By Vickie Baldwin, Director of Institutional Advancement

The Alice Strong Award at Eastside Prep is named for one of our early parents to honor her volunteer efforts at our school. It is the highest award given to volunteers in our community. As the inscription on this award says, the award “is intended to honor people who provide leadership through their volunteer efforts.” This year’s award winners provided just such leadership through their varied volunteer work.

Joe Belfiore

Director of Athletics Kim Eng notes, “Joe’s magic touch behind a camera lens is nothing short of professional. He went to multiple Boys Ultimate games (mind you he has no kid on the team) and took pictures for us to use and for the players/parents to have. He even went to Nationals in Salt Lake City (again…with no player on the team) and took pictures for everyone! Joe takes pictures at his daughter’s games and even emails me sets of pictures DURING the games so I can post them on Instagram in real-time. These photos are amazing and professional. The action shots he gets are unbelievable! His service is invaluable to me and to the school!” Joe’s efforts don’t stop at athletics, though; he’s taken photos during our theatrical productions as well. Joe’s contributions in recording various community activities have been instrumental in the celebration of our student efforts and achievements.

Shairose Gulamani

Shairose Gulamani has been volunteering (and sometimes ‘volunteered’) in almost every capacity at Eastside Prep. It seems she volunteered before her first day on the EPS campus. Shairose has been an Association of Parents and Guardians class rep and has been instrumental on both the 20th anniversary committee and the Hospitality Committee. Shairose has also supported the EPS Admissions process, helping to prototype EPS parent-facilitated parent/guardian interviews this year. She not only facilitated our interview process and answered questions from the parent perspective, she also dedicated time to attending events to connect with families throughout their process of learning and deciding on EPS. Director of Enrollment Management Cheryl Schenk offered: “Shairose gives her time, is open to learning new tools and technology, and warmly connects with others in an empathetic way.” Shairose has already offered to continue volunteering next year to help EPS find more ways to connect with alumni parents and guardians.

Tadas Kisielius

Tadas Kisielius first approached Dr. Macaluso about assisting EPS after the initial informational meeting with King County and the City of Kirkland regarding the plans for the former La Quinta property. While Tadas may regret raising his hand at that moment, the school has been the beneficiary of his expertise time and again. Since that initial meeting, “Tadas has been an invaluable resource for the school, helping us navigate local politics and the laws regarding the Permanent Supportive Housing site,” says Sam Uzwack, Head of School. He continues, “Tadas has also provided guidance as the school has purchased new buildings in the past year—his commitment to Eastside Prep and to the school’s mission is unparalleled.” The school would not be in the position it is today without his expert guidance on all land-use needs that the school has faced over the past two years.

Katharine Pike

Katharine Pike is leaving her post as Association of Parents and Guardians (APG) President after three years. I have, over these years, begun to refer to Katharine as my “partner in crime.” While that’s meant (mostly) in jest, there’s some truth there as well. My work with Katharine has truly been a partnership, with many texts and phone calls throughout the year as we bounce ideas off each other—all in the pursuit of a richer parent/guardian experience at EPS. Katharine has been everything you could hope for in an APG president. She is organized beyond belief and tracks all aspects of the work of the Association from class rep efforts to events. But most importantly, Katharine cares deeply about the people (parents, guardians, faculty, staff, and students) of EPS, and works tirelessly on their behalf. The APG and the entire EPS community have benefited from all that Katharine has given to our community.”