This committee plans and hosts social events marking special occasions at the school, including retirements and new arrivals of school administrators and key personnel. The committee’s activities are initiated by the Parents’ Association President and board.

The 2010-11 chair is Kacy O'Hare.

Volunteers will be called upon to assist Bookstore staff with special needs throughout the year, including assisting with textbook buyback at the end of the year. (No chair required.)

The PA coordinates bus service from several locations around Austin for students requiring transportation to and/or from school. Learn more on the Bus Service section of the parents' website or contact the coordinator at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The 2009-10 Bus Service Coordinator is Dana Twombly.
The 2010-11 Bus Service Coordinator is (to be filled).
You may contact the Bus Service Coordinator at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Coordinator—Serves as contact person with the company that provides the bus and driver and with SSES, makes sure contract gets signed by CFO, publishes bus publicity flyer, publishes Bus Riders' Guide, provides updated information to SSES web master for web site, responds to bus issues, sends out news notices to bus families, makes sure there are enough riders to pay for service, calculates bus service rate based on Durham rate increase, responds to school schedule changes, etc. This job requires taking responsibility for bus service with diplomacy, timely planning, and good communication.
Coordinator Elect—Learns job of Coordinator in order to serve the following year
Social Activities—Organizes any social activity for bus families; arranges gift(s) for bus driver
Advertising—Prints and distributes bus flyers to admissions in the winter and incoming sixth grade party in the spring; very easy job; print costs are reimbursable by Parents Association
Bookkeeper—Receives, records, and forwards checks to SSES business office; approves Durham invoices; must be detail oriented and good with numbers

The Carpool Coordinator helps match students living near one another who wish to carpool. This position involves about 5 hours of work at the beginning of the year, using a zip code-sorted list of SSTX day students and Google Maps to figure out the families who lived closest to parents who are interested in carpooling. The coordinator provides contact information to neighbors, who work out arrangements for carpooling.

The 2010-11 Carpool Coordinator is Dale West.

The Community Service committee assists with student community service activities in both the US and MS.

The 2010-11 Community Service Chair is Amanda Schmidt.

Volunteers will coordinate donations of snack baskets to the dorms during fall term finals. Additionally, volunteers will put together a small party favor from the Parents' Association for the boarding students' holiday dinner.

The Dorm Volunteers Chair is the PA President-Elect, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Provide refreshments to faculty and staff several times per year. This is coordinated with a Faculty/Staff Representative. Events occur several times throughout the school year. Dates and times are determined by the Faculty/Staff Representative. Duties include providing lunch, snacks, beverages, etc.

New! In 2010-11, volunteers will combine to form one Faculty Staff Appreciation to serve the entire campus. The Co-Chairs are Annie Dooley, Karen Rudy, Catherine Sansbury and Subhada Saxena.

Volunteers work with the Advancement office from February-September on activities designed to welcome the parents of newly admitted students: (1) Family Connections - create a "welcome to SSES" letter to mail to new parents in mid-May and arrange a few casual meetings for coffee so that new parents can meet current St. Stephen's parents before school starts; and (2) New Parent Welcome Party - provide light support for the Advancement-hosted party at the beginning of the school year. Two volunteers required to lead efforts; no unique experience necessary, except light word processing and/or spreadsheet skills by at least one volunteer.

The 2010-11 Family Connections Chair is Wendy Thompson.

Volunteering for The Friends of Becker Library Book Fair is a great way to meet parents, students and staff. The annual holiday Book Fair is a major two-day book sale held annually the Thursday and Friday following Thanksgiving. Students, parents, faculty and staff shop for books provided by BookPeople and proceeds support Becker Library. It also offers opportunities for students and their families to provide the gift of a book to the library. The major volunteer activities are planning and running the fair. Committee chair positions include bookkeeper, decorations, Friends of Becker Library book donations, gift wrap, publicity, set-up and refreshments. The average time commitment for a volunteer on the planning committee is a few one-hour meetings in the fall. Additional hours depend on specific tasks taken on, but most would be a few additional hours outside the committee meetings. Volunteers can also choose to only work a 2-3 hour shift during the book fair without being required to serve on the committee. The peak time commitment is the day before the fair and the two days of the fair.

The 2010 Book Fair Chair is Kimberly Johnson.
The 2011 Book Fair Chair is Chas Studor.
You may contact Book Fair at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Volunteer Opportunities for Book Fair

• Cashier Shift - Work a 2 hour cashier shift during the two-day Book Fair.
• Refreshments- Sign up to bring refreshments for Book Fair volunteers during the Book Fair.
• Set-Up Volunteer- Help set up the Book Fair by unpacking books one day before the fair begins.
• Book Fair Committee Member- Help plan the Book Fair. Attend a few one-hour meetings during the fall prior to the Book Fair.

Grandparents’ and Grand Friends Day is a special event for the students' special friends to join them in the school day similar to Parents' Day. This event is usually held in the spring on Thursday & Friday either at the end of March or early April. There is an evening Reception on Thursday at the Head of School residence, which allows the Grands to meet each other as well. The Grands join the students in their school day on Friday.

Volunteers are needed on the day of the event to register the Grands, help them reach all parts of the beautiful campus by driving golf carts, decorate the Dining Hall and make their day memorable by taking photographs. The Advancement Office handles the finances as well as many activities such as invitations, responses, name tags etc. Committee chairs help organize volunteers and their activities and spend 2-4 hours a month of effort along with being there for the actual event.

The Co-Chairs of the 2011 Grands Day committee are Annie Dooley, Laura Gruber and Mary Beth Jester.

Assist International Program Director Sarah Todd with International boarders' events throughout the year. Volunteer host families are paired with international students to provide support and to provide a family setting for them to do something off campus on a periodic basis. Volunteers are also needed as back-up hosts for students whose assigned families must be out of town for a particular time period when students appreciate family contact.

The 2010-11 International Liaison is Lorena Devlyn.

This volunteer acts as a Parents' Association liaison with the Korean Families' Parents' Association to promote collaboration and communication between the two groups.

The 2010-11 liaison is Kihyang Kim.

The Literary Festival is a one-morning event in mid-February that gives our students an opportunity to hear from writers from a variety of genres--journalists, novelists, sports writers, singer/songwriters--to name a few. Committee members meet a few times to plan the event. Specific volunteer opportunities on the committee include coordinating speaker hosts and hostesses, arranging for refreshments (a coffee/breakfast is held for the speakers in the library on the morning of the festival) and coordinating gifts for the speakers.

In coordination with Librarian Nita Shuffler, the committee chairs screen, recruit and select potential speakers and coordinate venue and set-up logistics for festival day, communicate with speakers, promote the speakers to the students via bios posted on the website and displays in the library and work with the Technology Department to organize sign-up for students to select speakers of their choice.

Volunteers may also sign up just to bring refreshments or serve as a host or hostess on the day of the event escorting speakers to and from venues without having to serve on the committee.

The 2011 Literary Festival Chair is Lisa Farr.
You may contact Literary Festival at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Help coordinate Parents' Association Back to School Event on first day of school. Volunteers need to be available the day before the event for set-up. Additionally, one volunteer will be needed to coordinate food and beverages for the event.

The Co-Chairs of the committee are the Volunteer Coordinator, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ., and President-Elect, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Membership Chair promotes membership in the Parents’ Association within the St. Stephen’s community. This role involves publicizing the PA to new and existing parents and making parents aware of the benefits offered through the association.

The 2010-11 PA Membership Chair is Elizabeth Lerner.
You may contact the PA Membership Chair at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The committee assists faculty representative Debbie Schuessler with floral decorations for the Dining Hall tables for Parents' Day held in October.

The 2010-11 Parents' Day Co-Chairs are Vicki Blumhagen and Maria Clendennen.

Specific job responsibilities include:

Website Coordinator (1-2 hours/week during school year, minimal summer time) - Plan & manage site content with PA Pres.; handle communications with SSES Technology Dept., any outside contractor and parents, faculty & staff; organize & support volunteers; and manage front page display

PA Section Manager (1 hour per month during school year, minimal summer time) - Maintain the PA section

Fundraisers Section Manager (1 hour per month during school year + extra time in November and January to prepare for and report on Book Fair, minimal summer time) - Maintain the Fundraisers Section

Static Content Manager (1 hour per month during school year, 1-2 hours before Nov. and May exam weeks a must, minimal summer time) - Maintain the Events & Activities Section, Bus & Carpool, Parent FAQs and Payments / Donations pages

News Volunteers (1-4 hours per month during school year, minimal summer time) - Prepare news stories for the front page

Photos and Graphics Manager (1-2 hours per month during school year, minimal summer time)

Email Coordinator - Assists with training Class Reps and other PA emailers in use of NetCommunity email system and works with school Technology Department staff to credential all emailers and assign forwarding email addresses to all PA alias email addresses (8-12 hours in April and May to prepare for the next school year); and makes sure all email functions are working (minimal summer and back-to-school time).

The 2010-11 Website Coordinator is Brenda Raven. The 2010-11 Email Coordinator is Diana Ball.
You may contact the Parents' Website at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Volunteers will be called upon to assist art faculty with Scholastic Art Competition needs in January. (No chair required.)

Don't miss this one! Spring Swing is a fun community builder and fundraiser, and volunteering to support it is a great way to meet and work with lots of awesome St. Stephen's parents. There are lots of opportunities to let your talents and expertise shine from decorations, silent auction, Make It Happen projects and more. Watch for the email request for volunteers for committees specific to the event.

Spring Swing will be held February 19, 2011.

The 2011 Spring Swing Chair is Connee Sullivan.
The 2012 Spring Swing Chair is Mary Beth Jester.
You may contact Spring Swing at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Support for parents in times of crisis & celebration. Responsibilities include sending condolence/congratulatory cards, arranging for flowers/plants to be sent as appropriate and could involve the coordination of providing a meal or other support in times of need.

The 2010-11 MS Caring Community Chair is Kara Hartzell.

Assist with 8th grade community service project. Coordinate volunteer support efforts with the 8th grade Faculty Representative. The direction for this position comes from the Faculty Representative. Responsibilities could possibly include the arrangement of transportation for students, coordination of special event/reception at the end of the project. (No chair is required.)

Organize and plan event with MS registrar, coordinate invitation mailing, arrange for flowers and table decorations.

The 2011 MS Graduation Chair is 8th grade parent Shilpa Shamapant. The 7th grade chair is Kathryn Burniston.

Coordinate with Middle School faculty and organize parents to help provide food and set up for this event.

The 2010 Halloween Lunch Chair is Drew Treybig.

Volunteers help plan, provide food and drink, arrange for costumes, and decorate for this event, which is a one-evening celebration culminating the 6th grade’s study of world geography. The Chair will coordinate with the Middle School faculty.

The 2009-10 Night of Nations Chair is Betty Trevena.
The 2010-11 Night of Nations Chair is (to be filled).

Organize parent volunteers to provide snacks & drinks during spring finals. Refreshments are available for students as they finish with their final testing each day. Volunteers are asked to provide a variety of snacks and drinks.

The 2009-10 Co-Chairs of 6th Grade Snack Depot are Kathy Katz and Rosy Paul.
The 2010-11 Co-Chairs of 6th Grade Snack Depot are (to be filled).

The Snack Depot committee organizes parent volunteers to provide snacks & drinks during fall and spring finals. Refreshments are available for students as they finish with their final testing each day. Volunteers are asked to provide a variety of snacks and drinks.

The 2010-11 Co-Chairs of the 7th & 8th Grade Snack Depot are Sandy Rogge and Rosy Paul.

This annual event in February alternates among pairs of mothers/fathers and daughters/sons, for a Valentine's Day Breakfast. In 2011, mothers and daughters from 6th, 7th and 8th grades will enjoy this before-school gathering. The chair works with Octavia Sadler and Meg Phillips, who plan the event. Other volunteers are needed to help bring food and provide decorations.

The Chair of the 2011 Valentine's Day Breakfast committee is Tica Nathan.

Help coordinate support for parents in times of crisis & celebration. Responsibilities include sending condolence/congratulatory cards, arranging for flowers/plants to be sent as appropriate and could involve the coordination of providing a meal or other support in times of need.

The 2010-11 Chair of the US Caring Community committee is Dianne Arnett Becker.

Four (4) volunteers, traditionally parents of juniors, assist school staff with two-hour Chapel set-up for US Graduation. (No chair required.)

The Senior Activities Committee coordinates and helps plan the prom, graduation activities and other things as requested by the school or class representatives. Check out their web page!

The 2010-11 Co-Chairs of the Senior Activities Committee are Lynn Arnett & Eva Strasburger.
You may contact Senior Activities at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Snack Depot committee organizes parent volunteers to provide snacks & drinks during fall & spring finals. Refreshments are available for students as they finish with their final testing each day. Volunteers are asked to provide a variety of snacks and drinks.

The 2010-11 Chair of the US Snack Depot is Susy Silberman.