YES Prep Public Schools celebrates 25 years of impact at luncheon

(HOUSTON) - Hundreds of supporters gathered Oct. 25 to celebrate YES Prep Public Schools’ 25 years of impact at the seventh Annual Leading Houston Forward Luncheon.

The event, held at Wortham Theater Center, raised more than $800,000 to benefit YES Prep students and recent graduates in college. YES Prep was founded in 1998 in Houston and has become one of the fastest growing and highest performing public charter school systems in the U.S.

The luncheon recognized energy company Enbridge with the Chris Barbic Legacy Award, named for YES Prep's founder.

“Enbridge has a long history of supporting YES Prep Public Schools as part of our commitment to empowering young people in the communities where we work and operate,” Enbridge Senior Community Investment Advisor Regan Kasman said in a press release. “We’re honored by this award and proud to support YES Prep as they prepare under-resourced students in Houston to be college ready.”

Melanie Trent, chair emerita of the YES Prep Board of Directors, and Janet Clark, founding chair of the advisory council, co-chaired the luncheon, which also celebrated two educators: Eric Espinoza, who received the YES Prep Alumni Legacy Award, and Gustavo Mireles, who delivered the keynote address to a crowd of nearly 400 supporters. Mireles is a YES Prep alumnus and founding kindergarten teacher at YES Prep Southeast Elementary.

“YES Prep graduates are changing our community and the world for the better. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary this year, it’s exciting to come together to honor YES Prep’s remarkable history and look forward to the future,” YES Prep CEO Mark DiBella said.

YES Prep plans to continue expanding to meet demand for more school choices in Houston and will open a record three new elementary schools in August 2024: Hobby Elementary, Southwest Oaks Elementary and North Rankin Elementary. The new student enrollment lottery opened in October with a 400% increase in prospective students on the first day compared to last year.

Houston families interested in enrolling students in grades pre-K through 12 at one of YES Prep’s 26 campuses for the 2024-25 school year can sign up for the randomized lottery 24 hours a day through Feb. 18, at www.yesprep.org/sayYES. All schools are open to and tuition-free for all children with no admission requirements.