The Bush School
Giving

Annual Report

2021 Annual Report

Each year, we are so proud of the number of people who give their time, their financial support, and their talents to build an incredible community. Thank you to everyone for your contributions. We could not do this without you! 

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.

We invite you to view secure lists of our contributors for the 2020-2021 school year.

2020-2021 Donor List
Members of The Bush School community received an email with the password to this section.  If you are a member of the Bush community and would like access, please email us at development@bush.edu to request the password.

2020-2021 Administration & Board of Trustees

List of 2 items.

  • 2020-2021 Administration

    • Percy L. Abram Ph.D., Head of School
    • Robin Bentley, Assistant Head of School for Finance and Operations
    • Leslie David, Executive Assistant to the Head of School
    • Ethan Delavan, Director of Technology 
    • Polly Fredlund, Director of Communications and Enrollment Management
    • Sharon Hurt, Director of Development
    • Jo Ito, Athletic Director
    • Sally Maxwell, Ph.D., Acting Middle School Director
    • Aliya Virani, Lower School Director
    • Kimberlee Wiliams, Director of Intercultural Affairs
    • Ray Wilson, Upper School Director

  • 2020-2021 Board of Trustees

    • Steve Rosen ’84, President
    • Lisa Carroll, Vice President
    • Irene Fisher, Treasurer
    • Chris Chickadel ’93, Secretary
    • Emily Alhadeff ’94
    • Kevin Baker
    • Atul Bali
    • Steve Banks ‘94
    • Craige Blackmore
    • Steven Caplow
    • Sergio Chin-Ley
    • Amy Fernandes
    • Maggie Finch
    • Alden Garrett ’73
    • Salone Habibuddin
    • Allison Harr
    • Patricia Hearn
    • Kathy O’Kelley
    • Daniel Pak
    • Ian Sands
    • Jennifer Schorsch
    • Judi Yates

    • Mary 'Sis' Pease ’41* (deceased), Trustee Emerita 
    • Percy L. Abram, Ph.D., Head of School
    • Christina Brinker, Families Association President 
  • Letter from Head of School Letter from Head of School

    Dear Bush Community, 

    The 2020-2021 school year feels so distant, yet right over our shoulders. We approached the year with optimism and hope, flexible in our planning and fluid in our thinking. Keeping our community whole was our priority, and in order to do so we committed to being nimble, took on new roles, and learned to let our fears and anxieties flow all around us. Like water. 

    Each Bush student experienced these unprecedented times differently, yet collectively they found ways to deepen their commitments, broaden their perspectives, and engage more passionately in the activities and causes most meaningful to them. This helped them wade through deep and stormy currents, and emerge stronger. In this issue of Gratitude, you will read some of these amazing stories, and stand in awe, as we did last year, of their strength and perseverance. 

    We also marveled at the myriad ways our volunteers, donors, and Board of Trustees supported the school, sustaining our families, faculty, staff, and students. They helped us to celebrate our teachers and staff for their extraordinary efforts all year, honor our financial commitments to families receiving need-based financial aid, ensure that our students’ environment was safe and their experiences robust even when the circumstances around them felt uncertain. The Bush Board of Trustees were able and steady stewards of the school, helping us move through 2020-2021 safely, confidently, and with an eye on the school’s future. 

    A year spent building relationships, confidence, and resilience, coincided with breaking ground and setting the foundation for the New Upper School Building. The 20,000 square foot masterpiece was designed to create active learning environments for students and teachers, and to honor the school’s commitment to environmental sustainability. This effort, which began in 2017 and will culminate with the opening of the building in March 2022, could not have happened without the caring and generous support of our donors and volunteers.

    In 2020-2021, generosity was in abundance. I am so grateful to the families who helped us reach and exceed our annual giving goals. These funds allowed us to meet our yearly operating needs at a time when we anticipated losses in personnel, revenue, and student enrollment. We were fortunate that those losses did not materialize, and that these gifts went to support critical strategic priorities for the school and its future. 

    Philanthropy is a big umbrella, and our goal is for that umbrella to reach all of us so that we can foster a true sense of belonging. Even in a storm.

    I am grateful to each of you and fortunate to be a part of this amazing school’s present and future.

    Be water,

    Percy L. Abram, Ph.D.
    Head of School
  • Letter from Board President Letter from Board President

    Dear Bush Community,

    I am filled with gratitude for the way in which our community came together to support the school during a time of great uncertainty. For so many families, businesses, and organizations across the country, the pandemic often made it difficult to know what tomorrow might bring. Through your support, we were able to lift up this place where our children spend so much of their lives learning, growing, and building connections.
     
    Because of you, we did more than survive this past school year. Percy talks a lot about the ways in which we move forward together, and your contributions made it possible for the Board of Trustees to think big and envision a bold future for the school. Some of the outcomes of our strategic planning, such as our New Upper School Building, will soon be complete. We supported our faculty, and ensured our students continued to thrive under the most challenging circumstances. And while we cared for our teachers and students, we also continue to care for this place. We are poised to restore our iconic Gracemont, with planning moving ahead for a new Middle School. More projects, such as our continued development of the Bush Methow Campus are on the horizon. Big. Bold. Forward.
     
    This culture of care and realization of these projects was possible because of the philanthropic foundation built by each of you, our community of donors and volunteers. I believe this will forever be one of the most unique periods in the history of the school, full of challenges and the unknown. And as we look back, our legacy will be the way in which we rose up to face these challenges. Witnessing our community come together will always be a source of great pride.
     
    With gratitude,
     
    Steve Rosen ’84
    President, Board of Trustees

Fiscal Year Perfomance

This year with your support, The Bush School raised a total of $5,474,019 in philanthropic support. This included $1,897,962 in support of annual operations (through the Annual Fund and Celebrate Bush), $717,407 in support of the endowment, and $2,858,650 of gifts and pledges in support of the New Upper School Building and Education Master Plan.
 
Total operating revenue for the year was $27,954,730 and came from tuition and fees, philanthropic support, auxiliary income and investment return.
 
Total operating expenses for the year were $25,430,960 and included educational programs, compensation, financial aid, maintenance, technology, and fundraising.

The Bush Endowment

The endowment is an important part of the school’s overall fiscal year performance. Assistant Head for Finance and Operations Robin Bentley underscored this, sharing: “Endowments are considered a hallmark of financial sustainability.” Our donors’ commitment to the endowment supports the school’s vitality and solidifies their legacy with the school. The value of Bush’s endowment as of June 30, 2021 was $26,583,818. 

Learn More

Your Annual Fund Gifts in Action

Stories of Philanthropy and Community

The Bush School
The Bush School is an independent, coeducational day school located in Seattle, WA enrolling 710 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.
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