Statement of Purpose
Our purpose is to create a supportive and caring community that cherishes love of learning, creativity, and individuality, and that provides teachers and students with both support and freedom to take risks in order to reach their full potential.
Implicit in our philosophy is the goal of bringing students to their highest level of academic and personal competency, both for their present and in preparation for their future education. In addition, we share a much larger purpose.
We see Far Brook’s mission as a desire to use and to adapt the principles of progressive education and its philosophy of pragmatism for a changing world, and while valuing academic excellence and respect for nature, to instill a creative response to learning with great art, drama, music, and literature as models.
Our approach to education demands that both students and teachers be active participants in a reciprocal learning experience. We recognize the role of metaphor, ritual, and tradition in children’s lives and the power of the arts in the learning process. Our curriculum is unified by interdisciplinary studies of thematic units and great historical eras, which allow children to relate themselves to the universe and to the history of mankind. A Far Brook education takes place in an environment of natural beauty and intimacy, where character and citizenship are valued as much as achievement, process as much as product.
It is our desire to touch the lives of children so they may live life wisely and with great joy.
Dear Far Brook Community,
We are pleased to share the Far Brook School 2023-2024 Report on Philanthropy. Throughout the following pages, you will find an overview of the previous year, one marked by a significant milestone: Far Brook’s 75th Anniversary. As a community, we honored our rich and important history, the visionary founders and educators, and the countless students whose lives have been enriched by their experiences here. We celebrated the essence of what makes Far Brook undeniably unique.
This past year was exceptional for philanthropy, with gifts and commitments exceeding more than $2.6 million, a remarkable achievement for the School which demonstrates that our community continues to be extraordinarily generous. The 2023-2024 Far Brook Fund, our annual giving program, surpassed its goal by raising more than $426,000, having an immediate impact on every child and program at the School. In addition, we raised close to $1.2 million for our 75th Anniversary campaign, highlighting our history and accomplishments while increasing support for the School’s Endowment and Tuition Assistance.
Far Brook School is deeply committed to the careful stewardship of all of its financial resources, including our Endowment. We take great care in managing these assets responsibly to ensure the long-term sustainability of the School’s mission and to continue providing our exceptional progressive education for generations to come. As of June 30, 2024, our Endowment’s fair market value stood at $10,329,515, reflecting a nearly 14% increase over the previous year. See our Endowment page to learn more.
We extend our deepest gratitude to our donor community of current families, alumni, alumni families, grandparents, faculty, administration, and corporate matching gift partners for their invaluable support. We also thank the tremendous group of volunteers who support the School in a myriad of ways.
Your generosity strengthens this community and reinforces our commitment to providing a rigorous, progressive education that is centered on experience, grounded in nature, focused on social justice, and immersed in the arts. Through your partnership, we continue to prepare students for academic success, to meet the challenges of tomorrow, and to contribute to the world beyond their years at Far Brook.
On behalf of Far Brook’s Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff, we thank you for your continued dedication and celebrate you as an integral part of our shared success.
Warmly,
Amy Ziebarth Head of School
Renée Sekino Wolfe Chair, Board of Trustees
Below is a summary of the 2023-2024 school year.
Financial Summary Giving Summary
Thank you to our incredible community of current parents, alumni, alumni parents, trustees, faculty, administration, and community friends who support Far Brook School. Your donations make our progressive educational experience possible for every student.
2023-2024
Endowment
As of June 30, 2024, Far Brook’s Endowment totaled $10,329,515, representing an endowment per student of $44,717 Our endowment provides regular income, through smart investing and prudent management, for academic programs, tuition assistance, DEI initiatives, Faculty development, facilities, and general needs. Additionally, it ensures Far Brook School’s long-term security and sustainability by creating support for future opportunities.
$8M $11M
$6M
$5M
$4M
$3M
$2M
$1M $0
Endowment Funds
Far Brook has specialized endowment funds as well as expendable funds which create lasting opportunity and impact for our students and faculty. These center on the arts, scholarships, tuition assistance, professional development, faculty benefits, building upkeep, and more.
Arts Endowment Funds
Kramer Art Fund
Fredda S. Leff Special Projects Endowment
Polly S. Niebling Drama Fund
Building Endowment Funds
Milton H. Stern Endowment Fund
The Ruth and Max Segal Family Library Endowment Fund
Faculty Endowment Funds
The Elliott Averett Family Fund for Teacher Benefits
Faculty Endowment Fund
Faculty Opportunity Fund
Endowment for Teacher Benefits
Moore Faculty Benefit Fund
General Endowment Funds
The 2023-24 Board and Emeritus Trustees 75th Anniversary Endowment Fund*
Scholarship Endowment Funds
Mary Adams Scholarship for Mathematics and Science
Edwin A. Finckel Scholarship for the Arts
The Founding Families Scholarship Endowment Fund
The George Bartol Scholarship
The Hite Scholarship
The James E. and Elizabeth Hughes Scholarship Endowment Fund
The Patrick Jeffrey Scholarship Endowment Fund
William R. Johnson Scholarship for the Arts
Barbara Jordan Endowment Scholarship
The Koven Family Scholarship
The Paula Levin Lower School Scholarship Fund
Marks Student Scholarships
The Opportunity Scholarship Fund for Excellence
The Caroline Pfohl and Damien Ho Scholarship
Carol Silver Endowment for Student Scholarships
The Roberta and Saul Wolfe Lower School Endowment Fund*
Funds In Formation
Ed Solecki Endowment Fund for the Arts*
D’Ann Ippolito Fund to Support Third Grade Curriculum and Faculty*
Expendable Funds
The Faculty Fund for Innovation
High School Tuition Assistance Fund
The Joan H. Stern Speaker Series for Faculty Development
Music and Instrument Fund
*Newly established funds
Far Brook celebrated 75 years—all year long!
Our remarkable school celebrated its 75th anniversary throughout the 2023-24 school year. As we reflected on this milestone, we honored Far Brook’s dedication to nurturing young minds, fostering creativity, and building a close-knit community rooted in the values of progressive education. Throughout the year, with varied events, big and small, we celebrated with students, faculty and staff, families, alumni and their families, current and former trustees, and former faculty.
Philanthropy also played a significant role in our celebrations. Close to $1.2 million was raised through our 75th anniversary campaign, increasing support for tuition assistance and our endowment. Four named endowment funds were created, and the School received generous new commitments to The Simple Gifts Society for Planned Giving. We extend our deepest gratitude to our generous donor community.
Cheers to Far Brook’s next 75 years and beyond!
Dwayne Clark, Janeece Freeman Clark, and family perform at June Jam
Unearthing the 1990 Time Capsule!
Former Faculty Reunion
June Jam: Far Brook’s culminating 75th Anniversary celebration
Singalong at Alumni Community Day
The Far Brook Museum
Students celebrate Spirit and Giving Day
Alumni return for Alumni Community Day
We are grateful to our incredible community for their support of The Far Brook Fund and for investing in everything we love about our School, including student programs, capstone experiences, faculty development, tuition assistance, and so much more.
A special thank you to our Far Brook Fund Leadership team and Ambassadors for their incredible support and partnership:
Far Brook Fund Co-Chairs
James Kingham
Tanya Nicholson Miller
Larsen
Amy Yin
Parent Ambassadors
Margo Campbell
Jason Kruk
Jiawen Pi
Deena Sengstacke
Ellen Thornton
Suzanne Travers
Alumni Parent Ambassadors
Keisa Anthony
Kristen Balderston
Eileen Gefell
James Jean-Pierre
Antonia Pinney
Elyse Post ‘78
Faculty Ambassadors
Mona Boewe
Chris Murphy
Parent Co-Chair
Katharine
Parent Co-Chair
Alumni Parent Co-Chair
Alumni Parent Co-Chair
Giving Thanks for Gifts of Time and Talent
Thank you to our many volunteers this year whose gifts of time and talent are immeasurable and include:
• Parents leading and participating in over a dozen special committees, including Fall Family Day, campus decorating, the School Store, communications, and Book Fair
• Families making homemade treats for our Teacher Appreciation breakfasts and Fall Family Day Bake Sale
• Parents serving as Class Representatives
• Alumni and former faculty installing the Far Brook Museum and serving as Alumni Community Day Planning Committee members
• Faculty, staff, parents, and students serving as facilitators and discussion pod participants at our Widening the Lens Diversity Conference
And so much more!
Thank you all for your invaluable volunteerism; your dedication and support are essential to the Far Brook community.
Parent Community Connection (PCC)
At the heart of the Far Brook community is the involvement of the entire family. Our dedicated PCC supports Far Brook in many areas and offers a variety of ways for current families to get involved with the community, meet other parents, and get a glimpse of their child’s experience by volunteering.
Thank you to the entire PCC community and our dedicated PCC Leadership team!
Komel Caruso Co-Chair
Richardson ‘98 Co-Chair
Amanda
We are grateful to Far Brook’s Community of Supporters
7 Layer Studio
ABC Party Center
Emily Abramowitz Adam ‘02 and Justin Adam
Addison Taylor Catering
Steve Alberto and Mary Kay Alberto
Ronald Alden
Farid Ali-Lancheros
Aixa Alvarez
Gregory Alvarez and Jennie Alvarez
Linder Keller Andlinger ‘71 and Merrick Andlinger
Arielle Anema and Matthew Mates
Sarah Anfora and Gregory Rasmusson Anonymous
Anna Anselmi
Keisa Anthony
Geraldine Jones Appleyard ‘55
Linda and Donald Auld
Koonam and Baiju Aurora
Meena Azeem and David Aggen
Nino Badridze
Joseph B. Baker ‘62
Elizabeth and M. Charles Bakst
Anna Balderston ‘10
David and Kristen Balderston
Katharine Balderston ‘03 and Paul Hildebrand
Jonathan Bannett and Charla Woodeshick
Jennifer and Matthew Barba
Louis William Bartholomew ‘10
Bartol Charitable Foundation
Wendy Bassin and Jason Hutt
Beechwood Wine & Liquors
Kenyanna Scott Bell and Kameno Bell
April Bell-Martha and Richard Martha
Renuka Bery ‘77 and Mark Busciano
Lawrence and Lillian Beshel
Jonathan Bick ‘68 and Barbara Bick
Adam Bisceglia and Juliet Moretti
Sandra P. Blackwood
Mona Boewe and Charles Miller ‘81
Lauren Borny
Ellen Woolston Bossert ‘79 and Suzanne Woolston Bossert
Carol Branchi
Brand X Foundation
R. Lew Breckenridge
Bruce and Beth Brier
Christine Briggs
Erin and Daniel Brown
Harold G. Brown III ‘74
Kenneth Brown ‘71
Mauri Grosso Buchanan ‘56 and Edward Buchanan
Robert and Rose Bucich
Elizabeth Burke ‘93 and Brian Lacy
M. Nadine Burnett
Ted Burnett
Christopher and Katy Burns
Joan and David Burr
Jacob and Jennifer Buurma
Mitch and Joanna Cahn
Gregory and Margo Campbell
Richard Carlin and Jessica Myers
Steven and Jaqueline Carlson
Komel and James Caruso
Christopher and Carlye Case
Gregory Cass ‘86 and Donna Cass
Sandy Castor
Eric Castro
CCS Fundraising
Morgan Furst Certner ‘02 and Dan Certner
Gillian and Dan Chandre
Andrew and Dorothy Chang
Cheng Chang and Jin Wei
Zhen Cheng and Jianghua Yin
William and Deanne Chenitz
Randy and Janice Cherkis
Michael Chernoff ‘95 and Sarah Chernoff ‘95
Michael Chodroff
Dwayne Clark and Janeece Freeman-Clark
Patra Cogan
Thea and Daniel Cogan-Drew
Thomas Cogan-Drew ‘23
Todd Cohen and Jessica Fernandez
Liz and Jon Colleran
Kay Collins
Brenda and Jeremy Colvin
ConnectOne Bank
Vanessa and Christopher Connolly
Shannon Connors
George Constantinou
Geoff and Dianne Cooke
Kristen and Jonathan Correira
Brett and Jonathan Cortell
Amanda and Alejandro Cravino
Colin Cummings ‘19
Customized Benefit Solutions, Inc
Michael Dahlen and Hope Chernov
Brian and Ariana Dalton
Marcus Daniels and Cassaundra Sledge
Corinne Amato and Nicholas Danzis
Emily Davenport
Alice Davison
Richard deMoll and Mary Ann O’Hara
Steele Deleste
The Denver Foundation
Drs. Elsie and Trevor DeSouza
Fabio Di Gennaro and Ivana Rapalino
Paul Dinello and Danielle St. Laurent
Dornam Foundation
Bryn and Joanne Douds
Dore and Michael DuHaime
Susan Dunn Dixon ‘73 and Christopher Dixon
Orianne Dutka ‘94 and Blake Rawdin
Daniel and Catherine Dyer
Benjamin and Alanna Eisenberg
Peter Eisenberg ‘59 and Elizabeth Eisenberg
Eric and Lauren Eisner
Yaser El-Gazzar and Samia Ghareeb
Valeriy and Carolyn Elbert
Nicole Fabian Engelke ‘88 and Mark Engelke
Anne and Frank Engelkraut
Tamara Evans
Garnesha and Oputa Ezediaro
Carmine and Erika Fanelle
Huyan Fang and Weirong Zhang
Peggy and Buddy Fawcett
Feng Family Charitable Fund
Rudy Fernandez
David Finckel ‘67 and Wu Han
Barry and Irene Fisher
Meredith Fisher ‘85
Peter and Mary Sue Fisher
Flamm Family Giving Fund
Kate Niebling Flynn ‘57 and Thomas Flynn
Ian Foster
Pedro Garcia
Rachel and Daniel Garcia
Eileen Gefell
Kathleen Gefell Centola
Zach and Elissa Gelber
Alexandre and Dita Gerber
Ned and Virginia Gerstman
Nebiyou Girma and Selamawit Getachew
Suzanne and Jordan Glatt
James Glossman and Rachel Murphy
Michael Goldfarb and Noemi Schor
Raj P. Gona ‘83
Marc and Jennifer Gonyea
Leonard Goodman and Sandra Goodman
Megan and Micah Gottlieb
Janet Gough and Gary Gough
Charles and Ashley Gray
Meeta Grewal and Inderpreet Batra
Douglas and Heather Grinspan
Peter Guryan ‘84 and Lara Daniel
Ellen Hakes
Rameez Haq and Nida Cassim
Stefon and Shané Harris
Adrian and Janice Hartman
Paul Hastings and Debbie Wissel
Kathryn Van Deusen Hatfield ‘81
Hatfield Schwartz Law Group LLC
Andrew and Alison Headley
Hellring/Arnell Fund
Hemera Foundation
Michael and Regina Henry
Gregory Hoffman
Haley Douds Holmberg ‘02 and Andrew Holmberg
Peter Holmes
Michael Horowitz ‘98 and Pamela Silver
James E. Hughes, Jr. ‘56
John and Katherine Ike
Emi Ithen and Jordan Leff
Beth Jeffrey
Jeffrey Family Fund
Yun Jeong and Myung Kim
Jiang Giving Fund
Arlene and Keith Johnson
Bradford Jones
Jumpstreet Tours
Kamen Family Charitable Fund
Danielle Kane ‘01 and Aaron Smith
Helen Kaplus
Amber Kapoor and Ritika Burman
Angela and Douglas Kaufman
Adam Keil ‘92 and Elizabeth (Plotkin) Keil ‘93
Gordon Allen Keil
Katielyn and Jonathan Keith
Tochukwu Keke and Chika Enyinnia-Keke
Brendan Kelly and Juliane Corman
Bob Kelly
Katelyn Kempf
Abigail Spies Kennedy ‘67 and Bradley Kennedy
Ke Kim
Marcellus and Romaine King
James and Lauren Kingham
Karen Kirk ‘03 and Bryan Mills
Kevin Knotts ‘67 and Valerie Leeds ‘72
Olubukunola Kolawole and Dana Rhule
Rose Koven ‘06
William S. Koven ‘04
Robert Kovenburg ‘01
Orin Kramer ‘59
Daniel Kronthal ‘07
Jeffrey and Leah Kronthal
Lauren Kronthal ‘04
Melissa Kronthal ‘00
Jason Kruk and Lucy Spalton
Kwatler-Barash Family Fund
Theodora S. Lacey
Lalla Giving Fund
Marisa and Reginald Lambert
Layer 7 Consulting LLC
Ashley and Zyphus Lebrun
Andrés Lederman and Lourdes Blanco
Stuart Lederman ‘75 and Lynn Lederman
Joanne and James Lee
Bruce Leff
Matthew Leff ‘94 and Iryna Leff
Andrew Leonard ‘94 and Shelley Leonard
Leonard Family Foundation
Michael Levin ‘87 and Jenny Levin
Paula and Alan Levin
Yuxin Li ‘21
Stanley Liang and Emily Wu
Jenny Wu and Kevin Ling
William and Jennifer Linn
Jonathan Littman ‘78 and Nancy Littman
Livingston Little League
Susannah Lloyd-Jones and Jordan Gabay
Kevin Lorenz and Ileana Mendez
The Lotridge Family
Henry and Ellen Lucas
Esther and David Lusk
Robert and Nola Lynch
Sharonann Lynch and Rachel Cohen
Stockton MacInnes ‘87 and Danielle MacInnes
Frank and Helen Macioce
Althea L. MacWhorter
Michael Maher and Elizabeth Maher
Maher Charitable Foundation
Cordelia Manning
Katherine Marantz
Scott and Amy Margolis
Lucy Marks ‘65 and Scott Sprinzen
Megan and Kojak Martin
Alisha and Fabio Martinez
Michael Marucci
Danyel (Mayers) Laurent ‘08
Harriet Mayshark ‘65
Emma McCabe
Valerie McEntee
Graeme and Rosalind McEvoy
Constance McGoff
Matthew McGowan
James and Lindsay McHugh
Marjorie and James McInerney
David McLaughlin
Rene Mclean and Lylette Pizarro
Tom Measday
Neil Mehta and Paula Cheng-Mehta
David Melillo and Ann DeCamp
Owen Meng and Julie Zhu
Bernie Middendorf and Karen Karvazy
Milan Milinkovic and Nevena Bojovic
Diane Miller
Elizabeth Graves Miller ‘58 and David Miller
Grace Miller
Grant and Sydra Miller
Jenifer Miller ‘77 and Daniel Schwartzstein
Noah Miller ‘75 and Claire Miller
Mohammad Monsur and Neha Kumar
Gloria and Anthony Monteiro
Gerardo and Sirlene Montenegro
James Montgomery ‘52
Elena Morataya and Gustavo Romana
Brigitte Moreno and Daniel Horowitz
Scott Morgan and Sue Albert
Beatriz and Humberto Morin
Naja and Jeffrey Morton
Kilian Muller and Rahel Ehrensperger Muller
Nancy Muniz and Judy Hnat
Christopher and Amanda Murphy
Derek and Mikki Murphy
Omalawa Musa and Marisol Rubecindo
Matthew Nadler ‘80 and Ann Nadler
Peter Ncanywa
Kevin Neary and Patricia Neary
Michael Neary
Peter Neumann
Jim Nguyen and Jade Smith
Tanya Nicholson Miller
Michael Niebling ‘54
Alain Noel and Stephanie Fils-Noel
Bess Oransky ‘92 and Craig deLaurier
Stephen Oremus and Justin Bohon
Emily Otner
Senol Ozturk and Gulgun Bayaz
James Paddon ‘75 and Nathalie Paddon
Barbara and James Pagos
Meredith Palmer
Nilay and Sarika Patadia
Rose Perez
Melissa and Chris Perry
Nicholas Perry ‘18
Albert David Peters ‘64
Daniel Pincus ‘92 and Becky Pincus
PKF O’Connor Davies, LLP
Adam Plotkin ‘90 and Adam Abrahams
Pauline Pocher
Katie and Jeffrey Pogue
Ann Pollack ‘72
Michael Pollak and Madeline Friedman
Elyse Post ‘78 and Adam Lipnick
Kimberly and James Pounds
Aubrey Powell and Desiree Flournoy-Powell
Nasheena Poznansky
Julie and David Preston
Ashwin and Jennifer Prithipaul
Ana Maria Quintero
Barbara Rabinowitz
Joshua and Joan Rabinowitz
Vijay Raghavan and Subashree Jagannathan
John and Rebecca Randall
Matthew and Molly Raskin
Michael and Gina Ricciardi
Gabriel Richards
Amanda Richardson ‘98 and Matthew Eckman
Rachael and Nathan Riley
Nina Ritter ‘75
Idaliss Rivera
James and Jaime Robinson
Jeannine Romeo
Pamela and Larry Rosenberg
Shamara Rowe
Catherine and J. David Rush
Richard Saber ‘15
Minelly Saladin
Karlsson Salek
Nevil and Juliana Sampayo
Samuels - Carniol Philanthropic Fund
Johnathan Sandler ‘87 and Eliud Kauffman
Mark and Samantha Sandler
John Santoro ‘53 and Elena Santoro
Pricilla and Eklavya Saraf
Caroline Sargent
Mary Sargent
Sarah Boring Satterthwaite ‘59 and William Satterthwaite
Nikita Saxena ‘06 and Aditya Kalluri
Louis and Molly Scerra
Eric Schleifer and Rebecca Ross
Marc Schwartz and Robyn Bennett
Rosemary and Michael Scoppetuolo
Anne Marie Scully
The Sedgwick/Torelli Family Fund
The Peter R. Segal Fund
Carl and Cassandra Segal
Jennifer and Mark Semioli
Deena and Stephen Sengstacke
P. Doak Sergent and D. Neil Marks
Shivji Family Giving Fund
Timothy Shoaf ‘89 and Olivia Shoaf
David Silverstrom
Gary Silverstrom ‘96 and Allison Weinstein
Joseph Skloot and Erin Glazer
Skoloff & Wolfe, P.C.
Allison and Corey Smith
Javéé Smith
Ruth and Stanley Smith
Edward Solecki and Linda McNish
Addison and Kerra Sollog
Kemi Somorin
Frances Soverel ‘67
David Spence
Michael Sperling ‘72 and Priscilla Fishler
Sandra Stern
Marnie Stetson and David Futterman
Amy Striem
Sydney Strollo ‘17
Harsh Sule and Katharine Larsen
Sun Graphics
Christine Susko
Juliet Sutherland
Nina Tsung-Sze and Alexander Sze
Eunhee and John Szymanowski
William Tan and Fong Lim
Matthew Taylor and Megan Chinn-Taylor
Melinda Templeton-Duffy ‘91
Mark and Ellen Thornton
Ajit Thupil and Sumitra Ganesh
Christine and Peter Tiboris
Barbara Tobey
Shelly and Eric Toffler
Sofia Tomé
Amy and David Tomsey
Anthony and JoAnn Tutino
Alison and Michael Ullrich
Mark Unferth and Jennifer Blau
Union Foundation
Unionwear
Rafael Valverde and Jennifer Rosen Valverde
John and Lois Van Deusen
Thomas Van Doren ‘82 and Rachel Zhao
Sundar Varadarajan and Jyoti Ananth
Darren Vengroff and Hilary Hoover
Jessen Venord
Silvanio Barbosa Vieira and Nadia Lorena Folla
Erasmia Voukelatos and Ashley Horne
Jamie Wang and Robert Yang
Yuanyuan Wang and Chen Wenping
Maurice Watkins and Terry Glanville
Neil and Nancy Weidner
Letitia Wells
Pengda Wen and Michelle Xu
Matthew Westerby
Tyra and Richard Whelton
Bradford Wiley ‘54
Deborah Wiley ‘61
Peter Wiley ‘57
Melissa and David Williams
George and Andrea Wilson
Windigo Architecture, LLC
Matthew Withers
David Wolfe ‘90 and Dominique Wolfe
Jonathan Wolfe ‘90 and Renée Sekino Wolfe
Saul and Roberta Wolfe
Susan Wolff
Fan and JoAnna Wu
Elaine Wynn and Christopher Boghosian
Amy Yin and James Ooi
Weiyu Yin and Kejun Zhu
Makoto and Miriam Yoshida
Tommaso Zanobini and Diane Bakst
Frederick and Susan Zeigler
Patricia Stern Zelkowicz ‘88 and Stephen Zelkowicz
Jihui Zhu and Qian Hou
Amy Ziebarth
Christine Zink and Dave Rabinowitz
John and Marcia Zweig
Enrollment Management
Far Brook continued to refine the Admissions experience for prospective families during the 2023-24 school year. This included increasing the number of Small Group Tours offered during the fall, bringing back popular touchpoints like our Craft & Sip for Applicant Parents & Guardians and Winter Celebration, and implementing new recruiting events that included an Alumni Panel and Affinity Coffees. Far Brook also expanded our Admissions virtual webinar offerings, debuting a session on Diversity, Equity, and Community at Far Brook, led by Mikki Murphy, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Community. In addition, in our ongoing efforts to enhance our word of mouth marketing both for prospective families and through local organizations, we rounded out the year with our first Open House for Community Partners.
Number of Students: 231
New Students: 61
African American 13.4%
Asian American 10.4%
Caucasian Non-Hispanic 45.9%
Number of Families: 180 New Families: 44
These eleven communities constitute 82.3% of this year’s student body: Maplewood/South Orange 42%
Multiracial
Southeast Asian American 5.6%
Diversity, Equity, & Community (DEC)
Community is the hallmark of the Far Brook experience, enriching our days with shared experience, support, and purpose. We are an intentionally diverse community across all aspects of identity from racial and cultural affiliations, to family make-up, and gender identity and expression – and we believe that this diversity creates the most authentic and powerful learning environment.
We are proud to share a few of the many DEC highlights from the 2023-24 school year:
Student Engagement
• Over a dozen Heritage Morning Meeting celebrations held
• Junior High Equity Team established
• Students attended monthly Affinity and Community Ally Groups
Professional Development & Other Learning Opportunities
• Inaugural community event “Using Art to Talk to Kids About Race” held on campus, with Caldecott-winner Vashti Harrison and author, educator, and speaker Ali Michael, Ph.D.
• Faculty members attend the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference (PoCC) in St. Louis
• Eighth annual Widening the Lens Diversity Conference hosted 12 independent schools, focusing on “Community: The Power of Empathy in Action” with keynote speaker Charles Vogl
Community Initiatives
• Diversity Committee established as a standing committee of the Board, consisting of Board members, parents, and faculty/staff
• Faculty Gender and Sexuality Diversity (GSD) Committee established, providing student and faculty support and education
Alumni
We are tremendously proud of our alumni who are continuing their educational journey at the following schools:
Class of 2024
Columbia High School
Gill St. Bernard’s
Gould Academy
Kent Place School
Madison High School
Millburn High School
Montclair Kimberley Academy
Morristown Beard
New Providence High School
Newark Academy
Seton Hall Prep
Summit High School
Westfield High School
Class of 2020
Dickinson College
Emory University
Fairfield University
Gettysburg College
Hampton University
Loyola Marymount University
Pace University
Ramapo College
Rutgers University
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Honors College
Union College
University of Pittsburgh
Campus Updates
During the 2023-24 school year, there were a number of updates to our facilities as well as a great deal of planning for enhancements to our beautiful 9.5-acre campus. Bridges in our wetlands were rebuilt and the pathways were cleared of overgrowth, bathrooms in the Segal Library and gym were renovated, and we were delighted to break ground on two major construction projects at the end of the school year.
School Garden
Through a generous lead donation and significant work from many faculty and staff, our new School Garden has become a reality for our students. The garden, designed by local landscape professional Hadley Peterson, provides our students with an even deeper connection to nature and a rich experiential learning opportunity across multiple disciplines. The new garden curriculum has been developed with Far Brook faculty and Kaleidoscope Garden Design, and we are excited to already see corn, tomatoes, and herbs that students planted sprouting up from the garden beds.
Reconfiguring and Redesigning Our Main Entrance
Beginning in June, our School entrance and stairs underwent a complete excavation and renovation. This enhancement has a fresh, modern design, improves accessibility to the campus with better lighting, incorporates seating, and is the perfect way to welcome students, faculty, families, and guests to campus.
Welcome Renée Sekino Wolfe
Far Brook’s New Board Chair
We welcomed Renée Sekino Wolfe on July 1, 2024, as the 27th Chair of Far Brook’s Board of Trustees. Renée has served on the Board since 2018 and has been a member of the Executive Committee, served as Board Secretary, and Chair of the Committee on Trustees. Renée and her husband Jonathan, Class of 1990, live in Short Hills. They have three children at Far Brook: Ayla in Sixth Grade, Kai in Fourth Grade, and Mikah in Second. Renée holds a BA in Public Policy and American Institutions from Brown University and a JD from Boston University School of Law. She is an attorney specializing in general commercial and intellectual property litigation, starting her career at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP and working more recently for Broadcast Music, Inc. In her spare time, Renée enjoys running, tennis, yoga, cooking, and travel adventures with her family.
We thank the 2023-2024 Board of Trustees for their dedication, diverse perspectives, and expertise, and extend our gratitude to Marc Schwartz for his service as he completed his six-year term as Board Chair and ten years as a Trustee. To learn more about the 2024-2025 Board of Trustees, visit farbrook.org/trustees
2024-2025 Board of Trustees, left to right: Mike Goldfarb, Harsh Sule, Joseph Skloot, Diane Bakst, Chris Burns, Amy Ziebarth, Amy Yin, Lourdes Blanco, Tanya Nicholson Miller, Roggi Chuquimarca '13, James Kingham, and Renée Sekino Wolfe. Not pictured: Kenyanna Scott Bell, Nadine Burnett, Alice Davison, Adam Keil '92, and Doak Sergent.
Ways to Give
Far Brook is an extraordinary community supported by current parents, alumni, alumni families, faculty and administration, trustees, grandparents, and business and foundation friends. The impact of your giving is reflected in our students and our joyful environment.
Give Online
Make a one-time or recurring donation to The Far Brook Fund by visiting farbrook.org/give or scanning the QR code.
Matching Gifts
Many corporations offer matching gift programs for employees and their families. Most programs match on a dollar-per-dollar basis and can double or triple the size of your gift. All matching support will be credited to you. To inquire if your employer has a matching gift program, write to the Development department at development@farbrook.org
Gifts of Stock or Wire Transfers
By donating appreciated stock that you have held for more than a year directly to Far Brook, you avoid paying capital gains taxes. Plus, you are eligible to deduct the full fairmarket value of the asset you donated from your income taxes, up to the overall amount allowed by the IRS. Contact the Development team for our Gift of Securities directions or to arrange for a wire transfer.
Planned Giving Save the Dates!
Supporters of Far Brook can make planned gifts, also known as legacy gifts, which are commonly donated through a will or estate plan. Planned gifts have a meaningful impact on the School, while also potentially providing financial benefits for the donor. To learn more, please contact Far Brook’s Development team.
We hope you will mark your calendars and show your support during any of these upcoming campaigns. Gifts of all sizes are truly meaningful and are used to enhance our students’ educational experiences during the current academic year.
52 Great Hills Road
Short Hills, NJ 07078
