Chappaqua School Foundation annual gala raises $185,000

The 14th Annual Chappaqua School Foundation Gala, which was held on Friday, May 2, at Crabtree’s Kittle House, raised nearly $185,000 for curriculum-enhancing programs and equipment that might not otherwise be available to our students given the current demands on the school budget. 

Through strong community support from parents, local merchants, administrators and teachers over the past fifteen years, the foundation has awarded more than 140 grants totaling close to $800,000, including over $125,000 toward the purchase of SMART Boards, bringing this innovative technology to thousands of students district-wide. 

This year, the Chappaqua School Foundation awarded 11 grants totaling almost $160,000, which will impact all six schools. All of the grants were submitted by the district’s teachers, administrators and parents, many of whom focused on raising student’s environmental awareness. 

Middle school grants

Bell School will benefit from the Learning and Growing Garden, which, through direct, hands-on experiences for students, will teach the seed-to-table connection that is critical to enhancing students’ understanding of the concepts of sustainability, health and wellness. In addition, teachers from both middle schools will undergo training, financed by CSF, to create curriculum and materials that support interdisciplinary learning through the lens of sustainability. Consequently, environmental consciousness will be a theme not just in science classes, but in other disciplines as well.

Also at the middle school level, both Bell and Seven Bridges students will get printmaking equipment that will be used by the art, social studies, English and foreign language departments to create interdisciplinary projects. Both middle schools and Greeley will also receive portable document cameras, the latest technology for capturing, projecting, annotating and storing visual information in many different formats, including text, graphics, three dimensional objects and microscopic images.

Elementary school grants

New technology abounds in the elementary schools as well. Thanks to strong community support of the Chappaqua School Foundation, every fourth grade classroom will now have a SMART Board. Roaring Brook will receive videoconferencing equipment that will permit live remote conferencing via computer, connecting students with schools and experts around the world and allowing virtual field trips to planetariums, aquariums, rainforests and museums. Westorchard students will use digital recorders to create oral histories, and all grades will benefit from digital audio players and access to an audio book web site that will greatly enhance the school’s reading program.

Chappaqua Schools Foundation’s proactive project at Greeley

In addition to responding to submitted grant proposals, CSF is also taking on proactive projects. In her opening remarks at the Gala, Andrea Klausner, CSF president, announced that “for the first time in the foundation’s history, we are embarking on a multiyear project to remake a lecture hall at Greeley into a state-of-the-art multipurpose room. While details of the project have not been finalized, this is a unique opportunity for the foundation and the district to partner together. An interactive multimedia learning center at the high school allows us to combine the mission and vision of the Foundation with the strategic needs of the Chappaqua Central School District.”

Gala was a Who’s Who of New Castle

Of course, none of these programs and initiatives are possible without the financial support of Chappaqua’s residents, many of whom came to last Friday’s gala to honor Carol Evans, CEO of Working Mother Magazine, who received the third annual “It Takes a Village” award, and Susan and Ed Habermann, who were honored with CSF’s Special Leadership Award. 

The Habermanns have been an integral part of the Chappaqua community; Susan has been both member and president of the Board of Education and is a founding board member and past president of NCCTV.  In his role as volunteer soccer and lacrosse coach, Ed has had a profound impact on both teams, as was evidenced by heartfelt speeches by Bob Oddo, boys’ varsity soccer coach and Kevin Kuczma, boys’ varsity lacrosse coach.  Many members of both teams were present to support Ed as well.

Upon accepting the “It Takes a Village” Award, Carol Evans noted, “As a working mom who has jumped on that train every morning for twenty years, I can hardly say how grateful I am that this village does such a remarkable job with every child – my own two included.”

And this village did a remarkable job supporting the Chappaqua School Foundation – and in turn our children—on Friday evening.  Other highlights of the event included a showcase of prior Chappaqua School Foundation grants and a raffle of an eco-friendly 2008 Toyota Prius, which was won by Tom and Barbara Kornreich. Since CDF was just shy of selling its required 250 raffle tickets for the Toyota Prius, the raffle reverted to a 50/50 event and the Kornreiches were presented with a check for $10,000 on May 3.

For more information about the programs funded by CSF and to learn about upcoming events, visit www.chappaquaschoolfoundation.org.

Rachel Rader has lived in New Castle for almost ten years, is actively involved in West Orchard life and has worked as a freelance writer and editor.