As the 2024-2025 school year wound toward its close, Lamar CISD employees, district partners, and their guests put on their finest Hawaiian shirts, leis, and aloha spirit in anticipation as the Lamar Educational Awards Foundation (LEAF) hosted the annual ‘Surfs Up’ fundraiser at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds on Friday, May 2. This year, the foundation is celebrating its 25th anniversary of serving the students and staff of Lamar CISD, and Surfs Up is one of its longest-running traditions. The event has grown over time but crested to new heights in 2025, raising $312,000 – a $65,000 increase over the previous year and a new Surfs Up record. Like LEAF’s fall Golf Fore Greatness Tournament and its springtime Men Who Cook Gala, Surfs Up plays a vital role in Lamar CISD, raising money that helps fund grants for teachers and student scholarships. 

“We see more and more excitement every year as Surfs Up approaches, and as Superintendent I love seeing all the enjoyment on the faces of those who come out for it every year,” Lamar CISD Superintendent Dr. Roosevelt Nivens said. 

“It’s especially wonderful how the event raises funds that enable our education foundation to do so much good in the lives of teachers and students,” he added, “while at the same time bringing so many of our employees together to celebrate what we do as educators here in Lamar CISD – and just to relax and enjoy themselves for a few hours as we all get ready for the end of another school year.” 

This year, neither high winds nor heavy rain – not even rumors of a tornado watch in the area – could keep attendees away from the celebration. This year’s event attracted more than 2,000 anticipated guests to the fairgrounds, where campuses and departments set up festive tables, complete with elaborate decorations.  

LEAF Executive Director Kameela Lewis has overseen the event since joining the foundation in 2022, and said she was especially proud of how Surfs Up brings together the talents of so many groups of people, including foundation board members and a broad group of stakeholders. 

“It's incredibly inspiring to witness the continued growth and evolution of Surfs Up, and it’s all thanks to the unwavering support of our internal and external communities,” Lewis said. “Each year, our students and staff benefit more and more from the generosity of those who believe in the power of public education – and this year’s record-breaking success is a true testament to that spirit.” 

Fire performers and luau dancers helped set the stage for the event, with a band and dancing that followed late into the evening. But the true highlight was the event’s centerpiece, the annual Surfs Up cake auction, which raised more than $140,000 this year. Campuses and district partners banded together to bid thousands of dollars apiece on an eye-popping array of creative cakes baked especially for the event. Many cakes featured island, surfing or luau themes, or centered around campus mascots, like the fan-favorite alligator cake celebrating the launch of Tomas High School and Lamar CISD’s new green track that went for $10,000, with a winning bid from district partners Rice and Garner, PBK, and Dally + Associates. 

The cake that took top honors in the evening’s lively bidding war also marked a special moment in the event’s history, as well as a milestone for its creator, Lamar CISD Employee Benefits and Leave Specialist Cheryl Koteras. Following the auction of her 2025 cake, “Lemonade Lounge,” for $26,000 – a new record for the highest-ever Surfs Up cake bid – Koteras, who has donated cakes annually for the past 18 years, has now raised more than $200,000 in donations for the foundation through her baking. 

“Since coming to work for Lamar CISD over 18 years ago, I have always loved being a part of raising funds through LEAF to help enhance the education of our students,” Koteras said. 

“It is challenging but fun to come up with a new cake idea each year and it’s even more exciting to watch our amazing and generous campuses and community members fight for the highest bid,” she continued. “I have always said that while I can’t write a big check, I can use the talent that God has given me to bake a cake!” 

In addition to the dedicated bakers and cake decorators, the event wouldn’t be possible without its sponsors – many of whom are also new and longtime business partners in supporting Lamar CISD’s hypergrowth and rapid development. This year, PBK and RockIT Consulting LLC earned the “Big Kahuna” title as Surfs Up 2025 Presenting Sponsors. 

"We donate to multiple charities throughout the year as we love to give back to our local community. Surfs Up is a special event and one we are proud to support year after year," said RockIT Consulting President Nathan Vann. "It's one of our favorite ways to give back to education. My wife is a teacher, so we know how much these educators do for our children day in and day out. It doesn't hurt to get a great cake out of it, either." 

Also on hand to help make Surfs Up 2025 a success were the evening's emcee, Commissioner Dexter L. McCoy of Precinct 4; auction host Don McCoy, Mayor of Fulshear; and auctioneer Congressman Troy Nehls, District 22. 

A full list of this year’s sponsors can be found HERE.  

To view pictures from Surfs Up, please click HERE.