October 25, 2023: The Bronxville School Foundation is set to launch its fall fundraising campaign and is happy to announce the addition of six new board members, a new Finance Administrator, and a new slate of officers for the 2023-2024 school year.

Since its inception, the nonprofit organization has given more than $12.6 million in grants to the Bronxville School to enhance the quality of education in the district. The BSF has funded new curriculum, technology, faculty training, facilities projects, and special materials and equipment. Last year the Foundation provided $544,000 in support through their grant program. 

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 alumni, Bronxville community members, school families, and matching corporate gifts through the fall fundraising campaign enables the Foundation to fund grants that fill the gap between what the school budget provides and what a transformative education demands. This year, the Foundation’s goal is to get 100% participation in the fundraising campaign from Bronxville School families.

Please consider a gift to the Foundation this year.

The Foundation is delighted to welcome our newest board members and our new Finance Administrator, Lisa Rao.  “Our new board members and finance administrator are proven volunteers with a wealth of varied experience in our community,” said Nominating Chair, Rob Crystal.  “We are confident that they will help us further the Foundation’s initiatives.  We are thrilled to have them on the team.”

Joseph Burke

Joe grew up in Bronxville and is a proud graduate of the BHS Class of 1991.  He subsequently graduated from Georgetown University (BA-Political Science) and Fordham University School of Law.  After graduation from law school, Joe was an Assistant District Attorney with the Kings County District Attorney’s Office (Brooklyn) for ten years, the last four of which he was assigned to the Homicide Bureau.  Joe then moved to CME Group, Inc., where he was Senior Counsel within the Market Regulation Department.  He is now a Vice President with Goldman Sachs, where he leads the Futures and Commodities group within Regulatory Affairs.  Joe and his wife, Megan, moved to Bronxville in 2008 and have three children in Bronxville Schools.  Over the last several years, Joe has volunteered as a coach with St. Joseph’s School, BYLA, EYSA, and TYA.

 Philippa Freeman

Philippa graduated from Cambridge University with a BA, MA and became a barrister at the Inns of Court School of Law in London. She moved to the U.S. in 1993 and was an associate at Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP and then Loeb and Loeb LLP, until moving over to the business side at HBO in 2002. She worked there as Vice President of Business Affairs until she left to be the co-founder and CEO of Juice in the City, a venture backed company based out of Palo Alto, CA. Juice was a national network of nearly 300 salespeople that worked with top local businesses in over 40 markets across the country to reach and retain customers in their local communities. Philippa commuted to the company’s main office in California every other week for several years before leaving Juice in 2013.

Since then, Philippa has run a small education-based technology newsletter and has also worked with several other internet start-ups in the New York area, advising them on customer acquisition and strategic planning. She moved to Bronxville in 2011 with her husband Rob and her three boys. Two of them are recent graduates from the high school, while her youngest son will be graduating from Bronxville in 2026. She has served in various roles in the PTA through her time in Bronxville, including Class Parent and Middle School Technology Chair as well as 10th Grade Chair for the upcoming academic year.

Miki Kapoor (Ex-officio member, School Board representative)

Miki Kapoor and his wife, Heidi, have lived in Bronxville for ten years and have three children, all of whom attend The Bronxville School, where Miki serves as a member of the Board of Education. He is a healthcare data and technology executive, having served as president or CEO of several healthcare middle-market companies, all of which have gone public or been acquired. He is currently an operating partner at Linden Capital Partners, a healthcare private equity fund. He has served on the boards of over ten healthcare non-profits and private equity or venture backed companies, and he has served as a member of the Bronxville Police Community Relations Committee. Miki holds an MBA and MPH from Yale University and a BA in Biology from Washington University in St. Louis.

Amy Krause

Amy grew up in Southeast Texas and received a BBA in Finance, with honors, from the University of Texas at Austin. After graduation, she worked in New York City in process consulting in the Financial Services and Utilities industries for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) and subsequently was a manager of operations for Arthur Andersen, a large accounting firm, in the Los Angeles and San Francisco offices. Before moving to Bronxville in 2014, Amy lived with her family in New York City for many years.  She was active in the New York Junior League as head of the Transfers Committee. She served on the PTA board at The Chapin School in New York City, where she was the Treasurer and the Chair of the Elementary School. She served on the board of the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) and chaired their annual fundraising gala. She was an active parishioner and served on many committees at St. James’ Episcopal Church, in New York City.  Amy recently served as a board member of The Community Fund (2018-2021) and was the Evaluations Co-Chair for grants (2019-2021), where she was honored to give away an additional, board-approved $250,000 in grants, outside of the normal cycle and service area, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. She has served in many roles in the Bronxville PTA, including class parent for many years, 10th grade chair, Staff Appreciation co-chair (since 2017), President-Elect (2021-2022), and as the current President (2022-2023). She and her husband, Steve, have three children — a ‘21 grad, a 12th grader, and an 8th grader.

Alanna Leavell (PTA President Elect)

Alanna Leavell received a BA in English and Government from Georgetown University and a MS in Journalism from Columbia University. She has worked as a journalist for MSNBC and CBS, spending many years as a producer at the CBS newsmagazine show, Inside Edition. She has also worked in Communications at Sacred Heart Greenwich. Alanna has volunteered in various roles at the Bronxville School PTA, including Chair of the Elementary School Council. She will serve as President of the PTA for the 2024-2025 school year. She and her husband, Byrd, moved to Bronxville in 2014 and have three children attending the Bronxville School.

Emily Liggitt

Emily Liggitt and her husband, Mark, have four children, all of whom attend the Bronxville Schools. Their oldest son is in 12th grade and their older daughter is in 10th grade. Their younger son is in 8th grade. Their youngest daughter is in 4th grade. Emily is a proud member of the Bronxville High School Class of 1996. Emily returned to Bronxville in 2007 and has extensively dedicated her time to volunteering for her childrens’ schools and the Bronxville community. Emily volunteered in many school leadership roles from Chair of the Reformed Church Nursery School Board, Grade Chair and Class Parent in the Bronxville Elementary School, and Chair of the Bronxville Middle School Council. Emily is currently Chair of the High School Council. In the broader community, Emily currently serves in several capacities. She is the Chair of the Jansen Hospice & Palliative Care Board, a board member of Lawrence Community Health Service and a Greater Consistory member of the Reformed Church of Bronxville. Professionally, Emily began her career in investment banking at Lehman Brothers. She moved to the High Yield Sales desk, working with institutional and high net worth clients. Emily earned a BA from Williams College in 2000, majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Neuroscience.

Lisa Rao (Finance Administrator)

Lisa Rao is thrilled to join the Foundation as the Finance Administrator. She was formerly employed by Concordia College, where she was the Art Program Director for the OSilas Art Studio and served on their Gallery Advisory Board. In her earlier professional career, Lisa was a Company Manager for nearly two decades on various Broadway & Touring Theatrical Productions. Her roster of Bronxville community positions include chairing the Village of Bronxville’s 125th Anniversary Celebration, chairing the Party on Kraft (The Picture House) Fundraiser and co-chairing The Next Chapter Library & Memorial Day (Bronxville School PTA) Fundraisers. Lisa has served as the President of both the Junior League of Bronxville & Bronxville School PTA, and chaired the Reformed Church Nursery School Board. She is a current member of the Bronxville Historical Conservancy Board and recently completed her term as a Governor for the Bronxville Field Club. Lisa majored in Theatre/Dance at Trinity College in Hartford where she now belongs to the Trinity Women’s Leadership Council, and is her Class President and an Alumni Fund Class Agent. She and her husband Ashvin, have two children, Lauren,19, a freshman at Tulane University and Porter,15, a freshman at Bronxville High School.

The other directors and officers for 2023-2024 are Katie Shah, Chairperson; Christopher Horvers, VP Development; Amy Atkeson, VP Grants; Catherine O’Connor Williams, VP Alumni Affairs; Sam Patterson, VP Public Relations; Rob Crystal, VP Nominating; Lansing Martinelli, VP Social Events; David Lewis, VP Legal Advisory; Jen Lescott, Secretary; Anthony Civale, Treasurer.  Returning board members are Alex Bici, Anabella Davis, Deirdre Doheny, Mike Dimitri, Wendy Fahy, Mary Gay, Mike Heraty, Chris Krieg, Carrie Long, Heather Miner, Mary Preusse, and Ian Putnam.  Dr. Rachel L. Kelly, Superintendent of the Bronxville Schools, is an ex-officio member.  Helena McSherry is the Executive Director.

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

Photographed above left to right: Lisa Rao, Emily Liggitt, Joe Burke, Alanna Leavell, Philippa Freeman, and Amy Krause (Miki Kapoor not photographed).

Bronxville High School has been awarded the prestigious designation of a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. It is one of 353 schools nationwide to be recognized with the award.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes schools based on overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among students. The coveted award also affirms and validates the hard work of educators, families and communities in striving for and attaining exemplary achievement. In addition, schools are recognized for demonstrating effective and innovative teaching and learning practices and supporting teachers and staff through meaningful professional learning opportunities.

“It is an honor to be awarded this national distinction,” Principal Ann Meyer said. “The students at Bronxville are outstanding. Our faculty are tremendous educators dedicated to providing a meaningful high school experience to our students. The parents and community are true partners with us in providing this unparalleled education. The Bronxville Promise is our vision and each day, as a community of learners, we seek to live up to it in new and innovative ways.”

Since its founding in 1922, the Bronxville School has been committed to providing an excellent education. In addition to providing traditional measures of achievement, the high school engages students in authentic learning experiences that go beyond content mastery and focus on competencies that prepare them for postsecondary pursuits. Bronxville educators’ work is guided by the Bronxville Promise, which focuses on student well-being and teaches students to lead, innovate, think critically and engage the world. At Bronxville High School, educators have designed instruction that replicates the work of historians, artists, musicians, engineers, researchers, writers, mathematicians, filmmakers and scientists; and students publicly share their work and receive feedback not only from teachers, but from experts within the field. 

According to the program, National Blue Ribbon Schools serve as models of effective and innovative school practices for state and district educators and other schools throughout the nation. In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona congratulated this year’s awardees on fostering academic excellence and building positive school cultures that support students and allows them to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

The U.S. Department of Education will formally recognize the award recipients during an awards ceremony on Nov. 16 and 17 in Washington, D.C.

By Plamena Quintavalla

The Foundation Board is launching a search for a new Finance Administrator. A position description outlining desired qualifications and job responsibilities is provided below.

The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and its mission is to enhance the quality of education at the Bronxville School.

The Foundation has two part-time employees, the Executive Director (“ED”) and the Finance Administrator (“FA”), and a volunteer 30-member Board.  The FA supports the ED in most administrative functions, especially fundraising and office administration. The FA interacts with the Board members, whose work is organized into eight sub-committees.  The most active office administrative work comes from the Development, Finance, and Grants sub-committees.

The FA must be a team player with good interpersonal skills who is flexible and can work independently.  The FA must be proficient with Microsoft Word & Excel (including mail merge) and Google Suite and have strong bookkeeping skills as well as experience working with a database, preferably donor software. The FA must have good working knowledge of accounting and banking. The Foundation utilizes Quicken software for its accounting and financial software and DonorPerfect for its donor database. Maintaining donor records using the DonorPerfect database and accounting and financial records using Quicken software is one of the most important aspects of the Finance Administrator’s job.

Primary Functions

1. Support the ED and Foundation Chair in all areas requested.
2. Maintain and update DonorPerfect donor database.
3. Maintain financial records using Quicken software, processing all Foundation income and expenses.
4. Process all mail and contributions, including but not limited to:

a)  Processing all cash, check, stock, online PayPal and matching gift contributions,

b)  Preparing and processing all bank deposits,

c)  Recording all gifts in both Quicken and DonorPerfect,

d)  Regularly reconciling Quicken and DonorPerfect for accuracy,

e)  Reconciling bank accounts, PayPal account and Vanguard accounts monthly and quarterly.

5. Prepare all letters of acknowledgment.
6. Process all payments, including appropriate recording in Quicken and writing of checks:

a)  for administrative expenses,

b)  for grants payments (including compilation of requisitions, purchase orders and other appropriate documentation for the Foundation’s records and facilitation of grant payments to the school district).

7. Assist in the preparation, processing & tracking of grants paperwork.
8. Generate all DonorPerfect and Quicken reports monthly and as requested; understand the essentials of creating reports and running queries in a database.
9. Backup DonorPerfect and Quicken on a regular basis.
10. Prepare information required for annual audit, prepare and assist with auditor information requests, and communicate with auditors as needed.
11. Monthly, and as requested, provide Board members with their assigned donor lists; work with VP Development on annual updates to assigned donor lists.  
12. Prepare and coordinate community drive and alumni drive mass mailings and process returned mail.
13. Maintain Alumni Walk brick lists and process orders.
14. Coordinate Alumni reunion tours.
15. Assist with the Annual Katie Welling Run and other special events.
16. Maintain and order office supplies as needed.
17. Reserve meeting rooms for monthly Foundation Board meetings.
18. Attend Foundation Board meetings, as needed.
19. Answer the phone and respond appropriately to Board members, faculty and/or staff who come to the Foundation office with questions.

This position is part-time. The role is in-person at the Foundation office located in the Bronxville School at 177 Pondfield Road in Bronxville, NY and requires approximately 25 hours per week during the school year.  Summer responsibilities such as checking mail and making payments require intermittent office visits.  Estimated annual compensation is $30,000 to $32,000.

Applicants should email a resume and cover letter highlighting relevant experience to Helena McSherry at hmcsherry@bronxvilleschool.org.

By Jane Moynihan

Teachers and staff at The Bronxville School enjoyed free pickleball classes this spring, thanks to a unique initiative of the Bronxville Adult School (BAS) and the Bronxville School Foundation. 

Offered as a way to thank faculty and staff for their service and taught by Bronxville School PE teacher and popular Bronxville Adult School instructor Matt Fisher, the classes took place twice a week in the gym after school.

Over the course of the 5-week program, 35 teachers, aides, clerical staff, therapists, coaches, and nurses had fun while learning to play what is one of America’s fastest-growing sports. 

The classes were offered through the Bronxville Adult School using a grant from the Bronxville School Foundation. 

The idea was originally conceived during the Covid pandemic. Helena McSherry, Executive Director of the Bronxville School Foundation, explains, “the Foundation wanted to express its deep gratitude for everything the staff did for our school during that challenging time and also to support their health and wellness.”  

The Bronxville Adult School chose pickleball because it is the hottest sport around, one of the most popular classes at BAS, and also because Matt Fisher was on board to teach. Fisher is a certified pickleball instructor and also teaches in the after-school program BASC. McSherry says, “The Foundation couldn’t be happier that so many members of our dedicated staff enjoyed the classes.”

Describing the experience, Fisher says the goals for the class were to “have fun, learn the game, get a workout, and make connections with other people.” Teachers were happy to learn a game they could play outside of school over the summer, and he notes, the mix of players led to new relationships with others who work in the building. 

Bronxville music teacher Uma Karkala says, “taking pickleball classes was the highlight of the spring semester. Not only has it been a great way to exercise, it has been a great social and learning experience. Matt Fisher is an excellent teacher and is clear and patient with all the different levels of players.” 

Most of the players did not have any pickleball experience when they signed up for the classes, but by the end of the program, everyone could play the game. According to Fisher, although it was not a competitive atmosphere, some teachers and staff have become passionate about pickleball. 

Pickleball is just one of over hundreds of courses offered through the Bronxville Adult School. 

Registration for the fall semester will open in early August. To sign up for the BAS newsletter, please visit bronxvilleadultschool.org. You can follow BAS on Instagram and Facebook.

Photos courtesy Bronxville Adult School

By Deirdre Doheny, VP, Public Relations, The Bronxville School Foundation

June 7, 2023: The Bronxville School Foundation announced its 2023 grant awards, giving $530,000 in resources to benefit the Bronxville School’s K-12 student body.

The grant requests came from teachers, administrators, coaches, parents, and students.  This year’s grants supported meaningful projects designed to enrich the educational experience for all grades and support the goals of The Bronxville Promise.  The grants included professional development, health and wellness initiatives, new equipment, and enhancements to facilities and classrooms, as well as new programs and curriculum updates. 

Jennifer Lescott, the Foundation’s vice president of grants, said “The Foundation board is grateful for the tremendous generosity of our community that enabled the funding of 36 grants totaling $530K this year. We were fortunate to receive a robust slate of grant applications, including both critical off-cycle applications as well as regular cycle requests.  Grants were submitted not only by educators, staff, and administration but also parents and students.  This year’s grants include resources for teen mental health training, artificial intelligence courses, civil discourse sessions in the high school, and a programmer in residence – all strategic initiatives the Board of Education has encouraged. We’re so fortunate for the generosity of our community to enable this depth of investment in our students and innovative approaches across all areas from academics to arts and athletics.  Thank you to the community for enabling the Foundation to be a vital resource to the Bronxville School.”

Foundation Chair, Brian Bodell, added, “The Bronxville School Foundation continues to drive innovation and differentiation for the Bronxville School and our students.  We want to thank the Bronxville community for their continued support and all of the administrators, teachers, students, and parent grant writers for helping us stay ahead in the arts, technology, athletics, and professional development.  More than 600 donors contributed to the Foundation’s community drive, and many others supported the alumni drive, Katie’s Run, and the newly created Coach Bob McGrath Fund for Athletics and L. Gordon Harriss Fund for History. Total contributions received by the Foundation this year exceeded $500K and helped to fund this year’s grants. This strong collaboration between our community and the school ensures our students will excel in the pursuits of their choice and truly live into the Bronxville Promise”.

Following is a complete list of the approved grants for the 2022-2023 school year:

PROGRAM & CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT

Artificial Intelligence Bootcamp for Seniors 

Artificial Intelligence Courses – Year 2

Chamber Music Performance Coaches

Civil Discourse in High School

Commissioned Musical Piece for MS/HS Band

Hacker Camp

ITS Troupe – 2023

National History Day Post-Pandemic Research – Phase 2

Programmer in Residence

FACILITIES

Auditorium Projector & Black Projection Curtain

Bronco Barn Bottle Filler Station

Enhanced Athletic Training Room 

Flexible Furniture for Life Skills/Speech  

Furnishings for Staff Lounge/Lunchroom

Gaga Pit

Occupational Therapy/Physical Therapy Suite

EQUIPMENT & MATERIALS:

Art Display Boards & Cases

Biotech Startup Supplies for High School Science

Book Vending Machine for Elementary School

Boys and Girls Track and Field Record Board

Decodable Texts for Kindergarten – Second Grade

Flexible Seating for First Grade Classroom  

Lacrosse Goals

Percussion Equipment for Band

Portable Sound Equipment for Performing Arts

Probeware for High School Science

Refurbishment of Scout Field Batting Cages

Steeplechase Equipment

Tools & Equipment for Construction of Performing Arts Sets  

Velocity training for Bronxville Athletes

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

“Design Thinking” Sessions – Phase 2 for Elementary School

“Design Thinking” Sessions – Phase 2 for Middle School

IMSE Orton-Gillingham Reading Training for Kindergarten & Special Education

HEALTH & WELLNESS:

Meddy Teddys for Mindfulness

Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Teen Mental Health First Aid Training 

Photo: Brian Halling’s Entrepreneurship students sharing their research and development presentations for the Foundation’s “Project Let Us Seed Fund You” grant. Courtesy of Bronxville School Foundation

On a Thursday evening in early March, an audience gathered at the New York Historical Society to celebrate the 50th anniversary of National History Day. Famous historians, documentary filmmakers, and Historical Society executives were in attendance as the host of History Channel’s Mysteries at the Museum, Don Wildman introduced the main attraction – Bronxville students Leo Nevezhin, Katherine Gunduz, and Anne Petrillo. The students were exclusively invited, along with their teachers Dana Landesman and Christina Reidel, to present last year’s national winning group exhibition project: Chernobyl Disaster: How Diplomatic Pressure Pushed the Soviet Union to Mitigate the Disaster and Created International Debate on Nuclear Energy. “It was extraordinary to see Leo, Katherine and Anne so eloquently field questions from the history channel host and audience members,” said Ms. Reidel. “As their former ninth grade teacher, I took great joy in seeing their knowledge, skills and maturity grow over time. It was wonderful to see that student history research could reach the caliber that was exhibited through Leo, Katherine, and Anne’s project.”

The National History Day (NHD) Competition has been a part of Bronxville High School for eight years. The program has been led by Ms. Landesman and Ms. Reidel, and it’s a highlight for students and teachers alike. Projects led by the students themselves offer an opportunity for deeper understanding through extensive research and creative presentations of their claims in a diverse range of formats – exhibitions, documentaries, performances, research papers, or websites. Through multiple grants from the Bronxville School Foundation, professional specialists in these areas have visited the school and worked with students to improve the quality of their projects and enable them to compete at the highest level.

“Through the process of working on my project, I learned how to think and organize information in a creative way,” said Leo. “Understanding the different perspectives through multiple sources, including newly released research around the anniversary of Chernobyl, I discovered it to be a great historical example of how collaboration between nations can solve big world problems.”

The NHD program is built into the ninth and tenth grade social studies program at Bronxville High School. And this year, Bronxville had 34 of its high school students and, for the first time, five eighth grade students who won at the National History Day Regional competition in West Nyack on March 25th. They are expected to revise and improve their projects using evaluations from their judges to prepare for the New York State Competition at SUNY-Oneonta on April 24th. “My eighth graders voluntarily entered projects into the regional competition. Through the NHD work some students were able to pursue their passions, photography, military technology, running/film making respectively. One student and her family took a trip to the Eastman Kodak museum in Rochester to explore the archival material on her topic,” said Ms. Reidel.

“The accomplishments of our students are nothing short of astonishing. The NHD program aligns with many of our school’s beliefs and values in education, as outlined in The Bronxville Promise, along with the Innovative Designs for Education (IDE) work we, as educators, have been doing on a district level over the past several years,” said Ms. Landesman. “NHD projects lean on executive functioning, time-management and organizational skills that are critical to student empowerment, success, and leadership in school and beyond.” 

To that end, upperclassmen have parlayed their NHD experience into an opportunity to mentor other students by helping them with their projects as they prepare for upcoming competitions. One such student, Leo Nevezhin, has taken the knowledge gained from his NHD successes to invite a larger conversation that will take place in Bronxville School’s auditorium on June 10th at the first-ever TEDx Bronxville HS event. Leading a team of 20 Bronxville High School students, Leo is tapping into creative thinking and task-oriented organization to harness the voices from the Bronxville community, school, and experts from the greater metropolitan area. 

“Our theme for TEDx Bronxville HS is ‘Movement is Everywhere’. I was inspired by the nearby Bronx River and felt it was important to have a local connection that complements the broader concept of moving forward,” said Leo. “Mostly, I wanted to do this to give people a voice who don’t always have one.”

It has been a notable year for Bronxville’s history buffs and we are thrilled that Ms. Landesman has been named as a nominee for National History Day Teacher of the Year representing New York State. Nominees demonstrate a commitment to engaging students in historical learning through the innovative use of primary sources, implementation of active learning strategies to foster historical thinking skills, and participation in the NHD Contest. 

“This award recognizes the very best educators from across the nation and beyond,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn. “These educators are leaders and innovators in the teaching of history. They engage their students with hands-on, inquiry-based learning with primary sources. I congratulate them on their well-deserved nominations.” 

The national winner will be selected by a committee of experienced teachers and historians and announced on Thursday, June 15, 2023, at the National History Day National Contest Awards Ceremony in College Park, Maryland.

“It has been an incredibly rewarding experience running this program for the past several years with Ms. Reidel. The best part is seeing students stretch and grow the skills that are so important in school and life,” said Ms. Landesman. “I am impressed by their work, year after year.”

Pictured: Students enjoying the Elementary School Picnic tables. Photo courtesy of Bronxville School Foundation.

By Deirdre Doheny, Public Relations, VP, Bronxville School Foundation

Jan.20, 2023: The Bronxville School Foundation is pleased to announce that it has kicked off its 2023 grant cycle. Faculty, administrators, staff, students, parents, and community members are encouraged to submit grant applications.  The grant application, information about the application process, and summaries of recently approved grants are available on the Foundation’s website, www.BronxvilleSchoolFoundation.org

The Foundation is eager to support grant requests that fulfill the Bronxville Promise which enables students to lead, to innovate, to engage the world, and to think critically.

This year’s deadline for grant applications is March 1, 2023.

“This year we are excited to fund grants that will continue to enhance the learning experience of all Bronxville students. We hope to receive applications that will focus on the arts, athletics, student support services, and technology, said Jennifer Lescott V.P of the Grants Program.  “The innovative programming, state-of-the-art technology, and equipment that the Foundation supports really help us all, as both an organization and as members of the community, to fulfill the Bronxville Promise.   Our partnership with the Bronxville School’s administration, educators, students, and parents, enables us to provide a solid framework of innovative program development, equipment, and technology to our school.” 

Since its inception in 1991, the Foundation has awarded more than $ 12 million in grants that focus on piloting new programs, pursuing creative ideas, and providing equipment and facilities in the areas of science, arts, athletics, technology, and curriculum development.

For further information or inquiries, please contact vice president of grants, Jennifer Lescott , at jennifer.lescott@gmail.com, or the Foundation’s executive director, Helena McSherry, at hmcsherry@bronxvilleschool.org.

By India Hammer

Bronxville Elementary students are learning about how to make a personal impact on the planet in small and large ways. During the November GRATITUDE Be3 assembly, they watched with curiosity as Noah Brennan, Sustainability Educator at The Greenburgh Nature Center, picked up a container of trash and emptied its contents onto the auditorium stage. The students’ eyes went wide and chuckles spread through the crowd as they gazed upon the mess before them. Then Noah said, “Now, let’s talk about the best way to clean this up.” 

Refuse belongs in waste receptacles, but what if all waste isn’t created equal? The answer is to prioritize what can be recycled. As the Sustainability Educator shifted through the items on the stage, he asked the audience which container it should go in: Paper, Trash or Commingle? Hands shot up as he displayed each item. 

Paper bag? “Paper!” Metal can? “Commingle!” Plastic fork?, “Commingle!” Glass bottle? “Commingle!” Then he held up a plastic bag. Although, once again, most answers were “Commingle!” one student volunteered the correct answer – trash.

Noah told the student he was correct and then  asked him why a plastic bag cannot be recycled. Without missing a beat, the student replied, “Because it has a different chemical compound.” And that is exactly right. The students learned that items like plastic bottles, utensils, and containers are made up of a similar type of plastic, but plastic bags are not. Additionally, plastic bags can get tangled up in recycling machines and cause damage. While plastic bags such as small food baggies get tossed in with non recyclable trash, there is an option for plastic shopping bags. These can be recycled at local grocery stores. 

Another tricky item? A potato chip bag, which is a compound of plastic fused with foil. While this item isn’t recyclable, it can be reusable. Noah demonstrated this option by putting the chip bag inside a plastic bottle, explaining that in some parts of the world where resources are hard to get, this has been used as material for insulation. And for those students who enjoy crafts, Noah encouraged everyone to make something cool with recycled materials.

Once all the items had been sorted and placed in their appropriate receptacles, Noah turned the attention back to the audience. He asked, “Who likes food?” The response was an astounding sea of “Me!”. This brought Noah to the final ‘R’ of the three R’s: reduce. Making a small adjustment in the ways we dispose of waste can have a big impact on the health and future of the environment. Food scrap recycling not only reduces the amount of waste generated, it can create fertile soil that can be used to grow flowers and vegetables. It also provides food for worms who are essential to the fertilization process. When asked, “Who here composts at home?” many hands were raised among the crowded auditorium.

This is just the start of an educational journey for these Bronxville Elementary students. This week, Greenburgh Nature Center kicked off food scrap recycling lessons in each of the classrooms at BES.  Noah sat with Ms. Kalaj’s fifth grade class on Thursday, picking up where he left off during the Be3 assembly a few weeks ago. He asked if the students noticed the new green bins in the cafeteria. One student raised her hand, “Yesterday, Emily, Grace, Ella, and I put our orange peel in the green bin!” Some of the other students laughed, and another student shared, “We have a thing with oranges in this class.” Noah talked about all kinds of food items that can go in the green colored bin. For example, sandwich crusts for those who do not like them, banana peels, chicken bones, and even Oreo cookies.

Bringing the conversation back to the third ‘R’ reduce, Noah asked the students to take a guess at how much of food gets thrown into the trash. The students thought the estimate was somewhere between 10-30%. In fact, the percentage is closer to 40%, or over a billion pounds of food. When food waste is added to non-recyclable trash, it all gets sent to a facility that uses fuel and natural gas to condense it. The students were asked what gets released into the atmosphere as it burns. “Carbon Dioxide!” they called out. “What are things in nature that take the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere by absorbing it, also known as the process called carbon sequestration?” asked Noah. Several students knew of the two big ones: trees, through the process of photosynthesis, and algae that grows in oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, and moist soil.

Making the connection between how waste is disposed of, and how it is decomposed, the students learned about other life forms in nature that play an important role in the decomposition process. Some examples are mushrooms (which Noah likened to a magician), vultures, and insects such as worms, and even cockroaches. Noah brought with him one of Greenburgh Nature Center’s mascots, Charlie the Cockroach. Charlie was a popular guest amongst the elementary students, with many asking to see him up close and even hold him. Noah explained that while cockroaches are helpful in the composting process, similar to worms, they are slow workers. The large amounts of food waste generated from BES will now be composted using an off-site hauling company that will deliver it to a facility that uses machines that can more quickly decompose food waste through climate controlled temperature and humidity.

In the multipurpose room where the students have lunch, parent volunteer Maria Terjanian, was manning the three waste receptacles, and offering assistance to students when separating out their trash with the new addition of the green food waste bin. Maria, who has a child in each of the Bronxville schools, has been working together with the group of BHS students who started the food scrap recycling initiative, and BES administrators on implementing the program in the school. Seeing it come to fruition, and witnessing it in action, has been very exciting. “After only two days, there were already students who were directing others on where to put their trash,” said Ms. Terjanian. Assistant Principal Anthony Vaglica appreciates the bigger picture of the food scrap recycling program, “It is great to see so many within the school so invested in this work because of the positive impact on the environment. The students are very interested in the environment, and they understand the benefits of properly disposing of waste. My hope is that with the support of the school foundation, this will ultimately become a K-12 program and extend beyond the school and into the community.”

The program was made possible through a grant from the Bronxville School Foundation, written by high school students and BES administrators, Ms. Adams and Mr. Vaglica. “The food scrap recycling program is a very special grant for many reasons,” said Helena McSherry, Executive Director of the Bronxville School Foundation. “High School students brainstormed the idea and then worked collaboratively with faculty to bring this program to Bronxville and educate our younger students about the importance of this initiative. We are very grateful to them. I can’t think of a better example of students living out their commitment to the Bronxville Promise — To Innovate, Lead, Think Critically, and Engage the World.”