On Tuesday, October 22nd, Gateway held a reception to officially dedicate the Gateway High School conference room, renaming the principal's conference room "The Dains Conference Room." John and Stephanie Dains, accompanied by their trusty dachshund, Tulip, joined a small cadre of close friends including Gateway founders Suzanne Schutte and Lisille Matheson, Lisille's husband Henry Matheson, Mary and Dr. Yanek Chiu, and Executive Director Sharon Olken for the honor.
As a former trustee at Gateway, John brought his expertise, business acumen and "can do" spirit as a business leader to his roles on the board. He now sits on the board of his beloved alma mater Washington University St. Louis but has never forgotten the students and teachers at Gateway. Stephanie also has been instrumental in the success of Gateway and through the Marjorie Brooks Remembrance Fund, are donors to Gateway events, campaigns, the annual fund and patrons of the arts programs at both Gateway schools through Stephanie's leadership at Art4Moore. In a modest way, we are proud to honor this wonderful couple who have made significant contributions to Gateway.
On Wednesday, November 6th, donors to the Dream Big campaign were invited to Gateway Middle School for an event to thank and honor those who generously supported the launch of Gateway Middle School three years ago. This campaign raised significant funds (over $500,000) to open the doors to students who sought a middle school with individualized attention and college preparatory academics. Principal Aaron Watson, Executive Director Sharon Olken, and Director of Development and Outreach Tina McGovern were on hand to thank these donors including Lisille Matheson, Donna Liu, and Gateway Board Co-Chair Beth Berliner (also featured is Middle School Literary Specialist Claudia Taylor) and introduce them to the 300 students and faculty in grades 6-8 now at home on the shared campus (Creative Arts Charter) located on Golden Gate Avenue.
Gateway is grateful for these and all our donors whose ongoing commitment to our schools demonstrates the rich vitality of public education. We are immensely proud of the work we do together.