News

Dear Edgemont Families, Alumni, Community and Friends,

Would you like to help “ensure and enhance the value of an Edgemont education?” That’s what you do when you support the Edgemont School Foundation. Since its founding in 1993, ESF has provided much-needed funding that has improved the curriculum, modernized facilities, and enhanced the educational experience of all Edgemont students. 

Some recent examples of ESF’s impact include:

• Model School Plus – This initiative has firmly integrated technology into every Edgemont classroom, via the popular internet based Google Apps for Education, which streamlines assignments, boosts collaboration, and offers seamless communication between student and teacher.
• Multi-media Lab – The new multi-media lab on our High School campus expands on its traditional capability to help cement students understanding and process of analog image making. With ESF’s support, this all Mac digital lab enhances capabilities for our students.
• The E-Lab – We recently announced a $238,000 grant to modernize our school campus via the design and renovation of Edgemont’s first “collaborative learning space”. Located in the High School E-Building, this space provides a cutting-edge learning environment for teachers and students.

Superintendent Victoria Kniewel recognizes the critical importance of ESF, recently explaining, “Working in direct partnership with the administrators, teachers and the Board of Education, ESF’s contributions to our district are substantial. Recently, the ESF made the first of what will hopefully be a series of major grants to our schools as we work together to create innovative learning spaces through renovation and architectural redesign.”

Each year we ask for the support of the entire greater Edgemont community to help us continue enhancing the educational experience in Edgemont. If you have supported ESF in the past, thank you! We are truly grateful. We hope that all those committed to the success of Edgemont, our schools and our students will join us this year by supporting the Edgemont School Foundation and helping us exceed our $100,000 goal. We won’t be able to achieve this goal without your help.

With sincere thanks for your support,

            
     Adam Friedman                                    Ellen Litt

Edgemont School Foundation Co-Chairs
 
P.S. Another big thank you to our 2016-2017 donors!

Parents of Edgemont Class of 2017,

It’s hard to believe that your child’s Edgemont years are coming to a close? Are you looking for a lasting way to recognize this momentous occasion? Buying a personalized brick in honor of your soon-to-be graduate is the perfect way to commemorate your child’s graduation from Edgemont High School.

In 1998, Edgemont School Foundation sponsored the creation of the Alumni Walkway. The walkway, currently located along the wall in the center of the campus outside the C building, consists of clay bricks which can be personalized to honor graduating seniors, Edgemont High School alumni, faculty, administrators and community leaders.

All proceeds from the sale of personalized bricks help fund the Foundation’s grants to the schools. Since its inception, Edgemont School Foundation has granted over $2.2 Million to the Edgemont School District for programs that have improved the curriculum, modernized facilities, and enhanced the educational experience of all Edgemont students. Your support will allow us to continue to impact the lives of current Edgemont students and ensure that they have as positive of an experience as your child did while at Edgemont.

If you have family members graduating in the future, place an order now to reserve their spot. Ordering bricks together is the only way to guarantee they will be located next to each other on the walkway.

To place an order please visit edgemontschoolfoundation.org/buy-a-brick

We look forward to seeing your child’s name on the Alumni Walkway!

Dylan F. Pyne
EHS ’08
Walkway Coordinator

Jon Kahn
Parent ’12, ’17, ’22
Chairman of the Grants & Finance Committee

Parents of Edgemont Class of 2018,

Can you believe that your child’s graduation is almost only a year away? Before you know it your child will be on their way to their next chapter of life so it’s never too early to begin thinking about a lasting way to recognize this momentous occasion. Buying a personalized brick in honor of your soon-to-be graduate is the perfect way to commemorate your child’s graduation from Edgemont High School.

In 1998, Edgemont School Foundation sponsored the creation of the Alumni Walkway. The walkway, currently located along the wall in the center of the campus outside the C building, consists of clay bricks which can be personalized to honor graduating seniors, Edgemont High School alumni, faculty, administrators, and community leaders.

All proceeds from the sale of personalized bricks help fund the Foundation’s grants to the schools. Since its inception, Edgemont School Foundation has granted over $2.2 Million to the Edgemont School District for programs that have improved the curriculum, modernized facilities, and enhanced the educational experience of all Edgemont students. Your support will allow us to continue to impact the lives of current Edgemont students and ensure that they have as positive of an experience as your child did while at Edgemont.

If you have other family members who have already graduated, why not consider honoring them with a brick as well? If you have family members graduating in the future, place an order now to reserve their spot. Ordering bricks together is the only way to guarantee they will be located next to each other on the walkway.

Purchasing a brick now is the only way guarantee it will be installed for Graduation 2018. To place an order please visit edgemontschoolfoundation.org/buy-a-brick

We look forward to seeing your child’s name on the Alumni Walkway!

Dylan F. Pyne
EHS ’08
Walkway Coordinator

Nancy Gordon
Parent ’18, ’20, ’23
Treasurer

As Thanksgiving signified the start of another holiday season, our inboxes were immediately hit with a flurry of opportunities to spend money – there was Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. However, today is a day you might not be as familiar with – a day focused not on getting deals for your friends and family (and yourself), but to use your money for good.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving has become known as #GivingTuesday. This #GivingTuesday the Edgemont School Foundation is excited to continue their involvement in the movement and hopes you will join along.

Please consider celebrating #GivingTuesday with us by making a gift to the Edgemont School Foundation today. Enable us to continue pursuing our mission of ensuring and enhancing the Value of an Edgemont Education.

We wish you a happy holidays,

The Edgemont School Foundation Board of Directors

In this month of Thanksgiving, we want to thank you. Because of community members like you, over the more than 20 years that the Edgemont School Foundation (ESF) has been operating, we’ve been able to grant approximately $2.2 million to the school district for programs and projects that have improved the curriculum, modernized facilities, and enhanced the educational experience at all Edgemont schools. Here are some highlights from the 2015-2016 school year:

Model School Plus: “ESF continues to support teacher training and technology,” says Superintendent Victoria Kniewel. “ESF helped fund the Model School Plus professional development initiative, a program that seeks to help teachers integrate technology into every Edgemont classroom, such as the Google Apps for Education programs. ESF is a vital partner ensuring that our students and teachers stay on the cutting edge.”

Blanford Field: If you have seen the field, you know how great it looks! Gabi Falk, co-captain of the Varsity field hockey team explains why this improvement goes beyond aesthetics. “The field has given sports a whole new vibe at Edgemont,” she says. “It has attracted a lot of new fans. These crowds create a strong sense of unity which translates into better play on the field.”

Quaver’s Beyond Marvelous General Music Curriculum: This comprehensive program is revolutionizing the way technology is used in today’s music classroom. As Seely Place’s Mr. Peace says, “It’s an ideal approach to teaching music.”

Climbing Wall in the Jim San Marco Gymnasium: Physical Education teacher Ms. Saracino loves that the climbing wall allows students to challenge themselves outside their comfort level in a safe, controlled environment. She adds, “What’s so great is that students can pick their own personal goals, which allows for more opportunity for continued success.”

Every year, support of the Edgemont School Foundation makes opportunities and experiences like these possible for our students. To ensure that our schools remain best in class, we need your help. If you have given in the past, we appreciate your continued support. If you have not yet donated to ESF, we encourage you to begin supporting the community, our schools and our students with a tax-deductible gift today.

To donate please click the button below. Together we can provide the very best educational experience and a bright future for our students.

We wish you a happy Thanksgiving,

Ellen Litt
Co-Chair

You are coordinately invited to the Edgemont School Foundation summer fundraiser on Wednesday, August 3rd at Sunningdale Country Club. Cocktails begin at 7PM and dinner follows thereafter.

Performing at the event is local band The Del Bocas and a presentation recognizing our special guest, outgoing Seely Place Principal Dr. Ed Kennedy.

The Dress Code is Country Club Casual. Jeans are permitted, but please no ripped jeans.

Recently the Edgemont School Foundation took on an initiative to improve our communication with our fellow Edgemont neighbors and donors. As a continuation of that ambition, the ESF is excited to release the new Edgemont School Foundation Newsletter.

Features inside this newsletter includes an interview with noted actor, comedian, writer and Edgemont alumnus Ben Schwartz ’99, an update on the “Edgemont Goes Green” initiative in partnership with the Greenburgh Nature Center and an overview of some recent ESF grants and how they are impacting today’s Edgemont students.

After enjoying the newsletter, please consider sharing this message with any former or current community members you are in touch with using the share buttons below. While we have over 1,500 resident emails there are still many neighbors we are not in touch with. At the same time encourage them to sign up for our email distribution list so they receive future messages from us.

Lastly, we hope you’ll consider supporting the School Foundation by making a gift before the end of the calendar year. Founded in 1993 by a group of parents, school administrators and alumni, the Edgemont School Foundation through its endowment, awards monetary grants that support and enhance the Edgemont School District’s curriculum, its students, and its teachers. Our mission is to “Ensure and Enhance the Value of an Edgemont Education.”

To learn more about the Edgemont School Foundation please visit our website www.edgemontschoolfoundation.org or like us on Facebook.

We hope to see you at a future event!

Sincerely,
The Edgemont School Foundation Board of Directors

P.S. Do you have an idea for an article in a future newsletter or personal update to share about your Edgemont graduate? Email alumni@edgemontschoolfoundation.org.

Scarsdale, NY (October 12, 2015) – Keeping up with the times, technology changes rapidly and Edgemont is working diligently to stay on top. In addition to the wireless network and iPad initiative the Foundation has previously granted, we are excited to support our schools with the most recent initiative, Model Schools Plus. This grant will provide our schools with the professional learning and technological support to promote creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking, All-important facets in Edgemont’s strategic plan. The program will be instructed by the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center, LHRIC.

Studies have shown that effectiveness in technology goes hand in hand with professional development. Edgemont administrators and faculty are excited about bringing Google apps into the classroom. Groups of teachers were trained on how to develop projects using the Google Apps for Education software in the classroom. Teachers will learn how to develop projects that reflect the needs of their students. For example, Google Sheets can be used to gain shared understanding of theme in literature. Google Moderator can be used to brainstorm questions in preparation for a field trip, taking photos on the trip to answer these questions and then creating online montages documenting their work. The training will take place over a long period of time so that teachers will have the opportunity to apply, reflect and assess what they have learned. In addition, trainers will visit our classrooms to provide guidance and the teachers undergoing training collaborate with their colleagues about the experience.

For those of you that still have relatives or friends in the school district, ask a high school student to share a little bit about their use of Google Apps in the classroom. It’s amazing to see how “living documents” are created and used. Students are using Google Apps in their daily academic schedule. This grant is another example of how the Foundation supports professional development enhances our schools and keeps us cutting edge.

SCARSDALE, NY (May 6, 2015) – With training and oversight from the Greenburgh Nature Center, funding provided by a grant from Edgemont School Foundation (ESF) and support from The Moses Feldman Family Foundation, Edgemont schools have embarked upon a district-wide comprehensive waste reduction and recycling program. Students, staff, and administrators at Greenville, Seely and Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School will be separating their compostables, recycling and trash into new source separation stations in the cafeteria and teacher lounge. Uniform trash and recycling bins with clear signage will be placed throughout the schools. These new tools will allow Edgemont students to practice what they are learning in their classrooms about taking care of their environment and will reduce the schools’ waste headed for the incinerator by up to 75%.

“One of our strategic goals as a school district is to create authentic opportunities to foster students’ understanding of their roles as local and global citizens. Currently there are New York State laws requiring all schools to recycle. Soon we will be required to sort our food waste, too. Edgemont is fortunate to have this opportunity for oversight, training and funding. We will partner with our community resources to engage our students in an authentic expression of local and global citizenship to protect our environment and save tax dollars,” said Victoria Kniewel, Superintendent of the Edgemont School District.

Students in all grades, as well as faculty, administrators, janitorial staff, cafeteria personnel, food service staff and aides will be trained by the GNC to participate in the new source separation program. Green Teams comprised of teachers, staff and parents are being formed at each school and will also include Edgemont students who have taken the lead in promoting this program. The PTA and PTSA will have representatives on the Green Teams and will also be involved in reducing and/or improving packaging from outside vendors. The GNC will continue to be a resource for the Green Teams throughout the process.

In addition to the source separation systems and bins, the ESF grant will cover 3 new bottle-filling stations at the Jr./Sr. High School, as requested by Edgemont’s student groups including the Environmental Club, FoodSync, and the Student Government. This will help to reduce the number of plastic bottles the students purchase and consume each day.

Edgemont student leaders Zach Falk, Rachel Blume, Allie Rutter and David Scharf stated it perfectly – “When students recognize how they can contribute to their surroundings, they will be able to make a difference for the environment. The global trend to be more environmentally conscious is something that Edgemont wants to continue in our community. This initiative will enable students to further embody the values of the school that help shape them to become active contributors to society throughout their lives.”

About the Greenburgh Nature Center:
Established in 1975, the GNC is a 33-acre woodland preserve with trails, a pond, gardens, a playground, and outdoor animal exhibits. The Greenburgh Nature Center offers special programs for groups of all ages on a wide range of environmental topics, camps, and more. Its mission is to ignite passion, curiosity, and respect of the natural world. More than 80,000 community members visit the GNC each year. For more information: www.greenburghnaturecenter.org.

About the Edgemont School Foundation:
Founded in 1993 by a group of concerned parents, school administrators and alumni, the Edgemont School Foundation through its endowment, awards monetary grants that support and enhance the Edgemont School District’s curriculum, its students, and its teachers. ESF’s endowment is funded primarily through private donations. For more information: www.EdgemontSchoolFoundation.org

About the Moses Feldman Family Foundation:
This Foundation seeks to improve the lives of individuals and to protect the environment by supporting non-profit organizations that engage in these endeavors. www.mfff.org.

For questions or more information, please contact:
Anne Jaffe Holmes: ajaffeholmes@greenburghnaturecenter.org
Pam Miner: pamminer@gmail.com