Article written by Philippa Freeman, Board Member, Bronxville School Foundation  

October 25, 2024: The Bronxville School Foundation is excited to announce the launch of its fall fundraising campaign, along with the addition of seven new board members and a new slate of officers for the 2024-2025 school year. Since its inception, the nonprofit has funded 916 grants, totaling more than $13.3 million. The BSF has significantly enhanced the district’s education by financing new curriculum, technology, faculty training, facilities projects, and specialized materials and equipment. Last year, the Foundation provided $702,884 through its grant program.

The Foundation actively collaborates with the district to identify high-priority needs beyond the school’s budget. Each year, it relies on the fall campaign to support these critical grants. The generous contributions from alumni, Bronxville community members, school families, and corporate matching gifts through the fall fundraising campaign enable the Foundation to fund grants that bridge the gap between the school budget and the demands of a transformative education. The Foundation is also extremely grateful to the entire school administration team for their personal donations. This year, the Foundation’s goal is to achieve 100% participation from Bronxville School families in the fundraising campaign. 

Please consider contributing to the Foundation this year. 

The Foundation is also excited to welcome our newest board members for the 2024-2025 school year. “We are thrilled to welcome these new board members from our community to the Foundation,” said Nominating Chair, Mike Dimitri. “Their diverse perspectives, deep commitment to education, and passion for our school’s success will be invaluable as we continue our tradition of innovation and excellence”.

Jonathan Barnes

Jon and his wife, Joyce, have lived in Bronxville since 2011 and have three girls in the Bronxville schools: Elizabeth in 10^th grade, Abigail in 7^th, and Catherine in 2^nd.  Jon grew up in the Boston suburbs in an education-focused family, his mother a middle school teacher and father a high school Principal.  He has coached each of his girls in EYSA soccer for the last 10 years and Joyce has been an active member of the PTA at the Bronxville Elementary and Middle Schools. Jon is a Managing Director at Star Mountain Capital, a private credit and private equity firm where he leads investments in and serves as a Board Director for portfolio companies primarily in the technology, media and business services sectors.  Jon graduated from Harvard University and received an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Satpal Brainch 

Sat Brainch and his wife, Zahabia, have lived in Bronxville since 2018 and have two boys at the Bronxville Schools – Rishaan, a rising 10^th grader & Jai, a rising 8^th grader.  He currently works as the Chief Business Officer at NBCUniversal News Group, which includes NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, and Local Stations. He also is on the board of Acorns, a fin tech investing app focused on financial wellness for the up-and-coming. Prior to moving to Bronxville, Sat held various leadership roles at NBCUniversal in London & Singapore.  Sat grew up in Cincinnati and graduated with a BBA from Emory University. 

Susan Frehse (PTA President Elect)

Susan and her husband Woody have lived in Bronxville for the past five years, and Woody was raised in Bronxville. They have a son attending the Bronxville High School, and twins in Elementary School. Prior to having children, she worked in the technology sector in sales and business development for companies including Xerox and later got her degree from Parsons School of Interior Design and transitioned into that industry. She has served as a deacon at the Reformed Church of Bronxville and at the Brick Presbyterian Church of New York, and taught Sunday School in both locations. She has served as the Elementary School Council chair, and is currently President – Elect of the Bronxville School Executive PTA.  She was also the previous Middle School PTA 8^th grade co-chair, and the High School PTA new families 9^th grade chair and many other roles. Her volunteerism also includes roles at The Brick Church School, St. Bernards School in New York, Central Park Women’s Committee, New York Presbyterian, and Young Audiences New York.

Deanna Kuhn

Deanna Kuhn is a long-time resident of Bronxville and two of her grown children attended Bronxville School. She holds a B.S. from University of Illinois and a Ph.d. from University of California Berkeley, and was elected to the National Academy of Education. She currently is Professor Emerita of Psychology and Education at Columbia University Teachers College. As a cognitive, developmental and educational psychologist, her concern is with how best to educate students for their adult roles as life-long learners and as citizens. Her work has been published widely in outlets ranging from Psychological Review to Harvard Educational Review. Her books include Education for thinking, The skills of argument, The development of scientific thinking skills, Argue with me: Argument as a path to developing students’ thinking and writing, and, most recently, written directly to teens, Building our best future: Thinking critically about ourselves and our world.

Eddie Lennon (Ex-officio member, School Board representative) 

Eddie and his wife, Lauren, have lived in Bronxville since 2018 and have two kids in the Elementary School – Hunter, a 3^rd grader & Parker, a 1^st grader and a third – Ford, at RCNS in the 3’s. Eddie was born and raised in Bronxville and graduated from BHS in 1999. He owns and operates a 90-year family business in the construction supply industry with a focus on building  materials and architectural and industrial coatings. Eddie currently chairs the Bronxville School  Board of Education Facilities Committee and sits on the Professional Development and Health & Safety committees. He is passionate about his family and the community and has a political  science degree from Fordham University. Eddie is an active member of the Campfire Club of America which promotes wildlife conservation efforts throughout the country. 

Jack Meyercord

Jack and his wife, Michelle, have lived in Bronxville for 14 years. They currently have two students in Bronxville High School and another child who graduated in 2024.  During his time in Bronxville, Jack has been a Den Leader and the Treasurer of the Bronxville Pack 5 Cub Scouts, as well as a BYLA and TYA coach for many years. Jack is also a member of Christ Church Bronxville.  Professionally, Jack is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Conscious Endeavors LP and Impower Investment Holdings LP. Jack is responsible for allocating portfolios for multiple family offices across asset classes and assists families in developing frameworks for impact investment strategies and philanthropic endeavors. Prior to his current role, Jack was Head of Impact Investing at Bienville Capital, a multi-family investment firm from 2016-2019. Prior to Bienville, Jack spent 16 years as a long/short analyst and portfolio manager focused on Asian markets. Beginning in 2009, Jack founded Straight Wharf Capital Management, LLC, an Asian long/short fund which was seeded by Tiger Management. Jack graduated with a BA in Political Science from Duke University in 1995 and an MBA with Honors from Columbia Business School in 2000. In addition, he is a CFA^® charter-holder.

Christopher Nay

Chris graduated from Vanderbilt University and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is currently the Head of Investments for the Financial Institutions Group at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Since moving to Bronxville in 2013, Chris has been involved in the community as a boys basketball coach at The Reformed Church and a boys and girls soccer coach through EYSA. His other volunteer interests are in various roles with Vanderbilt University and as a board member for Friends of Karen, an organization that helps Tri-State families who are coping with a child’s life threatening illness. Chris and his wife, Katrina, have two children attending The Bronxville School.

The other directors and officers for 2024-2025 are Wendy Fahy (Chairperson), Anthony Civale (V.P. Development), Anabella Davis (V.P. Grants Program), Catherine O’Connor Williams (V.P. Alumni Affairs), Philippa Freeman (V.P. Public Relations), Mike Dimitri (V.P. Nominating), Deirdre Doheny & Amy Krause (V.P. Social Events), David Lewis (V.P. Legal Advisory), Amy Atkeson (Secretary), Heather Miner (Treasurer), Alex Bici, Joe Burke, Mary Gay, Mike Heraty, Christopher Horvers, Emily Liggitt, Carrie Long, Sam Patterson, Mary Preusse and Katie Shah. Dr. Rachel L. Kelly, Superintendent of the Bronxville Schools, is an ex-officio member. Helena McSherry is the Executive Director and Lisa Rao is the Finance Administrator.

For more information about the Foundation or to support our fundraising efforts, please visit https://www.bronxvilleschoolfoundation.org.

By Phillippa Freeman

Oct. 2, 2024: Thanks to a generous grant from the Bronxville School Foundation, students in the Bronxville School’s Special Education classes experienced the transformative power of Equine Assisted Learning (EAL) as part of their summer camp program this summer.

This innovative approach to learning and personal development is gaining popularity in the educational community, offering students unique opportunities to enhance their social-emotional skills, build relationships, and gain confidence.

What is Equine Assisted Learning?

Equine Assisted Learning is an experiential program that creates a safe environment for participants to interact with horses, fostering personal growth and skill development. Unlike traditional horseback riding lessons, this “unmounted” program takes place entirely on the ground, allowing students to learn about horses and their behaviors through a variety of exercises and activities.

Bronxville staff members who led the program, Jenna Fanelli, Patrick Clarke, Melissa Wood, and Alexa Vafeades, described the program and its benefits:

“Our Special Class students loved working with Ms. Heather and her staff this summer during EAL sessions. The students enjoyed completing various activities such as greeting, grooming, and leading the horses through obstacle courses. The students also were able to enjoy and complete follow-up art projects.

The grounds program gave the students an opportunity to work on improving their self-confidence, executive functioning, social-emotional learning, and physical motor skills. With this program, we saw students grow and challenge themselves, allowing them to step out of their comfort zone.

The EAL sessions provided a multi-sensory approach to capture students’ engagement and target the underlying skills that Bronxville teachers and therapists are working on. Various recreational/leisure opportunities were provided in the program to facilitate skill development. We hope to partner with Ms. Heather in the future.”

The Impact on Students

The program has already shown remarkable results, as evidenced by the enthusiastic response from both students and parents. Tara and Spyros Makras, parents of Jax, a student participant, shared their experience:

“At summer camp, our son Jax is thoroughly enjoying the equine therapy sessions he’s participating in. He talks animatedly about the horses, expressing his love for them and his desire to keep coming back for more sessions. It’s heartwarming for us as parents to witness Jax petting the horses and gradually building a bond with both the gentle animals and his dedicated trainers.

Seeing him eagerly anticipate each session and witnessing the positive impact it has on him fills us with joy and gratitude. Equine therapy has truly become a special and cherished part of Jax’s summer camp experience. We hope to continue it even when camp is over.”

This testimonial highlights the program’s ability to engage students on multiple levels, fostering emotional connections, building anticipation for learning, and creating lasting positive memories associated with educational experiences. Soheil, a student who participated in the program, said “I love to brush and pet the horses. It makes me feel happy and excited.” And another student, Luis, said “when visiting the horses I enjoy greeting and brushing them.”

As the program concludes its successful summer run, the Bronxville School community extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Bronxville School Foundation. The Foundation’s commitment to supporting innovative educational initiatives continues to make a significant impact on the lives of Bronxville students, with the Equine Assisted Learning program serving as a shining example of the power of experiential learning.

To learn more about the Foundation’s work, watch our latest video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITeNvSNDyTI. To see past grants or make a donation, please visit www.bronxvilleschoolfoundation.org.