Fall 2021 | Vol 6 | No. 1
Connect A Magazine for the Eton School Community
Every time you donate your talents, your time, your gift to the Annual Fund, you create lasting effects which are demonstrated in the faces of the students.
A Strong Sense of Philanthropy At open houses and in general conversation, I frequently hear Eton referred to as a “private school.” While this is technically true, I often add that Eton is an “independent school.” What’s the difference? The short answer is that all independent schools are private schools, but not all private schools are independent schools. Private schools are schools that do not receive public funding from the state. Some may be owned and operated by for-profit corporations, churches, or nongovernment organizations. Independent schools, however, are usually non-profit, driven by a unique mission, and governed by an independent board of trustees. So, as an independent, non-profit organization, Eton School receives no public funding and relies on tuition and donations to ensure the sustainability of the school. While tuition revenue covers the vast majority of the school’s expenses, charitable donations to Eton School are an important source of additional funding that enhances all aspects of the school program. Most of that funding comes from donations from current families, alumni families, faculty and staff, and the Board of Trustees. A strong sense of philanthropy is an essential component of any independent school. It provides additional funding, and it also strengthens the community and brings community members closer together. In this issue of Connect, you will learn more about philanthropy at Eton School. The Annual Fund is our most important fundraising campaign and begins every year in early October. Tax-deductible gifts made to the Annual Fund support every aspect of student life from Pre-elementary all the way through Middle School. They also support professional development for teachers and staff, enhancements to the campus and facilities, and augment technology and materials used throughout our program. We are also fortunate that many members of our community work for employers who will match charitable contributions; so, many gifts are literally doubled by the employer. In addition to financial support, philanthropy manifests itself through contributions of time and talent. Our entire board of trustees is made up exclusively of volunteers who devote their time and energy to serving the school and securing its future viability. Parents and the Eton Parent Council organize, decorate, and staff many of our events. I hope the stories and articles in this edition of Connect resonate with and inspire you. We are all part of an amazing and vibrant community!
Russell Smith, Head of School
Connect A Magazine for the Eton School Community
2 The Art of Giving by Nasreen Shamsuddin
4 I Am Becoming… by Kris Meyer Gaskins
7 Investing for a Stronger Community by Sonja Everson
8 Thank You to Our Amazing and Generous Eton Community! by Monica Maling
14 Annual Report: 2021 Fiscal Year Financial Update by Jason Mallon
16 Engaging and Strengthening the Community by Tiffany Sparks-Keeney
20 Welcome Faculty and Staff 22 Alumni Update: Congratulations to the 2021 High School Graduates Who were Eton's Class of 2017! 24 Connect Authors and Contributors
Fall 2021 Volume 6 | No. 1 © 2021 Eton School www.etonschool.org 2701 Bellevue‑Redmond Road Bellevue, WA 98008 Phone: 425.881.4230
The Art of Giving by Nasreen Shamsuddin Board Member and Retired Eton School Teacher
2 | Eton School
Fall 2021
Why do we give? There are many reasons for giving. We give because we want to help. We give because we believe in a cause. We give because it may benefit us directly or indirectly. But most of all, we give because it makes us feel good about ourselves because we did something to make a difference. There is a saying, “the true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” In your case, your child or children are fortunate enough to be able to sit under the shade of the giving tree you are planting. They will directly benefit from your action. The gift you give to Eton’s Annual Fund will not only make you feel good about giving but will help enhance your child’s educational experience as well. As a former Eton teacher, I remember looking forward to the allocation of monies from the annual fund. We planned on buying enriching materials for the classroom and looked forward to exciting activities for the children including, field trips, musical or art experiences from outside specialists, and educational assemblies. These meaningful events added so much more to the children’s school experience. One of the goals for Eton teachers is to be a lifelong learner. Your annual contribution affords them the opportunity for ongoing professional development. It allows teachers to strengthen their capacity and bring back fresh ideas and lessons that ignite students’ curiosity and excitement for learning. These professional development opportunities help to energize and invigorate the teachers.
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill Annual fund dollars also help with financial aid for families. The financial help you provide is far-reaching and goes a long way in touching many aspects of life at Eton. Helping financially is not the only way to support the school. You can volunteer your valuable time at school events and functions. You can become involved in Eton Parent Council (EPC), help with family events and celebrations, or share your culture or special talents with your child’s classroom. Most of all, it is important to remember that children learn by example. If they see you contributing to causes that are near and dear to your heart, they will learn the art of giving from their most influential role models, their parents. It is crucial to set these examples early in life, so they grow up to be compassionate, kind, giving, and caring human beings. What you give now will leave a lasting impression on your children, their school, and on you too, for having done your part.❧
Vol. 6 | No. 1
Connect | 3
I Am Becoming… by Kris Meyer Gaskins Assistant Head of School
4 | Eton School
Fall 2021
The professional development program at Eton School is alive and vibrant, supported, and actively funded through generous donations from our families. Through Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS), American Montessori Society (AMS), Pacific Northwest Montessori Association (PNMA), Independent School Management (ISM), National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), colleges, and universities, faculty and staff have access to on-demand webinars, graduate classes, workshops, and conferences. Teachers also participate in professional development opportunities in many other local venues such as the IslandWood Summer Institute, Seattle Aquarium, Issaquah Hatchery, Seattle Art Museum, and more. The list is long, and the types of learning experiences are vast and varied, catering to general and targeted areas of interest. Professional development opportunities did not stop during the pandemic. Just as schools embraced remote or virtual learning, so did the many organizations that support professional growth. In fact, because of the pandemic, there were more opportunities to attend conferences and workshops from presenters across the country. Pre-elementary and Lower Elementary teachers attended the virtual national Montessori Conference hosted by AMS just last March. It was a three-day event with four amazing keynote speakers and workshops that covered a range of topics including Supporting Parents and Students during the Pandemic, Oral Language Development, Implementing a Gender Diversity Curriculum, Montessori Math Today, Working with Children in the Natural World, Technology in the Classroom, Ecology Art, JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion): What is it and
Vol. 6 | No. 1
“Learning is an ongoing process and is valued. As we grow professionally, we are better able to teach and guide the young minds under our care.” why we need it, and so much more. As members of AMS, teachers also have easy access to a library full of on-demand and recorded webinars. PNMA, our local Montessori organization, offered a series of workshops this past spring that focused on Mindfulness in the Early Years and Conversations with Parents. Our Montessori faculty regularly take part in the ongoing educational offerings through PNMA. NWAIS, one of our accrediting bodies, offers a robust yearly offering of workshops and conferences. Upper Elementary and Middle School faculty have taken or will attend some of the following workshops: Rigorous Project-based Learning, Courageous Conversations from DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) to EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion), Diversity and Inclusion in the Curriculum, Demystified and Simplified: The Neuroscience Behind Behavioral Issues, Moving Educational Justice Beyond Anti-oppression, and more. Each October, faculty have the opportunity to attend the NWAIS Fall Educators Conference. The theme for the conference on 8 October 2021 was Redefining Our Classrooms, Reconnecting our Communities. Kicking it off was Zaretta Hammond talking about her book, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students.
Connect | 5
She is passionate about the intersections of literacy, equity, and neuroscience. This annual conference offers a wide range of learning opportunities for everyone. We have two faculty members completing graduate degrees. Some Pre-elementary and Lower Elementary teachers have completed the Wired for Reading program, Learning without Tears, and Learning Without Tears Handwriting. Upper Elementary teachers took a writing workshop called Not So Wimpy Writing Masterclass to improve the Upper Elementary writing program. Other classes included Writing Flow and Raising Awareness, Identifying and Teaching Children with Dyslexia. One of our Middle School teachers spent three summers at the Center for Neurotechnology at the University of Washington working on a research project designed to develop engineered technologies to help restore or heal functions lost due to brain and spinal cord injuries. Responsibilities included working in partner labs and writing curriculum to help bring these ideas
6 | Eton School
into Middle and High Schools. The curriculum was vetted during summer camp programs for high school students and is now taught in our own Middle School program. Needless to say, our faculty purposefully learns to enrich student experiences and learning. Over the doors of the Main building is the aphorism, “I Am Becoming…” Originally created by the founding head, it is an adage that describes the belief that everyone continues to grow through learning and experiences that expand and enrich our lives and professions. This belief continues to be part of the Eton School tradition. The last sentence of Eton’s Core Values, “We dedicate ourselves to lifelong learning,” is a powerful statement made by the faculty and staff. Learning is an ongoing process and is valued. As we grow professionally, we are better able to teach and guide the young minds under our care. An educated, enthusiastic teacher is a passionate teacher, and a passionate teacher inspires students to embrace learning. ❧
Fall 2021
Investing for a Stronger Community by Sonja Everson Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management
Last year we, the Admissions Office, received a gift that now has a prominent place on our bookshelf—a small, glass jar filled with colorful folded slips of paper, topped by a beautiful origami crane. When unfolded, each slip of paper reveals a thoughtful note of appreciation, carefully written by the many students in first through third grade who make up Eton’s Lower Elementary. There is one common theme of the notes in this jar that helps keep us grounded during the busy admission season: “Thank you for finding us new friends to play with here at Eton.” In the admissions office, we use many strategies to find these future friends. We seek the most curious, creative, and compassionate students who come from a diverse array of backgrounds. These students, as new friends, will bring in their unique perspectives, offer helping hands, and have the courage to tackle challenging problems together. As part of our strategy to find these students, we host tours and open houses, attend school fairs, design marketing campaigns, and connect prospective families with current families. Of all the strategies we use, one that has an oftenunrecognized impact is our intentional commitment to and investment in our financial aid program. Vol. 6 | No. 1
Many families never even consider investing in an independent school education, causing us to miss out on students who have the potential to help strengthen our community. To encourage families from diverse socio-economic backgrounds to join us, Eton School dedicates a significant portion of its budget to provide equitable access to the vibrant learning that happens here every day. We can do this because we are an independent, mission-driven, non-profit organization with generous donors. In fact, currently 1:8 of our students receives some level of tuition assistance, and our community, classrooms, and the educational experiences for all are stronger because of it. Supporting a diverse and inclusive community takes a prominent place in all our guiding philosophies. Maria Montessori’s original commitment to peace education and Eton School’s vision, mission, and strategic plan all recognize that to create positive change and prepare students to contribute peacefully to our world, the skills of “honoring the diversity of each individual” must be actively modeled and taught. We are grateful to the Eton community for embracing this commitment to diversity and inclusion and supporting the tool of financial aid to provide equitable access for all families, ultimately strengthening our community and the education for all. ❧ Connect | 7
Text ❧
Thank You to Our Amazing and Generous Eton Community! by Monica Maling Director of Development
8 | Eton School
Fall 2021
A huge thank you to our amazing Eton community for their generous contributions to the 2020-2021 Annual Fund! We raised over $164,000 and had 69% of our current families participate in the Annual Fund. While we always strive to reach 100% current family participation, last year’s participation rate was a very respectable achievement given the unpredictability of the school year as we navigated a new paradigm of educating our children. The Annual Fund allows Eton to be nimble and responsive to the needs of the moment. Last year, as we navigated the challenges of the pandemic, we were fortunate to be able to offer families a choice between on campus or remote learning. Your donations to the Annual Fund went towards many different things to help bolster and enrich the two different learning environments during that unique year: Materials and Resources • Teachers purchased materials and resources for classrooms and remote students • Teachers were able to take their students on virtual field trips all over the country. They visited museums and had authors and guest educators come to their classrooms to present on a variety of topics that they studied in class. Software/Technology • Education and subscriptions to new remote learning platforms • A new check-in system and iPads were purchased to facilitate health screenings of students Professional Development • Teachers attended the annual American Montessori Society’s National Conference. Participating in conferences and workshops helps their teaching stay progressive and fresh.
Vol. 6 | No. 1
Facilities Changes to Make Eton Safe • Health and safety training for employees • Medical grade air purifiers for each classroom/common area • Masks, hand sanitizer, and thermometers for classrooms • Additional general cleaning supplies increased cleaning in classrooms, restrooms, and common areas with more frequent deep cleaning • Pop-up tents for every grade level for outdoor learning Eton School Parent Council (EPC) Budget • Provided for guest educators and sponsored events such as Family Game Night and All School Family Ice Skating. • Supported two parent education evenings where specialists spoke on relevant topics. • Assisted in the hosting of virtual events for families and the sending home of treats for Halloween and the Lunar New Year to every student. I am truly grateful for being a part of the Eton community. Last year, as we conducted meetings and events through Zoom, I was continually amazed at the dedication and enthusiasm of parents/guardians. They worked incredibly hard to virtually create connections and build community, not letting the fact that we could not gather in person dissuade them. They persisted throughout the year, connecting with one another through the EPC Coffees, EPC meetings, movie watch parties, Halloween and Lunar New Year celebrations, and the Learning Events. We are incredibly grateful to our parents/guardians, who put their Zoom fatigue aside to help facilitate this fantastic community building! Thank you very much! ❧
Connect | 9
Thank You 2020–2021 Fiscal Year Annual Fund Donors
69% Parents/Guardians
Vipul Aggarwal and Mila Mihova Anonymous (2) Arvind Arasu and Janani Arvind Jacqueline and Haik Babaian Vidhya Balasubramanian and Karthick Raman Sumit Bhangdiya and Priyanka Pawde Bryan Bonham and Jennifer Pritchard Boulis Family Lenox and Trudy Brassell Annie and Jason Brashill Caerulean and Sorásmey Brillante XVI Ilya Bukshteyn and Meredith Atkins Suzana Canuto and Mario Guimaraes Jonathan and Kate Carlson Patricia Carlos and Gustavo Rubio Arindam Chakraborty and Saheli Datta Laurren Chase Jimmy Chen and Maggie Wang Beibei Cheng and Renzhong Wang JC Chin and Lixia Liu Muntaquim and Anya Chowdhury Alessandro Contenti and Lin Han Mark and Kit Craig You Dan and Jiaping Wang Rinku Dalwani and Harish Sachidanandan Arpitha Dhanapathi and Shankar Bharadwaj Sunny and Sonia Dhillon Yanpeng Dong and Yaqi Wang Franziska and Aleaxander Eckerlin Ibrahim Eden and Ece Kamar Mark and Tammy Eisenbeis Stephan and Lin Farmer Jimmy Feng and Jia Li Jessie Fu and James Zang Swamy Gangadhara and Arpitha Swamy Le Gao and Yingying Chen Hui Geng and Jianming Liu Boris and Mitchelle Gonsalves Zhijie Guan and Yin Liu Vikas Gupta and Ruchika Aggarwal Shijun Guo and Melissa Yang Yu Guo and Kaiyun Zhang Yuanshen and Guojie Guo Ben Hansen and Sara Standish Derek and Jocelyn Harris Laura Harris and Charles Potter Anica and Rick Harris Phillip and Becky Heckinger Bruce and Bridget Horne
10 | Eton School
Lingxia Hou and Puhai Zheng Leo Hu and Christine Han Gordon Jiang and Cheryl Wang Di Jin and Mu Wang Dell and Thomas Johansson Jung Family Hamza Kalache and Hiba Jameel Donny and Sara Kessack Jeff Kizner and Allison Hastings Uttara Korad and Sushant Rewaskar Madhu Krishnan and Raja Krishnaswamy Peggy and Paul Kromann Anasuya and Vishwas Kulkarni Eduardo Leal Tostado and Magali Guerrero Bing Li and HaiLing Zhou Jessie Li and Jeremy Wang Jie Li and Honghui Guo Jiongxi Li and Yueli Lu Kyson Li Wujun Li and Lei Zhang Wei Li and Dan Ma Monica Limaye and Nikhil Karkarey Ian and Poppy Louthan John Lu and Miao Meng Catherine Ma and Yang Zhang Jason and Jamie Mallon Attilio Mainetti and Jia Na McDowell Family Betsy and Ian McIntyre Nok Mohprasit and Joaquin Bolbrugge Drs. Meredith and Daniel Morris Aravind Narasimhan and Subha Krishnan Jeremy Ng and Shirlene Lim Aruna and Rahul Patil Praveen and Vani Palepu Parent Joel and Hannah Pelley Pedro Perez and Katie Stone Perez The Perssons Lindsey and Xander Pokorzynski Krishna Rangan and Sonali Bhargava Raja Ravipati and Kalpana Atluru Dr. Khurram Rehman and Mrs. Nikki Rehman David and Erica Rickard Ted Roberts Ferdous Rubaiyat and Farah Farzana Iliana and Eric Sach Michelle Sadeh Shree Sahasrabudhe and Maithili Dandige
Brad and Julie Sauvage Anita and Premal Shah Junqing Shang and Yu Deng Nan Shao and Min He Sisu Counseling Group, LLC The Sparks Family Sparks-Keeney Family Mengyang Sun and Shu Zhang Maya Subramanian and Ranjit Varkey Tanushi's Family Evoë Thorne and Harold Henry Weixiang Tian and Chao Duan Tian En Jayden Tok Tosukhowong Family Olya Vesselova and Jason Morrill Virdi Family Carrie Wang and Leo Luo Chi Wang and Pei Wu Feipeng Wang and Xiaomei Zhu Han Wang and Amy Liu Jinghui Wang and Yiman Huang Yan Wang and Yi Jin Sam Webb and Darren Firth Ning Wei and Janice Zhang Carolyn and Charley Wen Harald Winkmann Aaron Woo and Alice Li The Wood Family The Wyatt Family Qin Xiao and Zhuang Gao Tiger Xing Stephanie Yang's Family Tim and Tiffany Yao Jinbai Yin and Lan Tang Meng Yu and Tzu-yu Liu Ning Yu and Yuxiao Hu Lu Yuan and Zhu Cheng Kim Zhang and Wilbur Wong Lei Zhang and Wei Zang Ying Zhang and Yang Zhang Ding Zhao and Richard Ma Jun Zhao and Yun Li Cecliia Zheng and Haodong Wang Jiandan Zheng and Hao Li Yihan and Yiming Zheng's Family Yingying Zheng and Yunfan Zhang Zhaoyu Zheng and Yingying Meng Yiding Zhou and Ying Cai Coral Zhu and Erwin Gao Xiaomei Zhu and Feipeng Wang
Fall 2021
100% Faculty and Staff Susan Baccellieri Mounika Balasani Natasha Baldyuk Tina Baldyuk Amelia Beeton Deborah Benaloh Marjie Butler Laurren Chase Konnor Clark Joey Crotty Sonja Everson Lin Farmer Holly Fleming Kris Meyer Gaskins Bertha Gonzalez Sharon Gonzalez Shruti Gupta Stephan Haistings Gordon Kaplan Peter Kashevarof Venkata Kasinadhuni Sara Kessack Angela Kim Padmaja Kondeti Dennis Koval Igor Koval Madeline Lee Michelle Lee Cynthia Lopez Poppy Louthan Monica Maling Jason Mallon
Vol. 6 | No. 1
Cindy Mattix Alice McNeer Stacey Moon Laura Moore Daony Moua Alice Msheda Christopher Music Daniel O'Connell Lynette Oshiro Audra Patterson Hayley Rauch Jacqueline Rauch Gayathri Sagar Dhaneshwari Sahu Julie Sauvage Lucy Sharman Russell Smith Myla Spektor Ashley Tadeja Kiranmai Thummala Sudha Vaghul Susie Walden Kalsom Wali Susan Walker Jo Weise Eleanor Withrow Tiffany Yao Kirsten Steinhauer-Zender 100% Board of Trustees Beth Bazley Dehmer Family Chris and Viki Dragich
Bruce and Bridget Horne Judi Hoskins and Joe Suty Minnu and Mohan Kotha The Roppo Family Khawja and Nasreen Shamsuddin Alumni Parents and Friends of Eton School Anonymous Karen Bunney Pat and Vic Feltin John and Carol Griffin James Gyarmathy The Hotchkies Family Neel and Smita Jain Tarun Ledwani Anzhela Nishanova and Gor Nishanov Nadejda Poliakova and Maxim Mazeev Philip and Rosalyn Rourke Svetlana Rowell Companies AmazonSmile Apple The Boeing Company Google Microsoft Salesforce T-Mobile USA Watermark Estate Management
Connect | 11
Every time yo
your talent your time,
your gift t
the Annual
you create last
which are dem
in the faces of
ou donate
ts,
to
l Fund,
ting effects
monstrated
f the students.
Annual Report: 2021 Fiscal Year Financial Update by Jason Mallon Chief Financial Officer
I was interacting with one of Eton’s community members recently, and they nonchalantly mentioned that our society has been dealing with COVID-19 now for about two years. That casual comment hit me like a ton of bricks and really made me reflect. Our society, to put it mildly, is living in “interesting” times, probably one of the most polarizing in the last forty years. I am thankful that my oldest child has had Eton to help shield him from that uncertainty while at the same time building the foundation to help prepare him to deal with this complex and nuanced world. I will be forever grateful for the decisions made by Eton’s Management and the Board. With any organization, a significant component of strategy involves finances, including financial success and sustainability. 14 | Eton School
The strategic financial decisions made previously has had a direct impact on Eton during the COVID-19 hurricane. These decisions and the school’s ability to pivot have put the school in the best position financially since I have been at the school. In last year’s annual report, I mentioned how the school put preventive measures in place to ensure our financial sustainability (operating reserve and line of credit). The school did not tap into either to help sustain operations during the 2020–21 school year and will not need to for the 2021–2022 school year. We did, however, take the next steps in building upon our financial success by fortifying Eton’s cash position. We did this by refinancing our debt at historically low interest rates, which allows us the ability to address opportunities in the marketplace if Fall 2021
opportunities should arise. When looking at our overall financial strategy, it is also important to know how the school has done in the short term. Even during the pandemic, Eton was firing on all cylinders. We had another strong year of enrollment and demand, which led to a net income of $280,485 and positive cash flows from operations of ~$1M. The school is currently at capacity for the 2021-2022 school year, along with an outstanding wait pool full of families
Vol. 6 | No. 1
that want to join our community. This didn’t happen by accident. It happened because of the dedication of Eton faculty and staff. Everyone has done a tremendous job of collaborating across program and operational platforms to ensure our community continues to thrive. One of our main tenets is putting the majority of our resources towards delivering an exceptional education to the students, resulting in 77% of each dollar going towards our program. Below is a further breakdown of the financial operations for the year. ❧
Connect | 15
Engaging and Strengthening the Community by Tiffany Sparks-Keeney Eton Parent Council President
Eton Parent Council
In our household, the start of a new school year always brings excitement, and this year I am particularly excited as I have the opportunity to serve the Eton community as the Eton Parent Council (EPC) President. This fall issue of Connect is dedicated to philanthropy, and EPC’s mission, to “facilitate communication, parent education, as well as encourage and coordinate volunteerism,” dovetails nicely with that, offering many opportunities to volunteer and serve the Eton community. I never thought stopping by a parent/ guardian coffee during the fall of my daughter’s first year at Eton would lead to becoming EPC President. Still, I’m so grateful to have this opportunity to give back to a community that has given my family so much. This year is now the third school year impacted by COVID-19, and I am grateful to be a part of the Eton community during this time. The flexibility and skill of our teachers allowed them to pivot to online education over just a weekend during the first year, teach in multiple formats last year, and welcome all students back to campus this fall. The protocols put in place by the administration have kept our entire Eton community safe and healthy. Last year, EPC worked to build community and support our students and faculty through virtual events and take-home activities for our families. We hope to offer and support a hybrid of virtual and in-person events this year, and I’m particularly excited about it. The pandemic has challenged everyone and forced us to learn new ways of interacting. At the same time, learning to interact in a virtual format has revealed new opportunities for engaging families that may find 16 | Eton School
it more difficult to make it to on-campus events. By offering opportunities to participate virtually and in person, we hope to engage even more Eton families, further strengthening our community. We met virtually at the Pre-elementary, Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, and Middle School levels for our first coffee. Parents gathered via Zoom to get to know each other and the EPC officers, ask questions, and get answers. We hosted our first on‑campus parent/guardian coffee in a year and a half! The coffee was held outdoors, and to increase safety, participants needed to provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the event. We enjoyed meeting many parents/guardians for the first time beyond the screen and plan for more coffees! Virtual events have allowed us to welcome experts from across the country for our learning events. This fall, we were so fortunate to have Zoë Bisbing of The Full Bloom Project talk with us about building a bodypositive community and supporting our children in developing a healthy body image, respecting physical differences between each other, delighting in moving their bodies, and making intuitive choices around food. While educating us on what body positivity means and ways to foster that in our children, she explored the intersection of diet culture, sexism, and racism in an eye-opening way. Participants left describing the experience as “mind-blowing” and “paradigm-shifting.” We encourage everyone to connect with other parents/guardians and this year’s EPC officers to learn more about participating in our extremely Fall 2021
supportive community. Attend our monthly EPC Executive Committee meetings, where we discuss past events and the feedback received, plan for future activities and events, and discuss other matters impacting our community. These meetings are being held both virtually and in person. Information about the meetings can be found on the Eton School
Calendar, in your monthly EPC e-newsletter, and the Community Connection e-news. I am also happy to chat virtually or in person regarding EPC or parent/ guardian participation at Eton. I can be reached at epcpresident@etonschool.org. Whatever your time and talents, your participation is what builds and strengthens our community. ❧
Eton Parent Council Mission The Eton School Parent Council supports Eton School's philosophy, programs and activities for the benefit of all Eton School students. The Eton School Parent Council facilitates communication and parent education as well as encourages and coordinates volunteerism. The Eton School Parent Council fosters a spirit of inclusion, partnership and cooperation among the entire school community.
Eton Parent Council Membership All parents or guardians of Eton School students shall be members of the Eton School Parent Council. All members shall have equal voting privileges.
Ways to be Involved There are many ways for members to be involved including: • Attend Learning Events on relevant parenting topics. • Participate and volunteer in Eton School and EPC events • Attend EPC Executive Committee Meetings • Read the Monthly EPC Newsletter Vol. 6 | No. 1
Connect | 17
EPC Executive Committee Officers
Vice-President: Subha Krishnan
Secretary: Nina Helms
Treasurer: Janani Sowprnika Arvind
Volunteer Coordinators: Araks Sparks
Subha has a daughter in Kindergarten and a daughter in fourth grade. Being part of the EPC Executive Committee gives her the pleasure of strengthening the bond she shares with Eton school and being closer to the Eton parents. She sees it as a way to not only build and connect, but a means to give back to the Eton community. She enjoys the purposeful conversations during the meetings that drive to make a difference in the lives of Eton family members, a cause that she cares about deeply.
Janani has two daughters at Eton. One is in fourth grade while the other is in Kindergarten in Mezzo. They have been part of the Eton family for the last six years, and her children have been loving every single moment. She is happy to be part of the EPC Executive Committee as it helps foster connections between the school and the parents' community through monthly newsletters, executive meetings, learning events, and other volunteer-run school events for children. 18 | Eton School
Nina has a son in second grade. She is excited to join the EPC Executive Committee to learn more about the school, meet members of this community, and give back to the school. As a family, she feels so grateful for Eton. They moved to the area during a very difficult time, and the entire school community has welcomed them with open arms and offered them a safe place to land.
Araks’ daughter is in second grade. She is happy to be a working piece of this wonderful group and strives to be a positive liaison for encouraging even more parent involvement.
Fall 2021
Grade Level Coordinators
Pre-elementary Coordinator: Janice Zhang
Lower Elementary Coordinator: Jia Li
Janice is the proud mom of two wonderful children, both at Eton School, a daughter in second grade and a son in P4. Her family joined the Eton community four years ago. Janice enjoys cooking and traveling. She and her family loves playing board games, reading together, and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Jia Li has a daughter in second grade. Her family has been in the Eton community for almost five years. She loves to be involved and has been an active volunteer throughout the years. Outside of school, Jia’s family likes to watch movies, travel, and do karaoke.
Upper Elementary Coordinator: Karen Yeh
Middle School Coordinator: Kristen Wyatt
Karen started volunteering for the EPC as a way to get to know the school and learn about the community at Eton. Karen has a child in fifth grade and another in second grade and continues to appreciate Eton's willingness to meet each child's individual needs. Karen and her family continue to develop their interest in playing board games, video games, spontaneous musical numbers, running amok, enjoying nature, attempting and failing to recreate cooking show dishes, and supporting the local take out restaurant scene. Karen is looking forward to getting a chance to connect with everyone in person or some other creative fashion.
Kristin Wyatt has two daughters at Eton, one in eighth grade and another in fifth grade, and two Eton alumni, Nicholas and Matthew, a Senior and Sophmore at Bellevue High School, respectively. All her children started Eton in P3, and she is grateful to have shared in the amazing journey from a tentative first day to a self-assured graduation speech.
Vol. 6 | No. 1
Kristin works as a Biostatistician for the Department of Veterans Affairs. When not at work or school, Kristin and her family enjoy spending time outside hiking, camping, paddle boarding, and skiing. Connect | 19
Welcome Faculty and Staff Please welcome the following staff members to our community!
Kathy Ellwood Kathy is originally from Southern California but identifies more with the Pacific Northwest. She started her education career first as a parent of four children, then moving into a Paraprofessional position at a local elementary school. Kathy enjoys working with all age groups, but her passion is in lower elementary education. In her spare time, she enjoys biking, gardening, and spontaneous road trips.
Jana Huang Jana has lived in Washington almost her whole life, except for a two-year stay in Beijing. She graduated from the University of Washington, Bothell, with an Interdisciplinary Studies degree and went on to get her K-8 certification from there in 2009. While getting her K-8 certification, she discovered that traditional education was not a good fit for her. She worked at a Montessori preschool and fell in love with the philosophy. She stayed home with her newborn son for a number of years, using a lot of what she had learned from Montessori in her parenting of him. Her family moved to Beijing for a couple of years, where she had her daughter. After they moved back, she got a job at the same Montessori school where she had previously worked. Her daughter also attended there for a few years until the pandemic hit. Staying at home while her children attended remote schooling allowed Jana to reexamine where she was at. She decided to go back to school, get her lower elementary Montessori certification, and begin working with elementary-aged students again. She is so excited for the opportunity to do her internship at Eton School. Jana enjoys playing board games with her children, learning languages, listening to podcasts about Montessori, and cooking in her spare time.
Cassie Jones Cassie was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska. She attended the University of Nebraska Omaha, where she studied art and art history. She found her passion for education while working at the child development center on campus during her undergrad. After graduating from UNO, she taught preschool for almost eight years before relocating to Denver, Colorado. While living in Denver, she worked for Denver Public Schools as a Behavioral Paraprofessional. She relocated to the Seattle area in June of 2021. When she is not at work, you can find her running, hiking, skiing, exploring, and hanging out with her husband, Vaughn, and their dogs, Kiyoshi and Georgia.
20 | Eton School
Fall 2021
Lauren Patterson Lauren knew she wanted to work with children when she became a camp counselor her freshman year of high school. She has started her education at Bellevue College, moving all the way from Albany, Oregon, to pursue her dreams. Although she is from Oregon, she considers Washington to be home. She loves the beauty of her new home and can’t wait to explore it more. In her free time, Lauren loves reading, writing, and spending time with her family. She has a strong love for her animals and enjoys spending time with them. She hopes to be a future English teacher and is excited for what Eton has to offer!
Brent Quick Brent joined Eton school in fall 2021. He has worked the past 10 years supporting the facilities needs of local primary schools in the greater Seattle area. After moving around a lot in his youth, he has called Bellevue home for over 25 years. Family is very important to him, proudly raising twin daughters who are now in college and a son who is a sophomore at Sammamish high school. He and his wife of 32 years enjoy the outdoors, camping and hiking whenever time allows. In his free time, you will often find Brent riding his bicycle around the local area.
Selina Sultana Selina was born and grew up in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where she completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Zoology and then another Bachelor’s degree in Education. She soon grew to love teaching and worked as a high school science teacher for eight years before moving to Canada. After living in Canada for five years, she moved to Washington in 2007 with her husband and young son. For the next 12 years, she stayed at home to raise her only son. During these years, she regularly volunteered at her son’s schools and was very active in her community. After her son entered college, she began working again as an assistant teacher at a local preschool. Selina loves working with children and wants to spend time with them as they start to explore the world with their curious minds. Through Eton, she hopes to play an important role in their formative years and help prepare them for success in life through a quality education. Outside of work, Selina loves to spend time with family and friends, cook Bangladeshi cuisines with an American twist, walk around her neighborhood, and exercise by doing Zumba!
Grace Yu Originally a native of the Pacific Northwest, Grace found her passion in teaching while volunteering at a Montessori-inspired school in Asia. Since then, she continued her pursuit of knowledge, training, and experience through acquiring her AMI Primary Credentials in British Columbia, her AMS Elementary I-II Credentials in Northern California, and her Masters of Education from Chaminade University. Grace has been teaching in the Montessori environment since 2009 and is very excited to join Eton School as an Upper Elementary Teacher for the 2021-2022 school year. After 11 years of baking in the California sun, Grace and her family, which includes three kids and a Corgi, decided it was time to invest in some umbrellas and come back to the Pacific Northwest. When she has some free time, Grace enjoys stretching her fingers over the ivory keys of her piano or attempting to grow some potted plants. Vol. 6 | No. 1
Connect | 21
Alumni Update: Congratulations to the 2021 High School Graduates Who were Eton's Class of 2017!
Class of 2017 Back Row (l to r): Nikhil Viktor, Ethan Voth, Vera Mazeeva, Katie Field, Joshua Mashkowski Front Row (l to r): Max Groysman, Jared Lemson, Shiv Rajurs, Keeler Frangooles
Keeler Frangooles attended the International High School in Bellevue and now attends Oregon State University-Cascades, which has its campus in Bend, Oregon. There he will be able to pursue his passion for outdoor sports and study the outdoor industry. His favorite memories are of the outdoor overnight experiences like Salish Seas and Mt. Rainier Institute. 22 | Eton School
Jared Lemson graduated from the Chrysalis School and is taking a gap year. He then plans to attend college. Jared’s favorite memory was also on the Salish Seas Expedition, where a washcloth was accidentally set on fire!
Fall 2021
Joshua Mashkowski graduated from Hillside Community School and is attending Gonzaga University to pursue a major in Political Science. Their favorite Eton memory is when they presented their 8th Grade Project on the Relativism of Reality in Video Games.
Vera Mazeeva attended Laurel Springs Online High School, the Gifted and Talented Academy. She is attending Carnegie Mellon University, where she is majoring in mathematical sciences and biochemistry. Her favorite Eton memories are making gingerbread houses and the 8th Grade Project Presentation.
Shiv Rajurs attended Bellevue High School and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Data Science (Data Analytics) at the Voiland College of Engineering & Architecture, Washington State University, Pullman, WA. He is also excited to be playing Ultimate Frisbee for their club team. His favorite Eton memory is of the Salish Seas Expedition, where his class spent several days sailing around the Puget Sound, studying the marine ecosystem, and learning to sail.
Graduates without a Photo: Katie Field graduated from Lakeside School. Max Groysman graduated from Newport High School. Nikhil Viktor graduated from Sammamish High School and is attending the University of Washington. Ethan Voth graduated from Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences and is attending Denver University. Vol. 6 | No. 1
Connect | 23
Connect Authors and Contributors
Sonja Everson
Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management
Jason Mallon
Kris Gaskins
Monica Maling
Alice McNeer
Nasreen Shamsuddin
Assistant Head of School
Chief Financial Officer
Director of Communications and Marketing
Tiffany Sparks-Keeney
Russell Smith
Eton Parent Council President
Director of Development
Board Member and Retired Eton Teacher
Head of School
“We dedicate ourselves to lifelong learning.”
24 | Eton School
Fall 2021
Follow Us and Stay Up to Date with All Things Eton! Our social media pages are an easy way to stay abreast on all things Eton School. Scan the QR below to find us and follow our accounts. Then watch your feeds grow and enjoy the posts as we share all things Eton School with you! ❧
etonschool.washington
twitter.com/EtonSchoolWA
instagram.com/etonschoolwa
2701 Bellevue-Redmond RD Bellevue WA 98008
In educating the whole child, Eton School inspires creative, confident thinkers who have an enduring passion for learning and are poised to contribute to the world. Eton School’s Statement on Diversity We believe in the worth and dignity of all people. We learn, reflect, grow, and effect change through dialogue, education, and action. We foster a community that acts with compassion, embraces discomfort, thinks critically, questions norms, and welcomes the world’s multiple perspectives. We use our voices, challenge ourselves and others, and stand up for ourselves and others against injustice. We champion, cultivate, and celebrate all members of our community so that we all participate as our full authentic selves, and thereby become stronger in our shared diversity.
www.etonschool.org
