FAST FORWARD CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
THE THANK YOU! NOVEMBER 2017
NOVEMBER 23, 2017
FAST FORWARD CAMPAIGN CELEBRATION
1320 Yonge Street Entrance
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FAST FORWARD CAMPAIGN CELEBRATION
GROWING UP ON YONGE STREET
T
he renovation of the Middle and Senior school campus at 1320 Yonge street actually began more than eight years ago. Over that time many plans and formulations of the school were presented. The Junior School was designed and built in the process - partially to make room for a renovation here at 1320!
As we launched the Fast Forward Capital Campaign in December 2015, we knew that we were asking our community for unprecedented support. In the process of tearing down and rebuilding our campus, a vibrant culture of philanthropy emerged through the generosity of our community and a shared vision for our future.
One aspect of the planning process was to look at schools that had undertaken major renovations to former office buildings. Justin Medved, Director of Learning, Innovation and Technology and I travelled to New York to view three schools with notable facilities and three with cutting-edge curriculum delivery. We observed the spaces and how they worked. We were particularly looking for areas where the physical space mapped well onto the intended use and curricular design. We learned a great deal, for example, it is far more important to have a learning space you can eat in than to have a great cafeteria that no one uses, and it is better to have breakout spaces for collaboration and flexible teaching than to have additional traditional classrooms. We found out how best to use our limited space but were surprised by what we learned regarding curriculum. We were already ahead of the curve in many ways. The schools that were looking for the best way to deliver education were trying to find ways to be more like us.
There seemed a no better name for an event to thank our community for its support than ‘The Big Thank You.’ We now boast a Middle and Senior School campus that is the equal of our Junior School campus, providing us with the space to evolve and grow as a leader in 21st century education.
We knew what we needed to change, what we needed to keep doing and that we needed help to make it happen. This is where the Fast Forward Capital Campaign came in and its success has transformed our JK–12 continuum into an experience that stands amongst the best schools in the world.
The York School today bears little resemblance to the schools many of us attended. Our students are by nature collaborative, flexible and use spaces in creative ways. The overarching vision in reimagining our space was to respond to the rapidly changing needs of our students. We can now look to the future and truly dream big about how the school will evolve with our community. Conor Jones Head of School
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FAST FORWARD CAMPAIGN CELEBRATION
Bob Davies, Principal at Montgomery Sisam Architects; Joel Feldberg, Chair of the Premises Committee; Stephen Yuzpe, Chair of the Board of Directors; Conor Jones, Head of School; Julie Di Lorenzo, Chair of the Advancement Committee; Rick Rinkel, President of Venture Construction; Peter Vankessel, President of Nexus PM; Derrick Abraham, Chair of the Finance Committee Above: Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony - September 5, 2017
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FAST FORWARD CAMPAIGN CELEBRATION
STEPPING INTO THE FUTURE The York School has been a very special place for our children since their first day and the community has become an extension of our family. All York School parents have poignant memories of seeing the untapped potential the school brings out in each child, whether it is through identifying hidden talents or helping them discover their place in the world. The success of the Fast Forward Campaign represents a milestone, not only in our community’s ability to come together in support of a collective goal, but also in the prominence of The York School as an institution. It enables us to show those outside the school how special we are and showcase the outstanding work the faculty, staff and students are carrying out. Together, we have helped ensure that The York School is a leader among top-tier independent schools, setting the pace for education.
The completion of the Fast Forward Campaign marks the beginning of a new era for The York School as a leader in education. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I extend my sincere thanks to our entire community and invite you to join me as we step into the future of The York School. Stephen Yuzpe Chair of the Board of Directors Parent of Alexander (Grade 8), Hannah (Grade 6) and Beckett (Grade 4)
The school’s bold new face on Yonge Street is reflective of the modern, progressive approach to education that we as parents and supporters value so highly. With the renovated Middle and Senior School facilities, the school is in a better position than ever to carry out the mission of ‘developing inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who are engaged citizens of the world.’ As the Chair of the Board of Directors, I feel a great sense of pride in this institution and confidence in the people who made this project come to fruition. Our Head of School, Conor Jones, worked tirelessly with his team not only to deliver the project on time and on budget but also to ensure it is a place where dreams are realized. www.fastforward.yorkschool.com | 5
FAST FORWARD CAMPAIGN CELEBRATION
PHILANTHROPY AT YORK On behalf of the Advancement Committee, I am thrilled to celebrate the success of the Fast Forward Campaign - a landmark in the philanthropic landscape of The York School. As a Board Member and Chair of the Advancement Committee, I have been truly overwhelmed by our community’s generosity and dedication to bringing this project to fruition and reaching our collective fundraising goal of $5 million - the largest fundraising effort in the cumulative history of our school. I would like to extend a very ‘Big Thank You’ to each and every donor who got us here. As of June 30, 2017, a total of $4.5 million was raised. We can now report that we have raised $5.23 million, surpassing our goal by over $200,000! Thanks are due to every member of our community; every donor who contributed and every parent who supported events and programmes throughout the year. Special kudos go to the faculty and staff who achieved an outstanding 85% participation in the Fast Forward Campaign. This is well above average for employee giving and it speaks volumes about the culture of philanthropy at The York School. Additionally, donors gave to the Annual Fund in 201617, which has allowed for programme enhancements to improve the student experience. The Advancement team is looking forward to introducing our community to a new annual giving program this year. Stay tuned for exciting updates on The York School Fund. Julie Di Lorenzo Chair of the Advancement Committee Parent of Chiara (Grade 8) and Robert (Grade 4)
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A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR FAST FORWARD DONORS Abi Abdykerim and Saltana Abdigaliyeva Salim Salihov and Feruza Abduraimova Mercedes Benayon and Derrick Abraham Juliana Agostino Muroog Al-Dabbagh and Ali Al-Hellawi David Samuel and Cindi Alexander Fiona and Pervez Ali Katherine Almeida Marilyn Andrews and John Anderson George Hatzoglou and Roseann Andreou Christine and Ravi Appadurai Marie Aragona Stephen and Shelly Arbib Brian and Tania Archdekin The Armstrong-Fogarty Family Leonard and Susan Asper Elizabeth Van Dalen Atack and Dan Atack Raffic Skaffe and Lara Avedian Norah Baine The Baldwin Family Effie Balomenos Jill Baptist Stacey and Allan Barish Maria Barnden Ginny Bates Robert Battista ‘03 Sarah Bauld John and Sara Bellamy Lisa Davis and Norm Bellisario Karen Chu and Aaron Bennett Kimberley Benoit Nandini DasGupta and Michael Bernstein Megan Berry 8 | www.fastforward.yorkschool.com
Julian and Christy Bharti Fabio Biagiarelli Jackie Birch Glen Blair David Kozman and Kristin Blakely-Kozman The Azrieli-Blanc Family The Bonnor Family Jennifer Blue and David Borean Kathryn and Michael Bowen The Boyd-Meredith Family Kate Boynton The Breeze-Levere Family The Brown Family Rob Burkett The Bushell Family Mark Dobrow and Monica Bussoli Stuart English and Norie Campbell The Carr Family Morgan Carroll Macaulee Cassaday ‘12 Alison Champ The Charest-Descomme Family Sarah Charley Samantha Sherkin and Jordan Cheskes May Vong and Cosmos Chiu Peter J. Clarkson ‘10 Milena Kras-Claydon and James Claydon Kate and Sean Clutterbuck Phil Chown Paula Stante and Remo Commisso Etienne Phaneuf and Erin Cooper Tim Cooper Luc and Laurel-Ann Corneli
FAST FORWARD CAMPAIGN CELEBRATION
Matthew and Kate Corrin The Crouzat Family Jacquelyn Cummings Kiren Singh and Robert Currie Elise Currier The D’Alessandro Family Claudia DaFonte Jayden Dai Helen and Danny Davies David De La Huerta Chris Deighton Rick DeMarinis Mona Desai Adil Dhalla ‘01 Di Lorenzo-Graham Family Vicky Diano The Diplock-Seel Family Heli Donaldson Glen Downey Diane Drysale Susan Duviner Brian Eaton Chloe Edwards Ruth and Patrick Eichholtz Ahmed Balbaa and Moshera El Masri Vanessa Emer Luke Engelhart ‘06 Natasha and Paul Estey Christine Liptay and Glen Evanowich The Eves Family Amy Faba Beata Fabrikant Anne and Kevin Fair Gillian Farris Joel and Melissa Feldberg The Feldstein Family Drs. Jason and Shandi Fischer Liza Thomson and Levi Folk The Fonseca Family The Fraiberg Family The Francis Family Jennifer Fraser The Friedland Family
Marc Bracken and Maja Gans Sara Gardner Megan Gardner Ross Laura George Paul and Meredith Gertin Elizabeth Gilbert Andrew Hoffman and Leslie Giller Joy Polevoy, Sean Gilbert and Family Helen Gin The Giovinco Family Danielle Lemieux and Russell Goldstein Shelley Gopal The Gori Family Rain Shen and Scott Guan Tim and Roberta Hague Thomas Yeo and Sandra Haines Colleen L. Dempsey and Geoff R. Hall David and Catherine Hamilton David Hanna The Hanson Weinstein Family Harry Hanson ‘09 Russell Hanson ‘12 Jeffrey and Kimberly Hebel Allan Lever and Sherry Hettema Shane Heyes The Hill Family, in memory of Graham R. Hill Liz Hill Zhibai Gao and Jianmin Hu Yu Chen and Sharon Hu Mary Hudson The Hutchison Family Kendra Hutton Subrata Bhattacharjee and Erin Iles Patricia Indart Elizabeth Mendonca and Anthony Ironside Dawn and Rachel Jia Mark Jones and Rachel Jefferies Wei Xin Qiu and Wei Jing Bengt Johansson and Mary Moffat Johansson Ian Johns and Gillian Hickman-Johns Conor Jones Dmitri and Olga Kanovich Jennifer Kaplan www.fastforward.yorkschool.com | 9
FAST FORWARD CAMPAIGN CELEBRATION
Sarah and David Kaufman Rachel C. Keeling Jennifer and Ed Kernaghan Jane Kerr Kiessling/Isaak Family Foundation at Toronto Foundation Kimsa/Atkinson Family Joshua Kimsa ‘10 Jennifer and David Klassen Carol Klestinec Justin Beber and Elissa Kline-Beber The Krings Family Mike Krysa Jenny Fagg and Tony Kynaston Jonathan and Elayna Latsky Brian and Joannah Lawson Gary Grill and Lindi Lazarus The Lazzam Family Duane and Heather Lee Alexandra Flynn and Daniel Leibu Russell Goldstein and Danielle Lemieux Andrews and Lengyel Family Katie Leopold The Levitt Family Aviva Levy ‘05 Fiona Liu and Rui Li Lianshu Bai and Ying Li Patrick Shaw and Leea Litzgus Leslie Pace and Thomas Long Andrea Lossing Candace Seton-Rogers and Gavin Lubbe Julia Upton and David MacAulay Teresa MacDonald Judy MacGowan Jeff Dejean and Lori Marchildon Erin Marcus Mary and Danny Marcuzzi Ilyse Lustig and Ted Margel Susan and Jason Martin Phillip Hemans and Kelly Martin Kelly Dobbin and Scott Mathison Sean Mayes Karen McCallum-Ryan 10 | www.fastforward.yorkschool.com
Eric and Sylvia McGeer Gregory Hare and Catherine McHugh Katie McParlan Justin Medved Theresa and Seth Mersky Leslie Miller Sean Mitchell Mark Wiseman and Marcia Moffat Montgomery Sisam Architects Inc. The Moorhead Family Marci Morgans Caitlin Morgante Amir and Mahnaz Mousavifar The Murmann Family Natashia Grell and Christian Murray Praveen Muruganandan Edward and Nancy Nash Stephen Neirinck ‘05 Suzanne Newell Jan Noestheden Grace and Brendan Nolan Feroz and Shabnam Noorani Elizabeth and Michael O’Dwyer Michael O’Dwyer ‘11 Shannon O’Dwyer ‘10 William O’Dwyer ‘14 Karel O’Brien and Gerald O’Leary Patrice Band and Jennifer Orange Bessy Triantafyllos and Graham Pace Jonathan Palmer ‘08 Kara Lysne-Paris and David Paris The Passi Family S. Ali Chaudry and Duriya Patel Kathleen Peak Johnathon Peat ‘11 Douglas Peck The Petrelli Family Barb Prevedello Krista Hill and Linda Plumpton R. Kang and V. Prabhudesai The Prasad Family Talei Kunkel and James Price Ashfaque and Mahween Rahman
FAST FORWARD CAMPAIGN CELEBRATION
Helen and Scott Rattee Mark and Joy Resnick Nicole Reyes Leslie and Darren Richmond James and Megan Ridout Jody Roberts Susan Hummel and Andrew Robinson Jennifer Law and Paul Rose Greg Katz and Julie Rosenthal Tamsyn Ross The Kaiser-Rotman Family: Amy, Ken, Paul, Phoebe & Harrison Mireille El Mounzer and Fady Rouhana Feyzi Baban and Kim Rygiel Nargess Khosrowshahi and Ali Salass Jordana Sanft Maya Sapmaz The Schad Family Michael Schad ‘11 Blair and Karen Schultz Cindy Scott Sarit and Neil Seeman Julie Selley Afzal Shaikh The Shawn Family Jeanine and David Sheridan The Shin Family Evan Silver ‘07 Tatjana and Jeff Singer Lisa Hicks and Jeffrey Singh Nicolle Butcher and Kent Smallwood Jessica Smart Jennifer and Howard Smuschkowitz Clara, Harry, Jane and Sophie Sara Spencer Laurence Goldberg and Diane Spivak The Spourgitis Family Walter Stansfield Chris Steele Diana Olusanmi and Volker Steininger Megan Stephenson The Sternberg Family Kevin Stewart
Robin and Bill Stone Emily Strauss ‘06 Liping Cao and Dianjun Sun Robyn Tarshis Susan Shinoff and Mark Teitelbaum The Teoli-Ferron Family Sarah Thornton The Thorsteinson Family Bryan Loewenthal and Daniela Tixi TJRJ Fund at The Jewish Foundation of Greater Toronto Valerie Turner Marcel Kasumovich and Heather Ursu Jessica Monk and Chris Van Loan Angela and John Vavitsas The Veltri Family Ria Tzimas and Spyros Volonakis Predrag Vukovic The Wager Family Anne Marie and Stephen Walker Carl Nauman and Katie Walmsley Sally Warren Caitlin Watson Julia Webster ‘05 Annette Whiteley Nicole Irwin and John Wilkin Olivia and Nicole Wilson Jonathan and Amal Wolfe Mary Wood Jessica Woolard Qiang Du and Angel Wu Claudia Wu and Family Jennifer Wyatt Lisa Yorke Xin Li and GangGang Yu Family Stephanie Galloway and Stephen Yuzpe Min Cui and Qiong Zeng Alfred Wu and Eileen Zhang Connie Zhao Anonymous (21)
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A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS This list acknowledges volunteers who gave their time in 2016-2017. Board of Directors
Premises Committee
Stephen Yuzpe (Chair) Timothy Thorsteinson (Past Chair) Derrick Abraham Kathryn Bowen Philip Chown Nandini DasGupta Julie Di Lorenzo Joel Feldberg David Kozman Alex Moorhead Kathrin Murmann Duriya Patel Kenneth Rotman Andrew Sheiner Bill Stone Michael Storfer Angela Vavitsas
Joel Feldberg (Chair) John Brown Mark Jones David Kozman Bill Stone
Governance Committee Angela Vavitsas (Chair) Kathryn Bowen Nandini DasGupta Kathrin Murmann Duriya Patel Stephen Yuzpe
Finance Committee Derrick Abraham (Chair) Geraint Breeze Corey Fraiberg Stephen Karam Helen Rattee Stephen Yuzpe 12 | www.fastforward.yorkschool.com
Risk Committee Duriya Patel (Chair) Gavin Lubbe Alex Moorhead Stephen Yuzpe
Advancement Committee Julie Di Lorenzo (Chair) Philip Chown Kathrin Murmann Barbara Stulberg Angela Vavitsas Stephen Yuzpe
YPA (York Parents’ Association) Executive Barbara Stulberg (President) Cindi Alexander Meredith Gertin Jennifer Kernaghan Kerstin Lueck Urvashi Passi Joy Resnick Cristina Sava Stacey Schwartz Jo White
FAST FORWARD CAMPAIGN CELEBRATION
Junior, Middle and Senior School Volunteers Laura Arrell Elizabeth Atack Mamta Bahl Laurel-Ann Baker Corneli Marielle Bax David Bentley Christy Bharti Kristin Blakely-Kozman Wendy Braithwaite Jacque Bruno Debbie Bryane Emily Burnett Maite Burns Monica Bussoli Liping “Grace” Cao Elisa Cardilli Ayse Cetinel Sapmaz Moon Sun Choi Mary Ciolfi-Kohn Andrea Cohen-Solish Kate Corrin Melanie D’Alessandro Laila Deluce Colleen Dempsey Mark Dobrow Heli Donaldson Joy Ellick Jenny Fagg Anne Fair Meredith Farrington Shlomit Feldman Lisa Futerman-Neuman Emily Gao Peggy Gardiner Sasikhan Geibprasert Nancy Gosset Madeleine Greenwald Sonali Gujarati Alison Heden Krista Hill Bari Hochman Jessica Howard Erin Iles Nicole Irwin Pamela Isaak
Lena Kalousdian Rupinder Kang Jennifer Kaplan Michael Katz Donna Kaufman Sarah Kaufman Tracey Kay Andrew Knapp Milena Kras-Claydon Amy Lemen Lauren Levy Romy Libfeld Erin Marcus Mary Marcuzzi Vicki McGurgan Elizabeth Mendonca Caryn Midler Andrea Minacs Clara Mione Tina Mohankumar Mahnaz Mousavifar Nancy Nash Diana Olusanmi Scott Rattee Hanieh Rezaei Nancy Robbins Sandra Rotholc Mireille Rouhana Carmi Rubin-Gitalis Dawn Santone Sarit Seeman Susan Shinoff Kiren Singh Jackie Slenka Mia Sun Patricia Takeuchi Lara Teoli Mariette Tighe Bessy Triantafyllos Danielle Turk Ilana Twaits Heather Ursu Wilhemijn van der Donk Karen Weinstein Amal Wolfe Toni Zhong www.fastforward.yorkschool.com | 13
FAST FORWARD CAMPAIGN CELEBRATION
A BIG THANK YOU TO OUR ANNUAL FUND DONORS This list acknowledges donors who gave in 2016-2017. Mercedes Benayon and Derrick Abraham David Samuel and Cindi Alexander Fiona and Pervez Ali Brian and Tania Archdekin Leonard and Susan Asper Gillian Hamilton and Michael Baker Nandini DasGupta and Michael Bernstein David Kozman and Kristin Blakely-Kozman Milena Kras-Claydon and James Claydon Paula Stante and Remo Commisso The Di Lorenzo-Graham Family Natalie and David Duncan Francesco Bertola and Roberta Ferrari Melissa and Joel Feldberg Ken Lu and Fiona Feng Rain Shen and Scott Guan Colleen L. Dempsey and Geoff R. Hall
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The Hanson Weinstein Family Subrata Bhattacharjee and Erin Iles Wei Xin Qiu and Wei Jing The Kaiser-Rotman Family Katie Leopold Fiona Liu and Rui Li Susan and Jason Martin The Murmann Family Quarrywood Foundation James and Megan Ridout Brenda Johnston and Benjamin Stadelmann Robin and Bill Stone Kate Subak The Thorsteinson Family Julia Webster ‘05 The Wortsman-Noss Family Xiaogang and Claudia Wu Stephanie Galloway and Stephen Yuzpe Anonymous (1)
FAST FORWARD CAMPAIGN CELEBRATION
The York Cafe www.fastforward.yorkschool.com | 15
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THANK YOU FROM OUR STUDENTS
I love the new cafeteria! It’s an amazing space to hang out and eat lunch. It’s so cool that there are house-coloured booths and big glass windows that look out onto the street. Thanks so much! –Saskia Diplock, Grade 7 Thank you so much for making these amazing new renovations possible! We would not have been able to do it without you and we really appreciate it! I LOVE the new library! I can find any book very easily and often go there after school to complete homework. It’s a great quiet learning space. –Sierra Benayon-Abraham, Grade 8 My favourite part of the new building is the Athletic Centre and the new cafeteria. These spaces have positively impacted my learning as they give me a place where I can go on my spares to work as well as a place to work out when I take breaks from my learning. –Kris Sanderson, Grade 11
For more information about supporting The York School, please contact advancement@yorkschool.com 16 | www.fastforward.yorkschool.com