An Evening of Thanks!

A sweet spring breeze kept things comfortable at Tuesday evening’s Post Oak Parents Association (POPA) End-of-Year Celebration in the new outdoor Bissonnet Campus pavilion. Parents and faculty members came out to enjoy tasty treats, listen to a lively jazz duo, raise a glass to the end of the school year, and say thanks to a few folks.

Maura Joyce welcomed the group and began the program with an acknowledgment and thanks to all faculty and staff for their work each day supporting our students. Next, she thanked parent volunteer groups, including room parents and Annual Fund class captains, and gave special appreciation to this year’s annual fund chairs, Rob Johnson and Ariella Perlman.

Maura then welcomed to the stage our three amazing POPA chairs: Laura De Vera, Carlin Putman, and Daniela Sanchez, who have gone above and beyond in their extended three-year term through the pandemic. These three women have kept our community connected, informed, and in good spirits, even during difficult times. They are superstars and have our heartfelt thanks!

Carlin and Laura both talked about their experience of being POPA chairs, working on events, and how wonderful it is to work with Post Oak parent volunteers. Laura shared, “These memories and events wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment from members of our community. Whether you showed up for one hour of a POPA workday, sold raffle tickets in the parking lot, chaired a Gala subcommittee, or came in to set up for Gala, each one of your contributions mattered to the success of this school year.”

The POPA chairs thanked all of this year’s event leadership and volunteers, with a massive round of applause going to Gala chairs Jess Matos and Amy Kirchner! For the grand, final presentation, they were delighted to announce our new Post Oak Parent Association chairs for 2022–2024: Vareen Cunningham, Rhian McKinney, and Sabina Walia!

These days, being able to gather together feels precious and not something to take for granted. Standing under the pavilion with Post Oak friends Tuesday evening reinforced the importance of community—our Post Oak community!

We thank all of the 2021–22 event chairs and leadership volunteers for their service in support of the Post Oak School:

• POPA Chairs: Laura De Vera, Carlin Putman, Daniela Sanchez
• Dads Club Chairs: Darryll De Vera, Lloyd Kirchner, Bobby Matos
• Family Fun Day Chairs: Sara and Gabriel Massey
• 2022 Biennial Gala Chairs: Amy Kirchner and Jessica Matos
• Community Service Chairs: Sheryl Abrahams, Johnna Gluth, Pragnya Patel
• Post Oak Fund Chairs: Ariella Perlman and Robert Johnson
• Teacher Appreciation Coordinators: Shonali Agrawal (BC), Karen Brisch, and Denisha Sotomayor (MDC)

Next week we will announce our event chairs and Post Oak Fund chairs for the 2022–23 school year.