CEE Annual Report 2022-23 | The Future Now

THE FUTURE NOW...

The Center for Early Education, a socio-economically and culturally diverse independent school for children, toddlers through grade six, strives to graduate students who are joyful, resilient, lifelong learners. The Center embraces a philosophy of education that combines a nurturing, inclusive learning environment with an increasingly challenging academic program that addresses the developmental needs of each child.

CORE VALUES: RESPONSIBILITY HONESTY INCLUSION CARING

WHY WE SUPPORT THE CENTER: THE WENG/SHU FAMILY

WHY WE SUPPORT THE CENTER: THE RAMBO/SCHULTZ FAMILY

THE PRESIDENT, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dear Center Community,

In most communities and organizations, a time of change understandably represents a moment of adjustments, dislocation, and, at times, disruption. However, for The Center for Early Education, the significant changes during the past year marked a time of renewal, reconnection, and reaffirmation of our mission and core values.

The changes we experienced during the 2022 – 2023 school year were positive yet significant: For the first time in four years, the lives of students and teachers were virtually unencumbered by the daily ramifications and inconveniences of a global pandemic; we welcomed wonderful new families, students, and teachers to our community; current families met in person for the first time in years; and we were graced by our new Head of School, Damian Jones.

Change can be disorienting, especially in schools. However, the spirit, resilience, and culture of our institution has always kept us focused on a singular goal expressed and manifested in multiple ways: Helping each young child develop a lifelong, joyful love of learning with respect, compassion, and celebration for the diversity of heritage and lived experiences among us.

Our Head of School, Damian Jones, exemplifies these attributes. Although this has been his first year at The Center, he embodies the culture of our community as if he’s been here for ages. His expertise as an educator has enabled him to witness and support the expertise of our exceptional classroom teachers and specialists.

During the past school year, Damian spent entire days immersed in every grade level so he could experience first-hand “a day in the life of a Center student.” From his extensive time in our classrooms, Damian shares that Center students have continued to thrive due to the school’s exceptional program.

Our ability to continue to deliver this program and to attract and retain world-class faculty and staff requires a strong financial foundation. The Board of Trustees is pleased to share that the school’s health remains strong due to careful cost controls, active management of the school’s finances and investment portfolio, and

meaningful participation and support from the Center community. Since tuition does not cover the full cost of operating the school, we benefit from our community’s ongoing commitment to the Annual Fund and support of the Gala.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are as committed as ever to The Center’s mission, and we remain steadfast in our positive outlook for the continued vitality of our school and community.

Respectfully yours,

David Messinger President, The Board of Trustees

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2022-23

Jack Angelo

Denise Barta

Rachel Bonkovsky

John Bracker

Kawanna Brown

Veronica Cajigas

Ike Chidi

Usama Cortas, Treasurer

Eric Esrailian

Betzábe González, Co-Vice President

Damien Granderson

Tanya Greig Perara ’83, Secretary

Matthew Kline

Mai Lassiter

Heidi Levyn

Anthony Locke ’94

Marcus Lollie

David Messinger, President

Alexandra Misczynski

Charles Nelson

Viveca Paulin-Ferrell

Renvy Pittman

JJ Ramberg

Chris Soto

Tom Staggs

Darnell Strom

Massy Tadjedin Fardin

Sunny Whang, Co-Vice President

Jason Willock

Jamie Zinberg

BOARD COMMITTEES 2022 – 23

AUDIT & INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

Marcus Lollie, Chair

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Jack Angelo and JJ Ramberg, Chairs

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

David Messinger, Chair

FINANCE COMMITTEE

Usama Cortas, Chair

GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

Jamie Zinberg, Chair

Matt Kline, Vice Chair

SAFETY AND SECURITY COMMITTEE

Eric Esrailian, Chair

AD HOC COMMITTEES

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

John Bracker, Chair

HEAD OF SCHOOL TRANSITION COMMITTEE

Tanya Greig Perara ’83 and Sunny Whang, Chairs

LEGAL COMMITTEE

Tanya Greig Perara ’83, Chair

Damien Granderson, Vice Chair

SCHOOL LIFE COMMITTEE

Kawanna Brown and Alexandra Miscynzki, Chairs

Letter From THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Dear CEE Community,

I find myself reflecting quite often on the awe-inspiring journey we undertook together during the 2022 – 2023 school year. It is with deep gratitude that I express my appreciation for a most memorable experience and for the support and dedication each member of our school community contributed to our shared mission throughout it all. Thank you for your generosity of spirit, the meaningful gift of your time, and for your gracious and impactful financial gifts to The Center this past year. Your engagement in the life of our school makes our vibrant and dynamic community possible.

In my first year at The Center, I learned that the education we provide our students extends far beyond the classroom. Deep within all that we teach at The Center can be found a clear commitment to creating a diverse, nurturing, and inclusive learning environment composed of enduring relationships between faculty, staff, parents, grandparents, alumni families, former employees, and friends of the school, making this a place of significance and meaning in the lives of all our community members. In these relationships, I have witnessed the true spirit of our institution, where the life of our school thrives as community members come to know, trust, and depend on the support, guidance, and kindness of one another.

Throughout this past school year, the greatest examples of the best in our community were demonstrated by our students, faculty, and staff. As I watched our students exhibit boundless curiosity and genuine delight in learning and life at The Center, I was encouraged by the skill, talent, and expertise of our faculty and staff whose depth of knowledge, years of training and experience, thoughtfulness and consideration gave shape to an accepting, warm, and stimulating learning environment all of our students are fortunate to enjoy.

At a time when we needed to be inspired and filled with hope for the future, our faculty, staff, and students reminded us that there is room for all of us to grow and that we must continue to care deeply for one another. Their unwavering enthusiasm inspired our school community to approach this year with renewed vigor as we celebrated our children's meaningful and important lives.

At The Center, we provide our students with engaging educational experiences with well-integrated social and emotional learning components that will continue to cultivate their sense of value and self-worth, and their connectedness to and empathy for others. We will continue our long-standing commitment to advancing critical teaching and learning approaches that foster our students' cognitive development and nurture their well-being.

Looking back on all we accomplished last year, it is evident our students are thriving, and our school community continues to prosper in the joy, laughter, and learning we experienced together. Our collective dedication to fostering an inclusive and nurturing environment has undoubtedly shaped the lives of our students, and I extend my sincerest thanks to each one of you for all you have done to make this possible.

With heartfelt appreciation and warm regards,

Damian R. Jones Head of School

Informing the Future: Social Justice for Now

In keeping with The Center’s core values and the school’s founding tenets of diversity and inclusion, CEE teachers are committed to exploring ways to bring equity and social justice themes into their classrooms in developmentally appropriate ways. This commitment was one of the driving forces behind redesigning the school’s Social Studies and Social Justice curriculum (SSSJ) over the past several years.

In the fall of 2020, the CEE faculty and administration initiated a comprehensive audit and redesign of The Center’s Toddler through sixth grade Social Studies and Social Justice curriculum, with the goal of firmly weaving in social justice themes and establishing concrete learning goals throughout the program. The process started with co-constructing the guiding questions (listed below), which served as a “North Star” as the school began this important work.

A Task Force composed of 20 faculty members across all three divisions came together and conducted monthly meetings to dive into the guiding questions, ultimately creating a curriculum blueprint for the school. It is performance-based and specifies what students should be able to do when confronting new or unexpected situations and issues. These goals are intentionally broad and not agespecific and are used to develop meaningful learning experiences for students throughout their time at CEE.

It became evident early in the process that there was a lack of "pre-published" social studies programs that matched CEE’s curriculum blueprint and what the school felt was important to teach. The majority of available programs did not incorporate the crucial element of diverse lived experiences and perspectives from others. The Task Force decided that the school would need to take the time to deeply research and develop its own comprehensive social studies program— one that more fully aligned with the blueprint.

Throughout the 2021 – 22 school year, all faculty created and used scope and sequence along with the blueprint to develop units of study. The school facilitated two all-day faculty in-services dedicated to this work, and teachers tirelessly developed unit plans, creating a clear curricular throughline across all three divisions. Many new curriculum developments were introduced

in the classroom for the first time during the 2022–23 school year and will continue to be refined each year. The Board received periodic updates about the process throughout.

One of the most unique aspects of this curriculum is the ways students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of topics and concepts. Rather than relying on lower-level thinking tasks, such as rote memorization, students can make meaning of their learning through carefully crafted performance tasks. A performance task sets up a situation where learners can put their thinking into action in a real-world context. They are typically open-ended and multi-faceted, and give students the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the content.

Curriculum Blueprint

CEE aims for students to independently:

1. Be critical thinkers (or use their best thinking) in their ability to judge historical and contemporary information and claims.

2. Apply historical understanding and interpret evidence to draw conclusions, make predictions, and plan for the future.

3. Participate as active citizens to make informed decisions and take actions that will promote equity, social justice, and environmental sustainability in local, national, and global contexts.

4. Collaborate with individuals and groups from various cultures to achieve common goals.

5. Effectively communicate for various purposes and audiences through various media.

Social Studies and Social Justice Task Force Guiding Questions

1. What should students know, understand, and be able to do after they graduate from The Center?

2. What transferable skills do we want CEE graduates to have as they move onto the next leg of their academic journey?

Essential Questions and Performance Tasks

Toddler

Essential Question: What and how does your family celebrate?

Performance Task: Students will learn to identify each family's cultural celebrations.

EC2

Essential Question: What is a family?

EC1

Essential Question: What is a new tradition we can make in EC1?

Performance Task: Students will build an EC1 cookbook based on family recipes.

Performance Task: Students identify 'windows and mirrors' in the context of sharing family binders, which provide a bridge from home to school. An example of a binder page sent home is: “My favorite part of summer vacation was:” Families illustrate this page with drawings or photographs and words.

Essential Question: How does working together make us a powerful class family?

Performance Task: Students help create a Charter of classroom norms by voting on the emotions they want included, and commit to the norms by signing it.

C1

Essential Question: How are families similar and different?

Performance Task: After reading books about different types of families, students will share and write what makes their family special. Students' pieces will be compiled into a book for the class library.

C2

Essential Question: How does our culture make us similar and different?

Performance Task: Students act as culture explorers with their families to examine deeply through the use of the ‘cultural iceberg’ concept and interview questions. Students will record their understanding and create books to share more about their families.

C4

Essential Question: What factors shape your identity?

Performance Task: Students interview their parents to collect information about their names. They will ask their parents and look up the origin of their names, the meaning of their names, and why their parents chose those names. Students will write and record the story of their names.

C3

Essential Question: What is fairness? Do rules make things fair?

Performance Task: Students will create their “future vision” of equity, equality, and liberation. They will take a picture and include a voice recording of their vision for each category.

C5

Essential Question: How was the U.S. Constitution designed to serve and protect, and how does it impact its citizens?

Performance Task: Each group will research a different branch of government or aspect of the Constitution and create a presentation to teach the other groups.

C6

Sixth Grade Immersive World Civilization Studies addresses the following overarching Essential Questions through units on each civilization:

• How does a stable food supply contribute to the advancement of this civilization?

• How does social structure contribute to the advancement of this civilization?

• What role does the government play in the advancement of this civilization?

• How does religion contribute to the advancement of this civilization?

• How does culture contribute to the advancement of this civilization?

• How does technology contribute to the advancement of this civilization?

• How does oral and written language contribute to the advancement of this civilization?

Units of Study

Teachers know that the curriculum is a living and breathing document that should evolve with time. It lives on an online information hub, making it available to faculty and staff members across the school. This hub also includes evaluated materials such as primary sources, articles, multimedia content, and documents. The school makes a concerted effort to keep these materials current as new information becomes available. Teachers have expressed the immense value in the transparency of the curriculum because it helps give them a snapshot of what students across the school are learning.

This visibility is particularly conducive to interdisciplinary opportunities. Specialist teachers can effectively craft lessons corresponding to the SSSJ curriculum, which helps students form deeper connections across disciplines. Field trips also play a vital part in bringing the interdisciplinary curriculum to life, and social justice concepts are often thoughtfully explored during these experiences in our local community.

Overarching themes of Identity, Community, Understanding History, Geography, and U.S. History can now be mapped over the course of a student’s experience at CEE, giving shape to the cohesive, nuanced learning experience the school aims to offer its students.

As the 2023 – 24 school year begins, teachers are seeking additional resources to integrate into the curriculum. With this evolving and growing program, teachers can create dynamic, current, and robust experiences for their students–preparing them to be engaged lifelong learners, compassionate, and active champions of social justice in their communities.

Campus HighlightS

Favorite Traditions Return

What a Center year it was! From the Picnic to the End-ofYear Party and everything in between, the 2022 – 23 school year saw the return of many beloved in-person Center traditions following several years of contending with COVID-19. Some special events had not been celebrated fully since 2019 or 2020, and their return to the calendar was a welcome one!

Picnic

In September, the community came together for the first CEE School Picnic in three years! Families enjoyed a picnic lunch, face painting, bubble games, pie eating contests, a water balloon toss, and more.

Winter Sing

The annual Winter Sing was a festive and fun community event before children embarked on Winter Break. Parents had the opportunity to view the holiday music program in person this year, and the audience was full of enthusiasm! Some highlights included a lively rendition of “Christmas in the West” by third grade, a beautiful performance of “True Colors” by the A Cappella Choir, and the traditional CEE singing of “The Wish” to close both performances.

International Food Tasting Day

International Food Tasting Day returned to campus in its full glory in March. Parents, grandparents, faculty, and staff were invited to prepare favorite family traditional foods to share with our community. Students enjoyed sampling cuisine from dozens of countries and cultures during this special lunch.

Family Charter Night

Families enjoyed a heartwarming evening on campus at Family Charter Night! Each Center class creates a unique Classroom Charter every year as an expression of values and norms unique to the class, intended to make all feel safe, welcome, and heard. The class works together to build its Charter, signed by all students and teachers, who share equal ownership in its values. At Family Charter Night, teachers led families in activities that resulted in the creation of a “Family Charter” for home. Children and parents had the opportunity to talk about how they want to feel as a family and to make a Charter with real action steps.

Night Lights

Following a virtual Night Lights experience last year, children were excited to hear stories and tales from across the CEE community in person this year! Students and families enjoyed folktales performed by storytellers from across the CEE community. Children of all ages heard a variety of engaging stories from around the world!

Field Trips

Students and teachers experienced a full calendar of off-campus field trips this year, from The Broad Museum to West Hollywood Park. Other trips included visits to the Natural History Museum, LACMA, the Annenberg PetSpace, MOCA, and The Bay Foundation. Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders also had the chance to travel on overnight trips, many for the first time. C4 and C5 traveled to outdoor education at WOLF Camp, and C6 ventured to Washington, D.C. for an exciting tour!

Grandparents’ and Grandfriends’ Day

Over 400 grandparents and grandfriends joined us for the first in-person Grandparents’ and Grandfriends’ Day since 2019! Grandparents enjoyed a morning program that included a talk from CEE grandparent Aileen Adams about sharing your values with your grandchildren and a performance by the A Cappella Choir. Following the program, grandparents visited their grandchildren’s classrooms and the Art Fair in the Gym. Families also had the chance to take photos together in the photo booths before departing for the day. It was an incredibly special day!

Art Fair

Each Elementary student, CK – C6, has the opportunity to exhibit a piece of their art at the annual art fair. Parents and grandparents enjoyed the colorful and inspiring show at the Open House and Grandparents’ and Grandfriends’ Day in May.

End-Of-Year Party

In June, CEE students celebrated the end of the school year with an amazing on-campus party! Everyone enjoyed carnival games, bubble play, temporary tattoos, pizza, shaved ice, and In-N-Out! It was the perfect way to say farewell to the school year and kick off summer break. The Class of 2023 also enjoyed a special yearbook preview and signing session. Thanks to the many parent volunteers who helped make the party happen!

Affinity Group Highlights

Affinity and Interest groups hosted a range of events and activities this year to promote diversity and inclusion on our campus.

OCTOBER: Latin American Affinity Group—Día de Los Muertos Altar/ Educational Display

NOVEMBER: South Asian American Affinity Group—Diwali Community Celebration

DECEMBER: Jewish Cultural Affinity Group—Hanukkah ‘Shine a Light’ Display

JANUARY: Asian American Affinity Group— Lunar New Year Community Celebration

FEBRUARY: The Heritage Family African American Affinity Group—Black History Community Celebration

JUNE: LGBT+ Affinity Group—Pride Month Educational Display

THROUGHOUT THE YEAR: Anti-Racism Interest Group (ARIG)—Virtual and In-person workshops

Community Service/Service Learning Spotlight

Blind Children’s Center Project

One example of service learning (which takes place in every classroom!) was the third graders’ participation in service learning for the Blind Children’s Center through their Innovation & Design curriculum. The students were tasked with determining how best to communicate in an inclusive way with their peers who are visually impaired. They started with an Empathy Challenge; blindfolding themselves and attempting to write a card to understand how it feels to be without sight. The students then learned to spell their names in Braille, which helped them understand the mode through which the children with visual impairments learn. Finally, they used the 3D printers in the Innovation Center to create quotes written in Braille to send along with the letters they wrote to each child.

Whole School Day of Service

The Whole School Day of Service, which takes place each Spring, was an exciting and fulfilling day for students, faculty, and staff! CEE Family groups, made up of children from all elementary grades CK – C6 plus faculty/staff leaders, each traveled to a site across the city to participate in community service. Early Childhood students took part in community service projects at school, creating bags of supplies and treats for organizations who serve families in the area.

Sandwiches for the Hungry

Students of all ages regularly made Sandwiches for the Hungry, a longstanding CEE community service tradition, with the help of parent volunteers! The sandwiches are shared with the Hollywood Food Coalition and help connect students to the local community.

Community Engagement and Education Speaker Series

This year, The Center welcomed three renowned speakers to our campus for the 2022 – 23 Community Engagement and Education Speaker Series.

To kick off the series in January, CEE Alumni Parent Rabbi Steven Leder, a well-regarded speaker, author, and voice against anti-Semitism, joined in conversation with Head of School Damian Jones. Many parents, faculty, staff, board members, alumni families, grandparents, and friends joined us for the enlightening talk and discussion. Rabbi Leder touched on how parents can guide children to become upstanding citizens who approach relationships and challenges with empathy and care.

In March, author and activist Luvvie Ajayi Jones joined us for a day on campus, first conducting a workshop with the sixth grade, followed by a discussion with our adult community. With the sixth graders, Luvvie guided the students through a workshop to create their own oríkì, a Yorùbá concept for a “personal hype mantra” (as described by Luvvie in Rising Troublemaker). The students spent time coming up with vivid descriptions of themselves and their skills, and by the end of their time together, everyone was feeling confident about their personal strengths as individuals and community members.

During the evening talk, Luvvie shared her experiences as a self-identified “troublemaker” and what it means to make “thoughtful” trouble by disrupting lines of thinking and systems that oppress others. She also touched on how adults can and should help young people tap into their communities and their power to make change. Many thanks to Luvvie for sharing her wisdom and inspiration with us all!

Finally, author Cathy Park Hong visited in April and shared her insights about growing up Asian-American, discussing stories from her book Minor Feelings upon its powerful exploration of race and identity in America. Parents, alumni, grandparents, and faculty and staff had the chance to hear firsthand from Cathy about her experiences as a member of the AAPI community, grappling with at times conflicting pieces of her identity.

Professional Development Highlights

Faculty and staff participated in a number of on-campus and off-site professional development opportunities this year. Professional development is a key component of CEE’s commitment to lifelong learning, and participation is encouraged for all members of the faculty and staff.

Faculty attended and presented at the following workshops, conferences, and events, to name just a few:

Advanced Thinking Through Writing

Beginner Handbuilding (Pottery)

Light and Shadow for Infants

Inclusion in the Early Years with Rosetta Lee

Improving Teacher Language and Student Language

Enacting Core Values in the Library through Collaboration

Decolonizing Your Curriculum and Pedagogy

Restructuring Geography and Ecology from a Native Lens

Early Childhood Education: Teaching in a Diverse Society

Documentation, Observation, and Assessment of Young Children

National Association of School Nurses Annual Conference

Responsive Classroom Workshops and Courses

CATDC Teaching Foundations

(Natalie Babcock and Alex Wenderoff, Facilitators)

ERB Annual Conference

(Damian Jones, Erika Johnson, Nassim Shandy, and Gabby McHale; Featured Presenters)

National Art Education Association Conference

(Ann Romero de Cordoba, Featured Presenter)

Futures Foundation Day Conference

Travel Grant Program

The Center for Early Education’s Travel Grant Program is a $5,000 travel opportunity open to all faculty and staff who are in at least their fifth year of service at CEE. Recipients design a travel experience that supports the exploration of a passion or interest and plan how this experience and learnings will be brought back to the school community.

PE Teacher Ryan Henry was awarded the 2022 – 23 Travel Grant, traveling to Scotland in Summer 2023. We look forward to learning from his experience!

Faculty Sabbatical Program

Teachers who had been at CEE for seven years or more were invited to apply for a three-week sabbatical leave, and the following faculty members were granted the Sabbatical.

MOLLY DOHERTY, Third Grade Teacher

SHOSHANA ROSS, Second Grade Teacher

ELIKO OZEKI, Kindergarten Teacher

As one example, Shoshana Ross spent her sabbatical exploring the city of Los Angeles as a “cultural and historical tourist,” visiting museums, historical sites, neighborhoods, community organizations, and volunteering. Bringing her experiences back to the classroom will bolster the second grade social studies/ social justice curriculum in which students learn about Los Angeles and its people and history.

Future second graders will explore questions like, “How can we appreciate our Los Angeles Community? How can we help our community to work together to meet its needs and wants?” Under these larger umbrella questions, students will examine the city’s geography (rural, urban, suburban), its historical landmarks, the uniqueness of the different communities, how needs and wants are satisfied (or not) within the community, what is being done to help communities in need, and what students can do to help others in our community.

A Community of Care

Throughout the year, faculty and staff participated in several all-school in-service days focused on learning and professional development.

AUGUST: Dr. Tara Peris - How anxiety and school-related stress presents in young children, and how we support and care for all of our students in these moments

OCTOBER: Gamal Palmer - “Liberating Learning Leadership Experience” focused on finding your voice

APRIL: Team Building activities & “Choose Your Own Adventure” classes such as archery, art, games, mindfulness, pickleball, and West African dance

The Employee Health and Wellness Committee, AKA “The Care Crew,” has been busy all year organizing special events and treats for the faculty and staff. From bagel breakfasts to raffle prizes and trivia happy hours, hats off to the Care Crew for showing how much you care and for facilitating camaraderie among colleagues.

Honoring 2023 Retirees

On Wednesday, June 7, the CEE community gathered to celebrate this year’s retirees: Ellen Gerstell, Nancy Hart, Roger LaGrange, and Susan McCarthy, who combined had over 125 years of service to the school! It was a heartfelt evening filled with good memories and lots of gratitude. We wish them the best in the next chapters of their lives!

Gala

The Center community came out to shine on the dance floor at Gala54 at The Beverly Hilton! Parents, alumni, grandparents, alumni parents, friends, and faculty and staff enjoyed a festive disco-themed bash while raising essential funds for the school. This gala was OUT OF SIGHT!

Letter From PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Dear CEE Community,

We are incredibly proud to be part of the CEE community, and this year showcased all of the reasons why. Serving as Parents’ Association co-presidents gives us the unique opportunity to see the magic of The Center up close every day, made possible by the students, faculty and staff, parents, grandparents, alumni families, and friends who so generously give time and resources to CEE.

The Parents’ Association is proud to support 35 incredible committees that serve the Center Community in a variety of ways. These committees are led by over 100 parent chairs with the support of our entire parent volunteer community. Without our 100% parent volunteer support level, none of this would be possible. These are the volunteers who support our community yearround, from welcoming our students at Morning Curb on the first day to helping shut down the school year with the End-of-Year Party.

Witnessing the return of the full slate of vibrant events on the school calendar was a true joy. For the first time in several years, the CEE community enjoyed its Annual Picnic, Book Fair, International Food Tasting Festival, Grandparents’ and Grandfriends’ Day, Night Lights, and Family Charter Night, among many other events, activities, and gatherings. Parent volunteers, many of whom enthusiastically embraced the chance to be on campus more regularly than in recent years, made each of these opportunities possible.

We welcomed Damian Jones as our new Head of School last July, and he jumped right into the role with gusto. Thank you to Damian for his support of the Parents’ Association, and his willingness to dive in with a strong sense of commitment and a smile! Whether reading a story at Night Lights for the EC students, serving hot lunch every week, volunteering for the clean-up crew at the Book Fair, or getting soaked by the sixth graders at the End of Year Party, Damian is an active participant in all of the events that bring this community together.

We would be remiss not to recognize the incredible parent volunteers that support the school in all things fundraising. Supporting the Annual Fund Drive & Gala is not a small feat, and the time and effort made in this area contribute to how our school and student body flourish. Thank you!

We also salute our graduating sixth grade families as they embark on their next steps to secondary school, and welcome our new incoming families who will join us for the 2023 – 24 school year. Thank you, again, to our generous and supportive families. We couldn’t do it without you. We look forward to seeing you all back on campus in the fall!

With gratitude,

Morgan Gilman ’91 & Cari Soto 2022 – 23 Parents’ Association Co-Presidents

OFFICERS 2022 – 23

CO-PRESIDENTS

Morgan Gilman ’91 & Cari Soto

VICE PRESIDENT, UPPER ELEMENTARY

Oren Koules

VICE PRESIDENT, LOWER ELEMENTARY

Jerry Ferris

SECRETARY

Miki Chen

TREASURER

Tami Goldman

COMMITTEE CHAIRS 2022 – 23

AFFINITY AND INTEREST GROUPS

ANTI-RACISM INTEREST GROUP

Rose Baldonado

Rachel Bonkovsky

Ellen Lee

Huey Merchant

Caroline Mitchell

Thea Sheinberg ’98

Ruth Smith

Mandy Wolf

ASIAN AMERICAN AFFINITY GROUP

Tiffany Fong

Clara Kim

Dorothy Lee

Susan Park

THE HERITAGE FAMILY AFRICAN-AMERICAN AFFINITY GROUP

Jennifer Arceneaux

Dawn Butler

Camara Mathis Webb

Jessica Rambo

Tatiana Thomas

DIVERSITY AND MULTICULTURAL COMMITTEE

Rosie Baldonado

Vanessa Barnett

Tony Chu

Shukura Holliday-Shimura

LATIN AMERICAN AFFINITY GROUP

Viviana Garcia

Gissele Gonzales

Sandra Hernandez Fonseca

Paco Navarro Alvarez

LBGTQ+ AFFINITY GROUP

Greg Clark

Angel Kastanis

JEWISH CULTURAL AFFINITY GROUP

Maurice Oberfeld

Sharon Oberfeld

Jerry Ferris

SOUTH ASIAN AFFINITY GROUP

Tanya Ahluwalia

Dulari Amin

Arpita Devani

Gautam Doshi

Ronnie Roy

ANNUAL FUND DRIVE

PARENT APPEAL

Jason Illoulian ’95

Nadine Illoulian

Tony Kim

Cathy Kim

Jon Zepp

Lucy Zepp

ART FAIR

Denise Morello

Kerry Wright

ART ON LOAN

Julie Breaux

Jennifer Louchheim ’96

Sonya Roth

Tiffany Tuttle

BOOK FAIR

Julie Breaux

Jennifer Louchheim ’96

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Nadine Illoulian

Mayumi Kharabi

Jennifer Louchheim ’96

Patricia Park

Emily Roiff

END-OF-YEAR PARTY

Shainaz Donnelly Burg

Miki Chen

Teddy Fong

GALA

Adrián González

Tony Kim

Stephanie Lee

Alicia Wilfork

GRANDPARENTS’/GRANDFRIENDS’ DAY

Jacqueline An

Jessica Bowman ’91

Ruth Samson ’98

Alix Sidem Nichol

GRAPHICS

Tony Chu

Scott Lukowski

GREEN THUMBS

Leandro Pari DiMonriva

Ashley Pittman

Sydney Poitier-Heartsong

HOST FAMILY

Jessica Bowman ’91

Lindsey Karatz

Rui Liu

Annemarie Wiley

HOT LUNCH

Clara Kim

Heather Kin

Cosima Siegmann

Eileen Zuniga

LIBRARY

Amy Andelson

Satish Subramanian

LOST AND FOUND

Justin Maurice

MITZVAH

Clara Kim

Jamie Zinberg

MORNING CURB

Jerry Ferris

Nicholas Halaris

Chelsee Lowe

Richard Lowe

Caroline Zouloumian

NIGHT LIGHTS

Michael Roiff

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Divya Bala

Mirabai Chuldenko

PICNIC

Eli Holsinger

Michael Lappin

Stephanie Lee

PICTURE DAY

Tiffany Daniel

Caroline Mitchell

PIZZA LUNCH

Adie McPartland

Katie Segal ’94

Arlen Yomtobian

SIXTH GRADE SPECIAL LUNCHES

Hilary Angelo

Hofite Huddleston

Heather Kin

Diana Lollie

SPECIAL PROJECTS

Michael Lappin

Michael Roiff

SPIRIT WEAR

Erica August ’89

Leshannon Barnett

Peter Chang

John Chuldenko

Sei Shimura

STAFF APPRECIATION

Lindsay Crystal Miller

Jamie Greenspan

Hofite Huddleston

TOUR GUIDES

John Chuldenko

Amy Messinger

WINDOWS ON WEHO

Ana Khawaja

Alicia Wilfork

YEARBOOK

Sarah Brody

Lisa Gewerth Nelson

Catherine Kim

FUNDRAISING

ANNUAL FUND DRIVE VOLUNTEERS

TODDLER – KINDER APPEAL

Nadine Illoulian, Chair

Jason Illoulian ’95, Chair

Dulari Amin

Jane Cha Cutler

R.J. Cutler

Katherine Cortas

Gissele Gonzales

Blane Kidane

Jaime Lee

Heidi Levyn

Sean Lubens ’94

Alex Mitchell

Caroline Mitchell

Alix Nichol

McG Nichol

Chetan Patil

C1 – C3 APPEAL

Cathy Kim, Chair

Tony Kim, Chair

Bo Banks

Art Becerra-Fraijo

Neel Devani

Breck Eisner ’82

Alfred Fraijo Jr.

Bob Hoff

Adam Leff

Sean Lubens ’94

Trevor Miller ’97

Mike Murphy

Brian Robbins

Ariel Elazar Storch

C4 – C6 APPEAL

Lucy Zepp, Chair

Jon Zepp, Chair

Yasmin Cader

Katherine Cortas

Bobby Fardin

Massy Tadjedin Fardin

John Meigs

Mauricio Oberfeld

Andrew Ruf

Laura Myones Ruf

Cynthia Sanchez

Niroupa Shah

GRANDPARENT APPEAL CHAIRS

Annie Gilbar

Gary H. Gilbar

ALUMNI APPEAL CHAIRS

Ellie Burrows Gluck ’96

Jennifer Louchheim ’96

BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPEAL CHAIRS

Jack Angelo

JJ Ramberg

FACULTY AND STAFF APPEAL

Natalie Babcock

Kristin Britz

Roseanna Chafino

Jill Collito

Raeshon Culberson

Aubrey Dreiling

Bette Feldman

Amy Flemming

Ellen Gerstell

Casey Haltom

Bryan Jovel ’04

Delmy Jovel

Nicole Murphy

Eliko Ozeki

Shoshana Ross

Rosalie Schuller-Alonzo

Karen Weng

GALA VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE CHAIRS

EVENT CHAIRS

Adrián González

Tony Kim

Stephanie Lee

Alicia Wilfork

AUCTIONEER

Viveca Paulin-Ferrell

DJ

D-Nice

ASSISTANT GALA CHAIRS

Cynthia Cheung

Matt Merrell

Katie Segal ’94

DECOR

Shainaz Donnelly Burg

Ana Khawaja

Lana Maniscalco

Olivia Wexler

CREATIVE MARKETING & PUBLICITY

Tony Chu

TRIBUTE BOOK TEAM

Jane Cha Cutler

Eileen Zuniga

PARENT POSTER PHOTOGRAPHER

David Miller

TRIBUTE GALA BOOK EDITOR

Laura Santiago

CONVERSION AND INVENTORY

Jessica Bowman ’91

Autumn Konheim

Miranda Payne

AUCTION DISPLAY

Alissa Burman

Annie Lukowski

Adie McPartland

Ann Nguyen

Arlen Yomtobian

TRIBUTE BOOK DESIGN

Tony Chu

STAFFING

YC Lama

Jessica Yeung

SOLICITATION CAPTAINS

TODDLER

Jessica Fisher

Jaime Lee

Aaron Leff

Yale Scott

EC1

Rebecca Gores

Matt Merrell

Ann Nguyen

EC2

Andrea Chao Kharma

Soundis Passman

Hallie Shaw

Nooshi Zahari

KINDERGARTEN

Tanya Ahluwalia

Vanessa Barnett

Katie Cortas

Alix Sidem Nichol

FIRST GRADE

Ruth Samson ’98

Thea Sheinberg ’98

Eve Williams

Rui Liu Zhao

SECOND GRADE

Jane Cha Cutler

Allie Maldoff

Ricky Mitchell

Theo Shu

THIRD GRADE

Shainaz Donnelly Burg

Jerry Ferris

Natasha Ferris

Tami Goldman

Heather Kin

FOURTH GRADE

Cynthia Chung

Amber Hankey

Sheila Kharrazi

Sonja Leventhal

Huey Merchant

FIFTH GRADE

Deborah Brown

Jessica Ghadir

Jean Goldenberg

Shereen Koules

Jennifer Louchheim ’96

Avia Rosen

SIXTH GRADE

Hilary Angelo

Rachel Fiset

Mike Gagerman

Aimee Helfand

Autumn Konheim

Beth Stolarczyk

WHY WE SUPPORT THE CENTER

Annie and Gary Gilbar

Lisa Gilbar Levy ’87 and Joseph Levy

Marc Gilbar ’92 and Gloria Chang

The Gilbar/Levy/Chang family has been a part of The Center community for over 46 years! Annie and Gary Gilbar enrolled their children, Lisa ’87 and Marc ’92, at CEE in the eighties and haven’t looked back. Annie reflects on their early days at the school; “My first real falling in love with the place was the little red brick schoolhouse. It just felt like the right place for us. The day we started—Lisa was eighteen months old— Reveta and I bonded right away. She put me on the first Board of Trustees and decided I would help with fundraising.” The Gilbars and their children have been active members of the community ever since. Annie shared that “the main memory for me was how happy my kids were.”

As Gary explains, “The school has created a strong sense of community, and so much of our lives revolved around the parents we met at The Center. We were able to watch our kids grow up alongside other families. We made lifelong friends, and so did they. Marc is still in communication with most of the people he was with at The Center.”

Lisa has fond memories of honing her passion for the performing arts as a Center student. She recalls that “a lot of my Center experiences had to do with my version of performing… acting out oral reports in class dressed as an airplane is just one that stands out!”

Marc looks back on his time as a student with gratitude. “My memories are consistent with my parents’; they were formative years in relation to going to school and learning, and your relationship to people and emotional learning. Going to school at The Center, I remember always being excited on Sunday nights going to sleep. That’s not true for everyone. It cascades into learning. You’re excited to see your friends, you’re excited to see your teachers, and you’re excited to learn. That means that as you grow up and education becomes more challenging, and there are more emotional challenges, you’re better equipped for those because of your experience there.”

As alumni, Lisa and Marc participated on the Alumni Council, and Lisa helped run an after-school theater program for several years. Now, Marc and his wife Gloria have two daughters at The Center, and Lisa joined the CEE staff this year as Director of Extended Programs, overseeing after-school and summer programs, and directing the sixth grade graduation play!

The family stays connected to the school partly because, as Gary describes, “the thing you notice when you visit The Center is that the kids are all happy. It is a neat thing to walk through the hallways and see the kids sitting in the little nooks working together or with a teacher. That’s what The Center is about: creating confident and happy children and exposing them to so much.”

It’s been a special experience for Marc and Gloria as they guide their children through CEE. “The school looks completely different today,” says Marc, “but when we arrived as parents, there was a magical feeling to returning and living vicariously through our kids. The conversation is fun because I can say to my daughters, ‘This was my teacher when I was your age.’”

Experiencing the community in so many ways inspires the family to continue giving back after all of these decades. Annie and Gary explain that they credit who their children have become to The Center, sharing they “have always attributed our children’s sense of self, kindness, intelligence, and care for other people to the school - those values are celebrated at The Center and were a huge gift to both of them.”

Contributing in all the ways you can helps The Center thrive, share Annie and Gary, who invite all friends of the school to contribute not just financially, but also “with their talents, their experience, and their passions.” We can all make a difference in the lives of children and the generations to come, following their example.

The thing you notice when you visit The Center is that the kids are all happy.

ALUMNI COUNCIL 2022-23

CO-CHAIRS

Ellie Burrows Gluck ’96

Jennifer Louchheim ’96

MEMBERS

Adam Aronson ’00

Lexi Barta ’97

Amos Buhai ’92

Morgan Cohen ’92

Matt Dines ’96

Marc Gilbar ’92

Lisa Gilbar Levy ’87

Alex Haas ’02

Sara Hendel ’04

Sarah Hoberman ’01

Devin Homsey ’95

Nancy Kirkeby ’79

Caitlin Kramer ’05

Marissa Lepor ’06

Landon Lewis ’16

Khaila Locke ’92

Morgan Mallory ’95

Trevor Miller ’97

Natasha Moini ’10

Gabriella Nourafchan ’01

Lauren Nourafchan Ravan ’05

Trini Rios ’03

Alexander Rosenbloom ’06

Carrie Rosten ’88

Evan Rudin ’97

Thea Sheinberg ’98

Stephen Silberkraus ’93

Parker Thomas ’06

Ariela Weston Herman ’95

Mia Zee ’02

Judd Zinberg ’89

WHY WE SUPPORT THE CENTER Karen Weng and Theodore Shu

Karen Weng wears several hats at The Center; one as Second Grade Teacher for the last six years, and another as a CEE parent, alongside her husband, Theo Shu, to a third grader and a second grader.

Looking back on her first visit to the school as a teaching candidate, Karen remembers, “I noticed that it wasn’t just the students who looked happy, but the teachers looked really happy to be at The Center. Seeing kids engaging with their teachers, and for the teachers to be happily engaging with the students, was remarkable.” Put simply, Karen and Theo support CEE because, as they describe it, The Center “is such a caring community.”

Now that their family is fully entrenched in the community, Theo reflects on how he feels that “it has been magical to see our kids develop skills they can take with them through life

and to learn to interact with adults, which they do all the time at The Center.”

Theo continues, explaining the special nature of how “everyone on campus knows each other and plays with each other. It starts at an early age in Early Childhood when they have second graders read to them, and now our kids are doing the same with the younger students. And they still know their reading buddies from when they were that age.

“I am always impressed to see sixth graders playing with Kindergarten students. The older students are truly caring for the children and don’t shoo them away, which you don’t typically see at many schools.”

Another element of The Center that stands out for Karen and Theo is the role of parent involvement. At school and in the

local community, Karen shares how “The Center parents are the ones always willing and ready to help out and lean in.”

That level of parent support enables the school to provide experiences like the Affinity Group celebrations. Karen explains, “Our kids love all of the celebrations. It’s so special that at our school, they experience Diwali, Día de los Muertos, Black History, Lunar New Year, and more, celebrating all of those events and learning about them in an authentic way. Our kids realize that not every school has these opportunities to celebrate diversity.”

Describing the importance of giving back to the school in ways financial and otherwise, Karen says, “We know that tuition doesn’t cover the cost of running our school, and the experiences are priceless; you can’t put a price tag on them. It takes several aspects to make it all work; part of that is financial support.

As a teacher, I feel lucky that I can use my brain power on my students and what I can create for my class to enhance their learning.” Supporting the school, for this reason and many others, is a no-brainer for their family, and they encourage others to give at the level they can.

As they look ahead to the future at CEE, Karen and Theo share, “We are looking forward to our kids being campus role models as they get older but also are appreciating every day and week. Seeing how grown our kids are at seven and eight, we are treasuring every moment!”

Our kids realize that not every school has these opportunities to celebrate diversity.

WHY WE SUPPORT THE CENTER

Jessica Rambo and Ibert Schultz

Jessica Rambo and Ibert Schultz have wholeheartedly embraced being Center community members, starting when their oldest son entered EC1 two years ago. Now with a second child beginning Toddlers this fall, Jessica and Ibert shared what it means to them to be parents contributing to the community in several meaningful ways. Giving back is central to their experience of the school.

When looking for schools for their children, Jessica explained that “we really value curiosity and creativity. We were first drawn to the play-based structure of Early Childhood, and

once we started to get to know the administration and the families, we understood that this is a special place where people value similar things that we do, such as inclusion, diversity, kindness, and respect.”

“We have young children who will grow up, and we wanted them to experience the beautiful kaleidoscope of the world we live in,” Ibert explains. “We knew this was something The Center offered, a chance for them to come as their complete selves and also experience other families, communities, and cultures in the full way they present themselves.”

Contributing through volunteering was a “beautiful surprise” for them as new Center parents. “My first year as a parent,” Jessica describes, “I volunteered in the library each week to help shelve books. There was often a fourth or fifth grade class there, and to hear the level of conversations they were having, and the thinking, connecting, and synthesizing they were doing, was really heartening. It helped me feel a part of the community and gave me ownership over this small thing.”

Ibert feels similarly about his weekly morning curb duty, and reflects fondly on his team’s goofy holiday sweater day last year: “You have a sense of community that allows you to be lighthearted and joyful.”

Jessica continues, “This connection to the volunteer work lends itself to how we frame financial contributions; so often you give to organizations and don’t know where the money goes. At The Center, you see firsthand that the funds are put to good use for the children.”

Ibert emphasizes, “The people set The Center apart. The community is strengthened by the sense of togetherness that comes from volunteering and significant parent and caregiver involvement.

“The key word for us is community - the way it shows up in both the Parents’ Association and Affinity Groups, but also in our friends and the strong bonds we’ve made with families and that our children have made with their friends. It goes beyond the four walls of the classroom, touching on the full human experience.”

Giving and getting involved in the school is a real opportunity to “touch the future. You don’t know what your gift will inspire in a child that one day could become something. They are creating these memories directly connected to our community involvement,” said Jessica and Ibert

Center students are lucky to have supporters like Jessica and Ibert!

You have a sense of community that allows you to be lighthearted and joyful.

ADMINISTRATION TEAM

Head of School

Damian R. Jones

Director of Lower Elementary

Natalie Adams

Director of Innovation

Matt Argüello

Director of Upper Elementary

Natacha Blanchet

Director of Technology

Omar Dueñas

Assistant Head of School

Erika Johnson

Director of Admissions

Katrina Lappin

Director of Advancement and External Affairs

Laura Maher

Director of Student Placement

Gabby McHale

Director of Early Childhood Programs

Amy-Marie Rivera

Director of Teaching and Learning

Nassim Shandy

Director of Finance

All efforts have been made to ensure the information in this report is accurate. We sincerely apologize for any inaccuracies or omissions. Should you find any, please contact the Director of Communications, Jessica Levin (levinj@cee-school.org).

Debbie Wilhite @thecenterforearlyeducation

ADVANCEMENT TEAM

Director of Advancement and External Affairs

Laura Maher

Assistant Director of Advancement for Fundraising Programs

Ana González

Director of Annual Fund and Constituent Relations

Shannon Larner

Assistant Director of Advancement

Jessica Gersh Leff

Advancement Services Manager

Magee Mudge

Event Coordinator

Luisa Vasquez

Special Thanks

Morgan Gilman ‘91

Erika Johnson

Damian R. Jones

David Messinger

Kenia Romero

Shoshana Ross

Nassim Shandy

Cari Soto

Design

SMOG Design, Inc.

Editorial

Jessica Levin, Director of Communications

Financial Reporting

Debbie Wilhite, Director of Finance

Laura Maher, Director of Advancement

Photography

Trish Alison Photography

Andrew Heiser

Jessica Levin

JD Renes Photography

Zinn Photography

CEE Faculty and Staff

Plant Illustrations

Lesley Goren