Stephen Gaynor School Gazette - Winter 2024

GAYNOR GAZETTE

Stephen Gaynor School

OF TRUSTEES

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Megan Hogan – Chair

Benjamin Hamilton – Vice Chair

Kristerfor Mastronardi – Treasurer

Jillian Marcus – Secretary

Andrew Bast

Kristine Baxter

Lorie Broser

Cara Chambers

Grant Duers

*Dr. Scott Gaynor – Head of School

Steven Kobre

Jonathan Neave

Samantha Regan, President of the Parents' Association

Keech Combe Shetty

Katy Williamson

*Ex officio member

TRUSTEES EMERITI

Dr. Mary Fitzpatrick

Jo Ann Gaynor

Gordon Gaynor

Yvette Siegel-Herzog – Co-Founder and Director of Education

GAYNOR ADVISORY COUNCIL

Bill Caleo

Chris Canavan

Adey Fisseha

Linda Hsu

Elise Mordos '04

Beth Pristaw

Javier Rodriguez

Josh Wiener

Editor: Deanna Ferrante

Executive Editor: Megan Bostaph

Contributor: Emily Barnes

Photography: Gaynor staff, Da Ping Luo and Coverd Photography

Editorial Design: We Can Design That

Printing: 44interactive

GAYNOR ON GAYNOR

“Everything old is new again” is a phrase that applies to areas such as fashion, architecture, and history. This time-tested theory implies that the answers to today’s issues can be found by evaluating lessons from the past. Unfortunately, avoiding history repeating itself is a lesson often stated, but rarely internalized. It seems that we often don’t learn from our past and continue to repeat the same mistakes. But in the world of education, it appears that educators are successfully returning to past methods to solve today’s reading issues.

Over the past nine years, we have been fortunate to work with Ann Edwards, an OG Fellow, to provide training and certification for our teachers in reading. During this time, over 50 Gaynor teachers have received their OG certification at the Classroom Educator Level. Ann is not only skilled in the foundational approaches to OG but fosters the same student-centered approach that has been the hallmark of our program for over sixty years. Additionally, Ann has led our annual parent OG workshop to provide parents and caregivers with basic skills to support their children's reading development at home.

The science of reading supports a new approach to teaching reading that is steeped in our past methods (see page 22). New York’s governor and the City’s mayor along with the majority of states across the country have recently turned to this evidence-based approach to improve our young students’ reading skills. The phonicsbased Orton-Gillingham (OG) approach to reading dates back to the 1930’s. Thirty years before Gaynor's doors opened, neurologist Dr. Samuel T. Orton and educator and psychologist Anna Gillingham developed the OrtonGillingham approach to reading instruction for students with "word-blindness," which would later become known as dyslexia.

Since the founding of Stephen Gaynor School by Yvette Siegel-Herzog and my grandmother Dr. Miriam Michael, we have committed to teaching our students through the evidence-based OG approach. The sequential approach of OG ensures that our students master the basic relationship between sounds and symbols to build confident, fluent readers. It is abundantly clear that theories and approaches developed by Orton and Gillingham and adapted by our founders have not only withstood the test of time but continue to be the gold standard for teaching reading.

With the support of New York City’s Department of Education, we have partnered with PS 84 to train their teachers in a phonics-based approach to reading. These are the same teachers whose students attend our Community Learning Center (CLC), a program that provides phonics-based instruction to first and second graders attending two local public schools. This program is offered free of charge to families and is now in its 17th year of operation. Students receive instruction from our OG trained teachers twice a week in small groups. This year, the teachers of PS 84 are part of a 15-week training program led by two of our expert reading coaches, Sloan Shapiro and Kristi Evans. We are excited to partner with this New York City public school to share our expertise and ensure young students become successful readers.

I am proud that over the decades, our teachers have remained true to the original approach of Orton, Gillingham, Siegel, and Michael. Gaynor’s unwavering commitment to this time-tested approach is not new, and it is good to see that politicians and educational leaders are returning to these methods. Our founding leaders still guide us today.

DR. SCOTT GAYNOR Head of School

Strategic Plan Update

Adopted in the fall of 2022, Gaynor’s five year strategic plan addresses two important areas of focus that align with the school’s overall mission. The strategic initiatives under the framework of Strengthening Our Core Competencies support the professional development of faculty to ensure each child receives an individualized program tailored to their learning style and needs, and include DEI goals across the curriculum. Supporting the focus area, Broadening Our Reach, initiatives look to expand Gaynor’s reach as a leader in special education, and create and maintain a community of belonging.

Strengthening Our Core Competencies

Progress on the first framework supports enhancing the curriculum and elevating the instructional practices of our teaching faculty. Examples include:

• Committees of faculty members are completing curriculum audits and looking at enhancing our scope and sequence for reading and writing, social studies, and informational skills.

• Division directors are providing professional development to co-lead teachers multiple times this academic year as well as utilizing outside resources to support these teaching groups to prepare for the expansion of the co-lead model.

• An audit of the social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum is complete with the goal of providing all students with a foundation in social emotional tools and strategies that promote a healthy selfconcept, problem solving skills, and a collaborative learning community.

Broadening Our Reach

To address the goals under the areas of broadening Gaynor’s reach and expanding access, the following progress has been made:

• The Director of HR and Talent Management and the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are undertaking a comprehensive review of the recruitment process to identify areas of improvement and have engaged a consulting firm to support hiring diverse candidates.

• To assess employee satisfaction and areas of improvement, a survey for new hires was created to gain input on the recruitment and onboarding process, and “stay” interviews have been developed to periodically gauge employee satisfaction.

• In the fall of 2023, a lunch program began for all students, faculty, and staff. Having lunch provided by the school each day addresses a barrier to access for families.

• The onboarding process was formalized for new families for a smoother transition to the start of the school year.

• The Admissions department has utilized bilingual talents on the team to support Spanish speaking families, has worked with a psychology intern to provide free, in-house neuro-evaluations for those in need as a way to reduce a financial hurdle for some

families, and are actively working to reduce bias in the admissions process.

• The alumni internship program was formalized with six alumni interning at Gaynor in the 2022-2023 school year.

• The DEI committee of the Parents' Association kicked off the year with record attendance and engagement. To further professional development and movement on the initiatives, DEI workshops are planned throughout the year at staff and cluster meetings, and Gaynor has sent a record number of faculty/staff to DEI conferences this year.

• Learning Difference Awareness Month efforts were held throughout October. The Communications and Outreach and Innovation departments collaborated to share print materials and a social media campaign, conduct targeted outreach to community groups, and engage with professionals in education.

• As an extension of our Community Learning Center, Gaynor launched a 15-week professional development training for public school teachers — see full article on page 4.

CLC Partners with Local Schools to Advance Student Achievement and Teacher Development

Now in its 17th year, the Community Learning Center (CLC) is a free, after school reading program provided by Gaynor to first and second graders in New York City public schools. The CLC was started by Lower Division Director Donna Logue and is now co-directed by Reading Specialist Kristi Evans and Reading Chair Sloan Shapiro. Our partner local public schools, PS 166 and PS 84, identify kindergarten students who are at risk of reading failure and then refer them to Gaynor to begin the program as first graders. During an academic year, students meet for one hour, twice a week to gain valuable reading instruction from Gaynor staff. Lessons occur in small groups and teachers draw on their extensive experience teaching reading, directly supplementing the instruction students receive in their regular classrooms.

but they all share the desire to improve the way they teach phonics and integrate evidence-based reading instruction methods into their classrooms. Ms. Evans and Ms. Shapiro shape their weekly sessions to complement the literacy curriculum that the PS 84 teachers use every day. The intended outcome is that there will be synergies between what CLC students learn at Gaynor and the way their teachers provide instruction on a daily basis.

This year, there’s an exciting extension to the CLC program. In the fall of 2023, Gaynor piloted a 15-week program to train kindergarten through second grade teachers at PS 84 in the same methods that their CLC students are learning. Each week, nine teachers gather in a Gaynor classroom and receive valuable training in both the science of reading and how to improve their phonicsbased instruction. Some of the teachers are new to the field while others have more than 20 years of experience,

This innovative addition to the CLC program aligns closely with the goals of Gaynor’s strategic plan as it shares the school’s expertise with the larger community in order to support more children with learning differences. The deepening of the partnership between Gaynor and PS 84 is backed by a commitment from both schools to provide meaningful professional development to educators and support students alike.

The CLC has been remarkably successful, putting nearly 200 public school students on the path to reading success. Almost all of the students in the CLC graduate the program reading at or above their grade level. With the addition of the teacher training component this year, we are excited about the new ways that Gaynor and the CLC can make an impact on literacy in New York City.

Teachers from PS 84 in training with Gaynor's OG Specialists Kristi Evans and Sloan Shapiro.

Celebrating Faculty & Staff Milestones

Green Cluster (25

YEARS)

Sloan Shapiro

Orange Cluster (10

YEARS)

Dionne De Lancy

Rebecca Felt

Rebecca Korman

Emily Ngau

David Perrin

Abigail Shuppy

Jill Zaretsky

Red Cluster (5 YEARS)

Samantha Cartolano

Avigail Hirschfield

Christine Karamanoglou

Marissa Miller

Hannah Miller

Over the summer, Gaynor held a celebration to honor faculty and staff members who reached milestones in their years of service in the 20222023 school year. The milestones were divided into cluster colors to mimic the educational journey of Gaynor students. The school is fortunate to have such dedicated and hardworking employees!

Stefano Sainato

Sydney Strauss

Catherine Thomas

Pink Cluster (1-3 YEARS)

Elsie Andriamanantena

Rian Axelrod

Allison Bader

Lilian Bayle

Megan Bostaph

Cristopher Chuc

Nathaniel De Leon

Taylor Deedy

Oumou Dia

Sabrina Dougé

Margaret Feliciano

Sage Fuller

Julia Gerety

Imani Simone Graham

Marc Guttman

Jorge Jaquez

Oscar Jimenez

Meghana Joshi

Wade Kornegay

Tia Murkison

Stacy Nordlinger

Evelynn Park

Kat Pearl

Sara Piazza

Michael Piedmont

Gaby Ramirez

Jacek Ratajczak

Jamie Ravech

Orik Reiback

Rachel Samuels

Emily Travis

Amy Warden

Kristy Wong

Purple Cluster (NEW TO

GAYNOR AS OF AUGUST 2023)

Claire Ashley

Layce Boswell

Kenzie Carnow

Teddy Colocotronis

Isabel Cooper-Perales

Katie Cox

Carly Dash

Patrick Da Silva

Jackie Feldman

Gilian Foley

Sara Friedman

Sophie Geisenheimer

Steph Gutkin

Stella Heyliger-Mulatu

Tim Jalbert

Tenzin Kelsang

Julia Kupferman

Jane Lindstrom

Angelica Livanos

Ashley Lynch

Lily Malewich

Libby Miles

Hannah Rittenberg

Brittany Rosenberg

Isabelle Schayes

Orah Schlanger

Madeline Stevens

Nina Vidal

Lucy Villeneuve

Julia Weber

Daniel Weintraub

From the Desk of Director of DEI Stella Heyliger-Mulatu

Dear Gaynor Community,

Looking back on the successes of our fall 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, I feel a great deal of gratitude for the engagement and responsiveness of this incredible community of students, parents, caregivers, and school professionals. It was your willingness to speak up and share your ideas, needs, concerns, and desires around DEI that activated so many new initiatives and strengthened and enhanced past efforts. As I have said at many school events this year, my primary responsibility in this first year as Director of DEI is to listen to and learn from this multifaceted community in an effort to respond with a strong knowledge base and deep understanding. Building a community where all individuals feel a sense of belonging is incremental work, and while we have miles to go, I am happy to take a moment to pause and reflect on how far we have come together.

We opened the school year with the theme “All Are Welcome,” which students explored in assemblies and through an art installation in the North Building lobby. That theme has particular meaning for me, being new to the community, and has guided my approach to DEI work over the past few months. As world events continue to challenge our community, our DEI work as a school and our insistence on maintaining a safe and supportive environment for everyone in the community feels more important than ever.

I am proud to work in a school where “All Are Welcome” is more than an idea — it is an action and an intention that can be felt especially in tough times.

Stella Mulatu Director of DEI

DEI Initiatives Update: Fall 2023

One of the major goals of the 2022-2027 Strategic Plan is to focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. To help achieve this goal, Gaynor welcomed Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Stella Heyliger-Mulatu to our faculty as a way to advance these initiatives, and support students and families within the school and greater community. Over the course of the last few months, Ms. Mulatu has been working hard to help foster a community of belonging. Below follows Ms. Mulatu’s description of some of the DEI initiatives undertaken this fall.

IN THE CLASSROOM

• Reviewing and implementing Gaynor’s DEI curriculum:

» In the summer of 2020, a team of Gaynor faculty worked to create a DEI curriculum that would be implemented across all clusters. The curriculum was divided into four different categories, also known as bands, for classes to work on throughout the year. The bands are: identity, respect, social justice, and combating inequality.

» From the EC through the Blue Cluster, the DEI curriculum is routinely updated and modified. The DEI Office has supported this ongoing work since the summer of 2023.

• Our faculty have created multiple opportunities to learn about and explore various holidays and monthly celebrations this fall, including Hispanic Heritage Month, Indigenous People’s Day, Diwali, Hanukkah, and more. They often feature lessons in the classroom about the holiday, such as learning about specific historical figures for Hispanic Heritage Month, or painting diyas for Diwali.

CLUSTER-SPECIFIC AND SCHOOL WIDE EVENTS

• This fall, we added an LGBTQ+ and Jewish affinity group to the Blue Cluster student affinity group offerings, in addition to the existing Students of

Color affinity group. An affinity group is a group of people linked by a common bond. This common bond is something they identify with and can speak about from the “I” perspective. Affinity groups provide a safe and supportive space for those in historically marginalized communities to gather and share their experience. It is a powerful tool for building community and belonging.

• The all-school Hispanic Heritage Month assembly featured a visit from our neighbors Ballet Hispánico. Students learned about different types of dance in South America in an engaging and multisensory presentation. Town halls in the Lower Division and Upper Division discussed holidays such as Indigenous Peoples Day, Thanksgiving, Diwali, etc. to learn about the background of each holiday and how people celebrate it.

PARENT PROGRAMMING

• This fall saw the introduction of two DEI Parent Coffees, a new opportunity for parents to gather and foster a space of learning and community among various cultures. The first was a welcome and interest gathering, to discuss how the meetings will operate, and what the group would like to take away from them. The second Parent DEI Coffee was focused on current events, and how to talk about antisemitism with children.

• New this year are family affinity spaces, which are opportunities for different groups to meet, foster community with each other, and speak about issues

affecting them. So far this year, Gaynor hosted an affinity space for Jewish parents/guardians on October 19, a BIPOC Family Affinity Group meeting on November 8, an LGBTQIA+ Family Affinity Group meeting on November 15, and a Jewish Family Affinity Group meeting on January 18.

• There have been two Breakfast My Ways so far this year, one which celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month, and the second which celebrated Hanukkah. You can read more about the breakfasts on page 32.

STAFF PROGRAMMING

• The Employee DEI Committee (EDEIC) continues to operate as a “think tank” to discuss upcoming DEI initiatives and build leadership opportunities.

• This fall, the employee BIPOC and Jewish Affinity spaces continued to meet on a regular basis.

• This year’s Summer Institute focused on making a personal commitment to DEI values, and an upcoming workshop will focus on story sharing as a method of building listening and perspective-taking skills.

RECRUITMENT EFFORTS FOR NEW STUDENTS AND EMPLOYEES

• The DEI Office and the Office of Human Resources and Talent Management are actively assessing recruitment procedures with the ultimate goal of removing bias from our hiring system and increasing the diversity of our faculty and staff.

• The DEI Office and the Admissions Office have been working on updating the admissions application, making the language more inclusive and user-friendly. They are also working on expanding our recruitment efforts to underrepresented populations that may not have heard about Gaynor, and on updating language to reassure prospective families about how they can afford Gaynor.

We are looking forward to more events and initiatives this spring and invite you to visit our website and follow us on social media to stay informed!

Director of DEI Stella Mulatu (center) pictured with Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement Tia Murkison and Head of School Dr. Scott Gaynor at the first Parent DEI Coffee.

Andrew Prasarn Five Questions With...

Though he initially aimed to become an engineer, Science Specialist Andrew Prasarn fell in love with teaching, creating lessons that highlight the importance of educating students on how things work so they can create a better future. You can find Andrew not only in the classroom, but also on the court! As a coach for Gaynor’s soccer and boys’ basketball teams, he encourages students to always play their best, while staying close as a team.

We sat down with Andrew for the latest installment of our “Five Questions With…” series, to learn more about his journey to Gaynor, and the ways he continues his passion for science outside of the classroom.

What was your journey into teaching like, and how did you find yourself at Gaynor?

My journey to teaching was unexpected, and a little serendipitous. I grew up loving math and science, and I went to college for mechanical engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology in 1999. Once I graduated, I saw there was an opening at Liberty Science Center for a teaching position, what was called a “Science Demonstrator.” It was much more informal education, but the skills you needed included being out there on the museum floor, so you really had to make fast connections and think quickly on your feet, which is perfectly what teaching is. We also did programs where we would travel to schools in the area, so I had been in dozens if not hundreds of schools, seeing every type of student that’s out there. I made a good network of friends at Liberty Science Center, I met my wife there, and I also met Cristina Fabricant, who is Gaynor’s Science Chair, there. After ten years [at Liberty], Cristina talked to me and let me know Gaynor had an opening in the science department for a teaching position, even though she knew I didn’t think of myself as a science teacher at the time. But she encouraged me to try it, and I think it was the best decision. I can’t imagine a better home; it ticks so many of the boxes of what makes me happy and how I can grow in my career. The commute is the only hard part. [laugh] Which is okay, because I love living in New Jersey.

I always loved science. I was fascinated by it, I was curious about it, but the thing about teaching science is that everybody is experiencing the natural world, and science is explaining the natural world. I think science is also empowering, because understanding how something works gives you better skills to handle it. I really do think it’s important, not only in a practical sense but if you’re thinking about the future, students need to have this base of knowledge to make informed decisions to keep us on a good path.

Do you have a favorite science experiment or project?

I have a couple, but one of my favorites is the StarLab, which I love teaching in. I used to love that program when I taught it at Liberty Science Center, and I think it’s one of those things that you can’t replicate in any manner, not in a textbook or on a website; not much else can really simulate the night sky like it can. I really like projects that tie in experience with information, with a little bit of the unexpected to keep the students kind of on their toes and show them that science can be not what you expect it to be. [For more on the StarLab, see page 30]

What do you do when you’re not at Gaynor?

I try to spend as much time as I can with my family, since it’s a long commute on top of the long days I have due to after school and coaching, and when I get home I really want to try to spend as much time with them. I have two kids, seven and ten, and my wife. We like nature and hiking, and actually my wife and I started a local hiking group with kids and families from our area. So we’ll post on our little hiking club and gather some people to go to trails and help get people out to experience nature, since we all can get cooped up a lot. In terms of my own hobbies, I like to tinker, it’s the engineering part of me. I like to work on cars doing maintenance, and a lot of bikes and electronics; anything that’s broken I like to take it apart and try to revive it or pass it off to someone else. I think our society can be so disposable, no one has the knowledge or initiative

Do you have a favorite student story?

I remember a story from several years ago, when we were doing Newton’s First Law. Newton’s First Law is, "objects in motion stay in motion, objects at rest stay at rest unless they are acted on by a force." And the way we did this is with the magician trick, where you put things on a table on top of a tablecloth, and you pull the tablecloth out from underneath them. It shows [the law] because you are applying the force to the tablecloth, and all the items on top of it have resistance, they want to stay where they are. So if you do it properly, you can pull the tablecloth out and everything stays in place. We actually like to have the students do this, so it’s not just a demonstration, and they experience the results firsthand. I had this one student who was convinced it was not going to work, it was going to be disastrous. And he’s looking at the setup, he’s holding the tablecloth, and he has so much doubt, he’s saying, “If I pull this towards me, it’s all going to come flying at me, and hit me in the face!” And I told him no, you gotta trust science. So he yanks it off, and it goes perfectly! Nothing flew at him, everything stayed perfectly exactly where it was, and the expression on his face… [laughing], his jaw was hanging open and he was like “What?” I thought that was the perfect blend of what we’re always looking for, that “aha moment.” This student didn’t think this was possible, didn’t think he could do it even if it was, and he just proved to himself that he could do it, and that it does work, so I think I love that story as an encapsulation of everything we’re trying to do in science.

This or That

Apple Picking

Apple picking was back this year, for the first time since 2019! In September, students and faculty from the EC through Blue Cluster climbed aboard buses headed to Demarest Farms to take part in this fan-favorite Gaynor tradition. Each student was given a bag to collect their apples, and they set off between the rows of trees to pick their favorite kinds. After all of the apples were picked, students went to the shop to grab some apple cider donuts and of course, apple cider!

GAYNOR GAZETTE

ATHLETICS UPDATE

This year’s fall interscholastic athletic season was one of growth and development, both in individual skills and as teams.

Our girls volleyball team had the biggest turnout since our team started in 2015. Coaches Wade Kornegay and Kat Pearl helped guide the team in the season's AIPSL, non-league games, and practices. The team worked on skills of serving, passing (bumping, setting), combo passes, game concepts, and strategies. The team saw evident improvement throughout the season as the studentathletes worked hard and played to the best of their abilities with high energy and school pride in all practices and games.

The Gaynor soccer teams were coached by David Muhnick, Jason Martinez, Cris Chuc, Andrew Prasarn, and Brittany Rosenberg. The teams progressed with various skills, drills, and techniques that helped with individual and group performances. Our team had an opportunity to

compete in the AIPSL for the Blue Cluster and nonleague/futsal games for the Green Cluster.

The cross country team participated in meets throughout the season at Van Cortlandt Park, competing against multiple independent schools in the city. The team was led by coaches Brendan Stackhouse and Gilian Foley. The group pushed each other in practice and continued to improve throughout the season.

We are all very proud of Gaynor's interscholastic athletes. They have continued to represent Gaynor with respect, integrity, and high character during games and practices and continue to push themselves and support one another as a strong community!

Go Gators!

Patrick Fitzgerald Director of Athletics

Gaynor soccer players pose for a picture after a game.

Students Take a Journey of Dance and Culture in Honor of Hispanic Heritage Month

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month in October, Stephen Gaynor School’s neighbors from Ballet Hispánico held an assembly for the entire school. Dancers performed three pieces that took students on a journey from Mexico to Brazil and countries in between, highlighting different music, styles, and costumes.

The Associate School Director from Ballet Hispánico, Rodney Hamilton, introduced each piece, and helped the students visualize the sights and sounds that inspired the choreographers and dancers. Mr. Hamilton introduced the assembly, saying, “It is

really exciting to come and share how we celebrate our Hispanic and Latinx culture. Ballet Hispánico has been around for 53 years. The company was started with a small group of dancers and has now grown to the largest Latinx/Hispanic arts organization in the nation. So, we’re very excited and very proud. And that’s one of the reasons that we’ve been invited here to celebrate this Hispanic Heritage Month.”

Students got out of their seats and even learned a few merengue moves — it turns out Gaynor students have a great sense of rhythm!

Celebrating Neurodiversity During Learning Difference Awareness Month

The month of October is National Learning Difference Awareness Month, a time to recognize and support those who have learning or attentional challenges. While we do this every day at Stephen Gaynor School, we took the opportunity this past October to advocate, raise awareness of learning differences, and celebrate our community.

In a message kicking off LD Awareness Month, Head of School Dr. Scott Gaynor said, “It has been 50 years since the landmark Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that guaranteed accommodations for all students with special needs. A decade earlier, Stephen Gaynor School had already begun providing our young learners with opportunities to reach their full potential. This month is a great time to celebrate our incredible neurodivergent students.”

What Is a Learning Difference?

Learning disability/difference (LD) is an umbrella term for neurologically-based challenges in the brain’s ability to receive, process, or respond to information. They can impact academic skill acquisition in reading, writing, and/ or math. Learning differences may take many forms, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and executive functioning issues.

Research shows that brain structure and function are different in people who have learning differences, and learning differences are not related to intelligence. Evidence-based strategies, supports, and teaching approaches can help people with learning differences find the path to academic success.

LD Glossary

Dyslexia: a learning difference that affects reading and language-processing skills

Dysgraphia: a learning difference that affects handwriting and fine motor skills

Dyscalculia: a learning difference that affects the ability to understand numbers and learn math facts

ADHD: a common condition that’s caused by differences in the brain and impacts attention, physical and emotional regulation, social skills, and learning

Executive Functioning Issues: trouble with a group of key skills that are used to plan, organize, schedule, and complete tasks

Evidence-Based Approaches at Gaynor Hochman

Writing Program

Orton-Gillingham Approach

Stern Mathematics

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Yale RULER Program for social- emotional learning

1 in 5 Children in the U.S. Have Learning and Attention Issues

According to Understood.org, one in five children in the United States have learning and attention issues. At Gaynor, we celebrate our students’ strengths while supporting their learning with an individualized approach and proven strategies.

The Power of Self-Advocacy

One of the hallmarks of Gaynor’s curriculum is a specific focus on self-advocacy skills. Whether it is in class, at a mock interview, or in front of a crowd of parents and grandparents, Gaynor students and alumni understand their learning needs and know how to ask for the accommodations they require.

According to NCLD.org, low self-esteem and stigma help explain why only 1 in 4 students with learning differences tell their college they have a disability and why only 1 in 20 young adults with LD receive accommodations in the workplace. Self-advocacy is the ability to speak up for yourself and the issues that are important to you. For individuals with learning differences, self-advocacy means that they can confidently explain what accommodations they may need.

Our student advocacy program helps Gaynor students understand themselves as learners, including both their strengths and developing skills. This foundational understanding of themselves enables our students to identify their most effective learning strategies and how to advocate for themselves. As our students move through the Intermediate to the Upper Division, they are tasked with not only articulating their learning style but also being able to ask for support or accommodations. In preparation for their next school, students practice approaching a teacher to ask for an accommodation.

According to Dr. Gaynor, “These LD advocacy skills also apply to supporting their peers and are one of the core tenets of our diversity, equity, and inclusion program. Our DEI mission states that we are dedicated to promoting and advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion within our school community. We celebrate many types of diversity, including neurodiversity, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, ability, religion, sexual orientation, family composition, language, and gender identity/ expression. When our students fight to level the playing field for themselves, they are also learning to fight to level the playing field for everyone.”

Author Visits Author Visits

In anticipation of the PA Book Fair, authors Sarah Maslin Nir, Shari Harpaz, and Karina Yan Glaser visited Gaynor to speak about the books they’ve written, what the writing process is like, and to answer student questions. Each year the Parents’ Association Book Fair Committee, currently chaired by Samantha Regan and Katy Williamson (pictured on the facing page, top right), works to bring in authors for each of the Educational Divisions at Gaynor.

Author and New York Times journalist Sarah Maslin Nir visited the Red, Orange, Yellow, Silver, Green, and Blue Clusters in two assemblies. Ms. Nir is an American journalist, best known for her New York Times report on the working conditions of nail salon workers, for which she was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Ms. Nir is the author of The Flying Horse, which has a protagonist with learning differences, and she is also the co-author of The Jockey and Her Horse, a story about the first black female jockey, Cheryl White.

Ms. Nir began by letting the students know a bit about her life, including her passion for horses and for telling stories — both as a journalist and as a book author. She then read an excerpt of The Jockey and Her Horse, even bringing Head of School Dr. Scott Gaynor in for a cameo appearance.

In response to a question about why she enjoys writing books so much, Ms. Nir told an anecdote about falling

Karina Yan Glaser

Shari Harpaz

off of a horse at the age of two. She related, “I could have taken the lesson away that horses are scary, and I’m going to fall off and hurt myself. But you know what lesson I took away? That horses are always going to protect me and they’re always going to be there for me. And that has been the case, and I’ve always been there for them. So I urge you to find the thing that’s always going to be there for you, the passion that can drive you, the passion that can make a career, the passion that can make you happy. Lean into it, no matter what anyone says, no matter how many times you fall off.”

The author visits continued with author Shari Harpaz. Ms. Harpaz, a speech-language pathologist and author of “Molly Make Yourself Big,” visited the Purple, Pink, and Red Clusters. “Molly Make Yourself Big” is the first installment of the Be Like Molly series, and teaches life lessons about bravery, empathy, and understanding others.

Ms. Harpaz described to the students the process of publishing a book, from the very first idea, all the way to holding the finished book in her hands. Ms. Harpaz then read through “Molly Make Yourself Big,” accompanied by a doll of Molly herself! The students were engaged with the reading, and afterward asked thoughtful questions about the characters of the story and the lesson Molly learned, as well as about the publishing process. The students enjoyed the presentation and learning more about how to become an author.

The final author who visited Gaynor was Karina Yan Glaser, a New York Times best-selling author of The Vanderbeekers series and A Duet for Home. Ms. Glaser visited Gaynor students in the Orange, Yellow, Silver, Green, and Blue Clusters during two assemblies. Her presentation to the students focused on the process of writing, and the tools that a writer needs to write: something to write with, something to write on, snacks (brain fuel!), a pet (walking her dog Lalo helps her generate ideas), and, most importantly, a story. Ms. Glaser told the students that she firmly believes that everyone has a story to tell. “You can be any age, you can have any background, but you have a really special story that only you can tell. I really feel very passionate about all of you writing down your stories because when you write down your stories, you are leaving us with something that is very personal to you, and we can all understand each other better when we are really listening to each other,” she said. Ms. Glaser emphasized to the students that stories are everywhere, and encouraged them to do journaling as a way to practice writing their own stories.

We are so thankful to the Parents’ Association Book Fair Committee for bringing these three wonderful authors in to speak with our students. We hope some of the budding writers at Gaynor found inspiration in their presentations, and the confidence to continue honing their writing skills.

Sara Maslin Nir

PA BOOK FAIR

The Parents' Association Book Fair is back, and better than ever! This year, Gaynor partnered with McNally Jackson Books, an independent bookstore with five locations in New York City. Taking place in the Yvette Siegel-Herzog Performing Arts Center, the Book Fair this year hosted an incredible selection, and there were many students walking out with piles of books in their arms. After they had made their purchases, students could head up to the PAC mezzanine to sit in the “Book Nook” and start reading their new books. The fair also featured Gaynor gear, and a new hit item — giant plush alligators! Thank you to our Parents’ Association Book Fair Committee led by Katy Williamson and volunteers for all of their hard work!

CLASSROOM PROJECTS

Identity Showcase

In November, the Red Cluster held their Identity Showcase! For the showcase, each student made a diagram showing each “puzzle piece” that makes up their personal puzzle. Students then showed each other their puzzles, and compared which parts of their identity they have in common, and what they can learn about each other.

It’s time… to learn about time!

The Orange Cluster spent a Friday in September in the EC Garden learning how to tell time and draw what time it is on an analog clock using chalk.

Scratching an Itch For Science

Science Specialist Lindsey Rappaport had an itch and enlisted her students to help her scratch it by designing back scratchers! Over the span of two weeks, Red Cluster students learned about the process of engineering with the Design Cycle (investigate, design, create, evaluate) as an important tool engineers use to create “technologies.” Students finished the cycle by evaluating their back scratchers, and all of their creations were successful!

Hair-Raising Art

September 15 marked the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, and Green Cluster students in Room 703 kicked off the month with some “hair-raising” art! Students in Head Teacher Zoe Carril’s class created collages inspired by artist Lorna Simpson. Born in Brooklyn in 1960 to a Jamaican-Cuban father and an African American mother, Simpson is most known for her photography, collage, and multimedia works, which explore the themes of race, gender, and equality.

Do you recognize this machine?

Diya Decoration

After learning about the holiday of Diwali, also called the Festival of Lights, students in the Lexington Room painted their own diyas! Diyas are lamps made out of clay and filled with oil before being lit in celebration of Diwali.

Blue Cluster science students experimented with static electricity created by a Van de Graaff generator for a shockingly good time!

As We Welcome the Science of Reading, Let’s Not Forget the Art of Teaching

By Head of School Dr. Scott Gaynor

Seeing a child curled up with a book as they independently learn to read the words and find the meaning in a story is a heartwarming image. We have been taught that learning to read is akin to learning to talk — if children are exposed to the pictures and words often enough, they will learn to read. But, findings from thousands of research studies over the past two decades indicate that this magical transformation is inaccurate. In the battle over the best reading program, the pendulum has swung dramatically in favor of the science of reading. Headlines have celebrated the end of balanced literacy in favor of the evidenced-based phonemic approach.

Columbia University’s Teachers College recently parted ways with Lucy Calkins’ Reading and Writing Workshop. Under New York City’s current mayor, city schools are beginning to implement a new phonics-based reading curriculum. Across the country, dozens of school districts have followed suit and embraced the science of reading over the balanced literacy method. But this is merely the first step in giving teachers the tools they need to build independent, confident readers.

As the head of a school for children with learning differences, I know first hand how detrimental reading challenges can be. Many students come to our school at an age at which they should be fluent readers, but struggle to read even at the basic level. I also know that when teachers feel confident in the instructional methods, they are best equipped to address the varying needs of the children in their class. The reading wars

have brought to light what my colleagues in special education have long known and applied in our schools: that reading instruction must be structured, systematic, backed by science, and fun.

At Gaynor, our reading instruction is steeped in the evidence-based approach of Orton-Gillingham (OG), the foundation of modern-day phonics. A great deal of criticism has targeted phonics’ explicit, systematic and sequential approach as a boring way to learn to read. The idea that teaching phonics instead of balanced literacy has to be tedious and mundane is a misleading accusation. This is why we marry the art of teaching with the well-proven science of phonics instruction.

The art of teaching requires the teacher to see the child at the center of the curriculum. If you walked into an OG-based lesson at Gaynor you would see children enthusiastically and actively engaged in their learning. Whether they are learning sound cards or tapping out the individual sounds of a word, students are active participants in the lesson. Building on each prior skill, students take great pride in moving from the individual sounds to whole words to reading full sentences. Mastery of these skills builds confident readers who are able to find meaning in the text and a love of literature. Welltrained teachers can unlock these skills.

Teachers and specialists bring the instruction to life, engage our students, and infuse the joy of reading into our young learners. The science of reading is the

approach, but the art of teaching is the relationship between the teacher, the lesson, and the child. When teachers are comfortable with the material, they emanate joy and spark student learning.

I learned this firsthand from our school’s cofounders, Dr. Miriam Michael (who was also my grandmother) and Yvette-Siegel Herzog I got to know Yvette very well growing up because she was my grandmother's best friend, and her "partner in crime" in starting Stephen Gaynor School. But it was only when I started to work at the school that I really understood the importance of bringing fun, joy, and a sense of humor to the work that we do. Yvette could be evaluating a prospective student, or meeting with a staff member or a teacher, and I would hear peals of laughter coming from her office. Her ability to get you to laugh even

when you're doing something important is a gift that will always stay with me.

Gaynor's 2022-2027 Strategic Plan aims to expand the school’s reach and improve reading instruction in the wider community through initiatives like piloting a training program for PS 84 teachers to align classroom instruction with the methods used in Gaynor’s longstanding Community Learning Center (CLC).

I believe teachers are the key to solving our nation’s reading crisis, but we need to give them grace, time, and the necessary resources to make this shift to the science of reading. Teachers need to be fully trained and skilled in the instructional methods, so that they can have the confidence and capacity to continue to bring joy to their lessons. If we are truly committed to the science of reading, we need to make sure there is still room for it to partner with the art of teaching.

Inspired by Art

Lower Division

The Lower Division has been exploring a variety of mediums and techniques to create artworks inspired by art history, seasons, and holidays. Art Specialist Layce Boswell’s class has studied different artists from Picasso to Van Gogh to create works inspired by their techniques. Red Cluster students learned how to dye classical sheet music with coffee to create a vintage look, then tore and cut the sheet music along with pictures of guitars to create their own unique collages. Orange Cluster students learned about Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, and created Rangoli using colorful sand and glue. For the Winter Concert, Yellow Cluster students created watercolor paintings inspired by Jasper Johns’ number paintings.

The Yellow Cluster Art Club students created personal works as well as collaborative works that reflect their interests as artists. Some students have been practicing painting techniques with both acrylic and watercolor while other students have been focusing on building 3D sculptures using cardboard, paper, and mixed media. The Yellow Cluster Art Club also made creative contributions to the Winter Concert props and paintings. Overall, the open studio experience has helped expand their knowledge of different materials and their creativity through student-led projects.

Upper Division

The Upper Division art classes, led by Art Specialist Lucy Villeneuve, have spent the past few months learning about the core elements of art such as line, shape, color, value, form, and texture, as well as exploring abstract art through various projects. The Silver and Green Clusters displayed the difference between abstract and representational art in their expressive self-portraits. Abstract art might have colors and lines, but it doesn’t include recognizable elements like people, animals, or houses. Representational art is work that includes elements we see in physical reality. In their self-portraits, some student works have words and drawings that help describe the artist, while others are abstract representations. The students were asked what shape, line, and color they identify with most, and they incorporated those answers into their creations.

In the Blue Cluster, students worked on a project surrounding identity, inspired by Swiss artist, author, and curator Vänçi Stirnemann. In 1996, Stirnemann decided to make a free trading project for artists in his community. He gathered as many people as he could to create artworks that were 2.5 by 3 inches, which he called Artist Trading Cards. The artists wrote their information on the back of the card and gathered to swap their cards. Each Blue Cluster student made three to five cards to reflect different parts of who they are. At the end of the semester, the students gathered to trade all of their unique cards!

PAINTING WITH LIGHT

In Photography Teacher Tim Jalbert’s class, Yellow, Silver, and Green Cluster students have been learning how to paint with an unusual medium — light! But before they created these illuminating artworks, they learned about the movement of light and how it is captured by a camera. They also learned about the parts of the camera that capture light, and how the shutter is used in the photo process; they then practiced how to adjust their shutter speed, and observed the effect the shutter speed has on their final work. To create this project, students worked in a dark environment and were given various types of lights. They then used a slow shutter speed to capture the “paintings.” They collaborated with classmates to plan, experiment, and create photos that utilize the various methods and strategies learned in class.

Making SentenceS

Do you know what popcorn and writing have in common? They both start from a kernel, and with some added ingredients, expand into something delicious! Red Cluster students are working to solidify and demonstrate their grasp of sentence-level writing concepts. Joyce Macedo and Rachel Ellis in Room 201 decided to help their students visualize these ideas by using a Writing (a.k.a. Popcorn) Machine.

Ms. Macedo first introduced the class to “Room 201’s Writing Machine,” which would help create their complex sentences. In this activity, simple sentences such as “Ms. Macedo teaches,” were the popcorn kernels, as they hadn't yet been expanded. The class went over the different details, or ingredients, that they could add to

a sentence to make it into a popped piece of popcorn. Students added elements to the popcorn kernels like When (oil), Where and Why (salt), and punctuation to season their sentences, and turned the machine on to start their “writing process.” After cooking in the writing machine, the kernels of sentences turned into complexsentence popcorn!

Students used the metaphor of the popcorn machine to create their own complex sentences, such as turning the sentence “Cole runs” into “Cole runs in Central Park at 5:00 pm.” This was a great multisensory lesson that helped the students concretize the concept of detailed sentences, and they even got to enjoy some yummy popcorn at the end of it.

Skate Night

In November, Gaynor held our annual Skate Night! The event, which took place at the Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers, invited the entire Gaynor community to join in a night of ice skating fun, featuring food, drink, and even a Gaynor Gear shop! The skating Gaynor Gator made his annual appearance, doing laps around the rink and posing for photos with students.

StarLab

In a place like New York City, it can be hard to see the stars in the sky at night. But would you believe it if we told you that Gaynor students can now see them at any time, from inside their very own school? Introducing: the StarLab! Donated to us from the Liberty Science Center thanks to the efforts of Science Chair Cristina Fabricant and Science Specialist Andrew Prasarn, the StarLab is an exciting new tool in the Gaynor science department’s collection.

Housed in the Yvette Siegel-Herzog Performing Arts Center, the StarLab is a portable planetarium, made up of an inflatable dome and a projector. Once it’s been inflated, students can enter the StarLab via a tunnel attached to the dome. The tunnel helps keep the air inside of the dome so that students can enter or exit without the StarLab deflating. On the inside, the StarLab is pitch-black, so when a teacher places a cylinder onto the projector it will clearly project whatever is on the cylinder onto the ceiling of the dome. Some of the cylinders owned by Gaynor’s science department include various constellations: constellations according to Ancient Greek culture, according to Native American

culture, and according to African culture. There is also a star field cylinder, which shows the scientifically accurate colors, sizes, and locations of the stars. A teacher can even adjust the angle of the projector so that the tilt is the same tilt as we would see in the night sky depending on our placement on Earth. There are also cylinders that show the phases of the moon, or the position of the planets.

We stopped by the PAC when a Green Cluster class was identifying constellations according to Ancient Greek culture, as part of their history unit on Ancient Greece. STEM Specialist Molli Grady was explaining to the students the different stories behind the constellations.

“I explained to the students that this was my first time teaching with the StarLab and showed them that I was still learning too. This was helpful for them to see that teachers, too, are always learning. Once I got into the swing of it, it was easy to see how incredibly worthwhile having this dome is. The students were captivated by the night sky and the different constellations. Seeing their reactions definitely made it worthwhile,” said Ms. Grady.

“I tell my students that the StarLab is how I learned to find constellations and I can apply that information when I go outside and see the constellations,” Mr. Prasarn said. But the StarLab can be used for more than just identifying constellations and planets. There are cylinders that show the difference between an urban night sky and a rural night sky to demonstrate the effect of light pollution; there are even cylinders that show the inside of cells, or plate tectonics and the layers of the Earth. The StarLab has an incredible amount of potential to work with various curricula, not just astronomy-related subjects. In speaking with the members of the science team, there is palpable excitement about the future of the StarLab. “I think it’s one of those things that you can’t replicate in any manner, not in a textbook or on a website; not much else can really simulate the night sky like it can,” said Mr. Prasarn.

An unexpected benefit of the StarLab is its calming effect on students due to the darkness inside the dome. Mr. Prasarn noted that, “I asked my [Blue Cluster] students what they liked about it, and one of the biggest things they liked is the dark. It's almost like sensory deprivation, they just liked being in a dark, quiet area. A lot of our students [can have] sensory overload. But being in there kind of toned down some senses and heightened some others, they felt very relaxed and some of them literally laid down. They could just lie down and look up at the stars. So I was surprised by how many people appreciated just being in the dark.”

This is the StarLab’s first year at Gaynor, and we are very excited to see what the future holds inside the dome!

Breakfast My Way

Started in 2021 as the brainchild of former Parents’ Association President and current Trustee Keech Combe Shetty, Breakfast My Way is an event sponsored by the Parents’ Association to bring parents together to learn about the breakfast traditions, holidays, and cultures of their fellow Gaynor families.

The first Breakfast My Way of the school year was held on October 25 to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. The second Breakfast My Way of the year was held on December 13, as a celebration of Hanukkah. Both of the Breakfast My Way events that Gaynor has had so far this year have been wonderful celebrations of community, and we look forward to the ones to come!

October

 October’s host Mina Newman with her daughter Valentina, a Blue Cluster student.

▲ The breakfast in October featured a menu of empanadas (beef, chicken, and spinach), conchas, and toasted hot chocolate.

DECEMBER

▼ The December breakfast featured a menu of bagels, lox, cream cheese, and whitefish salad from Barney Greengrass, as well as jelly doughnuts and black and white cookies.

▲ December hosts Daniella and Adam Pally, and Sindy Liben, parents and grandparent of Cole in the Green Cluster.

▲ Student representatives from the Blue Cluster Jewish Affinity Group, Jacob A. and Morris A., with Speech and Language Pathologist Debra Adams.

Winter Concerts

This year’s Winter Concerts centered around a theme of belonging and kindness, as students sang uplifting songs about the importance of finding your voice, and also the happiness that comes from being part of a community. The Pink, Red, and Yellow Clusters brought the house down with their ending performance of “We Are the World,” as they invited the audience to join them in singing the final chorus. The Orange and Silver Clusters closed out their concert with “Better When I’m Dancing,” which had everyone moving and grooving. The Early Childhood Division performed the “The Little Red Hen” for their Winter Showcase, and even created props of a barn, wheat, and a birthday cake.

HiddenTalents

1. Team Player: I’ve been playing softball since I was 8. I played Club in college and still play every spring and summer today. I’m a vicious center-fielder!

2. Center Stage: I perform in shows “on the side,” most recently Anything Goes with The Blue Hill Troupe.

3. Some Serious Cider: I make a “fire” spiked hot cider!

Gaynor teachers, specialists, and staff members are known for their skill in the classroom, their commitment to Gaynor students, and as experts in the field of special education. But what other talents are hiding behind their smiling faces? We asked them to share their “hidden talents” with us. We told them, “Whether it’s a small hobby or a huge passion of yours, it’s worthy of being featured!”

See if you can guess which Gaynor educators are behind which talent! (Answers at bottom of page).

6. Dance the Night Away: I’m a professional dancer.

7. Dip in the Pool: I play in two different billiards leagues and am very passionate about this hobby!

10. Cross That Finish Line: I’m training to run an ultra marathon (50 miles) on May 4th!

5. Got Rhythm?: I’ve been playing drums since I was in high school, and was part of a band in college called The Pennymen.

8. Dancing Queen: I was in two Broadway shows and two Broadway tours. Pic is from the Original Broadway Cast of Mamma Mia!

9. Artistic Aspirations: I draw and paint.

Answers: 1. Team Player: Hannah Miller 2. Center Stage: Abby Shuppy 3. Some Serious Cider: Imani Simone Graham 4. Rising Up: Zoe Carril 5. Got Rhythm?: Tim Jalbert 6. Dance the Night Away: Reshmi Nair 7. Dip in the Pool: Kat Pearl

Meredith Akins 9. Artistic Aspirations: Kristin Paresi 10. Cross That Finish Line: Molli Grady

4. Rising Up: I bake!

In Upper Division music classes, students aren’t just learning how to play music, but also how to compose it! The students have been working on various projects using online music creation platforms to express their creativity and find their own sound.

As Music Specialist Abby Shuppy explains it, “The whole curriculum with Green and Blue is based around playing music on instruments, and also then creating our own music. So it kind of hits some different parts of students’ talents.” For some students, their talents lie in playing instruments, and for others it’s the process of creating music, and exploring the technology involved in music production that allows their creativity to shine.

The Upper Division exploration into music production begins in the Green Cluster, with a program called Chrome Music Lab. This “music lab” is a simple program that allows students to place squares on a grid to determine pitch, as well as rhythm. This helps students learn the basic skills of music creation, which they will then expand on in the Blue Cluster. In the Blue Cluster, students learn the program Soundtrap, which acts as a digital music workshop, or studio. Soundtrap expands on the abilities of Chrome Music Lab, by allowing the user to search through premade loops for beats, as well the ability to add your own voice for singing, and even includes a podcast function. The first project the Blue Cluster students did this year was creating “The Worst Song Ever.” This project gave the students an opportunity to get used to the technology and a space to play around with what it can do, without worrying about the finished product sounding perfectly polished. Ms. Shuppy also

Making Music in the Upper Division

Making Music in the Upper Division

uses this project to talk with the students about what makes music good, and how to identify what elements in the “bad” songs they’ve created can be adjusted into something easier on the ears.

Blue Cluster students have also used the program to create other projects, including a movie soundtrack. Once the students were comfortable with the technology, they chose what elements to use that will help tell the story of the movie they are imagining. In our interview with Ms. Shuppy, she played a few clips from a project in progress that opened the song with grand orchestral chords, which then faded out to a soft beating rhythm before the addition of a trap-like beat. The students used the website Epic Online Orchestra to create the chords that they will use in their project.

Ms. Shuppy said one of the best parts of using programs like these in music class is that it gives the students a lot of choices in what they want to create with. Some may want to use their own voices while others don’t, or maybe they enjoy a simple melody rather than one with layers of instrumentation. “It gives students a chance to be expressive; they can have no prior experience and just start to get creative in that realm,” she said.

Scan here for more photos and audio clips from our interview with Ms. Shuppy in the web version of this article:

A Heartfelt Day of Service

This year’s Day of Service on January 28 was unforgettable, with over 7,000 Valentine’s Day cards made and packed into gift bags for the clients of God’s Love We Deliver! God’s Love We Deliver is a non-sectarian, non-profit organization in New York City dedicated to preparing and delivering nutritious, high-quality meals for people who are unable to provide or prepare meals for themselves due to their illness. This is the second year Gaynor has partnered with God’s Love, and this year’s Day of Service was on location at the organization’s headquarters on 6th Avenue, giving the Gaynor community a behind-the-scenes look at where the magic happens. The special packages of cards and socks are surely brightened each recipient’s day!

Alumni Visits

 Emma Moskowitz ’07 stopped by to visit Gaynor in January. Most of Emma’s time at Gaynor was spent in the school’s original building, the townhouse on West 74th Street.

▲ In November, we welcomed the Class of 2023 back to Gaynor for a class reunion.

▲ Justin Savad ’16, Jordan Savad ’14, and Mikey Delf ’14 visited with Head of School Dr. Scott Gaynor in December.

 Blue Cluster Head Teacher Chris Meyer ran into Aidan Schwartz ’20 on the subway, and snapped a selfie!

THE MANY FACES OF THE GAYNOR GATOR

Let's take a look back through the years at the ways that the Gaynor Gator has changed!

2006

The Gaynor Gator costume was created. (Pictured here with Ms. Siegel!)

2013

The Gaynor Gator was given a fresh new look! This is the Gator that we use today.

2000

The first design of the Gaynor Gator was revealed!

The Gator was given an illustrative touch for Gaynor’s Cycling for Success campaign in April of 2016.

The Gator took on a Dr. Seuss-inspired design for the Summer 2014 edition of the Gaynor Gazette.

If you noticed that the spot for what the Gator will look like in the future is blank, that’s because we want YOU to design it! Imagine what you think the Gator will look like in the future, complete with any costumes you can think of. You can send designs to us at communications@stephengaynor.org and we might feature them in the next Gazette!