Fay at 35: Growing a Community of Leaders

With the close of our 35th year, The Fay School's future has never been brighter! 

• The Fay School proudly celebrated its 35th year and our very first Founder's Day this year, honoring our rich history while continuing to build bold momentum for the future, with gratitude for our founding Head of School Marie Fay Evnochides.
• In testament to our community's incredible commitment to the mission and vision of The Fay School, we achieved 100% participation in our Annual Fund for a stunning FIFTH YEAR in a row!
• We let the good times roll at our third-ever Backyard Bash! This year's Fay Fête: A Bayou Affair was a smashing success, raising more than $730,000, another new record for Fay!
• We welcomed Grandparents and Special Friends from all over the country - and the world - to see what a special place Fay is for their Gators.
• We were featured in Independent School magazine for our pen pal partnership with Fay School in Massachusetts.
• We received the first jars of Fay honey from our Alvéole beehive program and had many visits from our beekeeper to learn more about how our newest additions to campus benefit our ecosystem!
• Our Dog Day celebration was rededicated in honor of Mary Kate Jacobe '28. In years to come, MK's Dog Day will be a lasting celebration of her life and impact on the Fay community. This year's celebration was paired with the Art Car parade, and our new Gator Art Car was decorated in remembrance of Mary Kate and Heaven's 27. 
• Second Grade identified a need in our community and launched a donation drive for the Houston Food Bank. As a community, we gathered nearly 1,100 pounds of food for donation!
• We were treated to musical performances from our Elementary Gators: Kindergarten - Howdy, Y'all; First Grade - Flat Stanley Across America; Second Grade - The Day the Crayons Quit; Third Grade - Giraffes Can't Dance; Fourth Grade - One World, Many Voices; Fifth Grade - Honk! Jr.
• Fourth and Fifth Grade led a school-wide donation drive for Books Between Kids, collecting 1,829 books for donation!
• Fifth Grade journalists researched and developed our second annual Gator Gone Green magazine, highlighting the incredible partnerships that enhance our learning experience.
• We expanded our implementation of “Building Everyday Leadership in All Kids,” helping students strengthen communication, empathy, teamwork, confidence, and ethical decision-making skills. 
• We also launched the KnowAtom science curriculum, bringing even more inquiry-driven, hands-on STEM learning into classrooms and empowering students to think like scientists, engineers, and innovators. 
• Kindergarten and Fifth Grade Gators grew cross-campus connections with the KinderBuddy program, sharing recess and lunch dates, sitting together at Gator Gatherings and other school assemblies, working on projects, and cheering one another along through the school year.
• Four Fay Gators - Fourth Grade Leaders Imaan '27 and Minnah '27 and Fifth Grade Leaders Stella '26 and Olivia '26 - were featured presenters at Jaipur Literature Festival, the largest literary gathering in the world!
• We celebrated our local connection to NASA and space exploration with field trips and special visits throughout the year, welcoming current and former NASA employees and a travelling planetarium to expand our understanding. Fifth Grade spread moon joy with their Artemis II museum, making place-based learning an out-of-this world experience.
• Outdoor learning spaces and campus enhancements continued to evolve this year, including the addition of a new Primary Playscape and a “Garden of Sound” musical exploration space. 
• Miss Walsh '29 took the mantle of Head of School for the Day with gusto, gifting Gators with our first ever Dress as Your Favorite Decade Day and Decades Dance Party as her decree!
• We celebrated another successful Book Fair, receiving over $3,200 for books and materials for the Fay Library!
• Fay faculty and staff engaged in extensive professional development throughout the year, participating in national conferences, graduate coursework, literacy institutes, leadership programs, outdoor education training, AI workshops, and responsive classroom learning. 
• Welcomed Alumni from the Classes of 2025, 2024, and 2023 for a special Middle School service project to support Kids' Meals, where we packed over 275 meals for the charity, before kicking off an alumni kickball game!
• We celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2026 by again including meaningful alumni speakers, a beloved Fay tradition, this year featuring graduates Matthew Hearn ’20 and Eva Lavallee ’21. 

It's been such an incredible, impactful year, there is no way to contain all of our year of experiences in just one list, so we invite you to visit our social pages and our blog to revisit many of the moments, big and small, that made our 35th year so special. As we close the school year, there is tremendous excitement about Fay’s future, its growing momentum, and the many opportunities ahead for our students, families, faculty, and broader community. Thank you for joining us on this journey.