St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

Annual Parish Meeting

January 16, 2011

2010 Report from the Head of School

Dear Friends and Parishioners of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church:

I am pleased to provide this annual report on behalf of St. Andrew's Episcopal School.

One year ago this weekend, I offered my first annual report, remarking on a multitude of events that

took place beginning with my assumption of Headship in June 2009 and continuing through

December 2009. Now able to offer commentary on a full 12 months in the life of St. Andrew's

Episcopal School, I feel even more confident about my ability to offer the following assessment of

the School's state of affairs.

For the 2009 report, I included words and phrases such as "soberness," "economic downturn," and

"recovering."

And while the School continues to adjust and rebound from several significant events of the past five

years--Hurricane Katrina, a national recession, a new Middle School Program, a major transition in

leadership--I am pleased to report that St. Andrew's is presently in a position of strength not known

since before 2005.

With 166 students presently enrolled in our PK-Grade 8 program, we have achieved our largest

enrollment since 1995. Factor in an additional 25-30 students in the St. Andrew's Cottage, and there

are presently more children on our campus than at any point in St. Andrew's history.

With just three students in the Class of 2011 and six students in the Class of 2012, it is possible and

even likely that the School could grow by an additional 30 to 40 students in the next two years.

Student retention, of course, is the key factor in all of our calculations. From 2005 to 2009, the

School retained an average of only 76% of its students. From last school year to this one, we retained

93% of our students. With only 10 voluntary student withdrawals and 17 additions to Grades K-8, the

School added 22 students from August 2009 to August 2010.

If the School's retention rate remains in the 85%-90% range, and if we continue to enroll

approximately 20-22 students in PK each fall, St. Andrew's could reasonably enroll 200 students or

more in the next two years.

From an operating income perspective, this is, of course, wonderful news. It should mark the end of

at least seven years of dependence on the School's unrestricted endowment reserves as a means of

balancing the budget from year to year.

From a facilities and teaching and learning perspective, however, this rapid enrollment growth carries

monumental challenges. Simply put, the School has run out of space to adequately educate a growing

student population. I believe that St. Andrew's is, at present, a Nursery-Grade 8 Program situated on

a PK-Grade 6 campus. For the viability of the School's commitment to the "Decade of Childhood"

and a PK-Grade 8 Program, we must make plans to address the lack of adequate teaching space on

our campus.

And making plans we are. This fall, the School Board commissioned a Feasibility Study, conducted

by longtime New Orleans fundraiser Charles Heim, to assess our community's readiness and

capacity to support a major Capital Campaign, the first in the history of St. Andrew's Episcopal

School.

Over the next several weeks, Mr. Heim will be conducting confidential interviews with over 50

members of the St. Andrew's community, assessing and analyzing our readiness for this Campaign.

His final report is scheduled for presentation to the Board in late March.

If there is sufficient will and capacity in our community, the Campaign will address the present lack

of space on campus through the construction of a new classroom building on the vacant Satimore Lot

as well as through phased renovations of Kimball and Parish Halls. Other improvement elements of

the Campaign could include enhancing faculty compensation, increasing funds available for student

financial aid, and growing the School's endowment.

Another major initiative on the School's schedule for this spring is installation of durable and safe

synthetic field turf on the Carrollton Avenue playground, just adjacent to the Church. As a School

without a gymnasium on campus, the addition of quick-drying, soft, and low-maintenance field turf

would constitute a major quality-of-play enhancement for all 166 of our students, whether in recess,

PE, or during afternoon athletics.

The School's major fundraising event of the year, the Rock N' All-Star Concert and Auction on

February 20, will raise a significant portion of the funds needed for this exciting project.

Sticking with a "green theme," during 2010, St. Andrew's celebrated enhancements both to its

Community Garden on the Satimore Lot as well as to its playground area. Thanks to funds raised

from the 2010 Auction and from a generous grant from the Peja Stojakovic Children's Foundation,

the School re-paved and re-equipped its basketball and volleyball courts and installed over 4,000

square feet of Bermuda grass, which have been gloriously received by students, faculty, and parents.

The renovation of our courts and playground was properly blessed and feted at the Inaugural March

Madness Tournament and Fair on March 28, 2010. Plans are in the works for a second Tournament

and Fair to be held on March 26, 2011.

The School is presently in its third year as a PK-Grade 8 institution. As additional commentary on

our growth as a School and our evolution into a Middle School program, I offer the attached Head's

Letter, "Why a Decade of Childhood," which was mailed to our parents in mid November. I am also

including a present enrollment snapshot of the School.

So while these continue to be challenging times for the School community, they are also times of

perhaps unprecedented promise and growth. With continued support from all members of the St.

Andrew's community, I am confident that we will continue to thrive and prosper in educating the

mind, body, and spirit of children in a small, nurturing environment that values faith, reason, and

diversity.

Thank you for your support of St. Andrew's Episcopal School.

Yours,

Mason Lecky

Head of School