CELEBRATING
THE LIZZIE AND JONATHAN TISCH LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER A few years before ground broke on the new school building, Jonathan Tisch took a bold step towards helping us envision our future on 78th Street. He was one of the first to donate towards the campaign that would become The Campaign for Allen-Stevenson: Today and Tomorrow. His gift inspired several other generous donors to join in creating the beautiful new facility for the School that we occupy today. In recognition of Jon and his wife Lizzie's wonderful support, the School has dedicated the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Library Media Center. This is the second library named in honor of the family, which has received global recognition for its support of education. The first Tisch Library is at Tufts University. Jon Tisch said recently, “We are excited to be associated with such an outstanding space at Allen-Stevenson that will be used by the entire community of the School.” Mr. Tisch complimented David Trower and the Board of Trustees on their strong leadership in a time of uncertainty in the world, and he reminisced about his first visit to Allen-Stevenson when his older son applied to Kindergarten. Charles Tisch '06 is now a Senior at the Trinity School, and he will enter the University of Michigan this fall. On Saturday, March 7th, Trustees, faculty and administrators gathered in the Tisch Library Media Center to celebrate the naming and to toast Jon and Lizzie Tisch, along with Jon's sons, Charles '06 and Henry '09, and Jon's mother, Joan. David Trower thanked the Tisch family for helping Allen-Stevenson realize its dreams of a multi-use library media center.
Jonathan Tisch, Lizzie Tisch, Joan Tisch, Charles Tisch ’06, and Henry Tisch ’09
Sarah Kresberg, Library Director, told guests about the work done to create this beautiful space. “At the very start of the 21st Century, we set out to design a physical space that would meet the needs of a 21st Century learner. The information age had arrived and there were some who predicted the death of the book and, by extension, the library itself. But we at Allen-Stevenson decided to move in the opposite direction. We built a vision that places the Library Media Center at the very heart of the School, both physically and metaphorically. We aimed to be true to our enlightened traditional approach by retaining the elements that would encourage a love of literature while simultaneously equipping ourselves for the digital age. We knew that the boys would need a new kind of space and a new kind of librarian in order to thrive in this new, hightech era.” Ms. Kresberg also remarked, “in the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Library Media Center, we truly have a space that is at the heart of the Allen-Stevenson community, a 21st Century library for our 21st Century boys.” Bonnie Tucker, Lower School Librarian, presented each of the Tisches with a bag from the Kindergarten Book-A-Day program and told guests about the great success of that program. Each Kindergarten boy ends the year having read 160 additional books selected by Mrs. Tucker and carried home in his “I am an Allen-Stevenson Reader” canvas tote bag. If you have not already seen the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Library Media Center, we welcome past parents, friends, and alumni to visit. You will also find signed copies of Jon Tisch's books, Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing the Customer Experience and The Power of We: Succeeding through Partnerships, which you can check out of the Library.
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