Porter's Post...
...where we present the most current personal missive from our Founder and Head of School, Ms. Barbara Porter. We never know what she is going to say, but it's always interesting, informative, and fun. And always delivered with her inimitable, Anglo-American flair!
During this year’s annual gala, we awarded several couples and individuals as Spirit of St. Francis Founders. As you know, this year’s event was a celebration of 25 years of St. Francis School and it was imperative that we recognize those individuals who have been driving forces for the success of our school. As many of you were not present at this year’s gala, I wanted to share with you an edited transcript of the evening:
Twenty five years ago, we had a dream of a school where anyone – despite their background – could get an excellent education. The school’s diversity has become the greatest lesson for all of our students – past, present, and future. Excellence without exclusivity is not a motto; it is a way of life. An experiment like ours does not succeed without the support and commitment of many people, some of whom we must honor at this time.
We must begin by recognizing the hard work and dedication of the St. Francis School Board and each of its members, past and present. Thank you for your commitment.
Roane and Barbara Puett helped bring about the very existence of St. Francis School. When Resurrection Episcopal School was closed by the Bishop in 1985, Roane and Barbara were determined that the school would not fade into oblivion and found the school a home at Koenig Lane. With their financial support and commitment to reinventing the idea of a school, St. Francis was born.
After two years at Koenig Lane, we knew we needed to move in order to grow. We were able to secure the Perry Estate at 41st and Red River, where we met Tom and LaVonne Collins. At the time, their son Toby was in kindergarten. Tom and LaVonne knew that St. Francis would be the best school for their family when they heard about “those renegade Episcopalians who had opened a school.” In their more than 10 years as active members of the St. Francis community, Tom and LaVonne offered both financial support and time to help the school grow. LaVonne served as a room mother, taught science and math, and worked several years in the front office – all as a volunteer. As a couple, Tom and LaVonne were a force for growth for St. Francis School as we transferred to our current home on Huntland Drive.
Carol Clark and Mary Ann Rankin, as Board Members, recognized the need for a strong faculty to support the diverse student body at St. Francis. To that point, the school had been incredibly lucky to retain quality faculty, even at the low salaries that were necessary in the early days of St. Francis. Due to our commitment to “excellence without exclusivity,” there was genuine concern that raising tuition to raise teacher salaries would ruin our diversity. Knowing that the day would come when even our most committed teachers would need to leave our school for financial reasons, these two women took a leap of faith. We can honor Carol and Mary Ann by recognizing that many of our teachers have been here for more than 15 or 20 years and are still strongly devoted to St. Francis.
Art and Sandi Boone joined the St. Francis community when we were still at the Perry Estate. As a result of having three children go through St. Francis, the Boones were with us for quite a long time! Through their financial support and fervent advocacy, Art & Sandi helped St. Francis expand exponentially during their time at St. Francis.
Doug Laycock. Words fail me. If you are do not know why we are honoring Doug Laycock, I urge you to stop by and chat with me some day because we don’t have enough time here to tell you everything Doug has done for St. Francis. At the 20th Anniversary, we named our school building after Doug, and he was reluctant to be honored again, but we cannot acknowledge the Founders of St. Francis without recognizing Doug. Doug IS the cornerstone of St. Francis. For more than 20 years, he has been bound and determined to see our school succeed and, as you can see when you drop your children off in the morning, we are thriving. Thank you, Doug. A million times, thank you, for the strength and stability you offer St. Francis School.
For many years, the Board wanted to establish a scholarship endowment to ensure the long-term commitment to our school’s economic diversity. Through the generosity of the Woodward family, we now have an endowment that has grown well past its origins. Without Nancy and the rest of the Woodward family we would not have the security of our school endowment. I appreciate Nancy for thinking of St. Francis School’s growth past all of us.
Ben and Melanie Barnes love sports of all kinds. In their first years as parents at St. Francis, there were not many opportunities for students to cultivate their athletic intelligence. With the help of Ben and Melanie, we now have a strong, thriving athletics program, complete with great facilities. We have a soccer field and a beautiful new gymnasium and offer our students opportunities in flag football, volleyball (a personal favorite of the Barnes family!), basketball, soccer, track and unconventional activities like ultimate Frisbee. We have both indoor and outdoor places to gather as a school family and none of this would be possible without Ben and Melanie.As you can see, it was a marvelous, historical evening for St. Francis School. I hope you will join us next year as we celebrate the success of St. Francis as we go beyond the first 25 years as a community.
We raised more than $85,000 for the school, thanks to the hard work and determination of the gala committee and volunteers. If you see the following committee members in the hallways or in the parking lot, please be sure to thank them for the successful project they executed for the benefit or your children and all students at St. Francis: Rebecca Yerly (Event Chair), Karisa Davis (Auction Chair), Laura Brand, Ann Denkler, Mary Marrero and Tomas Marrero, Polly McLean, Le Popov, and Sheila Skaggs. On this note, I’d like to thank each and every one of you for your past, present, and future support of our school.
