The Post, April 2019

VO LU M E X X I V, N U M B E R 7 | A P R I L 2019 A monthly publication of The Post Oak School B O O K FA I R • S E R V I C E L E A R N I N G • M D C E X PA N S I O N

PAGE 2

THE POST

THE POST OAK SCHOOL MUSEUM DISTRICT CAMPUS

Museum District Campus Expansion Post Oak is pleased to announce that we have acquired additional property in the Museum District through a purchase by friends of the school who have offered us a longterm lease. Across Autrey and adjacent to the eye center, we will be developing the parcel of land where three buildings currently sit (1013, 1103, 1105 Autrey Street). This will allow us to increase indoor and outdoor space for classes and athletics.

It’s an exciting development for Post Oak. The Campus Planning Committee of the Board has had several meetings, soliciting input from the Middle and High School teams about possible ideas for the space. Other improvements to the existing campus to maximize parking and classroom space are also being developed. Several parent volunteers have offered their expertise, and a project manager has been hired.

As we have more concrete details to report, we will keep you posted on this exciting project. —Maura Joyce, Head of School

On the Cover

2018–2019 Post Oak Board of Trustees Sebha Ali Erin Busby Raj Chelapurath Rick Evans Blair Garrou Vean Gregg, treasurer Gregory Han, secretary Maura Joyce, president Mark Martin Bert Mellinger Jaana Porra Jennifer Rochlis Manolo Sanchez, chair Rona Sonabend Rochelle Tafolla Whitney Walsh Alison Wong

Trustees Emeriti Melissa Coleman Adam Forman Melanie Gray Bob Harvey Lloyd Kirchner Pat Mitchell Alan Ying

High School students jump for joy as the first A-Term course to visit Coast Rica.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates, photos, and more: www.facebook.com/ postoakschool and postoakhighschool

Instagram.com/ postoakschool/ and postoakhighschool/

twitter.com/postoakschool

A P R I L 2019

PAGE 3

Strategic Planning—Finding our North Star

S

trategic planning is a necessary process for most organizations, including schools. At Post Oak, the structure around it mirrors other independent schools, but takes on the culture of our school. Like other schools, strategic planning is the work of the Board of Trustees, whose primary role is focused on the future, and ensuring that the school is here, thriving, for your children’s children, that is, way into the future. Strategic planning has changed dramatically over time. In my previous school, during my early years as a head, I remember working on a five-year plan, executing it, and moving onto the next five-year plan. I soon learned how quickly the plan became outdated. We found ourselves working on the new plan in year four, then in year three, then in year two, until we realized that strategic planning is an ongoing cycle.

the high school is well-established as part of our Post Oak program and identity. When I first came to Post Oak in 2016, I knew that it would be my task to work alongside the Board in identifying the next vision for the school.

This time, I headed into the work knowing that strategic plans need to be more relevant to the times— that is, they need to be more like a GPS. Once we identify where we are going, we’ll need to find the best way to get there, knowing that an obstacle or better option could get in our way and we will need to try an alternate route.

Twenty months ago, we began a process to engage the Board, administration, faculty, and staff to discuss our school values, identify a vision, create a strategy map, and articulate the behaviors and actions necessary to get there. This process took a lot longer than we expected as it was interrupted by Hurricane Harvey and our flooded Bissonnet The Post Oak School’s last two Campus. The timeline was altered, strategic plans brought to life the but the engagement in the work vision of creating a high school was great. It allowed us to talk program. A tremendous amount about where we are, what we want of energy and time went into the to improve, and how to head in realization of that dream, and now the right direction.

by Maura Joyce, Head of School

In the coming weeks, we will share with you the vision statement and strategic summary which are the result of our work. The outline we will soon publish acts as our North Star, pointing us in the right direction, allowing us to follow our educational GPS coordinates and re-route ourselves when necessary to serve the needs of our students.

Although we are close to handing the community a finished product, the Board’s strategy work is just beginning. We continue to engage in strategic conversations about outcomes and communication, diversity and inclusion, the Houston Montessori Institute, community outreach, just to name a few. As we look to the future, we also take advantage of opportunities that help us realize our strategic goals. (See the opposite page for information about the new property.)

The Board’s work is both visionfocused and grounded in the Post Oak mission. This means that every strategic decision we make centers on the best interest of the children and young adults we serve. •

PAGE 4

THE POST

 S av e t he d a t e fo r t h e

A N N UA L F U N D

Leadership Circle

Library Friends 

Friends of the Library is a financial support group for the library. All funds raised go to support the Post Oak Library and book collections on both campuses. You can become a Friend of the Library (FOL) by making a donation online.

FOL contributors of $100 and more receive an exclusive student-designed T-shirt. Thank you, library friends! •

C O C K TA I L R E C E P T I O N

Tuesday, May 14 Invitations will be mailed mid-April. It’s not too late to become a member of the Leadership Circle! Your company’s matching gift program can help. Contact Development Director Christina Cantu with any questions.

Post Oak Dads Club presents

Featuring the movie “Inside Out”

Family Movie Night at the Bissonnet Campus

Friday, April 12

Good grub, free popcorn, and a fun film!

Doors open at 6:30 Film begins about 8:15

Friends welcome!

Bring the whole family, a blanket, & lawn chairs to this fun, free event rain or shine.

A P R I L 2019

PAGE 5

SUNDAY, APRIL 7

12:15-2:00

YCC and Primary: Storytime with Cory featuring Frog and Toad!

2:30-3:30

Lower Elementary: Guest speaker Anna Meriano, author of Love Sugar Magic, will speak about the book writing process followed by a book signing.

3:45-4:00 4:30-5:30

Performance: Post Oak Elementary students Upper Elementary: Post Oak Book Bee! Upper Elementary students can play a collaborative game featuring The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson.

6:00-7:00

Middle and High School: Live Music! Music by student band Afterburn with original writings created and read by Post Oakers.

Even t kick s off a t noo n!

Got old books?

Post Oak Girl Scouts and National Honor Society members will be collecting gently used books for Book Cycle.

Delicious Treats! Purchase baked goods and coffee from Post Oak student Raka A. and the Middle School Microeconomy!

GES!

S FOR

EVENT

Food Vendors! Enjoy delicious treats from Snow Topi (Taiwanese fusion street food) and Steel City Pops (gourmet popsicles)!

Join us all day for books, activities, waffles, and more!

Book Fair Chairs: Ana Maciel & Ana Sanchez

2421 BISSONNET ST.

ALL A

PAGE 6

THE POST

Service Learning in Middle School

By Ava , Isabel Lily , and Kennedy Middle School students

, ,

Service learning is a key part of the middle school curriculum. Students are split into different groups based on their interests, and each attends a different service site weekly. There are several different opportunities, ranging from helping the homeless to cleaning up the environment.

For this month’s Post, we have decided to write about some of the these sites.

HOPE STONE One of our many service sites we volunteer at is Hope Stone. Hope Stone is a service group in which senior citizens living in senior homes can have fun and learn about theater. In Hope Stone, the seniors practice exercises such as acting/vocal warm-ups, roleplay, improv games, and skit making alongside students from the middle school. This gives seniors the opportunity to have fun while expressing their love for the theater. When we went to visit them this week, we started by doing vocal exercises to ensure that we were projecting when acting, and getting completely into character before performing. After warm ups, the seniors and volunteers were grouped into groups of three, and had just a few minutes to write and practice their skits.

It was amazing to see everyone get into character while performing, and all the joy it brought to the seniors as well as the students. This was an incredible experience for us, and we hope to go back soon.

HOUSE OF TINY TREASURES A group of students have been attending the service site, House of Tiny Treasures, for the past few months. About once a month, our service group travels to the House of Tiny Treasures, a small non-profit school whose purpose is to provide early education to children who are experiencing poverty or homelessness.

Our task there is to play with the kids, whether that be creating fake snow, playing with bubbles, or making slime!

The children love it and it teaches us about responsibility and caregiving. It has been an eye-opening experience since most of these children don’t have a stable home or income. The positive impact that we have on the community is evident, and we will continue to be visiting often!

BEACON This month, we had the pleasure of joining the Beacon group at their service site.

The Beacon is a non-profit organization that aids the large homeless population in Houston. The Beacon offers many services, including legal aid, counseling, access to housing, and even daily services.

The Post Oak group goes to the Beacon every week and usually helps out in the laundry zone. Laundry is done every other day and it is

amazing to see the how crucial our service work is to each and every one of the people staying there. Being at the Beacon, you realize the value of small tasks that lots of people take for granted. The numerous people that depend on the Beacon were kind and thankful for the work we did there. It was a very valuable experience and we will continue going there every week!

MEALS ON WHEELS Meals on Wheels is an organization that is run by Interfaith Ministries. The mission statement of Meals on Wheels is to “provide one hot nourishing meal per day, both in a congregate setting and to our homebound clients.” The students that participate in helping out the clients of Meals on Wheels love to go each week, pick up the hot meals and snacks, and deliver them based on the route sheet they have received. It is fulfilling to see the smiling faces of the clients that deserve these services and that are essential in their lives. continued on page 7

A P R I L 2019

PAGE 7

Gala by the Numbers

by Christina Cantu, Development Director The Gala glitter has settled, and we are excited to announce that Post Oak’s Tenth Biennial Gala—Casino Royale was a record-breaking event! Thanks to the talents of co-chairs Jessica Gregg and Jordan Seff, their volunteer team, and the supreme generosity of the Post Oak community, the event grossed $647,967 with a net of $476,600, breaking all previous gala records!

Gala income goes to support Post Oak’s operating budget including financial aid.

Gala Classroom Corner donations received at the event totaled $52,000 and will be divided between each level to purchase items selected by faculty for classrooms and athletics (see below).

For YCC and Primary, faculty selected an assortment of enhancements and new equipment for the outside environment:

Service Learning in Middle School continued from page 6

ANIMEALS The concept of Animeals on Wheels is similar to Meals on Wheels, except focusing on food for animals instead of food for people. Students in the Animeals On Wheels service group have been making deliveries and crafting toys and

◆◆ ◆◆ ◆◆ ◆◆ ◆◆ ◆◆ ◆◆ ◆◆ ◆◆ ◆◆

Radio Flyer wagons Outdoor Akambira Sand funnel stand Toddler tricycles Two-tiered mini greenhouse Jumbo Foam Construction Set Mud Kitchen Project Toddler Table Natural Balance Beam Classroom garden furniture and musical garden instruments ◆◆ Shade covering for the playground sandbox ◆◆ Garden consultant for edible planting Elementary faculty will be using Classroom Corner funds to complete the purchase of ceiling projectors and retractable screens for all Elementary classrooms.

The Middle School community will purchase a short-throw projector for math and musical equipment

treats for animals. Students mostly deliver pet food and supplies to those who are unable to, or cannot afford to buy these necessities. Animeals On Wheels is a branch of Interfaith Ministries, so almost all of the supplies we deliver are given to us. However, we have also been making our own toys and treats for delivery. These range from braided jeans to old T-shirts

including amps, guitars, a ukulele, and an instrument wall hanger.

High School has selected audio production and recording equipment to produce podcasts and to create and record music.

The Athletic Department will purchase two three-tiered retractable bleachers to allow more people to watch our Bearkats in action at home games.

Gala auction winners received their items or envelopes at checkout that evening. If you did not check out and have not received your item/ information, please drop by or call the Development Office (281-822-8024).

We are grateful to every family who contributed as underwriters, in the silent and live auctions, or through donations in support of the school.

Our next Gala happens in the spring of 2021. We hope to see you there! •

that have been transformed into toys! We have even made homemade animal treats out of peanut butter and oats to add to the delivery list. Returning to the homes of our clients on a weekly basis has built a level of trust between us and the pet owners. We love seeing the same smiling and grateful faces answer the door every week. •

PAGE 8

ALUMNI Stephanie Styles SPOTLIGHT ‘06 (8TH GRADE) She was tapped for stardom as a first-grader at The Post Oak School when she performed in a Theatre Under The Stars production, and now Stephanie Styles is living her lifelong dream of starring on Broadway.

Styles is earning raves in the revival of the classic Cole Porter musical, Kiss Me Kate, at New York’s Roundabout Theatre at Studio 54, playing the dual-role, second female lead of Lois Lane/ Bianca in this play-within-a-play. She shows off her vocal talents, carrying two comedic numbers, and her dancing skills in athletic choreography that’s earned special attention in reviews.

She stars alongside Broadway veterans Kelli O’Hara and Corbin Bleu, and the show has been such a success with audiences and critics that its limited run has been extended through June 30.

Observer reviewer David Cote called Styles a “petite comic powerhouse,” adding that her performance was so skilled, “I had to check my program twice to confirm that Styles is making her Broadway debut.”

She was in her first national musical production at the age of 12 while at Post Oak, in the road company of The Sound of Music.

Following her years at Post Oak, Styles graduated from Episcopal High School, then from the prestigious theater program at the University in Michigan.

She appeared in a number of revues and productions, including the road company of the Disney musical, Newsies.

Last year, she starred in a new musical adaptation of Roman Holiday in San Francisco before finding her way to Broadway in Kiss Me Kate. • —Charlotte Aguilar, Post Oak Grandparent

THE POST

+Community POPA Family Service You can be a life saver! All Post Oak parents and students are invited to our final service day of the school year to get certified in CPR and First Aid. This activity is great for older students looking to babysit over the summer, as well as anyone who wants to learn the ABCs of potentially saving a life and providing first aid.

Sat., May 18 | time TBD (watch Post Highlights for details)

Upcoming Parent & Parent-Student Events Coffee with the Elementary Director Wed., April 10, 9 a.m.

EL

Watch the weekly Post Highlights email for the topic.

New High School Family Gathering Tues., April 16, 7 p.m.

HS

This orientation meeting is for parents and students who will be new to the High School in the fall.

New Middle School Family Gathering Wed., April 17, 7 p.m.

MS

This orientation meeting is for parents and students who will be new to the Middle School in the fall. Childcare is available for Primary and Elementary-aged children for $5 per child; please call the front office to make a reservation.

A P R I L 2019

PAGE 9

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

By Lily

, Middle School student

In February, the middle school performed an adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Before we began the adaptation, the class read the original. The play was then adapted into several time periods and locations until the class voted on Northern California 1967 (Summer of Love). The adaptation was written by a group of eight students over the course of six weeks. The story follows three groups of people: The Courtiers, The Artisans, and The Fairies, and how their lives cross on one fateful night in the forest.

Even before the completion of the script, students who auditioned and were cast by assistant directors began rehearsing and learning their lines. Although the script was not completed, actors familiarized themselves with the new adaptation.

Rehearsal was held at the middle school for about two months before we began transferring blocking and choreography to the large stage of the MATCH, where we would later perform only a few days later.

Up to four times a week, students had scheduled rehearsal time during school hours to solidify their blocking and

choreography. This resulted in actors having to balance rehearsal with lessons and studying, which, especially leading up to the performances, proved to be a difficult task. Rewriting the script also presented quite a challenge, as Shakespeare’s writing style vastly differs from what we know today as normal dialogue. To add on, rehearsal began before the script was even completed.

As you can imagine, memorization and practice with a constantly changing script is near impossible. Through these challenges, students used problem solving and quick thinking skills to keep the production on track.

Behind the scenes, stage management, lights and sound, props, playbills, and costumes were all managed by hardworking students who were not acting in the play, or even actors who wanted to help out backstage. All students were involved in the making of the play, and without everyone’s cooperation and support, it would not have been possible.

Not to mention the incredible work put in by our director, Dana Bowman, as well as other middle school teachers who sacrificed precious time to assist in making the play come to life. •

Volunteer Service Recognition Congratulations to High School student Zoey ’20 for receiving the President’s Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes middle and high school students across America for their outstanding volunteer service. Way to go, Zoey!

PAGE 10

YCC ParentChild Events In February, parents joined their children in the YCC classrooms to see the work they’ve been doing. Some parents were even treated to lessons from our youngest students. A big thank you to everyone for taking the time to participate. The classrooms were filled with focused and happy faces. •

THE POST

A P R I L 2019

PAGE 11

High School A-Term Blog Entries Below are a few entries from the A-Term blogs. See the full list on our website.

COSTA RICA FIELD SCHOOL Reflection Day 8: FairTrade vs CareTrade by Izzie ’20 Today was our first day working with our partner Bean Voyage. Bean Voyage focuses on educating women who own small coffee farms on how to run a sustainable business and through that aiding them in selling their products to ensure they get a fair share of the profit.

We spent a lot of time today talking about women in the coffee industry and what role they play. One of the statistics that really stuck with me is that women do roughly 70% of the production work on the coffee fields in Costa Rica, but by the time the coffee reaches the consumer the women only receive around 8% of the profit. That last 92% goes to the men who work in the final stages with just packaging and marketing. The way

Bean Voyage is working to change these statistics is helping the women go straight to market with their coffee and skipping the middle man. The women who work through Bean Voyage are able to get $8 per pound rather than the $1 per pound that they were getting before.

This made me wonder how can we as consumers make sure we purchase these products where a fair amount of the profit makes it to the farmer. One of the things we discussed was FairTrade and how it plays a role in this. When you put a FairTrade label on something it gives the consumer the idea they are helping the farmer. We believe that the extra money we spend on FairTrade items is actually making it to the farmer. In reality only a couple cents of that extra $5 per pound we spend makes it to the actual farmer.

For example, if you pay $15 on a bag of FairTrade coffee, the farmer may receive $1.04 per pound rather than the $.98 per pound they were receiving before.

Hearing these numbers really upset me because it is just deceiving the consumer and making us feel like we are making a difference, but really just contributing to the problem. In response to this, Bean Voyage has something called CareTrade.

The CareTrade program is used to ensure that the farmer is really receiving the extra money that the consumer is paying. Another comparison between FairTrade and CareTrade is that FairTrade costs around $10,000 to get certified and works more with large corporations.

CareTrade is a completely free education course provided by Bean Voyage which makes it possible to work with much smaller businesses. I think CareTrade and the work Bean Voyage is doing is really amazing and I would love to see it expand to the larger market so consumers can start to work with these farmers to create a change.

FALMOUTH FIELD SCHOOL Day 9: Fifth and Final Falmouth Field School Reflection by Claire ’19 “Hi, my name is Claire. I am a high school student from the United States. My school comes here every year to partner with Falmouth Heritage Renewal and I’m wondering if you could help me with my project.”

Over my four years and five visits, a collective 50 days, in Falmouth I have used this introduction, or one like it, certainly over 1,000 times. This short introduction along with my Post Oak Falmouth Field School T-shirt have opened doors for continued on page 12

PAGE 12

High School A-Term Blog Entries continued from page 11

thousands of meaningful interactions with locals and opportunities for conversation and insight into the nuances of daily life here in Falmouth.

In discussing the culmination of our city study survey we talked about the importance of benefiting the local community through our efforts. This can be tricky considering that sociological work does not always have a clear cut, tangible result, unlike the restoration and archaeology projects we work on while we’re here. To do this we talked about identifying a theme, perhaps, needs relating to water, while keeping in mind an ultimate goal of community impact.

This could be achieved by forging strong connections with a few families in order to better understand their situation and gather information relating to our work while working to aid in their meeting of the needs identified. This is a way we can combine the idea of sociological work that benefits both our educational motives and providing an ultimate benefit for members of the community.

This shift in direction from data collection to collective effort and benefit on both sides is exciting to see. My time spent in Falmouth has therefore been beneficial to me in more ways than one, connection to a different culture, delicious food, and resume additions, just to name a few. Even still, the most exciting part, for me, is the opportunity to watch this program, which I love so much, grow and become more connected to the beautiful community we get to experience in Falmouth each year.

THE POST

SPECULATIVE FICTION Day 5 by Elias

’20

For the halfway mark in our A-term, we began by doing our daily writing prompt, which was a (made up) quote about bioluminescence and glow sticks, from which we had to write a story. After that, we spent some time watching or reading for individual books or TV/movies.

Everyone in the class had to read a book (within reasonable length) and watch either: ◆◆ a series of movies (at the maximum, a trilogy), ◆◆ 6–8 hours worth of a TV show, ◆◆ or 3 completely unrelated movies to compare and contrast All of the works must be speculative fiction of any sort, whether it be sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian, or anything else in between. By doing this, we hope to gain a better understanding of speculative fiction and worldbuilding, along with character design. We could work in groups of 1 or 2 for the project. For example, sophomore Casey C. and I are reading Steelheart, a book by New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.

After we spent some time doing assignments for the class, we worked on—you guessed it—assignments for the class! Another requirement is that everyone writes some

sort of piece of speculative fiction. It can be a short story, series of short stories, a chapter of a novel, or some other genre—within reason and it must be speculative fiction, of course. After working on this for an hour, we broke for lunch.

After our lunch, we began watching an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the episode “Hush” from season 4) to see a unique example of worldbuilding because the episode is silent for the majority of the runtime. Once we finished that, we talked about the episode and how it developed the world and the plot although it was silent before we continued working on our personal stories after a break. After approximately an hour, we were given a choice: either work on the stories or continue watching or reading your chosen piece(s) of media.

This was a fun first week to the A-term, and although I am an experienced casual writer, I already feel that I have learned a lot about writing fantasy and sci-fi in speculative environments, and I look forward to continuing on this path next week. • [Entries edited for length.]

A P R I L 2019

PAGE 13

Science Fair This year, we dove back into the world of all things scientific for the annual Upper Elementary fair (alternating years include history and inventions). Students created their projects using scientific investigation or modeling a scientific principle.

Throughout the day, Lower Elementary and some Primary students were treated to demonstrations and explanations on a wide array of subjects. •

PAGE 14

THE POST

Spanish Market April 12, 2019 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Errol Pinto’s Upper Elementary class will hold a bake sale in the Bissonnet Campus Common Room benefitting Doctors without Borders.

Elementary and afternoon Primary students are welcome to bring up to $5 to spend at the sale.

April 23, 2019 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Maya Pinto’s Upper Elementary class is holding its sixth annual Mercado. Students will sell food and handcrafted items to raise money for Casa de Esperanza.

Student shoppers in Elementary and afternoon Primary may bring up to $5 to purchase gifts and goodies, practice their Spanish, and help a local charity.

BEARKATS CELEBRATION BANQUET Tues., April 23, 2019 5:30–7:00 P.M. | BISSONNET CAMPUS GYM

Middle and High School Bearkat athletes and their families are invited!

Join us for Pappas Burgers and a short program, including the presentation of the Bearkat Heart Award! Don’t forget to wear your Bearkat spirit gear!

RSVP: visit our website at postoakschool.org/bearkatbanquet

A P R I L 2019

FO L LOW U S O N FAC E B O O K & I N S TAG R A M FO R E V E N M O R E PH OTO S

SCENES from The Post Oak School

PAGE 15

PAGE 16

THE POST

N OT I C E B OA R D

Storytime with Cory Wednesday, May 1 at 2:30 p.m.

SCHOOL CLOSED

April 19 School closed

for parents and their children in YCC & Half-Day Primary

SUMMER SCHOOL Log in to My BackPack to register your child for weeks of focus, fascination, and fun with friends at Post Oak! Spots remain for Primary through High School.

Questions? Contact Auxiliary Programs Director Miriam Winton at 713-661-6688 or by email at miriamwinton@postoakschool.org.

April 18 Teacher In-service

Class pictures at the Museum District Campus

Save the Date

Friday, April 26

POPA Parent Celebration

after the MDC Student Appreciation Luncheon

Mon., May 20 6–8 p.m.

To avoid the school’s e-mail communications arriving in your junk mail folder, please add info@postoakschool.org to your safe sender list or address book/contacts.

A BOU T TH E POST The Post appears every first Monday of the month during the regular school year.

You can receive a printed copy from your oldest child, or a PDF version online.

Submit letters, articles, or photos in digital form to Communications Coordinator Elaine Schweizer (elaineschweizer@postoakschool.org) by 5:00 p.m. on the Monday one week prior to publication. Please direct all requests for permission to reprint articles to the communications coordinator.

The Post Oak School was founded in 1963 and accredited by both the International Baccalaureate® Programme (IBO) and the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) Bissonnet Campus: 4600 Bissonnet St., Bellaire, TX 77401 ■ Tel.: 713-661-6688 ■ Fax: 713-661-4959 Museum District Campus: 1010 Autrey St., Houston, TX 77006 ■ Tel.: 832-538-1988 ■ Fax: 832-538-1926

www.postoakschool.org | facebook.com/postoakschool