hayles

Anh and Doanh Hoang

Bianca and Greg Holland

Jeanne-Mey Sun and

Tom Janssens

Jane Greenberg and

Gregory Kaplan

Cynthia DeLaney and

Stephan Kinsella

Alyson and Andrew Koval

Amy and Alan Lindsey


Kathy and John Long

Carmen and Pedro Macias



John and Lori Martinez

Victoria Matthews

Sarah Ellenzweig and

Scott McGill

Christianne Melanson and

Durwin Sharp

Paula and Mark Mey

Jessica and Philipp Meyer

Shanell and Walker Moody

Sarah and James Moudry

Tara and Alex Neblett

Kavitha and Sattva Neelapu

Susan Hardwick-Smith and

Kevin O’Gorman

Emily Hansen and

Patrick O’Heron

Tahia and Shoyab Panchbhaya

Sharon Engelstein and

Aaron Parazette


Jaana Porra and Michael Parks

Nadia and Nader Parviz

Melissa Coleman and

Robert Pascoe

Christine Peterson


Hillery Hugg and

Gregory Press

Kimberly and Cristopher Proler

Joyce and Danny Rafati

Shelly and Bill Richter


Heidi and Bryan Rosenstrauch

Suzan and Jeremy Samuels


Kara and Dax Sanders

B.R. Simon

Carmen Garcia-Smith and

Todd Smith

Valerie and Michael Sonsino




Jeni and Matt Thompson

Natalia and Angel Urreta

Aparajitha and Amit Verma


Gerry and Lou Waters


Miriam Winton

Connie and Jeff Woodman

Kim and Chuck Yates

Gifts in Kind

Asset Management Advisors

David Frischkorn

Kathy and John Long


Lynn Mathre

PostNet


Kim and Chuck Yates

Additional Thanks

The Rochlis Family Foundation

for a grant to replace all the

picnic tables on the playground.

The Post Oak Dads’ Club for

purchasing the new scoreboard

in the gym.

Special recognition goes to

The Fondren Foundation for

their generous endowment

grant to help secure the future

of Post Oak.

Recognizing our donors is ahigh priority for The Post OakSchool. We have made everyeffort to ensure the accuracyof our honor rolls, but it ispossible for errors to occur. If you wish to report an erroror omission, please contactChristina Kopanidis-Cantuat -- or by emailat [email protected]. Thank you.

The financial stability of The Post Oak School continued during the 2011–2012 school year

as we faced the financial needs of establishing the Post Oak High School. Our audited finan cial

statements for the 2010–2011 school year resulted in an increase in net assets of $578,195.

The unaudited results for the 2011–2012 school year show an increase in net assets for all

funds of $776,579. The School experienced a slight increase in enrollment moving from an

ending enrollment of 397 in 2010–2011 to 401 in 2011–2012.

Careful stewardship of the School’s assets allowed us to use our cash reserve of

$1,163,667 toward the High School startup costs. This reserve will be replenished with a capital

campaign directed toward both the establishment of the High School as well as the renovation

of the campus at 4600 Bissonnet. The School was able to purchase three properties in the

Museum District of Houston to create the High School campus and in doing so took out

mortgages on the three properties as well as a construction loan for the refurbishment of the

building at 1102 Autrey St. The debt service on these loans will be serviced by the operating

budget of the High School. The School finished the year with $29,367 in our cash reserve

fund and was able to transfer $5,000 to our Endowment Fund.

The investment policy of The Post Oak School Endowment directs a long-term investment

approach. 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 institutional asset class mutual funds managed by Dimensional Fund Advisors.

During the year ended June 30, 2012, the Endowment attained its initial target of $1 million

and the School was able to take a $40,000 draw to support teacher sponsorships for the

2011–2012 school year. This benchmark has also resulted in the creation of a separate Board

Endow ment Committee to oversee all aspects of the management of the School’s endowment.

The combined portfolio experienced a modest 4 percent investment loss of $(43,983)

for the one year ended June 30, 2012.

The School’s continued fiscal discipline as well as the generosity of all of our donors has

allowed us to expand our world-renowned Montessori program to support students from birth

through the completion of High School.

2011–2012 Financial Report

General Fund Temporary Restricted Endowment ‒ Total

Assets

Total Cash and Investments $ 2,177,337 $ — $ 1,162,925 $ 3,340,262

Net Student Receivables 50,301 — — 50,301

Other Pledges and Receivables Net 10,546 663,802 108,000 782,348

Prepaid Expenses and Other Deposits 104,497 — — 104,497

Interfund Receivables 4,686 38,9846 — 43,670

Total Current Assets 2,347,366 702,786 1,270,925 4,321,077

Land 1,837,500 — — 1,837,500

Land–High School 2,427,092 — — 2,427,092

Property, Plant and Equipment 4,048,826 — — 4,048,826

Construction in Progress 1,452,529 — — 1,452,529

Total Fixed Assets 9,765,947 — — 9,765,947

Total Assets $ 12,113,313 $ 702,786 $ 1,270,925 $ 14,087,024

Liabilities

Accounts Payable $ 194,834 $ — $ — $ 194,834

Accrued Salaries and Benefits 245,499 — — 245,499

Deferred Income 1,910,331 — — 1,910,331

Interfund Payables 38,985 — 4,686 43,671

Accrued Interest Payable 2,696 — — 2,696

Other Accrued Expenses 9,735 — — 9,735

Notes Payable 2,384,203 — — 2,384,203

Total Liabilities $ 4,786,284 $ — $ 4,686 $ 4,790,970

Fund Balance

Net Assets Unrestricted $ 7,356,396 $ — $ — $ 7,356,396

Net Assets –Cash Reserve Board Restricted (29,367) — — (29,367)

Net Assets – Temp Restricted — 702,786 — 702,876

Net Assets –Endowment — — 1,266,239 1,266,239

Total Liabilities and Fund Balance $ 12,113,313 $ 702,786 $ 1,270,925 $ 14,087,024

Operating Fund Temporary Restricted Endowment ‒ Total

Revenue

Tuition Based Revenues $ 5,980,444 $ — $ — $ 5,980,444

Other Tuition and Fees 456,480 — — 456,480

Other Income (Loss) 30,679 — (40,096) (9,417)

Annual Giving 260,290 — — 260,290

Endowment Distribution 40,000 — — 40,000

All Other Giving (Net) 24,051 988,820 — 1,012,871

Total Revenue 6,791,944 988,820 (40,096) 7,740,668

Net Assets Released from Restriction 298,790 (298,790) — —

Total Revenue $ 7,090,734 $ 690,030 $ (40,096) $ 7,740,668

Expenses

Salaries and Benefits $ 2,998,453 $ — $ — $ 2,998,453

Financial Aid 551,776 — — 551,776

Other Program Expenses 575,590 — — 575,590

Plant Expenses 1,013,448 — — 1,013,448

General Administration 1,820,933 — 3,888 1,824,821

Total Expenses 6,960,200 — 3,888 6,964,088

Transfers In/Out (5,000) — 5,000 —

Income Statement

Consolidated Balance Sheet

Class of 1981

Stephen MarchioneStephen earned his BA in

music from Naropa University

in Boulder, Colorado. He

began his career as a luthier in

1990. View his work online at

www.marchione.com.

Class of 1999

Justin BoyarI graduated from Thunderbird

School of Global Management

with a Masters in global man-

agement in April 2012. I was

hired by Jones Lang LaSalle

(NYSE: JLL) to work as a con-

sultant in Panama City, Panama.

In this role, I took over tem-

porarily for the VP of JLL Vice

in Panama to manage all of

JLL’s service lines and the

needs of our clients in

Panama.

In addition, I pursue busi-

ness development opportunities

for JLL in Latin America. This

promises to be an extraordinarily

exciting, challenging, and ad-

venturous opportunity. I could

not be more thrilled with the

direction my life is taking, and

for the opportunity to work for

such a great company.

As always, I am grateful to

Post Oak for helping me build

a creative foundation, and for

encouraging me to push the

boundaries of life, growing into

the person I truly want to be-

come.

Class of 2001

Abbie Kamin Abbie worked for the Demo-

cratic National Committee in

Washington D.C. in the summer

of 2012. She is in her second

year of law school at American

University.

Class of 2002

Sam GeerThings are going good here!

I’m still working at Apple to

pay the bills, but I’ve finished

the feature film screenplay I

was working on with fellow

alum William Wawro. Another

POS alum, Jonathan Ward, is

producing the film (which I will

direct). We’re going to be

shooting in Georgia, and at the

beginning of May we went out

there to scout for locations. It

was a great trip and we found

many a beautiful place to film.

We’re now in the process of

raising the money to finance it,

and we’re planning on shooting

in the next spring. So, all in all,

pretty exciting stuff!

Please give my regards to

the rest of the Post Oak family.

Nick HetheringtonI am a Content Associate at

ESPN where I have the awe-

some job of cutting highlights

for SportsCenter and am cur-

rently a staff member on the

show College Gameday

Ben JawdatII’m in the third year of my

physics PhD program, working

as a research assistant and

also taking classes in the

physics department. During

summer 2012 I worked at the

Texas Center for Supercon-

ductivity at U of H (TcSUH) as

a research assistant.

Class of 2003

Sam BoyarI work for a small, independent

oil and gas company based in

Austin called Border to Border

Exploration. I am a wellsite geol-

ogist and work half of the time

on our rigs in East Texas and

half the time doing develop-

mental and exploration geology

work in our Austin office. Due

to the current high price of oil,

we are very active and are drill -

ing a lot more than in previous

years. It is a very exciting time

to be in oil and gas, so I am

really enjoying my career path.

Brittany FondrenI graduated in May 2011 with

honors from Southwestern

University with a major in religion

and a minor in English. I live in

Houston and worked at Texas

Inter-Faith for eight months

before starting a new job at

Cornerstone Recovery, Inc., a

nonprofit organization that helps

teens and their families recover

from drug and alcohol addiction.

In August 2012 I spent a week

in Japan visiting my sister,

Catherine.

Alumni Update

Nick WallaceI spent the spring of 2012 in

Panama where I was taking

business classes at the Florida

State University campus in

Panama City, getting credit

towards my BBA in MIS (Man-

agement Information Systems).

After completing the semester

I backpacked from Panama City

up to Mexico. I had an intern-

ship at Marathon Oil during the

summer of 2012. I’m currently

continuing my BBA at the Uni-

versity of Houston, and I hope

to graduate in the fall of 2013.

William WawroAfter graduating from Syracuse

University in 2011 I moved out

to Los Angeles without an

apartment or job. While crashing

on a friend’s couch, I went to as

many job interviews as possible.

I was fortunate enough to get

a job as an assistant editor

at City Room Creative, a post

production company that makes

movie trailers.

It’s been a perfect fit. I’ve

moved into a proper apartment

(no more couch surfing) and

worked with fellow Post Oak

alumni, Sam Geer and Jona

Ward, on a feature script. I am

becoming more and more ac-

climated with Los Angeles, but

I still miss Houston, and I look

forward when I get to come

home for a weekend or two to

see family and friends and the

familiar humidity.

Class of 2004

Jennie KaminI graduated Cum Laude from

Tulane University in May 2012

with a degree in political science

and a focus in American policy

and practice. During my spring

semester, I worked part-time

as an assignment desk editor

for New Orleans’ local NBC-

affiliate station. Right at the

beginning of my college career,

Louisiana created tax incentives

for filming and the state has

since surpassed Los Angeles in

terms of production popularity.

As my academic background

also includes theater and

communications, I have been

fortunate enough to work on

a number of film, news, and

television projects in the city

both on and behind the camera.

As for recent projects, I

wrapped on a film in April 2012

for the SyFy network set to air

on Halloween and I worked on

an independent film in New

Orleans at the end of June.

Samantha LubelSamantha graduated Magna

Cum Laude from Syracuse

University in May 2012. She

majored in child and family

studies and minored in psy-

chology and gerontology. She

is working for a law firm while

she studies for the LSAT and

applies to law school.

Matthew McDonaldStarting around middle school

and possibly even earlier I

started getting in to music,

specifically playing drums. When

I started at Episcopal High

School, I joined band and my

musical activities blossomed

from there. After graduating

EHS, I chose to attend Boston

University as a percussion per-

formance major and graduated

in May 2012. I currently attend

the New England Conservatory

for my masters in music and

hope that the two-year program

will provide me ample opportu-

nity to audition and scope out

the job field (because my under -

grad did not). I have worked with

Generations Theatre Company

(a Houston-based theater group

headed by the Episcopal theater

director, George Brock), playing

every musical they have put

on since their inception in 2008.

Another Post Oak graduate,

Stephanie Styles, has also

worked with them every summer

and continues to do so. During

summer 2011 we performed the

U.S. regional premier of the Tony

Award winning Spring Awaken-

ing. During summer 2012 we

performed Bloody Bloody

Andrew Jackson, a rock musical

highlighting the life of former

president Andrew Jackson.

Christina MoserI graduated from The University

of Texas at Austin with a BFA in

design in May 2012. I created

a personal website to showcase

my work: christinamoser.com.

In May 2012 I finished up

my internship with The Butler

Bros. The Butler Bros are an

idea production company,

located on the east side of

Austin. A graphic design studio

started by Adam and Marty

Butler, the company’s core

focus is promoting products,

people, and ideas that are

worth sharing. Some of their

clients include Livestrong, The

Legacy Foundation, Sweet Leaf

Tea, and more.

Class of 2005

Catherine Fondren After working in Dr. Malcolm

Brenner and Dr. Cliona Rooney’s

Cell and Gene Therapy Lab at

Texas Children’s Hospital,

Catherine studied in Japan for

a four month semester at J. F.

Oberlin University. She is in her

senior year at the University

of Texas in the Plan II program

and was recently invited to join

Phi Beta Kappa.

Class of 2006

Stephanie Styles I am a junior at the University

of Michigan where I am getting

a BFA in musical theatre. I room

with another Post Oak alum,

Becky Bereswill. I performed

in Houston during the summer

of 2012 with Generations

Theatre Company in Our Town

as Emily Webb and Bloody

Our graduates remainpart of the Post Oak community. Their interests and accomplish -ments are impressiveand diverse: pure andapplied science; visualand performing art;business and non-profitenterprise; governmentand social serv ice; medicine, law and finance.

Bloody Andrew Jackson as

Rachel Jackson.

Class of 2007

Gray (Graeme) CrawfordGray worked for a law firm

during the summer of 2012 after

completing a very successful

freshman year at St. John’s

College in Santa Fe, New

Mexico. He is in his sophomore

year at St. John’s.

Neva GohelNeva is a sophomore at Col-

orado College. She studied in

Paris during summer 2012 and

also took an art class through

Parsons School of Design.

Class of 2008

Alexi BeaversAlexi attends Southern

Methodist University. She

received a Hilltop Scholarship

and a Provost Scholarship.

Kyle BurkeKyle graduated from St. Thomas

High School in May 2012. He at -

tends Austin Community Col lege

and will transfer to the Univer-

sity of Texas in January 2013.

Jeffrey DavisJeffrey graduated from Episco-

pal High School. He is a

freshman in the honors program

at the University of Texas

Cockrell School of Engineering.

Jeffrey also received a merit

scholarship from the UT School

of Engineering.

Hannah FredHannah graduated from Kinkaid

and is a freshman at the Uni-

versity of Texas at Austin.

Tom HarveyTom graduated from St. John’s

School in May 2012. He re-

ceived the Department Chair

award in humanities and history,

the top award in that depart-

ment across all upper school

classes. He also received the

Headmaster’s Award, recog-

nizing service to the St. John’s

community.

Tom enjoyed a trip to

Europe with friends during the

summer of 2012 and is a fresh -

man at Notre Dame, where his

brother and fellow Post Oak

alum, Michael, is a junior.

Christian MartinezChristian graduated from

School of the Woods and is a

freshman at the University of

New Orleans.

Luciano PosadaLou graduated from Kinkaid and

is a freshman at the University

of Houston, where he studies

biomedical engineering.

Nikhil SchneiderNikhil is a freshman studying

science at The University

of Houston Honors College.

Class of 2009

Josh BrennerJosh interned during the sum-

mer of 2012 in a lab at MD

Anderson studying various

pulmonary functions. He also

spent time in London visiting

family. Josh is a senior at

St. John’s School.

Class of 2010

Amelia EskridgeAmelia is a junior at the John

Cooper School in The Wood-

lands. She served as co-presi-

dent of her sophomore class

and was voted sophomore class

“outstanding student” by The

Woodlands Rotary Club. She

attended the National Student

Leadership Conference, a two-

week program during summer

2012 in Washington, DC and

New York where she partici-

pated in programs on interna-

tional diplomacy.

Class of 2011

Benjamin BrennerBenjamin is a sophomore at

Carnegie Vanguard High School.

He spent two weeks in Greece

over the summer of 2012 with

his family.

Christian GrayChristian, a sophomore at the

High School for the Performing

and Visual Arts, volunteered at

the food program at His Way

Baptist Church during the

summer of 2012.

Rachael LevyRachael, a sophomore at

Kinkaid, won the award for the

outstanding student in advanced

geometry for both freshman

and sophomore classes on

Honors Day in May 2012.

Thomas RasorIn Episcopal High School’s

Honors Chapel in May 2012,

Thomas received an “Out-

standing Excellence Award”

and, in the JV Athletic Awards

Presentation, he received a

medal for “Most Improved

Player” from the coaches and

players on his basketball team.

He is in his sophomore year

and plays volleyball, basketball,

and baseball.

Megan RoutbortMegan received the “Outstand -

ing Freshman in English” award

and a bronze level recognition

for community service (50 to

74 hours) in May 2012 at St.

John’s School. She also won

first place in The Boniuk Cen-

ter’s Embracing Tolerance

Essay Contest (ninth – tenth

grade division) with her essay

titled “Across the Aisle.” Megan

is a sophomore at St. John’s.

Jahnavi Schneider and Devina SchneiderJahnavi and Devina are sopho-

mores at Episcopal High School.

Jahnavi and Devina volunteered

at the TWRC Wildlife Center in

the Baby Bird Program over the

summer. They also took a dri-

ver’s education course and will

be getting their learner’s permits

soon so watch out!

Class of 2012

Devin GohelDevin is a freshman at Episcopal

High School. He traveled to

Spain for a week over summer

with his family (including sister

and fellow alum, Neva). He also

participated in a Putney Student

Travel Program to Costa Rica

for a month where he learned

Spanish and helped build a

school in a small community

close to Liberia.

Other Alumni

Channing AllshouseCurrently in her seventh grade

year, Channing demonstrated

high academic standards during

her first year at Kinkaid School.

She was awarded the Leigh

Weld Sixth Grade Award, an

accolade in honor of long time

middle school faculty member

Leigh Weld, to the sixth grade

student who demonstrates

outstanding citizenship and

commitment to making the

school’s community a better

place for all students.

Payal ChanaPayal attended Post Oak

through the second grade and

graduated from Bellaire High

School in 1999. She studied

Biomedical Engineering at

Vanderbilt University and re-

ceived her Masters in business

from Rice University. Payal’s

son, Dev, is in the Infant

Community at Post Oak.

Mark ChristopherMark attended Post Oak

through third grade and gradu-

ated from St. John’s School in

1994. He studied at George-

town University’s School of

Foreign Service and received

his graduate degree from the

Woodrow Wilson School at

Princeton University. Mark

is a consultant with The Arkin

Group and lives in Brooklyn,

New York with his wife.

Isa HetheringtonIsa graduated from Episcopal

High School and is a freshman

at the University of Texas.

Tina HetheringtonTina graduated from Episcopal

High School and is a junior at

the University of Texas.

Joanna Pauli KluemperI started at Post Oak when I

was 18 months old and left after

finishing third grade. I loved

Post Oak, it was like a second

home to me! In a nutshell, I

graduated from Texas Christian

University with an entrepre-

neurial management degree

and minors in Spanish and

health and fitness. I moved to

Kansas unexpectedly after

graduating and have lived here

ever since. I met my wonderful

husband at work and was mar-

ried in October of 2011. My

parents talk about Post Oak at

least once a month. It was

such a blessing to have had

such wonderful teachers and

faculty that were so involved

and so caring.

Alexa LubelAlexa is a sophomore majoring

in journalism at University of

Kan sas. She earned a place

on the Dean’s List her fresh-

man year.

Alison WongAlison attended Post Oak

through the sixth grade and

graduated from St. John’s

School in 1992. She attended

Southwestern University where

she studied psychology and

sociology and received her

Juris Doctor from the University

of Texas Law School. Alison

is a trial consultant and her son,

Gray, attends Post Oak in the

Infant Community.

Jessica Wagner McCauley Jessica, a former student and

teacher at Post Oak, recently

got married at The Houstonian

and is currently teaching first

grade at The Fay School.

2011–2012 Trustees

Rakesh Agrawal

Frank Apollo

Bev Bontrager

Melissa Coleman

Leland Fondren –Emeritus

Adam Forman

Melanie Gray–Emeritus

Barrett Green

Windi Grimes

Robert Harvey –Emeritus

John Howenstine

Andrew Kaldis

Mario Kapusta

Lloyd Kirchner

Renée Locklar

John Long

Pat Mitchell – Emeritus

Vikas Mittal

Jenny Murphy –Emeritus

Catherine (Katie) Orr

Manolo Sanchez

Russell Windham

Post Oak Parents Association

POPA ChairsLaura Citardi

Whitney Walsh

POPA Dinner ChairsShonali Agrawal

Stacey Martin

Field Day ChairsJamie Lee

Vivian Lee

Book Fair ChairsJennifer Chavis

Jessica Gregg

Opera ChairsTanya Gee

Jane Greenberg

Yearbook ChairErin Stus

2011–2012 Room Parents

Tamara BashamKim Yates

Dinah ChetritAimee Taylor

Barbara HackerJamie Broach

Emily HansenJamie Lee

Orly KlukAmy Garrou

Deidre LodrigMichelle Zagorski

Kathy LongHeather O'Neill

Carol Howenstine

Middle SchoolMelissa Cordero

Sarah MoudryNikayla Thomas

Debbie NickersonJanet Kapusta

Julie ParraguirreJenny Mohr

Audra French

Errol PintoMichelle Lu

Maya PintoKaren Redding

Laura RoarkLiz Pulaski

Cinda Moye

Erin SmithLisa Eddleman

Hifa SobhaniJessica Gregg

Shonali Agrawal

Miriam WintonPaula Mey

Phoebe YeagerJennifer Shults

BigWORK Capital Campaign

ChairsMelanie Gray and Mark Wawro

Honorary ChairsLaurie and Leland Fondren

Family ChairsAnita and Alan Ying

2011–2012 Post Oak Fund

Post Oak Fund ChairsKim and Michael Callahan

Class Captains

Tamara BashamBeth and Walter Cassidy

Barbara HackerKelly and Blake Hill

Emily HansenAmy Lindsey

Orly KlukSuzan Samuels

Deidre LodrigCari and Tyler Gill

Kathy LongTanya Bennett and

David McConkey

Middle SchoolAsha and Gaurav Sood

Sarah MoudryKara and Dax Sanders

Debbie NickersonAnnie Singleton

Julie ParraguirreDaniela Sanchez

Errol PintoZeenath and Arjun Selvakumar

Maya PintoGerry and Lou Waters

Laura RoarkAndrea Russo

Erin SmithMary Stephens

Hifa SobhaniKelly Davis

Miriam WintonHillery Hugg

Phoebe YeagerMolly and Coert Voorhees

BoardJohn Long

EmployeesJulie Parraguirre

Faculty and Staff

Half-Day Infant Community(ages months– years)Deidre Lodrig, Lead Teacher

Diana Ayala, Classroom

Assistant

Sarah Moudry, Lead Teacher

Marcela Martinez, Classroom

Assistant

Full-Day Infant Community(ages months– years)Phoebe Yeager, Lead Teacher

Elizabeth DiCesare,

Classroom Assistant

Lilia Garza, Classroom

Assistant

Diana Onofre, Classroom

Assistant

Post Oak School Community

Primary Department(ages – years)Tamara Basham, Lead Teacher

Celia Rodriguez, Classroom

Assistant

Barbara Hacker, Lead Teacher

Norma Paulin, Classroom

Assistant

Emily Hansen, Lead Teacher

Ruth Cañas, Classroom

Assistant

Julie Parraguirre, Lead Teacher

Nina Strane, Classroom

Assistant

Erin Smith, Lead Teacher

Alma Armendariz,

Classroom Assistant

Miriam Winton, Lead Teacher

Christine Green, Classroom

Assistant

Primary Home EnvironmentDinah Chetrit, Lead Teacher

Yolanda Bucio, Classroom

Assistant

Millie Chavez, Classroom

Assistant

Alma Armendariz,

Before-School Assistant

Norma Paulin,

Before-School Assistant

Lower Elementary(grades – )Orly Kluk, Lead Teacher

Simran Sood, Assistant/Intern

Kathy Long, Lead Teacher

Beth Smith, Assistant/Intern

Maya Pinto, Lead Teacher

Jamie Ward, Assistant/Intern

Hifa Sobhani, Lower

Elementary Teacher

Lupe Lopez, Classroom

Assistant

Upper Elementary(grades –)Debbie Nickerson,

Lead Teacher

Sandra De Leon,

Classroom Assistant

Errol Pinto, Lead Teacher

Jessica Samano,

Classroom Assistant

Laura Roark, Lead Teacher

Kimberly Magill,

Classroom Assistant

Middle School(grades –)Shekkola Gray, Middle School

Director & Mathematics

Teacher

Kelly McNamara, Science

Teacher

Ryan Tucker, Humanities

Teacher

Before- & After-CareAsenet Garcia, Elementary

& Middle School

After-Care Director

Jenna Pel, Elementary

& Middle School

After-Care Assistant

SpecialistsAndrea Dilger, Physical Fitness

Specialist & Bearkats Coach

Diana Muñiz, Art Specialist

Patricia Onofre, Spanish

Specialist

B.R. Simon, Librarian

Phylis R. Tomlinson, Counselor

Mark Tucker, Athletics

Director & Bearkats Coach

James Winslow, Music

Specialist

AdministrationAshley Addison, Receptionist

Mirna Andrade-Salgado,

Technology Director

Vivian Blum, Admission

Director

Shekkola Gray, Middle School

Director

Debbie Henderson, Office

Manager

Christina Kopanidis-Cantu,

Development Director

Jamie Lee, High School

Coordinator

John Long, Head of School

Robin Lunsford, Director of

Finance and Facilities

Elizabeth Matthews, Long-term

Substitute

James Moudry, High School

Director

Kathryn Murphy, Development

Coordinator

Christine Peterson, Business

Office/HR Specialist

Jeff Schneider, Elementary

Director

Meara Schwartz, Full-time

Substitute

Elaine Schweizer,

Communications Coordinator

Mirani Smith, Early Childhood

Director

Anita Taj, Intern in Training

Matt Thompson, Facilities

Manager

Mark Tucker, After-School

Enrichment Program

(ASEP) Director

Miriam Winton, Summer

School Director

Support staffManuel Mejia, Maintenance

Director

Daniel Anastacio, Custodian

Nazario Anastacio, Custodian

Catarino Gonzales, Custodian

Alberto Juarez, Custodian

Christopher Mejia, Custodian

Marvin Mejia, Custodian

High School Admissions

During Post Oak Schoolgraduates were admitted to the following college preparatory schools:

Awty International School*

Bellaire High School*

Episcopal High School*

The Kinkaid School*

Lamar High School*

Post Oak High School*

St. Agnes Academy

St. John’s School*

St. Thomas High School

* Denotes school attending

College Admissions

Post Oak alumni populate top colleges and universitiesthroughout the state, the nation, and abroad. Collegeacceptances over the past nineyears include:

American University

Art Institute of Boston

Art Institute of Chicago

Art Institute of Houston

Auburn University

Austin College

Baylor University

Boston University

Brooks Institute of Photography

Brown University

California College of the Arts

Carnegie Mellon University

Chapman University

Clemson University

College of Charleston

Colorado College

Colorado School of Mines

Cranbrook Academy of Art

Denison University

Drexel University

Eckerd College

Elon University

Emerson College

Evergreen State College

Fashion Institute of Technology

Fordham University

Georgetown University

Georgia Tech

Gettysburg College

Goucher College

Hampshire College

Ithaca College

Kansas University

Lone Star Community College

Louisiana State University

Loyola Marymount

Loyola University, New Orleans

Millsaps College

New York University

Notre Dame University

(Honors)

Oberlin College

Oklahoma State University

Purdue University

Rhodes College

Rice University

Rollins College

San Diego State University

San Francisco Conservatory

of Music

Sarah Lawrence College

Savannah College of Art

and Design

Seton Hall University

Sewanee—The University

of the South

Skidmore College

Smith College

Southern Methodist University

Southwestern University

Stanford University

St. Edwards University

St. John’s College

Syracuse University

Texas A&M University

Texas Christian University

Texas Christian University

(Honors)

The Citadel

The College of William and Mary

Trinity University

Tulane University

University of Alabama

University of Arkansas

University of Arizona

University of California—

Los Angeles


San Diego


Santa Barbara


Santa Clara

University of Colorado—

Boulder

University of Georgia

University of Houston

University of Houston,

Cullen College of Engineering

University of Houston

(Honors)

University of Indiana

University of Kansas

University of Massachusetts—

Amherst

University of Miami

University of Michigan

University of Mississippi

University of New Orleans

University of North Carolina

University of Notre Dame

University of Oklahoma

University of the Pacific

University of South Carolina

University of Southern

California

University of Southern

California—School of

Cinematic Arts

University of Texas—Austin

University of Texas—Austin,

Plan II

University of Texas—

Business Honors

University of Texas—

San Antonio

University of Texas—Tyler

University of Tulsa

University of Vermont

University of Virginia—

Richmond

U.S. Naval Academy

Vanderbilt University

Washington University

in St. Louis

West Point

Wesleyan University

Alumni Outcomes

The mission of The PostOak School, as a schoolaccredited by AMI(Association MontessoriInternationale), is toprovide a superiorMontessori environmentand dynamic learningexperiences which aredesigned according to the developmentalcharacteristics and needsof children: to guide andnurture each child —intellectually, socially,and emotionally.

The Post Oak School 4600 Bissonnet Bellaire, Texas 77401 www.postoakschool.org

Documents

2011-12 Post Oak School Annual Report