Event Program
| 6:00 PM | Event Begins / Childcare Opens |
| 6:00 – 7:00 PM | Drinks & Hors d’Oeuvres |
| 6:30 – 7:30 PM | Dinner is Served |
| 7:00 PM | Opening Remarks |
| 7:30 PM | Live Auction Begins |
| 9:00 PM | Event Concludes / Silent Auction & Childcare Close |
PLEASE NOTE: All timing is approximate.
Sambousa Trio
Fresh Dips & Spreads:
Mediterranean Trio Hummus Platter
Tabouli with Quinoa
Sayadieh (Rice & Fish)
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Baklava
April 15, 2025
Dear Westside Montessori Community,
It is my great joy to welcome you to the WMS 2025 Art Walk & Auction. This event is not only a chance to have a great time, but also for our community to come together, celebrate our collective achievements, and to show support to our students for their creativity and hard work.
The Art Walk & Auction is a community favorite, and you can expect great food, great company, and an always entertaining live auction! Our teaching faculty and support staff have worked very hard this year to meet the high expectations we set to create truly meaningful and impactful learning experiences. We are looking forward to having you join us on April 26 to be in community and to support our students.
I am sending a HUGE Thank You to all of our volunteers who have poured in time and energy to bring to life this event. The Art Walk & Auction leadership committee – Rita Sleiman, Hueiyao Hsuan, Niranjan Raj, Coco Willard, Liz Campbell, Elysia Yeager, and Zoë Taylor, and so many other parent volunteers who have been a great team in coordinating our vendors and program details. We are a fortunate community to have such exemplary parent volunteers.
Thank you to all who support WMS, day-in and day-out. We could not do our jobs well without your support.
Enjoy the evening and happy bidding!
Dr. David LaViscount
Head of School
On behalf of the Event Committee, it is our great pleasure to welcome you to Westside Montessori School’s 2025 Art Walk + Auction. We hope that this evening is an opportunity for our WMS community to unwind a little, to enjoy time with friends, old and new, and to raise staggeringly unprecedented funds for the school that we all love.
This special new event is the result of countless hours of effort from our incredible volunteers. So many parents have made tonight’s success their full-time jobs over the past several months and others have generously donated their artistic skills to make this evening possible.
In addition to our wonderful parents, our teachers and faculty have given so much beyond their vocational descriptions, that we are reminded every day of how fortunate our children are to be in this loving environment. Together, everyone has worked tirelessly to make this evening a success, and we are truly humbled by the demonstrated depths of kindness and dedication. We thank them all from the bottom of our hearts.
We wish you all an evening of good fun, great conversation, filled bellies, and emptied wallets!
Cheers,
2025 Art Walk Committee
Rita Sleiman
Coco Williard
Zoë Taylor
Liz Campbell
Hueiyao Hsuan
Niranjan Raj
Elysia Yeager
David LaViscount
Manuela Carreon
Skylar Carson
Paige Chonka
Melissa D. Zier
Auctioneer
Mark Thomas with MoneyForTheCause.com
Caterer
Fadi’s Cuisine
Bartenders
Jorge with The Bar
Music DJ
Noel Rushin (parent volunteer)
Photography
Fire Heart Photography
Event Rental
Bright Rentals
Marketing & Communications
Melissa D. Zier
BusyMo Media & Design
| Parent Volunteers | Faculty & Staff Volunteers |
| Andreia Danos | |
| Ani Simsek | |
| Ariana Loftus | |
| Ava Henry-Chow | |
| Barbara Lacy | |
| Bukola Evulukwu | |
| Camila Wiesinger | |
| Ceci Medina | |
| Chuck Snyder | |
| Cristina Meza | |
| Danielle Baucum | |
| Dena Snyder | |
| Dildora Ahmedova | |
| Dion Sauseda | |
| Eda Burnie | |
| Eric Zhou | |
| Erika Bottino da Costa | |
| Giovanni Palombizio | |
| Hande Adiyaman | |
| Jiawei Dong | |
| Jochebed Maduagwu | |
| John Baucum | |
| Jon Neposchlan | |
| Kanchan Bhojwani | |
| KeeYean Yang | |
| Keith Pierson | |
| Kejun Vogt | |
| Laura Summerhill | |
| Marisela Garcia | |
| Mary Portillo | |
| Maryam Ghanavizchi | |
| Maryela Cuervo | |
| Mayrem Vilchez | |
| Megan Zamora | |
| Melodie Price | |
| Michelle He | |
| Michelle Priest | |
| Morteza Khodabakhshi | |
| Nazmi Yurttakal | |
| Niho Mozas | |
| Roxana Palmizio | |
| Sandy Spinks | |
| Shantell Biddlecome | |
| Shin San Sam | |
| Sukirtha Soundararajan | |
| Vishnu Prakash | |
| Vishnu Prakash Rajasekeran | |
| Vo Fowler |
AUCTION ITEM DONORS
President
Michael Smith
Vice President
Michelle Priest
Secretary
Noel Rushin
Treasurer
Victor Low
Head of School
David LaViscount
Business Manager
Paige Chonka
Directors
John Baucum
Stephanie Gounder
Hueiyao Hsuan
Niranjan (Auro) Raj
Brian Yates
Head of School
David LaViscount, Ph.D.
Assistant Head of School
Alicia Warren Johnson
Business Manager
Paige Chonka
Office Manager
Manuela Carreon
Head of Maintenance & Security
Michael Cooper
Administrative Assistant
Skylar Carson
Director of Marketing & Communications
Melissa D. Zier
Toddler Teachers & Assistants
Ana Cornejo
Charlee Munoz
Alexis Parra
Jesusa Mejia-Castro
Kendra Smith
Maria Balvin Leon
Primary School Teachers & Assistants
Liyuan Jin
Rachel Jorgensen
Jen Matthews
Lydia Mojuetan
Maria Cardenas
Silvia Leal
Alisa Hernandez
Maryam Malik
Lower Elementary School Teachers
Gabi Hawkins
Jasmina Jasarevic
Haley Jefferies
Emma LaLonde
Alex Abel
Upper Elementary School Teachers
Christa Lazard
Gordon Roberson
Kariene Jonker
Arlette Garcia
Specialty Faculty & After-School Staff
Moses Diaz (After School)
Laverne Jones (PE)
Kariene Jonker (Art)
Bia Klavin (Music)
Home Environment Staff
Seema Devi
Amarpreet Taak
Visit the auction website to place your bids online.
- On-Site Bidding Only: Silent auction items will be presented exclusively on-site at the Art Walk event. Guests may place bids during event hours from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
- Reserved Pricing: Some items have a “Reserve Price”—a minimum acceptable winning bid. If an item does not meet its reserve price by the time the auction closes, no winner will be declared, and the item will not be sold.
- Minimum Bid Increments: Bids must meet or exceed the specified minimum bid increment. Any bids not meeting this requirement will be considered invalid.
- Final Sale: All sales are final. Please carefully read item descriptions, restrictions, and expiration dates listed on display signage. No exchanges or refunds will be issued.
- Item Descriptions: Westside Montessori School has made every effort to describe and catalog items accurately. However, the school makes no warranties or representations, express or implied, regarding item descriptions, authenticity, provenance, or condition.
- Item Adjustments: The Auction Committee reserves the right to add or withdraw items from the auction at any time, without prior notice.
- Estimated Values: Values listed for auction items are estimates only and are not guaranteed for tax purposes. Please consult your tax advisor regarding the deductibility of your purchase.
- Third-Party Fulfillment: Westside Montessori School is not responsible for any issues related to fulfillment, service delivery, or business performance of third-party donors.
- Auction Close: The Silent Auction will close at approximately 9:00 p.m. This time is an estimate and subject to change. A final announcement will be made to signal closing.
1. The live auction begins at approximately 7:00 p.m. and will continue until all items are sold.
2. To enter a bid, the bidder will raise their paddle to signal the auctioneer that a bid is being made. Any acknowledgement, whether verbal, by hand or nod of a head, etc. is a legal contract to purchase an item.
3. The highest bidder acknowledged by the auctioneer will be the buyer. In the event of a dispute, the auctioneer will have the sole and final decision to determine the successful bidder or to re-sell the item in dispute.
4. Group purchases are encouraged and welcomed; however one person must be responsible for bidding and payment. The successful bid will be entered on that person’s bid account and must be paid for in full by that person.
5. Each successful bid will be recorded and entered on the bidder’s account.
6. You can make payments via online credit card to Westside Montessori School.
Silent auction purchases will be paid online at the end of the auction.
Our Business Manager will email your invoice for live auction items and raffle items within a few days after the event. You can make payments via online credit card, and special payment arrangements must be coordinated directly with our Business Manager.
At the end of the evening, Westside Montessori School family members must pick up, and take home, all tangible items won and/or purchased the night of the event unless special arrangements have been made in advance. If you are not a current Westside Montessori School family member, you will be able to pick up all tangible items won and/or purchased after you have received your invoice and payment has been processed. Gift cards and certificates will not be distributed the night of the Art Walk + Auction. Instead, all gift cards and certificates may be picked up from Paige starting on Wednesday, April 30, when the Business Office will begin accepting payments.
Not in Houston? Please ask your WMS connection to pick up you won items from the school. Otherwise, we are happy to arrange shipping for you and add the cost of postage to your bill.
We want to extend our deepest gratitude to all of our volunteers, sponsors, donors, families, faculty, staff, and the community of Westside Montessori School for their time, dedication, collaboration, contribution and generosity! We look forward to sharing how your contributions this evening are going to be used to help us further our mission to improve Westside Montessori School for generations to come. Thank you for a great evening and for making our Art Walk + Auction possible!
