By Claudia Bayer, PA President

NAMED FOR ONE OF EASTSIDE Prep’s foremost volunteers, the Alice Strong Award is presented each year to one or more members of our community in appreciation for their contribution of time and energy to the people and programs of our school. Last fall, two members of the EPS community were recognized for their efforts over the prior school year.

Building and nurturing a strong parent community at EPS is just one of the foundations of the Parent Association. Of the many wonderful parents who give generously of their time to support our students and school, Katharine Pike and Stephanie Brown go above and beyond to embody this particular mission. Both women began volunteering for the PA as Class Reps, where they provided thoughtful opportunities and events throughout the year to foster connections between parents within their grade. In 2019, they joined the PA Executive Committee to co-lead in the role of Head Class Rep and Volunteer Coordinators, where they found volunteers for school events and took on the responsibilities of leading and supporting all grade-level reps.

As EPS switched to remote learning last spring, their dedication did not waver. Stephanie and Katharine spent endless hours brainstorming, writing, communicating, and supporting new processes to help our Class Reps continue to keep our EPS families connected and informed in a virtual world, which has proven to be invaluable.

These two amazing volunteers lead with kind and compassionate hearts mixed with a little humor and a genuine love of our community and school. They always have a smile and are ready to share encouraging words to all who meet them.

Congratulations to Katharine and Stephanie for being this year’s recipients of the Alice Strong Award. We are extremely grateful to you both for being such strong supporters and advocates of our EPS community. THANK YOU!