Giving
Annual Report 2022-2023
2022-2023 Annual Report
The Bush School is grateful to the 900+ members of our community who give their time, financial support, and talents to benefit the Bush community each year. Gratitude, The Bush School’s Annual Report, is a display of our thanks. The stories below highlight the impact of your generosity. Thank you, we could not do this important work without you!
We invite you to view secure lists of our contributors for the 2022-2023 school year.
Great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of this report. If we have omitted or misspelled your name, or if you have any name, address or family information changes, please contact the Bush Development Office at development@bush.edu.
2022-2023 Administration & Board of Trustees
List of 2 items.
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2022-2023 Board of Trustees
Executive CommitteeLisa Carroll, PresidentSalone Habibuddin, Vice PresidentAtul Bali, Co-TreasurerAmy Fernandes, Co-TreasurerKarim Lessard ’89, SecretaryBoard Members At LargeEmily Alhadeff ’94Kevin BakerSteve Banks ’94Maneesh Batra ’90Craige BlackmoreSteven CaplowChris Chickadel ‘93Irene FisherAllison HarrGeoff HarrisPatricia HearnKathy O’KelleyJulie OkerstromDaniel PakIan SandsJennifer SchorschOmar ShahineQuentin StreetsJudi YatesTrustee EmeritaMary 'Sis' Pease ’41* (deceased)Ex-Officio Board MembersPercy L. Abram, Ph.D, Head of SchoolUrs Koenig, Family Association PresidentFaculty Board RepresentativesCatherine Hamblet, Lower School Fourth Grade Teacher; Lower School ChairBetsy Wandasiewicz, Middle School Learning SpecialistChristine Miller, Upper School Math Teacher; Math Department Chair -
2022-2023 Senior Leadership Team
Percy L. Abram, Ph.D. - Head of SchoolLeslie David - Executive Assistant to the Head of SchoolEthan Delavan - Director of TechnologyJo Ito - Athletic DirectorPolly Fredlund - Assistant Head of School for Community EngagementSharon Hurt - Director of Development and Strategic InitiativesJosé Leonor - Middle School DirectorMatthew Lai - Upper School DirectorSarah Smith - Assistant Head of School for AcademicsRather Stanton - Chief Finance and Operations OfficerAliya Virani - Lower School DirectorKimberlee Williams - Director of Intercultural Affairs
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Letter from Head of School
Dear Bush Community,What a deeply satisfying experience it is to work in schools. Each year is filled with its common rhythms and rituals, familiar faces, and events and celebrations that keep us engaged throughout the year. The year is also filled with a host of surprises, new arrivals, and fresh beginnings. This is what makes each year joyful.“Joy” was the theme of the 2022-2023 academic year. We opened our minds and our hearts to new possibilities and, for the first time in recent years, planned hopefully for the future. We opened the school year with our largest enrollment (709) ever, initiated our international trips for students, brought home two more state titles (boys cross-country and boys tennis), staged ambitious plays in the Middle School and the Upper School, and celebrated Fall Festival with all the cotton candy a Second Grade student could hope for (and her teacher feared).We pooled the efforts of 315 volunteers to thank faculty and staff, lead admissions tours, serve on Board committees, help on field trips, plan a spectacular Parent University with keynote speaker Tanya Mosely, and give us hundreds of reasons to Celebrate Bush in March. In addition, your generous support allowed us to fund George Taylor Faculty Travel Grants to Italy, England, South Africa, Japan, and Denmark; bring local authors to campus to read to Lower School students; engage in faculty professional development workshops on neurodiversity; and send Upper School students to participate in a Hack-a-thon competition.These opportunities would not have been possible without each and every one of you who made our year full and joyful. I remain ever grateful to you for making The Bush School a place where our students can thrive, our teachers are able to do their best work, and our families can participate fully in our dynamic school community.Gratefully,Percy L. Abram, Ph.D.Head of School
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Letter from Board President
Dear members of The Bush School Community,As we embark upon our Centennial year, I feel a deep sense of appreciation for the several generations of students, faculty, staff, parents, guardians, and alumni who have come before us and shaped Bush into the vibrant community that it is today.At the same time, I reflect upon our collective responsibility to pay it forward. Our actions today are vital in ensuring that Bush evolves and thrives throughout its next hundred years. Like our predecessors, each one of us has something special to contribute toward making Bush—and, by extension, our communities—better places for future generations.Together, your gifts of time, talent, and treasure, whether they be large or small, all make a real difference. And the mere act of giving sets an important example by inspiring others to do the same.Your contributions allow us to make meaningful progress toward our strategic priorities of inspiring learners, elevating experiential education, building and nurturing community, creating dynamic learning environments, and cultivating and stewarding resources.On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, thank you for your generosity of heart, your kind and warm support, and your commitment to making The Bush School the best it can be—today, and well into the future.With gratitude,Lisa CarrollPresident, Board of Trustees
Fiscal Year Performance
This past year, The Bush School raised a total of $4,519,066 in philanthropic support. This included $1,853,327 in support of annual operations (through the Annual Fund and Celebrate Bush), $68,320 in support of the endowment, and $2,597,419 of gifts and pledges in support of the New Upper School Building and Middle School Center Campus.
Total operating revenue for the year was $32,146,000 and came from tuition and fees, philanthropic support, auxiliary income, and income from the Endowment.
Total operating expenses for the year were $31,867,000 and included educational programs, compensation, financial aid, maintenance, technology, and fundraising.
The difference between operating revenue and expenses this year resulted in a surplus of $279,000, which the Board of Trustees voted to allocate to the Board designated fund for strategic initiatives.
The Bush Endowment
The endowment is an important part of the school’s overall fiscal year performance. Our donors’ commitment to the endowment supports the school’s vitality and solidifies their legacy with the school.
The total value of the Bush endowment as of June 30, 2023 was $26,103,472. In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the Board of Trustees elected to draw approximately 1.6% of the Endowment for a total of $432,000. This year, the Board designated portion of the endowment has expanded to include designated funds that support campus maintenance and technology. These funds were recently invested with Bush’s long term invested funds which explains the additional amount in the Board designated portion of the endowment. They were able to make that decision based on the financial health of the school and the performance of the Endowment over the past three years.
The Board is watching the performance of the Endowment closely and working with our Fund Managers, Garde Capital, to ensure our long-term investment philosophy will help us weather positive and negative years. Thanks to ongoing support from donors, we continue to feel well positioned for the long term.
Your Annual Fund Gifts in Action
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$25
Supplied piping bags and tools to bake pies and frost cakes as a part of the Middle School Art theme of the year, food. Students in grades six through eight created a variety of food-related works throughout the year, including clay plates and a cookbook with family recipes and familiar favorites. -
$30
Re-certified one therapy dog through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Bush Counseling Services is proud to have Yoshi and Starsky as certified emotional support animals to better student mental health. -
$60
Supported the cost for a web-based machine that has been built for all of computing and astronomy classes at Bush to write Python code. This interface allows students to do a variety of things, like configure and arrange workflows in data science, scientific computing, computational journalism, and machine learning. -
$75
Registered the Upper School robotics team to compete alongside fifty-four teams at Lake Washington High School. They made it through qualifying rounds and to eliminations, placing eighteenth overall. The excitement around last year’s competitions allowed the team to run three weeks of robotics building during the summer and jumpstart their learning. -
$100
Installed one new amplifier in Benaroya Theater for Middle and Upper School drama productions. Last year, students put on 4 plays, including “On the Razzle” and “The Nursery”. -
$120
Purchased six copies of the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2023 for Juniors who receive ninety percent financial aid or higher. All Upper School students work with our amazing team of college counselors starting their Junior year. -
$150
Rented one bass drum and equipment for the Lower School Fine Art Evening showcase. Students Kindergarten through Fifth Grade showcase their musical and artistic skills for friends and family every year, to much acclaim. -
$250
Brought one guest speaker to campus for the Upper School Wellness and Joy Day. Students had a half day to listen to speakers from a variety of fields discuss ways to support mental health and promote joy. -
$300
Covered fifty Soundtrap licenses for Middle School students to make and record original music. All students at Bush take music classes, and are encouraged to create original works as well as jam together. -
$500
Allowed both First Grade classes to explore the Seattle Aquarium and learn more about local marine life. First Grade curriculum includes studying physical and behavioral characteristics of animals, and field trips provide important, inquiry-based learning opportunities for our youngest to eldest students. -
$1,500
Covered the fees for the 2022-2023 school year at the Seattle Bouldering Project. Bush offered three climbing E-lectives and Wilderness trips last year, including a four day excursion in the Methow Valley. -
$2,700
Transcribed eighty oral histories from the Bush Archives, including Alumni Day 2022, Fall Festival Memory Booth 2022, and archival audio cassettes, as part of preservation and Centennial Celebration efforts. Interviews were conducted by Louise Puchalla ’22, and Archivist and Centennial Coordinator Cali Vance. -
$3,000
Supported one faculty member in their pursuit of a Master in Teaching from the University of Washington. Bush provides professional development opportunities and experiences to all faculty and staff, including advanced degree support. -
$7,000
Sent the entire Third Grade class to Camp Seymour for three days and two nights. Grades three through twelve at Bush attend retreats to build stronger community and foster connection outside of the classroom. -
$28,837
The average financial aid award for the 2022-2023 school year, which represents a seventy-four percent coverage of the cost of attendance. The Bush School is committed to making a Bush education affordable and accessible to students of all backgrounds.
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The Bush School is an independent, coeducational day school located in Seattle, WA enrolling 735 students in grades K–12. The mission of The Bush School is to spark in students of diverse backgrounds and talents a passion for learning, accomplishment, and contribution to their communities.
3400 East Harrison Street, Seattle WA 98112 (206) 322-7978
The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment, recruitment, admissions, or administration of any of its programs on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, gender, or sexual orientation. In addition, The Bush School does not discriminate in matters of employment on the basis of age or marital status.