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Gratitude Report 2022-23
2022-23 Gratitude Report
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2022-2023 Board of Trustees
Key Administrators
Lynne Geaney, Chair Alison Davis, Vice Chair Stephanie Luedke, Treasurer Abigail Wattley Kingman, Secretary Alex Bellina Drosten Fisher Dr. Kaye Hale Rob Hendrick Tom Main, Head of School Laura Masotti Kelly Milton Brian Morgan Kate Ritter Kavita Sarna, RAPA President Rachel Sondheimer State Attorney General William Tong Wendy Wo Beurket Jenny Zhang Howard Turner, Honorary Trustee Tim Birch, Honorary Trustee
Tom Main, Head of School Dave Suter, Associate Head of School & Director of Enrollment DDS, Associate Head of School, Academics Sara Abriola, Auxiliary Program Director Ann Grasing, Director of Advancement Fell Herdeg, Chief Financial Officer Clinton Howarth, Head of Middle and Upper Schools Stephanie Kowalski, Human Resources Director Alison O’Callaghan, Head of Preschool and Lower School Siobhan Powers, Preschool Director, Westport Evelyn Tangney, Preschool Director, Bedford
3 I Message from Board Chair 4 I Financial Overview 6 I Volunteers 8 I Annual Fund Donors 13 I R estricted Giving 13 I General Endowment 13 I Patriot Legacy Fund 14 I Gifts in Kind 14 I Special Recognition Gifts 16 I Spring Gala 18 I M essage from Head of School
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I am delighted to share the enclosed report, which recognizes the parents, alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends who supported Ridgefield Academy / Landmark Preschool during the 2022-2023 school year. Together, 233 supporters donated $674,665 to the Annual Fund. In addition, we received nearly $127,000 for the spring gala, which helped the School complete the final phase of renovations to the Summit Gymnasium. It is especially heartwarming to see so many of you choose to invest in our incredible students, our talented faculty and staff, our beautiful campus and facilities, and our exceptional academic program. Not only does this reflect the community’s collective commitment to our school, but it also has a tangible impact on RA/LP’s ability to maintain a position of financial health and stability while also continuing to offer a holistic educational experience. The Annual Fund is an essential component of RA/LP’s budget, providing meaningful funding that augments tuition, helping to cover the cost to run our school. Your donations allow us to hire and retain talented and passionate faculty, develop inspiring and hands-on academics and activities for our children, supplement our financial aid budget, cultivate a culture of belonging for all members of our community, and so much more. On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, I offer our sincere appreciation for your support of Ridgefield Academy, and I look forward to seeing you and your families throughout the school year. With gratitude,
Lynne Geaney P’20,’21,’22,’23 Chair, Board of Trustees
2022-23 Gratitude Report
Dear Ridgefield Academy and Landmark Preschool Families,
2022-23 Gratitude Report
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Financial Overview While maintaining the value of an exceptional educational program, sound fiscal management is a vital focus of the Board of Trustees. Ridgefield Academy and Landmark Preschool rely on traditional revenue, such as tuition and charitable giving, as well as strategic investments and auxiliary programs, which include summer camp and facility rentals. The power of philanthropy enhances the educational program for students and contributes to the holistic approach to independent school operations. This overview displays the audited revenue and expenses between July 1, 2022, and June 30, 2023.
FY23 OPERATING RESULTS
REVENUE
REVENUE, GAINS & OTHER SUPPORT Net Tuition & Fees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12,819,275 After School & Summer Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $963,170 Charitable Giving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $801,627 Other. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $796,073 Total Revenue*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15,380,145 * Excludes one-time tax credit revenue booked in the 2023 fiscal year. EXPENSES Instructional support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,302,158 General and Administrative. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,346,317 Auxiliary Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $497,849 Other. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,606,984
Net Tuition and Fees 83.3% Charitable Giving. . . . 5.21% Auxiliary Programs. . 6.26% Other Income. . . . . . . 5.18% EXPENSES
Total Expenses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13,753,30
Instructional Support.74.9% General and Admin. 9.79% Auxiliary Services. . . 3.62% Other. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.68%
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great education “We appreciate the great education RA has provided our child.”— Shannen Li & James Yu P’23
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Volunteers We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the following volunteers whose time and talent helped shape and support the school community during the 2022-2023 school year. Parent Annual Fund Class Captains Class Captains are important ambassadors of The Annual Fund assisting the Advancement Office in communicating with fellow parents about the importance of the Annual Fund and encouraging every family to participate in a way that is meaningful to them. Karen Savir, Chair Jeff Brogan Peter Getchell Sachit Rajbanshi James Yu RA/LP Parent Association Boards Our RA/LP Parent Associations seek to enrich the lives of students, families, and faculty and staff, while strengthening the school community through educational and social programs. We express our gratitude to the following board members who served during the 2022-23 school year. RAPA Kavita Sarna, President Amy Pflaum, VP, Upper School Sarah Gontijo, VP, Middle School Stephanie Haley, VP, Lower School Karen Nissim, VP, Preschool Kelly York, Secretary Patrick Morrissey, Treasurer Sabeth Albert Amy Antonacci Katie-Jane Bailey Jeanelle Bickel Shqipe Day Meredith (Kalish) George Ashley Hamedi
Elise Hinchey Joelle Krysa Mimoza Lila Claudia Morgan Dove Quinn Nicole Searles Julie Setterlund Allison Stagg Kelly Ullman Alysa Wakin LPA, Bedford Lauren DiChiara Quinn Dowling Cara Eswein Emma Hepworth Christine Hersey Vanessa Khachane Rachel Lexier-Nagle Lisa Massi Samantha Palo Ali Tejtel LPA, Westport Sible Antony Jessica Calagione Jennifer Cannon Aerin Haskos Jennifer Moschella Liz Fye Rosenwaks Rupal Shah Monica Staehely Dave Tobey Jing Zhou
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vote of confidence “The Annual Fund is at the heart of the school’s fundraising initiatives and supporting it as a member of the faculty/staff is a vote of confidence in our institution.” — Kim Devine, Staff
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Annual Fund Donors The RA/LP Annual Fund is an essential component of the School’s finances, underpinning many important needs of the School not covered by tuition revenue and endowment income. Collectively, these contributions provide unrestricted dollars that support students and faculty in their work together every day and comprise 5.3 percent of Ridgefield Academy and Landmark Preschool’s operating budget. Gifts to this fund provide immediate resources that allow our school to be flexible and meet important needs as they arise. Thank you to all members of our community who contributed to the 2022-2023 Annual Fund (July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023) and helped to ensure that vital resources remain available for every student and teacher.
CURRENT PARENTS Participation (K - Grade 8): 51%
Symbols for each Annual Fund giving level Name Visionary Society
Level $50,000+
Head’s Society
$25,000 - $49,999
Summit Society
$10,000 - $24,999
Bell Society
$7,500 - $9,999
Benefactor Society
$5,000 - $7,499
Founders Society
$2,500 - $4,999
Patriot Society
$1,000 - $2,499
Blue & White Society
$1 - $999
Symbol
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Class of 2024 | Grade 7 Participation: 58% Class Captain: Peter Getchell The Albert Family The Archibald Family Ryan and Patricia Carrington Paul and Ai Desiano Jennie Dunham The Garland Family The Getchell Family Prashant Soni Clinton and Danielle Howarth Paul and Stephanie Levesque Fritz and Stephanie Luedke The Nash Family Brian and Alison O’Callaghan
John and Sarah O’Malley Kate Ritter Brian and Shelby Rotunda Melissa and Frank Torchia William Beurket and Wendy Wo Beurket Class of 2025 | Grade 6 Participation: 57% Anonymous (2) Jessica and Larry Brooks John and Christina Carvalho Sean and Tricia Cronin Van Huang and Jenny Zhang Caroline Kellen Timothy and Julie Kinney The Knop Family Tom and Megan Maloney Brian and Claudia Morgan
Yafit and Pascal Partouche The Pessoa Family Asaf and Karen Savir Andrew and Elizabeth Smolenack The Sondheimer Family William and Elizabeth Tong The Wright Family Class of 2026 | Grade 5 Participation: 48% Class Captain: Sachit Rajbanshi Eric Bickler Ryan and Patricia Carrington Emmanuel Crabbé and Kerry Reinertsen-Crabbé Jose and Sarah Gontijo Prashant Soni
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Class of 2023 | Grade 8 Participation: 69% Class Captain: James Yu Anonymous William Beurket and Wendy Wo Beurket Sean and Tricia Cronin The Garland Family The Geaney Family The Kuijstermans Family Beth MacInnes Peter and Summer Paulos Gregory and Amy Pflaum Andrew and Elizabeth Smolenack Gavin and Eliza Sommerville The Yu Family
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10 Dr. Kaye Hale and Douglas Malton Clinton and Danielle Howarth Caroline Kellen The Noble Family Peter and Summer Paulos Sabine and Seb Rajbanshi Angela and John Saez Asaf and Karen Savir Class of 2027 | Grade 4 Participation: 62% Anonymous Frederik and Samantha Bailey Dirk and Marie-Antoinette Boot James and Lindsay Borocz The Dichter Family Stephen and Jennifer Giametta
Dr. Kaye Hale and Douglas Malton The Heller Family Saket and Simrat Mehta Kelly Milton and Alex Morse Kyle and Vicky Mungavin The Nash Family Yafit and Pascal Partouche The Sondheimer Family Jason and Anne Wein The Wofford Family Class of 2028 | Grade 3 Participation: 57% Class Captain: Karen Savir Anonymous Jason Abrams and Mariana Filip Jessica and Larry Brooks The Shepherd-Eisemann Family
Drosten and Mary Fisher Michael and Michele Gerstenfeld Jose and Sarah Gontijo Sheila and David Grow The Haley Family Van Huang and Jenny Zhang The Mancusi-Ungaro Family Brian and Claudia Morgan Matthew and Evelyn Morgan Sabine and Seb Rajbanshi Evan Ray and Gilda Boroumand Asaf and Karen Savir Abigail Wattley and Kevin Kingman Class of 2029 | Grade 2 Participation: 41% Class Captain: Jeff Brogan Jeff and Tanya Brogan The Cartelli Family Emmanuel Crabbé and Kerry Reinertsen-Crabbé Drosten and Mary Fisher Clinton and Danielle Howarth The Mancusi-Ungaro Family Yuliya Jhanwar and Edu Morales Matt and Des Palmisano Angela and John Saez Nikhil and Kavita Sarna The Wright Family
11 The Ghelman Family Jose and Sarah Gontijo Sheila & David Grow The Heller Family Robert and Sarah Hendrick Manan Deoja and Ipsa Lama Nicholas and Ana Flavia Leibowitz Kirk and Eva Lewin The Manning Family The Manso-Redondo Family Jordan Muraskin and Isabel Lerer Michael and Hannah Schewe Daniel and Diana Stadnyk The Tison Family Christopher and Kelly Ullman
Class of 2031 | Kindergarten Participation: 28% Nicholas and Jessica Aiken The Ghelman Family Sheila and David Grow The Haley Family The Pessoa Family Abigail Wattley and Kevin Kingman
Landmark Preschool, Bedford Anonymous Shanaya Deboo Jason and Haley Gilliland Andrew and Jillian Lam Peter and Meredith Scala Steven Schreiber and Jennifer Barone Sara and Steven Segall The Wagenheim Family Brita Gaffey and Adam Wolk
Landmark Preschool, Ridgefield Nicholas and Jessica Aiken Mehdi Ali and Erin Corrigan Tamilla Ghodsi and Bijan Ayromloo Jeff and Tanya Brogan The Dahlman Family The Geloso Family
Landmark Preschool, Westport The Himot Family Michael and Alisha Houy Malcolm and Schuyler Kemeny The Mancusi-Ungaro Family
Nick Marchica and Kristen Linder Timothy and Lindsay O’Rourke The Storch Family Faculty And Staff Participation: 92% Alumni Participation: 2.3% Christopher ’01 and Anni Denzel ’02 Isabella Ferrante ’11 Will Garland ’20 Aidan Geaney ’20 Béibhinn Geaney ’21 Isla Geaney ’22 William Harford ’18 Schuyler Kemeny ’99 Abigail Wattley ’97 Grandparents Jennifer Ahern Mehdi Ali Bill Ames Al and Angel Ayaz Bernadine Barry Barbara Berardino Nancy and Tom Bradbury Jeff and Carla Brogan Randy and Bonnie Brooks Abby and Gil Dunham Nancy Griffin and Cliff Wattley Michael and Susan Haley Robert and Kathy Hendrick Bob and Lain Howarth John and Kathleen Krampf Douglas and Alice Kraus Don Lia and Lucy Paleczna
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Class of 2030 | Grade 1 Participation: 50% Class Captain: Jeff Brogan Mark Albert and Ludmilar Mesidor Jeff and Tanya Brogan The Cartelli Family Joseph Contillo and Alexandra Forrester The Forrester Family The Ganea Family Daniel George and Meredith Kalish The Heller Family Van Huang and Jenny Zhang Patrick and Kanthi Morrissey Matt and Des Palmisano The Searles Family Jonathan and Chloe Soares
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12 Karen and James McGuigan Ted and Nancy Morse Steve and Sandra Nelson John and Jackie O’Callaghan Nancy and Jeff Osborne Steve and Natalie Sondheimer Phil and Margot Sullivan Stuart Marcus and Ann-Marie Trotta John and Patricia Valiska Al and Liz Wakin Bill and Olivia Weeks Denise and Lloyd Werner Norman and Charlotte Wood Parents Of Alumni Mark Baker and Janice Elsesser John and Lori Berisford Tim and Catherine Birch The Chickering Family Pamela Clasby Steve Dell’Olio and Tiffany Mayr Marie Desmons
Amy and John Dolan Jan Dunn Jeffrey Figurelli and Annabelle Reid Ronald and Stacy Hynes Edward Isler and Jane Love John and Jacqueline Lange The Liebowitz Family Christopher Odyniec and Laura Masotti The Rao Family Diana Reid Joel and Beth Simon Dave and Liza Suter The Torchen Family Current Students Clinton Howarth ’26 Sasha Sondheimer ’25 Simon Sondheimer ’27 Friends Alex Bellina Jeremy Main Jennifer Scott
Foundations, Corporations, and Organizations Anonymous Benevity Community Impact Fund Energy Income Partners Fidelity Charitable Goldman Sachs & Co. IBM Jewish Communal Fund JPMorgan Chase Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation L Catterton Linde Moderna National Philanthropic Trust Pettipaug Asset Management Company Renaissance Charitable Foundation Inc Schwab Charitable Teneo UnitedHealth Group Vanguard Charitable Verizon Foundation Weeden Foundation
love their school “We give because our grandchildren attend and they love their school.” — Michael & Susan Haley GP’28,’31
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General Endowment Fund Ridgefield Academy welcomes additions to our general endowment, which provides annually for the operating expenses of the School, as well as support for other existing endowed funds and or new funds established to support scholarships and school programs. The McGuigan Family
Ridgefield Academy Parents Association
Patriot Legacy Fund The Patriot Legacy Fund is an endowed fund that was established by the families of the Class of 2017 to provide tuition assistance to students with financial need. Annually supported by Grade 8 families whose gifts are made to honor their graduates and commemorate their RA experience, this meaningful fund also continues to be augmented by alumni and their families. Bill Beurket and Wendy Wo Beurket Tricia and Sean Cronin The Geaney Family
Peter and Summer Paulos Elizabeth and Andrew Smolenack
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Restricted Giving
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Restricted Giving, cont. Gifts in Kind Anonymous 121 Restaurant 850 Wood Fired Restaurant Sara Abriola Adam Broderick Salon & Spa Katie Jane Bailey Bailey’s Backyard Baja Cocina The Black family The Brown Family Camp Kiwi Audra Cartelli Pam Clasby Erin Corrigan and Mehdi Ali Larry Curry The Davis Family Locali Marketplace Restaurant Mayflower Inn & Spa Morph Med Spa Jerry Nash Pelo by Edgardo Salon
The Pepe Family Prospector Theater Rein Osteria Ridgefield Police Department Ridgefield Nail Bar Salem Golf Club Salt Hotel Group Karen Savir & Sara Haims at Ridgefield Events Paul Desiano Four Seasons Racquet Club The Garland Family The Geaney Family Danielle Getchell Jennifer Giametta The Glass House Greenwich Med Spa Sheila and Dave Grow / She La La The Haley Family Sam Heller HERS Boutique
Hollandia Nurseries The Howell Family J. McLaughlin Karen Morneau Photography The Krysa Family Lake Compounce The Searles Family James Siewert & Alysa Wakin The Smolenack Family The Sondheimer Family Katie Spiro Stacey’s Totally Baked The Studio School of Dance Tia Cibani The Toy Chest Tradewind Aviation Valbella The Wakin Family Whim Ridgefield Winter Garden Ice Arena Z Hospitality Group
Special Recognition Gifts The following individuals or purposes indicated in bold below had gifts made in their honor or memory by the donors listed beneath them. Honorary Gifts Academics The Heller Family Arts Alex Curry Bedford Campus Anonymous Peter and Meredith Scala
Campus Updates The Cartelli Family Technology Jeffrey Figurelli and Annabelle Reid
Memorial Gifts Lisa Annunziato Diana Reid
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people who care “I truly love the work we do here at RA. It is a great group of people who care.” — Kosta Myzithras, Staff
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Spring Gala The RA/LP community came together on Saturday, April 29th for an elegant evening at Salem Golf Club to celebrate our community and raise money that will help the School complete renovations to the Summit Gymnasium. With a variety of online and live auction items, as well as a paddle raise, the event raised more than $127,000 to support this much-needed initiative. We extend our sincere appreciation to all who participated in the event. Gala Chair Joelle Krysa Gala Committee Jeanelle Bickel Erin Corrigan Alexandra Forrester Sarah Gontijo Brittny Howell Meredith Kalish
Nicole Peta Chloe Soares Liz Smolenack Kristen Tison Alysa Wakin Kelly Ullman Supporters Anonymous (2) Jason Abrams and Mariana Filip Sara Abriola
The Albert Family Mehdi Ali and Erin Corrigan Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund Gabriel and Rachel Benador Wendy Beurket The Bickel Family The Black Family BMW of Ridgefield Books on the Common Nicholas Bradbury and Nicole Peta Jessica and Larry Brooks Shaw and Jennifer Brown Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey LLP The Cartelli Family Emmanuel Crabbé and Kerry Reinertsen-Crabbé
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JC Nota Septic, LLC Ameet and Sharbari Kamat The Krysa Family Michael La Greca Dr. Blaine Langberg William Langewiesche and Tia Cibani Thomas and Haley Lee Nicholas and Ana Flavia Leibowitz The Leibrock Family The Liebowitz Family Fritz and Stephanie Luedke Thomas Main The Manso-Redondo Family Yuliya Jhanwar and Edu Morales Brian and Claudia Morgan Kelly Milton and Alex Morse Katie-Jane Bailey and Daniel Murphy Patrick and Kristina Murphy Colin and Lesley Isabelle Nichols The Noble Family Norbert E. Mitchell Co., Inc. Brian and Alison O’Callaghan
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Marc and Diana D’Agostino Stephen and Shqipe Day The Shepherd-Eisemann Family Robert and Jennifer Esposito F&M Electric Supply Co. Omar Faridi and Kiran Sheikh Drosten and Mary Fisher Jesse and Samira Fogarty Forrester Family The Ganea Family The Geaney Family Michael and Michele Gerstenfeld Jose and Sarah Gontijo Good Deal Cleaning Service, LLC Sheila & David Grow Adam and Sara Haims Dr. Kaye Hale and Douglas Malton The Heller Family Robert and Sarah Hendrick Clinton and Danielle Howarth Van Huang and Jenny Zhang
Oak Ridge Hauling, LLC Overabove, LLC Matt and Des Palmisano Steve and Kate Pearce The Pessoa Family Gregory and Amy Pflaum Nichole Pirro The Pokrinchak Family Scott and Rachel Sanderson Carolyn Savoia Michael and Hannah Schewe Schwab Charitable Michael Scully and Natalie Gabathuler-Scully The Searles Family Ron and Heather Senatore Seward and Monde, CPAs Joel and Beth Simon Andrew and Elizabeth Smolenack Jonathan and Chloe Soares The Sondheimer Family Alex and Monica Staehely William and Elizabeth Tong The Torchen Family Christopher and Kelly Ullman The Van Riper Family Abigail Wattley and Kevin Kingman Merideth Zampino-Lake
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Dear RA/LP Friends and Families, At our opening assembly this year, I shared with our students the importance of celebrating and caring for one another in a community. Your support of the school each year is one way that you model this important value. By giving back to RA/LP, you ensure that we can provide competitive salaries and benefits for our faculty and staff, offer financial support for those families who cannot afford the full cost of an RA/LP education, and deliver a challenging and robust academic program that suits the individual needs of each of our students. RA/LP is a place that emphasizes the important connections that exist among our students, faculty, alumni, and families – it is a place that truly values relationships and community – and I am grateful for the many opportunities I have to see these taking place each day. Whether during a large-scale event, such as Patriot Weekend or Grandparents and Special Friends Day, or in the smaller moments in and around the classroom, on the playing fields, or in Monday morning assemblies, our community regularly shows up for one another. Thank you for the many ways you support our school – for your time and talents, as well as your philanthropy. The collective commitment of our community has an immediate, profound impact on today’s RA/LP students and future generations. Sincerely,
Tom Main, Head of School
gift to our students A gift to RA/LP is a gift to our students. The collective support of our community today provides a unique educational experience that will help them to become tomorrow’s leaders. Thank you for your partnership!
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