Article written by Nancy Marshall, Board Member, Bronxville School  Foundation  

The Bronxville School Foundation marks its 30^th year  with the launch of its fall fundraising campaign and the addition of six new board members as well as a new slate of officers. Over the years,  the nonprofit organization has given more than 11.5 million dollars in  grants to the Bronxville School to enhance the quality of education by  funding new curriculum, technology, faculty training, facilities projects,  and special materials and equipment. Last year the Foundation played a  very significant role in creating a safe environment for in-school  learning, as well as technology to provide remote learning scenarios. The  Foundation actively engages with the District to identify high priority  needs that are beyond what the school’s budget is able to cover. Each  year, it relies on the fall campaign to help fund these critical grants. The  generous support received from school families and community  members through the fall fundraising campaign enables the Foundation  to fund grants that fill the gap between what the school budget provides  and what transformative education demands. Please consider a gift to  the Foundation this year.  

Join us in welcoming our newest Board members:  

Amy Atkeson  

Amy Atkeson received BS and MD degrees from Yale University and  completed her training at NY Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center. She practiced as a pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine  specialist at Columbia, co-directed a medical student course on pulmonary physiology, and directed the Sleep Center and the Pulmonary  Function Laboratory, retiring in 2019. Amy serves on the boards of The  Community Fund of Bronxville, Eastchester and Tuckahoe;  Mainsprings/The Janada Batchelor Foundation for Children, which  seeks to eradicate extreme poverty in rural Tanzania; and the Yale  Alumni Fund. She and her husband, Jon, have been Bronxville residents since 2007 and have four children, including three current students at the Bronxville School and one recent graduate.  

Anthony Civale 

Anthony received a BA from Middlebury College in Political Science  and History. He has been employed by Apollo Global Management for  22 years and serves as Co-Chief Operating Officer of the firm with prior  roles as a Senior Partner in its Private Equity business and Lead Partner  and one of the founders of its Credit businesses. Anthony has been on  the board of several companies including Goodman Global, Berry  Plastics, Caesar's Entertainment and Prestige Cruises. Anthony has also  been involved in philanthropic activities including as a current Board  Member of Focus for a Future and the Samuel Bronfman Department of  Medicine Advisory Board at Mt. Sinai as well as prior service on the  Board of Trustees of Middlebury College and a Board member of Youth  INC. Since moving to Bronxville in 2016, Anthony has been active coaching youth sports in the community and at the Reformed Church of  Bronxville. Anthony and his wife, Amy, have children in the Elementary  School. 

Susan Conniff (ex-officio member, School Board representative)  

Susan received her BS in Accounting from the University of Virginia,  followed by an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at  UCLA and an MA in Journalism from Columbia University. Professionally, Susan started her career as a CPA, investment banker for  JP Morgan and later as VP for Finance at Loyola School in Manhattan.  Following Loyola, she served as a Board member and Finance Committee chair for Xavier High School in Manhattan while consulting  for other private schools and presenting at a conference on secondary  school governance at the University of San Francisco. She is currently  VP for Finance and Operations for an organization focused on  improving college access for first-generation, Pell-eligible students. Susan, her husband Chris, and their two daughters moved to Bronxville  in 2013. Susan has a daughter in the High School and another daughter  who is a 2021 graduate.  

Anabella Davis  

Anabella received a BS in Business Administration from the University  of Richmond and a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education and  Special Education from New York University. She worked as a financial  consultant in bankruptcy and litigation at Navigant Consulting, Inc.  Then switched careers to education, working at pre-schools and  elementary schools in New York City. She has volunteered as Board  Chair of Reformed Church Nursery School and various roles at the  Bronxville School PTA, including Chair of the Elementary School  Council. She is a member of Reformed Church where she taught Sunday  School. In addition, she is Board Member of FEIH, the Foundation for  Education in Honduras, a non-profit based in New York City, dedicated  to improving the lives of the neediest children in Honduras through education. Anabella and her husband, Jesse, have three children  attending the Bronxville School.  

Mike Heraty  

Mike Heraty graduated from Boston College and holds an MBA from  the University of Chicago. He is currently a Managing Director and  Head of the Institutional Solutions team at Credit Suisse. Mike serves on  the board of the Bronxville Historical Conservancy. Mike, his wife Cece, and their four children moved to Bronxville in 2011 and are all active across the community. The Heratys have three children presently  attending Bronxville School and a recent 2021 graduate.  

Amy Krause (ex-officio member, PTA, President Elect)  

Amy received a BBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.  She worked in process consulting in the Financial Services and Utilities  industries and subsequently was a manager of operations for a large  accounting firm. Before moving to Bronxville in 2014, Amy and her  family lived in New York City for many years where she served on  several boards and was active in the New York Junior League. She  served on the PTA in a number of positions at her children’s schools in New York City and more recently at The Bronxville School. She also  recently served as a board member and Evaluations co-chair for The Community Fund of Bronxville, Eastchester and Tuckahoe. Amy and her  husband, Steve, have three children; two presently attend The Bronxville  School and one is a recent 2021 graduate.  

“Please join us in welcoming our newest members. This group brings a  strong set of diverse skills and perspectives which will serve the Board  well, particularly as we continue to navigate the Covid landscape and  work with the School to determine needs and weigh best practices in an evolving learning environment,” remarked newly appointed  Chairperson, Rob Crystal. This year is Rob’s fourth year as a Board  member. During his tenure, Rob has been an active member on several  committees. Last year, Rob served as Chair of the Development  Committee. Rob replaces outgoing Chairperson, Lori Beecher, who  helped usher the Board through an exceptional year, one which  highlighted the important role the Foundation plays in the success of the  school and its students. Lori remains on the Board and serves on the  Development Committee and Public Relations Committee. 

The other directors and officers for 2021-22 are Mike Dimitri, VP  Development; Wendy Fahy, VP Grants; Chris Krieg, VP Alumni Affairs;  Deirdre Doheny, VP Public Relations; Nancy Marshall, VP Nominating;  Mary Gay, VP Finance; Ian Putnam, VP Legal; Vincent McBride, Secretary. Helena McSherry serves as Executive Director of the  Foundation and Kathleen Matthews is the Finance Administrator.  

Returning board members are: Brian Bodell, Gio Cutaia, Won Giuriceo,  Chris Horvers, John Kelty, Erin Krestinski, Jennifer Lescott, Lansing Martinelli, Julie Meade, Heather Miner, Sam Patterson and Katie Shah.  Roy R. Montesano, Superintendent of the Bronxville School, serves as  an ex-officio member of the Board.  

Photo Credit: Patrick Savage

Equipped with various tools and measurement instruments, Bronxville seventh graders took on the role of scientists and collected data along the Bronx River at Scout Field during a recent outdoor lesson. As part of their study, they tested the phosphate levels of the soil and the water’s temperature, turbidity and pH levels. In addition, they observed the flow rate of the water and took notes on various particles they noticed in the river.

“The Bronx River experience is a unique opportunity for students to take classroom content and apply it to the rigor and rewards of real scientific research,” said science teacher Daniel Tocci, who along with fellow teachers Jennifer Zopp and Karen Green, incorporate the Bronx River as a teaching environment in their science classes.

Over the course of their studies, the students will be challenged to develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem. They will learn how changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations and predict patterns of interactions among organisms in a variety of ecosystems. They will also evaluate solutions for maintaining biodiversity and protecting ecosystem stability. 

Tocci said the outdoor classroom experience allows the students to make real-life connections between what they’re learning in the classroom and how it applies to the work they are doing by the river. 

“The accessibility of the Bronx River offers students the ability to assess the health of the river and surrounding area and develop an action plan to help preserve this important part of their community,” he said. 

The students will continue their studies of the Bronx River throughout the year as they collect and analyze data. They will develop an action plan to address an issue affecting the health of the Bronx River and present their findings before a panel of students and community members.

The Foundation has provided support to the incredibly successful Bronx River Research Project since its inception. In what began as a research project in the summer of 2015, the Foundation provided funding to High School Science teacher Justine McClellan and two of her students to collect and analyze water samples to examine the water quality of the Bronx River. Before the summer research program was piloted, Ms. McClellan and her students expressed their hope that the results of their summer work would be incorporated in some way into the school curriculum and analyzed by the larger student body. The Bronx River Research Project has grown to something much larger than any of them ever initially dreamed. The initiative has allowed the students to become active participants in their own learning, further develop their critical thinking skills, and engage with the community around them, all of which are closely aligned with the Bronxville Promise