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Looking Ahead for Windward
Note from the Chair of the Board of Trustees
As we come to the end of the 2021–22 school year, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Mr. Williamson and our incredible faculty, administration, and staff for all their tireless work this year. Once again, the Windward team delivered an outstanding academic program while navigating through a challenging environment. You all make Windward a truly special place for our students and families. Simply put—you are outstanding at what you do each day. Thank you for giving the lifelong gift of a Windward education to our students.
I am also encouraged by the fact that we are slowly returning to inperson events to build community and connection at Windward. A huge thanks to all the Windward families for your patience, confidence, and commitment during this time. You believe, like I do, that Windward provides a transformational experience to its students and gives them the confidence to achieve unlimited success. Respectfully,
Patty Wolff Chair of the Board of Trustees
Farewell to Departing Trustees
At their May meeting, the Board thanked four outgoing trustees for their combined 34 years of service to The Windward School.
Timothy M. Jones, 20102022 Served as First Vice President and on the Buildings and Grounds/Real Estate Committee During his time on the Board, Mr. Jones provided an incredible breadth and depth of knowledge to help Windward identify and evaluate a number of real estate opportunities. He was critical to the purchase of the new WLS campus at 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue and ensuring the successful opening of the building in Fall 2021. He also served as a “sounding board” for the Head of School and Board Chair, providing sage advice and a thoughtful viewpoint on many strategic issues.
George P. Davison, 20162022 Served on the Program/Strategic Planning and DEIB Committees Mr. Davison played a critical role in the development and ratification of the 2019 Strategic Plan. His experience as Head of School at a NYC independent day school was invaluable as Windward navigated the global pandemic, and his work as a member of the Board’s DEIB committee enabled him to provide muchneeded input based on practical experience within a school setting. Joseph Lorono, 20032011 and 20182022 Served on the Building and Grounds/ Real Estate Committee During his most recent Board term, Mr. Lorono was instrumental in the planning, building, and opening of the new WLS at 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue. He worked tirelessly to ensure the building was constructed according to the highest standards, and he personally attended construction meetings daily and went above and beyond to open the building a year earlier than expected. Windward is fortunate that Mr. Lorono agreed to return to the Board to ensure the success of the WLS campus project, which would not have been possible without his dedicated work.
Jonathan Steingart, 20182022 Served on the Finance and Development Committees Mr. Steingart was a calm and kind presence at all Board meetings. His creative spirit and focus on the student experience during the development of the 2019 Strategic Plan helped shape The Windward School vision statement. Mr. Steingart’s unique point of view was critical to the development of the four pillars of the Strategic Plan.
Westchester Lower School Gym Debut and Grand Opening Set for Fall 2022
Amajor milestone for the construction project of the new Westchester Lower School campus at 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue was reached this spring. The gym was officially opened on April 8 for the WLS community with great fanfare.
To commemorate the gym’s opening, the students in Grades 15 participated in various activities during their physical education classes. Hot Shot Basketball was a special schoolwide challenge, where students completed as many basketball free throws as possible within a short time period. If students exceeded the schoolwide goal of 1,000 baskets, the WLS would win a surprise treat. Over the course of the day, the students reached that benchmark and earned a special dessert for lunch. After dismissal, faculty and staff had their own celebration and held the first basketball game on the court, followed by a happy hour sponsored by the HR Office.
Permanent landscaping around the exterior of the building began in the spring as well, including a garden and patio. Over the summer, The Windward Institute lecture hall and teacher training rooms will be completed, and permanent signage will be finalized. Lastly, the additional parking lot and bus loop by the gymnasium will be paved and accessible to vehicles.
Windward looks forward to having the full architectural vision of the campus realized—serving nearly 450 students, faculty, and staff—in its 110,000 square feet of stateoftheart facilities. The official grand opening and ribboncutting ceremony of the Westchester Lower School is planned for September to celebrate the latest addition to The Windward School campuses.
Pictured are Westchester Lower School faculty and staff who gathered in the gym for the grand opening, with the new Windward Athletics logo at center court.
Looking Ahead for Windward
Then DOE Chancellor-Elect David Banks visited the Manhattan campus on December 14. Pictured are: Kenita Lloyd, Brad Hoylman, Robert Carroll, David Banks, Jamie Williamson, and Carolyne Quintana.
Under the tenure of Chancellor David Banks, The Windward School has been identified as a model for the New York City Department of Education (DOE) to follow in serving students with dyslexia in its public schools. Chancellor Banks and other leaders in his administration have twice visited Windward’s Manhattan campus to learn more about the School’s proven methodology. During the visits in December and March, the NYC DOE leaders met with Windward leadership, listened to presentations specifically on the language arts curriculum, and observed a number of reading classes.
In his first major policy speech in March, Chancellor Banks outlined his vision for the NYC public school district to have a greater emphasis on phonicsbased literacy instruction and universal screening to identify students at risk of reading failure. He said, “That will include adopting approaches that have proven effective at The Windward School that uses multisensory approaches to remediate dyslexia and related challenges.”
Windward looks forward to an effective relationship with the NYC DOE to scale its program to serve the city’s 1.1 million public school students.
Chancellor Banks with Carolyne Quintana, Beth Foltman, and Betsy Duffy
Visitors observing a Manhattan Lower School language arts class Senator Hoylman with Head of the Manhattan Campus Danny Kass
Representatives from the NYC DOE, the Literacy Academy Collective, and academia joined Windward leaders at the Manhattan campus on March 30. Pictured are: Jon Rosenshine, John J. Russell, Jason Borges, Annie Stutzman, Devin Kearns, Andrew Fletcher, Akeela Azcuy, Jamie Williamson, Ilia Edwards, Carolyne Quintana, Betsy Duffy, Rafael Alvarez, and Ruth Genn. Leaders in Literacy and Education Learning About Windward’s Pedagogy
The Windward School has welcomed several members of the NYC Department of Education, the Literacy Academy Collective, New York State government, and more to share details of Windward’s program and its teaching methods for remediating language-based learning disabilities. Rafael Alvarez Community Superintendent Akeela Azcuy Windward Trustee and leader of Literacy Academy Collective David Banks NYC DOE Chancellor Jason Borges NYC DOE Executive Director of Literacy and Academic Intervention Services Robert Carroll ’04 Windward alumnus and New York State Assemblymember Ilia Edwards Windward alumni parent and leader of Literacy Academy Collective Andrew Fletcher NYC DOE Senior Executive Director of Early Literacy Ruth Genn Windward alumni parent and leader of Literacy Academy Collective Brad Hoylman New York State Senator Devin Kearns Associate Professor of Special Education at UConn Kenita Lloyd NYC DOE Deputy Chancellor for Family Engagement Ben Powers Head of The Southport School Carolyne Quintana NYC DOE Deputy Chancellor of Teaching and Learning
