The Davis Family Supports Friends of Solar Prep!

When people ask me why I serve on the board of Friends of Solar Prep, the answer is actually pretty simple: I believe deeply in what happens at the Solar Preparatory Schools.

Our daughter, Elliott, has attended Solar Preparatory School for Girls since Pre-K 4, so we have had the extraordinary privilege of watching this school become part of who she is. We have watched her grow from a tiny girl into a confident, curious, compassionate second grader who knows that her voice matters. We have watched her teachers challenge her, encourage her, and see things in her that even we sometimes miss. And we have watched the girls around her grow into young people who are learning not just what to think, but how to think, how to lead, how to advocate for themselves and others, and how to show up for their community.

Solar Prep is special. Really special.

It is a public school, but it is also an intentionally designed educational model that brings together rigorous STEAM education, social-emotional learning, leadership development, and a remarkably diverse student body. The result is a school where girls are challenged academically while being encouraged to become confident, empathetic and resilient human beings. That combination is not easy to create, and it certainly doesn't happen by accident.

We know that because we are educators.

We have both spent our careers in higher education and have spent a lot of time thinking about what makes an educational experience transformational. We know the difference between simply providing students with access to a classroom and creating an environment where they can truly thrive. We know how much great teachers matter. We know what happens when students have opportunities to explore, create, travel, read widely, experiment, ask questions and see themselves as capable leaders.

And we know that those things cost money.

That's where Friends of Solar Prep comes in.

FOSP exists to bridge the gap between what Dallas ISD provides and what Solar's unique educational models require for both the Girls school and the Boys school. We work directly with the principals of both Solar Prep campuses to understand their most pressing needs and then raise the resources to make those priorities possible. That might mean sending a teacher to a national conference to bring new ideas back to the classroom. It might mean purchasing books that fill a library shelf with stories in which students can see themselves. It might mean funding a field trip, STEAM materials, technology, enrichment opportunities or other experiences that make learning come alive.

And that's what we love most about FOSP: we aren't guessing what schools need. We ask.

Our principals identify the priorities. Our board works to fund them. And our donors make it possible for students and teachers to experience the kind of education that makes Solar Prep so extraordinary.

I serve on the FOSP board because I believe every child deserves access to an exceptional educational experience, and because I have seen firsthand what happens when a school has the resources to turn an exceptional vision into reality.

We believe in Solar Prep because we see it every day in our daughter.

We believe in it because we see it in her teachers.

We believe in it because we see it in the girls who walk through those doors with confidence, curiosity and a growing understanding of who they can become.

And we believe in it because, as educators, we know just how rare and powerful this kind of school can be.

If you believe that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, we hope you'll join us in supporting Friends of Solar Prep this North Texas Giving Day.

Your gift helps create the experiences, opportunities and resources that make the Solar Prep schools Solar Prep.

And we can tell you from personal experience: that's worth investing in.