Woodland Hill Annual Report 2022

Dear Woodland Hill Community,

This year, Woodland Hill Montessori School is celebrating 20 years on our beautiful North Greenbush campus. Moving from rented locations to having an environment of our own marked a significant advancement in providing a high-quality Montessori education for children in the Capital District.

Since that time, our school has seen growth in enrollment, personnel, program offerings, and physical size with the additions of learning space in 2008 and 2019. Our school is thriving. This is a testament to the profound dedication of our faculty and staff, families, trustees, and support from the greater community.

Our strength is also indicative of the enduring brilliance of the Montessori method. Throughout our school’s growth, the children’s experience has been the focus. By centering the children, we are able to build a foundation upon which human flourishing is possible.

The data in this Annual Report reflects our collective investment in the children, one that will have decades of returns. We are affecting the hearts, minds, and spirits of the children who will impact the world for years to come.

As we finish our 20th year on campus, and the 57th year since our founding, Woodland Hill Montessori School is brimming with possibility and hope for the future. Thank you for your support as we continue to develop the intellectual, spiritual, physical, artistic, and academic excellence inherent in each child.

In partnership,

Michelle Edwards Head of School

Our Mission

Woodland Hill Montessori School – a diverse and engaging educational partnership of parents, teachers, children, and community – nurtures a child’s love of learning and sense of social and personal responsibility using the child-centered Montessori philosophy and curriculum to develop the intellectual, spiritual, physical, artistic, and academic excellence inherent in each child.

My family and I have been part of the Woodland Hill community for thirteen years since 2009 when our eldest son Isaac joined Primary. He graduated last year and moved on to high school at Tech Valley High. We have two sons still at WHMS, Ezra, who is in his final year and Asher who is in his third year of lower elementary.

We have found a home at Woodland Hill. Since the first time my husband Jim and I visited with our son Iaaac back in 2008, we just knew this was a special place. We found the ambiance to be soothing and the teachers gentle in their direction. Our children have enjoyed their learning, found mentors in their teachers and made lifelong friends. When we first came upon Woodland Hill we didnt know much about Montessori education, but over time we feel incredibly fortunate to be part of this wonderful community, we are thankful in knowing our children are in a caring atmosphere, given the ability to flourish and grow, and given the opportunity daily to show independence, citizenship, and passion in learning.

I feel extremely grateful and humbled to be able to serve this community in the capacity of Board President. Our Board of Trustees is wholly dedicated to its service to the school and work tirelessly every day to uphold their responsibility. We are in an exciting time in our school’s history where we are exploring and undertaking the work of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. While this can be intense work, I have the utmost confidence that our focused efforts will further enhance the Woodland Hill community. Together, the Board, faculty and administration, parents, students and our consultant will thoughtfully create a plan ensure Woodland Hill is a place where everyone can feel heard and understood. I look forward to what we can achieve together!

To the entire Woodland Hill community, and friends of our community, I wish you a happy and healthy new year!

Julie Knox President of the Board of Trustees Julie Knox

Warmest regards,

BOAR D OF TRUSTEES

Julie Massry Knox

President

Erika Solomon

Vice President

Carlos Elguero, M.D. Treasurer

Michael Logan, Esq. Secretary

Tamara Gatchell Immediate Past President

Nicole Lenihan Teacher Trustee

MEMBERS AT LARGE

Sawyer Armand, Ph.D.

Elizabeth Armstrong

Wendy Gilman

Eric Ledet, Ph.D.

Andrew McClain

Alex Pieterse, Ph.D. Jesse Roberts Sara Stevens

Rex Tien, Ph.D.

ADMINISTRATION

Michelle Edwards Head of School

Erin Mergil

Assistant Head of School

Ashley Moschouris Director of Finance

Kris Gernert-Dott Director of Admissions and Community Outreach

Moira Rienzo

Director of Development and Communications

Nicholle Gregor

Assistant Director of Communications

Danielle Hall Business Manager

Cat Pacini Office Manager

Eraena Fraites-Gonzalez Director of Auxiliary Services

Patrick Kraft

Administrative Tech Support and Summer Camp Director

Michael Early Director of Facilities

FACULTY

Head Teachers and Assistant Teachers

Julie Adams

Laura Angell Ben Atwood

Sandy Blakeman

Ashley Campion

Stephanie Carty

Tina Claus

Ashley Dick Olga Febus

Jennifer Graham

Julio Gonzalez

Cora Heiser

Hannah Heiser Marion Heller Sara Howard Shania Jackson

Evan Kelly Nicole Lenihan

Kristen McDermott

Kim Morrison

Lourdes Ortega

Jessa Pelizari

Stephanie Puchner

Melinda Putney

Michele Praileau

Toni Roland

Cassandre Rowe

Alisa Scapatici

Jodi Selzer

Vinita Shekhar

John Slater

Callie Terpstra

Naomi Wimberley-Hartman

SPECIALS TEACHERS AND STAFF

Owusu Anane

Sue Anthony Renata Atwood

Jennifer Burns Bethany Burroughs

Ignatius Calabria

Sarah Colwill

Maria Germain Jess Goodrich

Katja Higgins

Krysten Houser Ben Kelts

Chuck Lamb

Tami Meek J.T. Rinker

Sandy Schneider Andrew Snow Megan Stasi

SCHOOL CARE STAFF

Amanda Bentley, Afterschool Primary Head Teacher

Ben Bashant

Michael Franklin

Sofiya Fruggiero

Isabella Hall

Jaylene Larmond

Saturn Pierce

Ainsley Schuth

Jescyka Thompson

Emily Whitby

NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Elizabeth Armstrong works for Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies as a Senior Director, Clinical Management. Beth has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Binghamton University and a master’s degree in business administration and management from RPI. She has been a WHMS parent for seven years.

Eric Ledet was a WHMS parent from 2009 to 2017, at which time his daughter graduated from 8th grade. Currently, Eric is the Vice President of Research and Development for the Center for Disability Services. Prior to that, Eric was a professor at RPI for 17 years. He also cofounded ReVivo Medical ten years ago and serves as its Chief Scientific Officer. Eric has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona, and a master's and doctorate degree in biomedical engineering from RPI.

NEW ADMINISTRATION

Nicole Lenihan joined the board as a teacher-trustee. Nicole has worked at WHMS since 2013 and has been a parent at the school since 2012. Nicole has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the Sage Colleges and a master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Capella University. In addition, Nicole holds a phr certification. Nicole has her Early Childhood credential from the Northeast Montessori Institute.

Cat Pacini joins us as our Office Manager. Cat has a vast experience in administrative roles from customer service to program coordinator and administrative coordinator, primarily at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, Mass. Cat has a bachelor’s degree in in Behavioral Science from the Metropolitan State College of Denver.

Ashley Moschouris joined WHMS as the Director of Finance. Ashley had been the Accounting Manager for L. Browe Asphalt Services for the past six years. Prior to taking that position, she worked in the Member Relations Office for Cap Com Federal Credit Union and as a Financial Planner at Ayco. Ashley is a graduate of The College of Saint Rose with a bachelor’s degree in Finance.

Highlights

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Erin Mergil, Jessa Pelizari, and Jennifer Graham attended the American Montessori Society conference, The Montessori Event 2022, in Nashville in March. Erin and Jessa presented a workshop along with a former WHMS parent, Rebecca Rouse, Ph.D. Their presentation was entitled: Hands Are for Mess-Making: How Identity Exploration in the Prepared Environment Fuels Social Justice.

Montessori teacher and administrator Jonathan Wolff kicked off the school year with a faculty training. He led WHMS faculty and staff through workshops focused on the spiritual preparation of the teacher, key elements of Montessori practice, and the important role of observation in effective implementation of the Montessori philosophy. His refreshing energy and engaging storytelling created a positive environment for our faculty.

The current training programs for faculty are: Primary Environment “Bootcamp” through Trillium Montessori; Special Education Certification through CGMS; and Early Childhood Reading Certificate through American Montessori Society.

NEW PROGRAMS

In February, WHMS held ten listening sessions with DEI consultant Nishant Mehta of Mehta Cognition. Nishant has been engaged to support our community’s continued commitment to creating a just, diverse, and equitable learning environment for each of our students and their families. While at WHMS, Nishant met with groups of parents, faculty, administrative staff, students, members of the Diversity Committee, and the Board of Trustees. He also toured the school and observed classes. Nishant returned to WHMS

on July 13 to share his findings with the community. Nishant will continue to work with the board of trustees this school year.

As part of the Upper El and Middle School electives, the students participated in a Woodland Hill Shark Tank During this class, students worked to develop their own business, presented to the WHMS Sharks, completed product research, and brought their products to life in the makerspace.

The Toddler-Middle School progress reports were revamped this year to effectively convey the qualities we are working to develop in the students.

and featured presentations from leaders in public service and global citizenship, with topics including refugee aid initiatives, international diplomacy, local/global food insecurity, environmental concerns, and the role of volunteers in organizations like the US Peace Corps. They held their second one on November 17, 2002, with a focus on serving the community and why that is important.

Michelle Edwards started hosting “Muffins with Michelle,” a monthly discussion group for WHMS families.

Toddler families participated in a Book Club discussion in 2021-2022. This year, WHMS faculty are hosting Toddler Talks, focusing on issues important to toddler families.

An evening of kickball for Upper El and Middle School families was held in early October. The children loved playing against the WHMS faculty and parents.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

We began the school year with 345 students, including 29 Toddlers, 110 Primary, 92 Lower El, 69 Upper El, and 45 MS. The breakdown was very similar to our 2021-2022 enrollment.

Under the direction of Middle School science teacher Evan Kelly, the students formed a Ski and Bike shop The students learned the meditative joys of waxing skis, sharpening ski edges, and general maintenance of the equipment and materials. After students had honed their skills, they started taking and tuning the skis and snowboards from paying customers in the Woodland Hill community. In the springtime, they morphed the Ski Shop into the Bike Shop, and the students learned the basic parts and processes of bicycle operation, and gave the students a place to practice and improve their mechanical skills.

The Middle School’s created a Project Inspiration Conference since their annual GCAP conference has been canceled. The inaugural event was held in December 2021

Woodland Hill Middle School students participated in KIDS CAN BUILD at Crossgates Mall in December. WHMS competed against five other local schools: Maimonides Hebrew Day School, Robert C. Parker, Hebrew Academy of the Capital District, and Susan Odell Taylor. Woodland Hill won “Best use of Prop.” The competition benefits the Shalom Food Pantry.

Keya Mehta won the WHMS Spelling Bee in December 2021 and represented Woodland Hill at the 2022 Capital Region Spelling Bee, which took place virtually this year. The WHMS Bee was also virtual for the first time. This was Keya’s second time winning the WHMS Bee.

Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day returned in-person on May 13. Nearly 500 people attended the event, which was sponsored by the Friends of WHMS. The grandparents and special friends visited the classroom with their student, then enjoyed refreshments, crafts, and a photobooth outside.

The WHMS parking lot came alive on Saturday, June 4 when the Summer Night Soiree took place on a beautiful sunny evening. More than 275 guests attended the Soiree, along with food trucks and mobile bars. The main event was the live auction of fun adventures, experiences, and parking spots, and the Raising of the Paddles for our signature project: adding a ball field to our athletic field. We raised over $77,200 for WHMS, including $38,000 for the athletic field improvements.

Summer Camp 2022 was our most successful summer program ever. The most popular sessions were World of Wizardry, Outdoor Obstacles and Games, and Dungeons and Dragons.

For the second year in a row, the Upper El held a toy drive for the Salvation Army. The students enjoyed collecting toys for those less fortunate.

For Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Upper El did group art projects with an “I Have a Dream” theme. Andrew McClain said, “It is good to hear the ideas and impressions of this young group of children about the important topics raised by leaders in the civil rights movement.” Shania and Vinita’s Upper El class created this collaborative poster. Each student colored one of the 24 panels to create the poster, which hung in the front lobby.

The Voyage of Discovery took place in person on March 12 for the first time in over two years. The Voyage’s primary purpose is to share with parents “how and why” Montessori education works so well for their child, and it helps parents experience Montessori at each level of our program. Two are offered each year, in different disciplines. The November Voyage focused on geography.

Melinda and Julio’s Upper El class performed the play Sitting Down for Dr. King in April. The powerful play is about the Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-ins of the 1960s.

Under a bright sunny sky in the amphitheater, 36 third- and fourth-year Primary students received the traditional ruby red Primary pin while their proud parents, grandparents, teachers, and classmates watched. These students were recognized for their leadership in the classroom as they moved on from Primary to Lower El. The students shared their favorite work, were pinned by Head of School Michelle Edwards, and sang a song.

Artsemble, the second annual arts parade, took place on Wednesday, June 15. Students paraded through the school as they listened to, and participated in, musical performances.

A SAMPLING OF CAMPUS EVENTS

Our 2021 Winter Concert was live Zoomed to showcase the specials at WHMS. Some classes watched the event live in their classroom, but the event also recorded so that parents and grandparents could enjoy it. The assembly included art and Makerspace happenings from Primary – Middle School; music classes for Primary and Lower El; audio recordings from the UE and MS students and the school band; exploration videos from Upper El and Middle School; violin fun with Dr. Andrew Snow; and Katja’s Spanish classes. The 2022 Winter Concert will take place in person this year, on December 20, 2022.

The FLOCKart mobile art gallery held several shows during 2022, including Liz Zunon, Inspiration, a regional art exhibit for local Middle School students, and Nostalgia, featuring artwork from WHMS faculty and staff. The first FLOCKart gallery exhibit of the 20222023 school year opened on November 19 in conjunction with the Lantern Walk. The exhibit features work from Blair Lambert.

WHMS held a drive for supplies for Ukraine spearheaded by Lower El teacher Olga Febus. The WHMS community responded very generously.

In March, Middle School science teacher Evan Kelly presented a Ukrainian language lesson to the Upper El. Evan lived in Ukraine as a US Peace Corps volunteer and taught English to secondary students there.

Lower El students held a Culture Fair in March. The students were tasked with learning about a culture, whether it was the birthplace of their ancestors, a country that they had traveled to, or a destination that they would like to visit. The students presented their projects to their class this week, then placed them on display in the hallway.

Our beloved Middle School tradition, the MS Banquet, was held outside on the basketball court this year. Eighth graders, their families, 7th graders, recent alumni, faculty, and staff gathered to recognize the 8th graders as they move on from Woodland Hill. The MS teachers shared attributes and wishes with the graduates, and Alex Puchner spoke about his 12 years of schooling at WHMS.

WHMS students, faculty, staff, and families marched in Albany’s Pride Parade on June 12.

The WHMS Middle School had a wonderful experience on their week-long intersession journey to Boston and Cape Cod in May.

Fall Family Fun Day returned in October after a three-year hiatus. The Friends of WHMS sponsored the event, which featured Trunk or Treating, a reptile petting area, and live music.

NEW FACULTY MEMBERS

Ben Atwood joins us as the Assistant Teacher in Jessa’s class. Most recently, Ben was working as an agriculture educator at the Radix Ecological Sustainability Center. His prior professional experience includes work as a substitute teacher at the Robert C. Parker School, a graduate assistant in the English Department at the College of Saint Rose, a teacher’s aide at Wildwood Programs, volunteering at Friday Knights at St. Rose, and directing the teaching garden at the college. Ben has a master’s degree in creative writing and a bachelor’s degree in studio arts, both from the College of Saint Rose.

Renata Atwood started as our school nurse this fall. She is a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Maria College. Her professional experience includes five years at Albany Medical Center’s Neuroscience Progressive Care Unit. Recently she worked as a nurse in a local pediatric practice.

Stephanie Carty joined the WHMS faculty in early 2022, teaching middle school math. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Hartwick College and a master’s degree in education from The College of Saint Rose. She is professionally certified in the State of New York in adolescent mathematics education 7-12 and is currently completing coursework with the Cincinnati Montessori Secondary Teacher Education Program to earn a teaching credential in Montessori education. In addition to teaching mathematics, this year Stephanie will be teaching our Middle School students to code in a brand new, semester-long computer programming class.

Maria Germain is the music teacher for Primary and Lower El students.

Twenty-two 8th graders graduated on Friday, June 17 in the WHMS amphitheater. This was our largest class of graduates ever and the 20th class to graduate from 8th grade.

Keya Mehta was nominated by her classmates and teachers to speak at graduation to represent the Class of 2022.

Jenny Rao served as our keynote speaker. Jenny is the Head of School at Emma Willard and a WHMS parent. Our graduates will be attending the following schools this fall:

Academy of the Holy Names

The Albany Academies

Albany High School

Christian Brothers Academy

Columbia High School (4)

Emma Willard School (5)

Forman School in Connecticut

WHMS Class of 2018 College Choices:

Colgate University

Drexel University

Emerson College

Hamilton College

Hampshire College

Hudson Valley Community College

Northeastern University

SUNY New Paltz

University at Buffalo

University of North Carolina, Ashville

1, 2021 – June 30, 2022

Thanks to our generous supporters, we raised over $45,000 for the WHMS Fund: Supporting Equity & Hope. The fund provided assistance with operational expenditures related to Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) education. Proceeds from the WHMS Fund provided for faculty workshops, anti-bias and antiracist (ABAR) training, parent education programs, library and curriculum materials, guest speakers, and program work associated with our JEDI consultant, Nishant Mehta.

16 Handles

Elisa Albert and Edward Schwarzschild

The Gemma and Jason Allen Family

Bilal Alp and Mevlude Akay Alp Amazon Smile

American Clothing Recycling Co. Inc.

Liz Angell

The Angell Family Anonymous

Christopher and Shayla Sawyer Armand

The Armstrong Family

Roger Armstrong Ann and Adam Ayers

James and Donna Baccei Dr. Michael and Madeline Baltrush

Santosh Bangalore and Amrita Mohanty

Connie Bilanceri

Vanessa Bilanceri and Jeremy Goldberg

The Blackbaud Giving Fund on behalf of IBM International Foundation

The Blakeman-McClain Family Box Tops for Education

The Brady Family Bill and Becky Brittingham

Mary Ann Buckowski

Mary and David Buehl

Liz and Tim Cahrenger

Joe and Anna Calabria

Todd Carmody and Erica Fretwell

Vivian Chen and Xu Geng

Patricia and Michael Chiplock

Tina Claus

Katie and Ryan Coakley

Coca-Cola GIVE

Tanya and Matt Corry

Patricia D’Agostino

David and Allison DeLong

Vicki Dillon

Mustafa Dokucu and Isil Severcan-Dokucu

Jason and Danielle Dow Michelle and Ashley Edwards

The Eisemann Family

Drs. Sonia and Carlos Elguero

Peter and Jean Endryck

Susan F. Evans

Dr. Kristie Ford

Liliana Garcia and Dan Massey

Bob and Tamara Gatchell

Wendy and Charles Gilman

Jennifer and Niles Gold

Stuart Goodrich

Dr. Kori A. Graves and Ted B. Riese

The Haber and Cohen Family

Gemma and Ilan Halfi

Hannaford Supermarkets

Cora and Scott Heiser Marion and Chris Heller

Sara Howard

Jacob Israelow and Tanu Kumar Ariel Jaitovich and Maria Moran Norman and Cynthia Kellogg

The Kenning Family Key Bank Foundation

Julie and Jim Knox

The Koch and Pfeiffer Family Laura Koennecke Drs. Derek and Kimberly Lane Jeffrey Lang and Anna Tinio Susan LaVigne

Deborah J. Lee

The Logan Family

Brendan and Nicole Longcore Fred and Rachelle Luciani Drs. Jenny and Jim Malatras Steven and Tara Manierre Jessica and Chris Mascolo Mallory and Murray Massry

Tami Meek

Neelam Mehta

Fernando and Erin Mergil

The Murphy Family Vincent Nastasi and Heather BuehlNastasi Nanda and David O’Leary

Sima Patel-Harris and Michael Harris

Pay Pal Giving Fund

Travis and Adina Pfrommer

The Ryu Philip Family

Portia L. and Alex L. Pieterse

Stephanie and Tom Puchner

Shaheen Rahman and Kanika Johar

Michele Richens

Moira K. Rienzo

J.T. Rinker and Carolyn Tennant

Dr. Wendy and Jesse Roberts

Cyril and Lydia Rodriguez

Tobi and Gary Saulnier

The Fredericka V. Slingerland Family Foundation

Erika and Chris Solomon

Sara Stevens

Stewart’s Holiday Match

Audrie and Larry Sturman

The Tien Family Foundation

Shayna Vecchione and Eric Schroeck

Peggy Vogel-Nagengast

Greg Watson

Dr. Susan Weaver Lyman and Leslie Wood

IN-KIND DONATIONS

The following donated gifts to WHMS, freeing up resources for other needs.

Montessori Services/For Small Hands

MEMORIAL AND HONORARY GIFTS

In Memory of Bernhard Claus

Tina Claus

In Honor of Juana Jaitovich

Ariel Jaitovich and Maria Moran

Great care was taken to ensure the accuracy of this report. A donor may be listed in several categories in this report. If you made a gift during this period – July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022–and your name is misspelled, omitted, or listed in the wrong category, please accept our apologies, and notify Moira K. Rienzo, Director of Development at mrienzo@woodlandhill.org

Honor Roll of Donors

June

2022 Soiree: Welcome

SCHOLARS’ CIRCLE

The Agrawal Family

Deepa and Guha Bala

Karthik Bala and Shoba Narayan Michael and Sara DeLeonardis

Danielle and Jason Dow Gibson Guild Foundation of The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region

Jim and Jenny Malatras The Massry and Knox Families John Nigro Donor Advised Fund of The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region

Kerri and Thomas Scheib Dr. CD and Katherine Singh Wainschaf Associates, Inc.

HEAD OF SCHOOL CIRCLE

The Blackbaud Giving Fund

Kevin and Monica Brady Burt Crane & Rigging

Tanya and Matt Corry

Samantha and Nicholas Corvino

Carlos and Sonia Elguero

Bob and Tamara Gatchell

Peter and Kristine Gernert-Dott

Wendy and Charles Gilman

Christopher Griffith and Rebecca O’Donnell

Kristina and Chris Huston

Julie and James Knox

Anthony and Jaclyn Santilli

Tien Family Foundation

Susan Unger and Peggy O’Shea Katherine and Alex Vasilakos

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

Gemma and Jason Allen

Elizabeth and John Armstrong

Vivian Chen and Xu Geng

Timothy Chiplock and Nuhar Jaleel

Sean Conner and Camille Barnes

David and Allison DeLong Mustafa Dokucu and Isil SevercanDokucu Drs. Allan & Marisa Eisemann

The Endryck Family

Spencer Freedman and Sophia Conroy Jacob Israelow and Tanu Kumar

Rachel and Sam Judge Susan and James Kambrich

Amy Kellogg

Derek and Kimberly Lane

Michele and Eddie Lenzo

Marathon Strategies

Dan Massey and Liliana Garcia

Murray and Mallory Massry Peter & Diane McCorkle

Neelam Mehta

Alex and Portia Pieterse

Thomas and Stephanie Puchner

Shaheen Rahman and Kanika Johar

Arjun and Jennifer Rao

Wendy and Jesse Roberts

Kendra and Daniel Rubin

Fardin Sanai and Michele Susko

Tobi and Gary Saulnier

Siena Private Wealth Solasus Web Solutions

Erika and Chris Solomon

Jeff Stewart and Heather Klusendorf

Jerry and Judy Wainman

INVESTOR

Mahmut Akgul and Rezan Sahinkaya

Albany Marble Inc.

Christopher and Shayla Armand Austin & Co. Inc.

Michael Hilton Bellows, Architect,PLLC

Heather Buehl Capezza Hill, LLP CDPHP

Katie and Ryan Coakley Dwight Plumbing & Heating, Inc. Michelle and Ashley Edwards Global NEP, LLC

Jennifer and Niles Gold

Jeremy Goldberg

Michael Harris and Sima Patel-Harris Lauren and Jeff Hoffman Lisa and Griffith Holland Huston Engineering, LLC

John Johnson

Patrick and Laura Jordan Henry Kovacs & Tanya Amodio-Kovacs

Eric and Cheryl Ledet

Deborah J. Lee Jason and Mayumi Levine

Rachel Livsey

Shannon and Michael Logan Steven and Tara Manierre

Monticello Licensed Real Estate Broker

Vincent Nastasi

Rhea and Matthew O’Connor

Lauren and Frank Orciuoli

Joseph Payette and Annmarie Lanesey Payette Justin Pfeiffer and Rebecca Koch

Daniel Philip and Suzie Ryu

The Pilates Principle

Repeat Business Systems

Nolan Robinson & Marisa Rothstein

Stewart’s Shops/Stewart’s Foundation

BENEFACTOR

Kristine and Jeff Abele

Jalila Aissi

Bilal Alp and Mevlude Akay Alp Marina and Kyle AngelicolaRichardson Elizabeth Angell

Dr. Michael and Madeline Baltrush

Santosh Bangalore and Amrita Mohanty

John and Maureen Baringer

John Bennett & Tricia Burroughs

James Besha and Susan Thomas

Vanessa Bilanceri

James Browning and Kenya James Mary and David Buehl

The Cahrenger Family

Todd Carmody and Erica Fretwell

The Haber & Cohen Family

Andrew Cohen

Anthony and Hillary D’Argenzio

Nicole and Michael Davis

Maron and Maximillan de Maizière

Dr. Harry & Ellen DePan

Sara DeWitt

Susan and David Evans

Nicholas Faso and Meaghan Murphy

Glenn and Chantel Fiedler

Charles and Nadine Fuda

Woodland Hill Montessori School is proud to recognize alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends for their contributions. This list includes all donations to WHMS received between July 1, 2021 and

30, 2022 including gifts to the WHMS Fund, Capital Campaign pledge payments, and contributions to the

Home to WHMS.

We gratefully acknowledge the generosity of our donors.

Jamie and Michael Furgang

Patrick Galarza and Tara Borodin-Galarza

Matthew Gifford and Jennifer Baltrush

Geoff Gloak and Kristi Berner

Clay Gustave and Suzanne Miles-Gustave

Halliday Financial Group

Aaron Headley and Anne Schaefer

Danielle and Mohamed Hemmid

Bernie and Nancy Hillengas

Meredith and Lucas Holmquist

Andrew Hune and Kirsten Grau

Jon Irizarry and Coral Anglada

Ariel Jaitovich and Maria Moran

Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew

Melissa and Zane Krumanocker

Susan LaVigne

James Lee and Sylvia Byun

Nicole and Brendan Longcore

Thomas MacGregor and Zoe Nelson

Jeremiah Manning and Jodi Ju

Roberta Marchand

Andrew McClain and Sandy Blakeman

Virat Mehta and Rachel Rose

Erin and Fernando Mergil

Alia and Trevor Moore

David and Robyn Morrison

Vanessa and Adam Murphy

Justin Naef

Vishnu and Christopher Nocella

Dino Orciuoli

Lindsey and Thalis Orietas

Travis and Adina Pfrommer

Kate Powers and Josh Pepper Moira Rienzo

Ted Riese and Kori Graves

Cyril & Lydia Rodriguez

Henrique Oliveira Santos and Mariana Dutra de Sa

Eric Schroeck and Shayna Vecchione

Edward Schwarzschild & Elisa Albert

Vinay Shah and Ami Doshi-Shah

Erika and Chris Solomon

Christina Spaulding

Sara Stevens

Angela and Stephen Stokes

Sarah and Gavin Taylor

Daniel Teesdale & Yamile Morales

Kandi and Daniel Terry Mandy Torres

Ruth and Paul Turaew

Josh and Jenny Wainman

Ryan Wheeler & Sarah Fisher

Trevon Williams and Katina Hutton

FRIEND

16 Handles

Amazon Smile

Angell Family

Roger Armstrong

Ann and Adam Ayers

James and Donna Baccei

Connie Bilanceri

Box Tops for Education

William and Rebecca Brittingham

Mary Ann Buckowski

Joe and Anna Calabria

Bryant Chang & Kristen Wagner

Michael and Patricia Chiplock

Tina Claus

Coca-Cola GIVE

Patricia D’Agostino

Howard Daley and Karyn Yaffee

Vicki Dillon

Dr. Kristie Ford

Randy and Kathleen Goldberg

Stuart Goodrich

Gemma and Ilan Halfi

Hannaford Supermarkets

Cora and Scott Heiser

Marion and Chris Heller

Sara Howard

Norman and Cynthia Kellogg

Tyler and Sarah Kenning

Laura Koennecke

Jeffrey Lang and Andrea Tinio Nicole and Brian Lenihan

Conor and Doni Lillis

Rachelle and Fred Luciani Dustin and Alison Lucien

Jessica and Christopher Mascolo Tami Meek

Edward and Aubrey Ohanian

Pay Pal Giving Fund

Joe and Abbie Putrock

Daphne and Ryan Remarcke

The Fogel Family

J.T. Rinker & Carolyn Tennant Toni Roland

Fredericka V. Slingerland

Family Foundation

Stephanie and Tyler Smith Lawrence and Audrie Sturman

Christine Vaughan Peggy Vogel-Nagengast

Greg Watson Dr. Susan Weaver Leslie and Lyman Wood

CURRENT PARENTS

We appreciate the gifts from our current parents in 2021-2022.

Kristine and Jeff Abele Vikash Agrawal

Jalila Aissi

Mahmut Akgul and Rezan Sahinkaya Gemma and Jason Allen Bilal Alp and Mevlude Akay Alp Marina and Kyle

Angelicola-Richardson

Laura and Nathaniel Angell Christopher and Shayla Armand The Armstrong Family

Karthik Bala and Shoba Narayan Santosh Bangalore and Amrita Mohanty James Besha and Susan Thomas Vanessa Bilanceri Kevin and Monica Brady James Browning and Kenya James Heather Buehl

Todd Carmody and Erica Fretwell Bryant Chang and Kristen Wagner Vivian Chen and Xu Geng

Timothy Chiplock and Nuhar Jaleel Katie and Ryan Coakley

Mitch Cohen and Anne Marie Haber

Sean Conner and Camille Barnes

Tanya and Matt Corry

Samantha and Nicholas Corvino Nicole and Michael Davis

Maron and Maximillan de Maizière

Michael and Sara DeLeonardis

David and Allison DeLong

Sara DeWitt

Mustafa Dokucu and Isil Severcan-Dokucu

Danielle and Jason Dow Carlos and Sonia Elguero

Nicholas Faso and Meaghan Murphy Glenn and Chantel Fiedler

Kristie Ford

Spencer Freedman and Sophia Conroy Jamie and Michael Furgang

Patrick Galarza and Tara Borodin-Galarza Bob and Tamara Gatchell

Christine and David Gibson

Matthew Gifford and Jennifer Baltrush Geoff Gloak and Kristi Berner

Jennifer and Niles Gold

Jeremy Goldberg

Christopher Griffith and Rebecca O’Donnell

Clay Gustave and Suzanne Miles-Gustave

Gemma and Ilan Halfi

Michael Harris and Sima Patel-Harris Aaron Headley and Anne Schaefer

Danielle and Mohamed Hemmid

Lauren and Jeff Hoffman

Lisa and Griffith Holland Meredith and Lucas Holmquist Andrew Hune and Kirsten Grau

Kristina and Chris Huston

Jon Irizarry and Coral Anglada

Jacob Israelow and Tanu Kumar

Ariel Jaitovich and Maria Moran

John Johnson

Faye Jones

Patrick and Laura Jordan Rachel and Sam Judge

Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew

Julie and James Knox

Melissa and Zane Krumanocker

Derek and Kimberly Lane

Jeffrey Lang and Andrea Tinio

Nicole and Brian Lenihan

Michele and Eddie Lenzo

Conor and Doni Lillis

Shannon and Michael Logan

Nicole and Brendan Longcore

Rachelle and Fred Luciani

Dustin and Alison Lucien

Thomas MacGregor and Zoe Nelson

Jim and Jenny Malatras

Steven and Tara Manierre

Jessica and Christopher Mascolo

Dan Massey and Liliana Garcia

Murray and Mallory Massry

Neelam Mehta

Virat Mehta and Rachel Rose

Erin and Fernando Mergil Alia and Trevor Moore

Vanessa and Adam Murphy

Vincent Nastasi

Vishnu and Christopher Nocella

Rhea and Matthew O’Connor Nanda and David O’Leary

Lauren and Frank Orciuoli

Lindsey and Thalis Orietas

Joseph Payette and Annmarie Lanesey Payette

Justin Pfeiffer and Rebecca Koch

Travis and Adina Pfrommer

Daniel Philip and Suzie Ryu

Alex and Portia Pieterse

Kate Powers and Josh Pepper

Thomas and Stephanie Puchner

Joe and Abbie Putrock

Shaheen Rahman and Kanika Johar

Arjun and Jennifer Rao

Daphne and Ryan Remarcke

J.T. and Carolyn Tennant

Wendy and Jesse Roberts

Nolan Robinson & Marisa Rothstein

Anthony and Jaclyn Santilli Henrique Oliveira Santos and Mariana Dutra de Sa

Kerri and Thomas Scheib

Eric Schroeck and Shayna Vecchione

Edward Schwarzschild & Elisa Albert

Vinay Shah and Ami Doshi-Shah

Dr. CD and Katherine Singh

Christina Spaulding

Sara Stevens

Jeff Stewart and Heather Klusendorf

Angela and Stephen Stokes Sarah and Gavin Taylor

Daniel Teesdale & Yamile Morales

Kandi and Daniel Terry Mandy Torres

Ruth and Paul Turaew

Susan Unger and Peggy O’Shea

Katherine and Alex Vasilakos

Josh and Jenny Wainman

Greg Watson

Ryan Wheeler & Sarah Fisher

Trevon Williams and Katina Hutton

GRANDPARENTS

Woodland Hill gratefully acknowledges the donations from grandparents of current and former students in 2021-2022.

Elizabeth Angell

Roger Armstrong

James and Donna Baccei

Dr. Michael and Madeline Baltrush

John and Maureen Baringer

Connie Bilanceri

Bill and Becky Brittingham

Mary Ann Buckowski

Mary and David Buehl

Joe and Anna Calabria

Patricia and Michael Chiplock

Patricia D’Agostino

Vicki Dillon

Charles and Nadine Fuda

Randy and Kathleen Goldberg

Stuart Goodrich

Norman and Cynthia Kellogg

Susan LaVigne

Norman and Micki Massry

Cyril and Lydia Rodriguez

Toni Roland

Lawrence and Audrie Sturman

Peggy Vogel-Nagengast

Jerry and Judy Wainman

Leslie and Lyman Wood

FACULTY AND STAFF

We thank the current and past WHMS faculty and staff members for supporting Woodland Hill Montessori School through the WHMS Fund, the Summer Night Soiree, or the Capital Campaign.

Laura Angell

Ann Ayers

Sandy Blakeman

Liz Cahrenger

Tina Claus

Michelle Edwards

Susan Evans

Kris Gernert-Dott

Anne Marie Haber

Cora Heiser

Marion Heller

Nancy Hillengas

Sara Howard

Susan Kambrich

Sue LaVigne

Deborah J. Lee

Nicole Lenihan

Andrew McClain

Diane McCorkle

Tami Meek

Erin Mergil

Stephanie Puchner

Moira Rienzo

Ted Riese

Toni Roland

Jaclyn Santilli

Katie Singh

Peggy Vogel-Nagengast

PARENTS OF ALUMNI

We are so appreciative for the former WHMS families who continue to support Woodland Hill.

Ann and Adam Ayers

Guha and Deepa Bala

John Bennett and Tricia Burroughs

Liz and Tim Cahrenger

Dr. Harry and Ellen DePan

Michelle and Ashley Edwards

Marisa and Allan Eisemann

Susan and David Evans

Peter and Kristine Gernert-Dott

Wendy and Charles Gilman

Cora and Scott Heiser

Marion and Chris Heller

Bernie and Nancy Hillengas

Susan and James Kambrich

Dr. Tyler and Sarah Kenning

Laura Koennecke

Eric and Cheryl Ledet

Andrew McClain and Sandy Blakeman

Peter and Diane McCorkle

Michele Richens

Ted Riese and Dr. Kori Graves

Fardin Sanai and Michele Susko

Drs. Tobi and Gary Saulnier

Dr. Susan Weaver

Great care was taken to ensure the accuracy of this report. If there are any errors or omissions, please accept our apologies and notify Moira Rienzo, Director of Development at 518-283-5400 ext. 32 or mrienzo@woodlandhill.org.

On Saturday, June 4, under the starry sky at Woodland Hill Montessori School, we held our annual fundraising event - Welcome Home to Woodland Hill: A Summer Night Soiree. Nearly 275 WHMS parents and friends partied in the parking lot while enjoying five food trucks and raising their paddles to bid on a ballfield for Woodland Hill.

Thanks to the generous corporate sponsors, honorary committee members, donors, auction supporters, we raised over $77,200, including $38,000 for the new ballfield.

GALA COMMITTEE

Jenny Malatras, Chair

Coral Anglada

Renata Atwood Camille Barnes

Vanessa Bilanceri Danielle Dow Michelle Edwards

Arti Goswamy Danielle Hemmid Lauren Hoffman

PATRONS

MONTESSORI FRIENDS

Faye Jones Heather Klusendorf Tara Manierre Mallory Massry Alia Moore Vishnu Nocella Lauren Orciuoli Moira Rienzo Susan Thomas Shayna Vecchione Jenny Wainman Minhee Yoon

HONORARY COMMITTEE

Dawn and John Abbuhl

Kristine and Jeffrey Abele Marina and Kyle AngelicolaRichardson Elizabeth and John Armstrong Michael and Marcy Bellows Liz Benjamin John Bennett and Tricia Burroughs Dr. John D. Bennett James Besha and Susan Thomas Tametha Brown

James Browning and Kenya James Dave and Sheri Canfield Thomas Capezza and Melissa Breger Timothy Chiplock and Nuhar Jaleel Katie and Ryan Coakley Sean Conner and Camille Barnes Dr. Tanya and Matt Corry Samantha and Nicholas Corvino Nicole and Michael Davis Michael and Sara DeLeonardis David and Allison DeLong Sara DeWitt Mustafa Dokucu and Isil SevercanDokucu Danielle and Jason Dow Michelle and Ashley Edwards Carlos and Sonia Elguero Nicholas Faso and Meaghan Murphy Glenn and Chantel Fiedler Spencer Freedman and Sophia Conroy Jamie and Michael Furgang Patrick Galarza and Tara BorodinGalarza Bob and Tamara Gatchell Pete and Kris Gernert-Dott Matthew Gifford and Jennifer Baltrush Wendy and Charles Gilman Geoff Gloak and Kristi Berner Jennifer and Niles Gold Jeremy Goldberg and Vanessa Bilanceri Christopher Griffith and Rebecca O’Donnell

Clay Gustave and Suzanne MilesGustave Danielle and Mohamed Hemmid Bernie and Nancy Hillengas

Lisa and Griffith Holland

Andrew Hune and Kirsten Grau Kristina and Chris Huston Jon Irizarry and Coral Anglada Jacob Israelow and Tanu Kumar

John Johnson

Patrick and Laura Jordan Amy Kellogg

Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew Howard Kibrick, Halliday Financial Julie and James Knox Melissa and Zane Krumanocker Drs. Derek and Kimberly Lane Sue LaVigne Drs. James Lee and Sylvia Byun Eric and Cheryl Ledet Nicole Lenihan

Conor and Doni Lillis

Rachel Livsey Jim and Jenny Malatras Steven and Tara Manierre Jeremiah Manning and Jodi Ju Dan Massey and Liliana Garcia Murray and Mallory Massry

Norman and Micki Massry

Virat Mehta and Rachel Rose

Erin and Fernando Mergil Alexander Monticello

Vishnu and Christopher Nocella Nanda and David O’Leary

Lauren and Frank Orciuoli Lindsey and Thalis Orietas

Justin Pfeiffer and Rebecca Koch

Alex and Portia Pieterse

Thomas and Stephanie Puchner

Moira K. Rienzo

Wendy and Jesse Roberts

Nolan Robinson and Marisa Rothstein

Kendra and Daniel Rubin

Henrique Oliveira Santos and Marianna Dutra de Sa

Kerri and Thomas Scheib

Eric Schroeck and Shayna Vecchione

Vinay Shah and Ami Doshi-Shah

Phil Singer Dr. CD and Katie Singh Erika and Chris Solomon

Sara Stevens

Jeff Stewart and Heather Klusendorf

Sarah and Gavin Taylor Kandi and Daniel Terry Mandy Torres

Ruth and Paul Turaew

Susan Unger and Peggy O’Shea Katherine and Alex Vasilakos

Josh and Jenny Wainman

Gerald and Judith Wainman Ryan Wheeler and Sarah Fisher Trevon Williams and Katina Hutton

DONORS

Elizabeth and John Armstrong

John and Maureen Baringer

The Benevity Community Impact Fund Kevin and Monica Brady

Todd Carmody and Erica Fretwell

Sean Conner and Camille Barnes

Samantha and Nicholas Corvino Howard Daley and Karyn Yaffee Anthony and Hillary D’Argenzio Nicole and Michael Davis

Maron and Maximillan de Maizière David and Allison DeLong

Mustafa Dokucu and Isil SevercanDokucu

Danielle and Jason Dow

Michelle and Ashley Edwards Carlos and Sonia Elguero

Nicholas Faso and Meaghan Murphy Glenn and Chantel Fiedler

Spencer Freedman and Sophia Conroy Bob and Tamara Gatchell

Peter and Kris Gernert-Dott

Matthew Gifford and Jennifer Baltrush Wendy and Charles Gilman

Jeremy Goldberg

Christopher Griffith and Rebecca O’Donnell

Michael Harris and Sima Patel-Harris Danielle and Mohamed Hemmid Lisa and Griffith Holland

Meredith and Lucas Holmquist Kristina and Chris Huston

Jon Irizarry and Coral Anglada Jacob Israelow and Tanu Kumar

John Johnson Patrick and Laura Jordan Rachel and Sam Judge Amy Kellogg

Julie and James Knox Henry Kovacs & Tanya Amodio-Kovacs Derek and Kimberly Lane Eric and Cheryl Ledet Jason and Mayumi Levine Rachel Livsey

Jim and Jenny Malatras

Steven and Tara Manierre

Roberta Marchand Murray and Mallory Massry Neelam Mehta

Alia and Trevor Moore

Justin Naef Vincent Nastasi

Vishnu and Christopher Nocella Rhea and Matthew O’Connor Lauren and Frank Orciuoli Joseph Payette and Annmarie Lanesey Payette Travis and Adina Pfrommer Arjun and Jennifer Rao Wendy and Jesse Roberts Nolan Robinson & Marisa Rothstein Toni Roland Kendra and Daniel Rubin Edward Schwarzschild & Elisa Albert Dr. CD and Katie Singh

Stephanie and Tyler Smith Angela and Stephen Stokes Kandi and Daniel Terry Susan Unger and Peggy O’Shea Katherine and Alex Vasilakos

Christine Vaughan

Peggy Vogel-Nagengast

Jerry and Judy Wainman Wainschaf Associates, Inc. Ryan Wheeler and Sarah Fisher

Trevon Williams and Katina Hutton

AUCTION DONORS

16 Handles

9 Maple Avenue Jazz Club

AAA Hudson Valley

Albany Institute of History & Art

Albany Symphony Orchestra

Dr. Michael and Madeline Baltrush

Beth’s Farm Kitchen

The Bunker Burden Lake Country Club

The Cheesecake Factory Cookie Therapy ALB

The Crafted Arrow

Crossgates Mall

Danielle and Jason Dow

El Loco Mexican Cafe

Enliven Studio

Falcon Club

Fenimore Art Museum/The Farmers’ Museum

Footbeats Stride Rite

Forts Ferry Farm

Hampton Inn & Suites

Danielle and Mohamed Hemmid

Honest Weight Food Co-Op

The Hyde Collection

iSmile Studios

It’s Yoga Kids

The Ivy Spa

The Kitchen Table

The Music Studio

National Baseball Hall of Fame

New York Red Bulls

Pai’s Tae Kwon Do

Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC)

Anne Schaefer

Shakespeare & Company

Kathy Sheehan, Mayor of Albany

Siena Private Wealth

Stewart’s Shops/Stewart’s Foundation

Tech Valley High School

Top Level Athletics

Tri-City ValleyCats

Josh and Jenny Wainman

Yankee Trails

Statement of Financial Position

As of June 30, 2022

ASSETS

Cash and cash equivalents $984,523 Investments 3,523,348 Current Assets 66,498 Receivables (net) 3,315,854 Prepaid expenses 2,857 Land, building, and equipment (net) 5,622,802

TOTAL ASSETS $13,515,881

LIABILITIES

Accounts payable and other current liabilities 398,489 Accrued expenses 160,638 Deferred revenues 4,364,240 Long-term debt 1,559,696

TOTAL LIABILITIES $6,483,063

EQUITY

Retained earnings 6,981,917 Net income 50,902 TOTAL EQUITY $7,032,818