impact report
PRESIDIO HILL SCHOOL 2018 - 2019
your impact
When we were deciding the theme
your warm smile from their tour, or
for this year’s annual report, we
a student’s interest in renewable
discovered that annual reports
energies is sparked because of the
are also known as impact reports.
solar panels funded through our
“Impact” seemed a more accurate
Spring Fling, or your very creative
representation of the effect your
park-and-walk plan helped PHS to
generosity has on the Presidio Hill
finally pass our traffic study.
School community. Your impact cannot be While we try our very best to
quantified in year-to-year
convey our appreciation for the
terms, or just by dollars raised
many ways you give to our school,
or hours volunteered, but rather
it’s much harder to show just how
influences every aspect of the
significantly our students, faculty,
Presidio Hill School experience
and staff are impacted by your
and defines our warm community
philanthropy and volunteerism.
and our culture of giving. Thank
Perhaps a new family remembers
you for being invested in PHS.
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words from Lisa
As we enter the 102nd year of Presidio Hill School’s history, it is exciting to see that we still have many new opportunities in our future! This past school year, we received an unprecedented gift of one million dollars to establish the Presidio Hill School Faculty & Staff Endowment. With this incredible gift, we will be able to continue to serve the families of San Francisco and beyond with the spirit and tradition of excellence in progressive education. Our PHS Faculty & Staff Endowment was spearheaded by anonymous donors who clearly see that the heart of the school rests in the teaching of students and therefore, in the steady support of our faculty and staff. With gentleness, open-mindedness, and incredible generosity, these donors reached out to Kenta and me with the
aim of helping us secure the future of PHS and to keep emphasis squarely where it needs to be: the teachers— and all of the support staff who work alongside our talented faculty to help to make the school successful—and to secure Presidio Hill School’s future as a place where children are challenged to imagine and empowered to grow into their best selves. Our educators use experience and research-based practices to design and implement an education which develops children’s minds and hearts. We prepare them to be kind, responsible, and active participants in society in ever-widening circles, from their youngest days in their most immediate communities, up through their adulthood during which they will impact greater and wider circles of their fellow citizens, and finally into
their senior years where they will be able to leave a legacy of optimism, responsibility, and justice, setting examples that will have ripples far and wide. It starts here. The impact of PHS starts with students exploring together, respectfully and with curiosity, and learning alongside and from each other, guided with care and expertise by their dedicated teachers. Thank you, truly, to our anonymous donors. You have made such an impact on Presidio Hill School and the legacy of your gift will ripple through our community for years and years. And I want to extend my gratitude to all of you who have invested in our special school, helping us to provide the highest quality education possible for generations of PHS students to come.
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updates from
Christina & Matthew Co-Chairs, Board of Trustees
This year’s Annual Report is focused on “The PHS Impact,” a celebration of the myriad ways our community gives to PHS, and the manner in which our school employs these gifts to touch the lives of our students, our teachers and the broader community around us.
“I dream a dream that dreams back at me” — TONI MORRISON
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As parents, we have always been aware of how vital community giving is to the day-to-day heartbeat of the school. These generous gifts of time or funds establish a virtuous cycle that will resonate for years to come, both within and outside the walls of the school. Family involvement in field trips and classroom activities touch our students and teachers everyday. Student
participation in activities at the Presidio encourage a lifelong love and respect for our natural resources. Community-run events like Walkathon and Spring Fling both bring our community together and raise critical funds. In fact, our community donated over $580,000 last year to support our school’s current needs, including our wonderful flexible tuition program. As new Co-Chairs, we have had the honor and privilege to enjoy even more insight into how our community gives back. Here are just a few of the examples that we are proud to share from the last year:
A New Faculty and Staff Endowment This generous $1,000,000 seed gift establishes a new permanent source of funds, which will allow us to recognize, support, and celebrate our teachers and staff. This will enable us to remain competitive in the Bay Area and ensure we attract and retain the best progressive educators for PHS. A Successful Traffic Study & Increased Enrollment We value our place in our Presidio neighborhood and passing the traffic study last spring was critical for a few reasons: first, to maintain strong relationships with our neighbors; second, to lessen our environmental impact; and third, to allow us to
increase our enrollment to up to 230 students. We were so proud see PHS families support this cause through carpooling, parking and walking into school, and trying out our new shared school bus. We passed with flying colors because of our community support. A Smooth Kick-Off to our Permanent Head of School Search In March, over 100 PHS teachers, students, parents, administrators, and alumni took time to speak with our Head of School search consultants. These interviews clarified the qualifications and personal characteristics we seek in our Head of School and have guided the work
of our trustee, parent and faculty volunteers of our Search Committee in the months since. Thank you to all who participated in our Head of School hiring process. As we reflect on the past year and look to the next, we would like to thank every member of the Presidio Hill School community for all the ways you give. Community, it seems, is more important than ever. We are inspired by the teachers, staff and families that create our shared life at PHS, and make ours so unique.
WILLIAM: My favorite project is the county fair. Alexandra and I were buddies and we made a Ferris wheel together! And it can go this fast! – WILLIAM, LOWER SCHOOL
Being in a smaller community, we get to interact with everyone. And that makes me closer with the people in the younger grades and also the older grades. If I’m able to interact with everyone, I’m able to develop social-emotional skills and I’m not hanging out with just the people I’m close with. — PETER, MIDDLE SCHOOL
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outcomes
FIELD TRIPS Musee Mechanique, Slide Ranch, Presidio Nursery, San Francisco Center for the Book, Berkeley Adventure Playground, Angel Island camping trip, San Francisco Symphony, USS Jeremiah, Lawrence Hall of Science, Marin Day Farm, Exploratorium, San Francisco Zoo, Wildcare Nature Hike at Muir Woods, Curiodyssey Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Hidden Villa farm, Mission Dolores, Herbst Theater, Bay Area Discovery Museum, Great America Physics Day
PROJECTS AND EXPERIENCES People in Profile, Immigration and Angel Island, LEED Architectural Models, Adapt Your Hobbies, Wildfire Ecology, Kindergarten County Fair, Inside Out Poetry, El Polin Spring Rehabilitation, TK Farmers Market, All School Art Show, Follies, 2nd Grade Cartography, Middle School Challenge Days, Physics at the Golden Gate Bridge, TK/K Olympics, Institute on Aging Collaboratio
CLASSROOM AND CAMPUS MATERIALS
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Art supplies, musical instruments, classroom technology (iPads, Chromebooks), Maker Space materials, yard toys, Free Little Library, gardening supplies, adaptive furniture and tools, middle school weather station
My favorite field trip this year was going to GLIDE. I’ve volunteered before, but nothing like this. It was a really cool experience to be able to bond with other girls in my class, and be able to work face-to-face with strangers I wouldn’t meet otherwise. I like that everyone is nice and that people don’t try and hurt each other on purpose.” — MARCO, LOWER SCHOOL
— LILAH, MIDDLE SCHOOL
I’ve been here since kindergarten. I’ve grown a lot socially, learning how to interact with adults and kids, and how to deal with social issues as well as talk about bigger issues. — KATIE, MIDDLE SCHOOL
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endowed funds
Presidio Hill School Faculty and Staff Endowment During the 2018-19 school year, we received a $1,000,000+ seed gift, the largest donation to our school outside of a capital campaign, to establish the PHS Faculty and Staff Endowment. This fund is meant to support our incredible faculty and staff, retain them so that generations of students can learn from these progressive educators, and to continue to attract the very best teachers and administrators to PHS.
The Carey Davis Endowed Fund Carey was a former Head of School whose passion for progressive education and love of students are still remembered today. Contributions to this endowment go on to support professional development opportunities for our faculty and staff, as Carey understood the need for teachers to have access to educational opportunities to help them grow as educators and learners.
Robin Eickman and Patrick Mulkeen Endowment A former Board Chair and fierce advocate for PHS, Robin’s enthusiastic and generous spirit continue to positively influence PHS’ students. This endowed fund was created to honor her impact and lasting legacy at our school. Contributions to this endowment support our flexible tuition program and ensure that we can continue to offer a progressive education to families with a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds, which increases the diversity of our student body and enhances the experience for all of our community members.
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The people are really different here from my previous school. The students and the teachers. The teachers can focus on everyone individually and help you with all of your mistakes. And the students are all so welcoming and nice.
We know that when our children see us deeply involved, both through philanthropy and volunteering, they come to understand that education is a priority and involves the whole family. They see that school is a living, breathing community of teachers and families that have come together around the idea of learning.
— MIRANDA, MIDDLE SCHOOL
Just feeling part of this great community makes the difference. Teachers and parents are my extended family. — JAVIER
By the time our kids all graduate, our family will have spent 16 years at PHS. It is a second home for our kids, and we are grateful to contribute time and resources to help make it a stronger school. It gives us tremendous satisfaction that we could give back in some way. — ASAI FAMILY
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CPE@PHS 20
The Center for Progressive Education (CPE) at Presidio Hill School operates on a simple idea: all children should be in an environment that fosters the joy of learning; they should be encouraged to imagine, emboldened to inquire, and inspired to create. In other words, every child should be given the opportunity to experience an education like the one provided at PHS. We wholeheartedly believe in the philosophy and practice of progressive education and are energized to cultivate its development both within and beyond the walls of our school. Entering our second century as a proudly progressive educational institution, we feel responsible for ensuring that the broader community of likeminded educators continues to strengthen and expand. With these principles in mind, we are engaged in several initiatives: • Our teaching apprentice program in partnership with the University of San Francisco (USF) School of Education, has
since 2015 brought Master’s level and credential students at USF to work alongside and with the guidance of mentor teachers in PHS classrooms. Having another adult in the classrooms, especially one intent on learning progressive practices, is such a positive for our students, who usually adore “their” apprentices. After two years, graduates leave the program with a deep understanding of the practical aspects of implementing progressive practices, which they are able to apply in their future careers. To date we have graduated five apprentices, each of whom is working in a public school in the Bay Area.
• Our professional development institutes organized by a steering committee in which we collaborate with educators from several local progressive schools, have provided the local educator community with the opportunity to meet and learn from experts and colleagues on a wide range of topics related to progressive education philosophy and practice. So far we have held three such
institutes reaching a combined total of 150 participants from more than 30 different schools and other educational institutions. Our next institute is scheduled for fall 2020.
• Our new CPE website scheduled to launch in the fall of 2019, is designed to provide progressive educators and interested community members with an ongoing communications hub for sharing and discussing ideas about topics central to our work.
• Our library provides a wide variety of resources meant to reinforce and deepen our communities’ understanding of progressive education history, philosophy, and practice.
PHS has impacted our family significantly - our children have supportive mentors in their teachers, classmates that have become friends outside of school, and parents that both share and introduce us to new values that we learn from and integrate into our own. PHS has allowed our children to be creators of their world as opposed to simply accepting the way the world is defined by others. — ADRIANNA GAAL
At PHS we do a good job of balancing the children’s need for guidance and supervision with the equally important need for spontaneity and self-expression. We understand that school should be both challenging and joyous. — JOSHI MARSHALL, MUSIC TEACHER
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financials
2018- 2019 Expenses Personnel
69%
Plant
15%
General & Administrative
6%
Bond-Interest Payments
5%
Educational (Total Operating Expenses)
5%
Capital Expenditures
0%
Fundraising (non-Capital Campaign)
1%
2018- 2019 Revenue Tuition and Fees, net of scholarships
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91%
Fundraising (Gross, not including restricted contributions)
7%
School Events and Interest Income
2%
It was very fun and exciting marching in the Parade. It is good to celebrate people in the LGBTQ+ community. – NOAH, LOWER SCHOOL STUDENT
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fun facts
Students in 3rd-8th grade participated in overnight experiences, which are an incredibly important aspect of the PHS curriculum and provide social-emotional learning opportunities for our children. Whether it’s exploring Yosemite Valley, hiking through Point Reyes, or having a sleepover at school, your Annual Fund dollars allowed for memorable moments outside of the normal school day! Thanks to over 80 volunteers who managed everything from cutting orange slices to laying out tarps, the 2018 Rock the Walk-athon was a huge success!
Grandparents are such a special part of our community. Not only do they provide love and support to our children, but they also generously offer their spirit and philanthropic donations! Last year, we received almost 100 gifts from grandparents to our Annual Fund and Walkathon, totaling nearly $30,000!
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Many workplaces provide a ‘match’ to our donors’ charitable giving. Corporations and organizations will often follow YOUR lead and will give a donation equal to the size of your gift. 15 corporations provided about $35,000 to our Annual Fund last year. This wouldn’t have happened without you leading by example, and following up to ensure that our students benefit from these dollars!
We’ve been offering a transformative education for over 100 years now. There are many alumni who are utilizing the skills they learned at PHS. Whether it’s conflict resolution, a love of the arts, or an entrepreneurial spirit, the joy of learning PHS instills throughout the school experience extends past one’s time here. Our graduates have gone on to found their own companies, tour internationally with plays and musicals, pursue cutting-edge academic research, and even work for NASA. The sky is truly the limit!
We brought the silent auction and fund-aneeds back to the Spring Fling this year, and it was a resounding success! You might have already caught a glimpse of our brand new piano, but did you know that we are also sending a group of faculty and staff members to the Progressive Educators Network conference in Minneapolis? This gathering of educators from all over the country takes place every two years, and is a place where teachers and administrators can share ideas that have a positive impact on the classroom, and therefore, our students. After all, our PHS teachers are lifelong learners who always strive to fill their toolbox with proven and innovative strategies to engage each child.
Lauren Davis, a 2000 PHS graduate, has donated to the Annual Fund every year since 2007! Have some cute gear from the PHS school store? Had a great time at MayFest? Greeted with a warm ‘good morning’ at curbside dropoff? Well, thank a fellow parent or guardian! We rely on volunteers to ensure that many of our day-today responsibilities run smoothly, not to mention larger gatherings like Walkathon, Grandparents and Special Friends Day, and Spring Fling (just to name a few).
At our Rock the Walkathon, our students walked a collective total of 7,085 laps around JK Park. This translates to 708.5 miles... that’s the same as walking from PHS to the Grand Canyon! Field trip anyone?
Our faculty and staff attended professional learning opportunities all over the country, from Rhode Island, to Philadelphia, to Nashville, we were able to learn and grow with our professional progressive partners. Locally, we shared our own expertise and hosted the Center for Progressive Education one day institute on reaching and teaching all learners!
The $475,000 raised toward our Annual Fund was a record and could have bought you a median priced home in San Francisco...way back in 1999!
Walkathon gifts come from loved ones who live near and far. This year, we received support from as far away as Italy. PHS is making a name for itself worldwide!
donor list
Anonymous (55) Leticia Abeyta Adobe Airbnb Roberto Alfaro and Julia Sabory AmazonSmile Amgen Dayna Anderson and Christian Lenz Sara Anderson Michelle Angier and Chris Basmajian Apple Corporation Matching Gift Program The Arciga Family Hiroki and April Asai Stephanie and Milton Assang Amy and Josh Atkins JP and Ann Balajadia Regina and Marc Balistreri Jen Bamesberger Beverly Barnett Adam Belsky and Debra Nelson Ellie and Bree Bibas Michael and Xochi Birch Jennifer and Jonathan Board Austin and Carla Bowker Wendy Horng Brawer Jennifer Brill and Marlon Gomez Elizabeth and Brentt Brown Burdett Family Daniel Burke ‘69 and Virginia Burke Bill and Laurie Cahan Dmitri Cavander and Megan Gelstein Karina Chan and Kai Zhang Mike Chan and Cynthia Huie The Chee Family Brandon and Kacie Cherry Daina Chiu and Kevin Wong Shanie Chambers and Eric Morrow Vicki Cho
Abbe and Lance Clemons Julia Collins ‘92 Gale and Mei Ling Connor The Cooney-Price Family Kathleen Cross Natalie Crowley Olinda Cubillas and Remigio De La Cruz Seema Dala and John Fick Courtney Damkroger and Roger Hansen Todd and Kathleen Darling Winton Davies and Lauren Asher Lauren Davis ‘95 Kelly and Jon Dees Colt Deese Jeane De Freitas and Robert Wicke Elizabeth and Mark Dirsa Dolby Match Program Katherine Donnard Mr. & Mrs. Eckhoff Rita Fahrner ‘57 and Kell Fahrner-Scott ‘09 Kenta Ferrin Christina Fischer and Brian Wix Kim and Bruce Fiscus Robyn and Tobin Fisher Shannon Fitzgerald and Tom Scott Siobhan Fleming and Marco Sorani Dod and Elisabeth Fraser Adrianna and Mike Gaal Sarah Gaffney Galindo-Gardiner Family Taylor Garry Zoubin Ghahramani and Joanna Argasinska Dan Goldensohn and Dee Dee Workman Jess Goldstein Carmen Gomez and Jorge Santillan Good Eggs Google Matching Gifts Program The Grace Family
The Grindle Kaufman Family Martin Gross and Danny Castelow Mark Gunther and Anne Krantz Jill and Kris Gustafson Mary Haber The Halbert-Alexander Family Hallinan Family Drew Hamlin and Leslee Kurihara Kristin and Mitchel Harad Ashley and Andrew Hecht Judith and Dan Hoban Kirsten Hove and Alex Darr Jeni and Derek Izuel Kevin Jacobson and Aisha Bastiaans Christy and Ian James Lisa Jeli and Haroon Tahir Brian Johnson Johnson Family The Jones Family Kate Joshua Sean and Bridget Joyce Yuko Kamae and Chung-Man Tam Vida and Dallas Kashuba Stephanie Kastner Andrea and David Kennedy Kris Kifer Robert Kim and Misung Won Courtney and Michael Kingston Metta and Keith Krach Ehren Kruger Karen Kruger Jenny Kuo and Tom Bochenek Nicole and JP Lavallee Chean & Beverly Law Hana Lee and Sunggu Kim Chelsea Lemon Martin Encinas Leon ‘04 Julie and Sébastien Lépinard
Sunny and Akiba Lerner Jing Liang and Josh Krieger Maryann LoRusso and Steven Jo Adrian Ludwig and Chelsea Tanaka Dezirae Malabed Robyn Mandel ‘06 Steve Manseau and Marie Caffey Christina and Brian Marchiel Joshi and Leah Marshall Yargelin Mazariegos Christina Rosetti McArthur ‘65 Alex McClure and Blake Hayward Katie McCormack Shannon McGilloway Junifer Megrissi and Adil Asslam Michael T Meier and Leslie Yan Meier Ann Meissner Microsoft Mills Family Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Tony Morgan Kelly Murphy and Tyler Abbott* Sarah Myers Evan Nance Gillian and Matthew Nathan Amy Nelder and Greg Lejnieks Netflix Michelle Nettesheim Newell Family The and Thai Nguyen Cesar Nolasco and Laura Perez Terumi and Hidetoshi Oneda Orbis Investment Management Beth Irwin Perry PG&E Adam and Patricia Purcell Michele Radcliffe and Jim Klimek Heather Ramsey and Dan Sowell
Michelle and Doug Randall Josefa Rangel and Philip Theodosopoulos Kirby and Tye Rattenbury Anne Regenstein and John Hefti Alethea, Jim & Jack Roche Julie and Brian Rogers Yvette and Philip Rosedale Gordon and Sophia Rudow Savas Family Holly Saydah Scott and Lourdes Schreiber Olivia Sears and Craig Bicknell Julia and Shaban Shakoori Diane and Carl Shannon Silicon Valley Bank Christian Sowul and Rynn Pressick Wendy Spero and Amos Elliston Brad and Tiffany Stone The Sutton-Gersteins Synapse Kitty Tang and Ken Chung Meady Tang and Neville Crawley David Thompson and Susan Green Sarah Glenn Thompson ‘07 Edelita Tichepco Tobee and William Vanderwall Tim Vanier VMware Foundation Sally and Scott Walen Kim Walsh Palmer and Ethan Weiss Christopher and Lee Anne Weldon Wells Fargo Community Support Campaign WePay Susan Whitecotton and Craig Weissman Mei and Al Wong Peter Young & Tachina Rudman-Young The Zeifman Family
Grandparents Sally Armour Michiko and Terry Asai Norma Cole and Robert Kaufman Alfred and Janis Dees The Michael and Gail Emmons Foundation Anastasia Fink Jim and Pat Fitzgerald Bernad Nathan and Barbara Newman Patricia and Robert Nelson Shizuka Oda Tara Rudman Kathleen Schramm Drs. James and Susan Weiss Bill and Jackie Weldon Edwin Wong
Last year, our supporters contributed a record $476,000 to the PHS Annual Fund. We are able to put our progressive pedagogy into practice because of the generosity of our community members. From current parents/guardians, to alumni and alumni families, grandparents and special friends, our very own faculty and staff, and generous matching gift programs, we are grateful for the impact you’ve made on PHS.
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