Alyce Callison, Director of Marketing & Communications, Editor
Anna Williams, Design
Contributors
Alyce Callison
Rosanne Crowe
Linda Duncan
Stefanie Frayne
Chris Hancock
Eric MacDonald
Susan Null
Where’s the Bobcat?
Can you find the Benchmark Bobcat? He’s hiding on a page in this magazine. Answer on the back inside cover.
On the Cover
Susan Null discusses math with Ryan Hill ’30, Quinn Pierson ’30, and Quinn Knight ’30. See more on page 26.
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A Message from the Head of School
BEING SEEN
By Chris Hancock
One of the many reasons Benchmark’s legacy endures is that everyone at this school lives a simple truth–that we treat each student as an individual. This means more than paying lip service to the uniqueness of each young learner. It insists we are here to teach Suzy to read, rather than teach reading to Suzy–that learning differently demands teaching differently. To do so, we must work closely with students to get to know them before we can teach them in ways that suit them best. This means balancing our researchbased practices with emergent pedagogy.
When I talk about emergent pedagogy, I’m referring to tailoring everything we do to meet students where they are. The moment we see a particular struggle, or passion, we respond. The ways we approach a student are constantly changing–with deliberate intention–day to day, week to week, evolving alongside our students’ strengths and interests. Paired with our deep knowledge of research-based best practices, individualizing is always at the forefront. This, if one tried to pin it down to just one thing, is the “secret sauce” of our success. Some might even call it love, and that wouldn’t be wrong. However, I often think of it as being seen.
My dear mentor and friend, the late Dr. Peter J. (PJ) McDonald, former Head of Eagle Hill School in Hardwick, Massachusetts, imparted a student-centric motto, “If you can’t see me, you can’t teach me.” PJ truly saw each student. He loved every student, and they thrived under this focused care. It’s been the navigational beacon for my entire journey through educational leadership. And so, every Benchmark teacher, without exception, makes sure that our
students know that we see them. This is particularly profound for our students, who experienced challenges with learning in their previous schools.
When students come to Benchmark, our first priority is seeing who they are and how they work. Everything follows from that. When students know they are seen, loved, and championed by the adults in front of them, it unlocks a sense of security and enables them to blossom into their fullest selves. The pages within this magazine highlight some of that potential fully unlocked, noting recent alumni enrollments and commitments to elite colleges like Dartmouth, Cornell, UPenn, and Yale, along with other great moments our current students experienced this year.
There’s also a lighter side to seeing and being seen. In the past few years, I have been writing rhyming couplets that showcase our students’ strengths and special interests, and these mini-poems have become the centerpiece of my graduation remarks–again a nod to PJ. [See all of the graduation poems on page 41.]
In this way, I pair my good wishes for their future with the reminder that we know them, we see them, and that they will always have a place here at Benchmark.
WELCOME, NEW TRUSTEES!
Welcoming Fresh Faces on the Board
Benchmark was proud to add five new trustees to the board. We offer a warm welcome to Jennifer Brion, P’28, P’30; Stephen Chase ’06; Lauren Cristella, P’29; Nicholas Romeo ’04, and Pete Verdi, P’24.
Jennifer Brion, P’28, P’30
Jennifer Brion has worked at the Chester County Department of Human Services since 2011 in a range of roles, beginning as a Quality Assurance Specialist/ Children’s Behavioral Health Clinical Coordinator, then becoming the Director of Quality Management, and now holds the roles of Deputy Human Services Director and Director of Managed Behavioral Health.
Prior to the Chester County Department of Human Services, Jen held a range of mental health counselor and social work roles in Pennsylvania and Virginia. She completed her undergraduate degree in psychology and women’s studies at Randolph-Macon College and obtained her Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Jen is the current President of the Benchmark Parents Association (BPA) and serves as the BPA Liaison to the board. Jen is the mother of current Benchmark students Agnes Brion ’28 and George Brion ’30.
Jen says, “Benchmark is a game changer! We couldn't be happier with our decision to send both children to Benchmark. Our daughter started in 1st grade during the pandemic when we felt hopeless. Due to the progress, support, and overall excellence of Benchmark we decided to also pursue this education path for our son. Both children have shown so much growth and just continue to thrive. They look forward to going to school every day. Benchmark has created a foundation for hope and love of learning.”
Stephen Chase ’06
Stephen Chase is an analyst at Drexel University's Investment Office, where he plays a key role in managing the University's $1 billion endowment. Stephen earned his MBA from Drexel's LeBow College of Business, graduating at the top of his class with a concentration in Finance and Alternative Investments.
Stephen's early career began in his family's home services business, where he gained hands-on experience in sales, marketing, operations, and finance. He later worked his way up to serving as head of research at a Philadelphia-based public relations firm specializing in crisis communications before returning to the family business to continue driving growth and innovation.
Stephen earned his B.A. in anthropology with honors from Trinity College (Connecticut), focusing on economic and behavioral anthropology. He and his husband live in the Philadelphia area, where they are actively engaged in the non-profit and LGBTQ+ community.
Stephen is a member of the Facilities Committee. Before joining the board, Stephen spent ten years chairing Benchmark’s Alumni Association. He says, “It feels like a true full-circle moment to join Benchmark's Board of Trustees. Nearly two decades after graduating, and a decade leading the Alumni Association, my appreciation for this remarkable place has deepened. I'm eager to bring that dedication to the board, helping to guide Benchmark's strategic vision and uphold its legacy.”
Lauren Cristella, P’29
Lauren Cristella is the President & CEO of the Committee of Seventy (C70). In 2018, Lauren began her career at C70 as the Chief Program Officer, and in June 2023, she was named President & CEO, the first woman to serve in that role in the organization's 120-year history.
Lauren has been named to the steering committee of Innovate Chester County, an initiative to generate ideas from the public to explore new ways to tackle challenges in Chester County. She also serves on the Philadelphia Bar Association's Judicial Commission. Under Lauren's leadership, the Committee of Seventy received the American Bar Association's Unsung Heroes of Democracy Award in 2024. Lauren was also recently recognized as the 2024 Rad Girl Nonprofit Leader of the Year and was featured in Philadelphia Magazine's list of the 150 most influential Philadelphians in 2023 and 2024.
Lauren has previously served as the President of the League of Women Voters of Philadelphia, where she focused on rebuilding the organization and equipping volunteers to have a positive impact on elections at the grassroot level.
Additionally, Lauren currently serves on the Board of the Forum of Executive Women. Lauren received her bachelor's degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where she majored in politics, and interned at the International Center for Terrorism Studies. She went on to receive her master's degree from the University of Essex in Colchester, England in Ethics, Politics and Public Policy.
Lauren is mother to Benchmark student Theo Campbell ’29. She and her family recently moved to Mt. Airy after nearly twenty years in South Philadelphia.
Lauren is serving as a member of the Governance Committee. She says, “I’m honored to join the board of Benchmark School—a place that has profoundly impacted my son's growth and confidence. I’m excited to meaningfully contribute to this remarkable community and help advance its vital mission.”
Nicholas Romeo ’04
Nicholas Romeo is the Sales Director for Professional Services at SEI, focusing on enhancing operations, compliance, technology infrastructure, and customer experience for private banking and wealth management clients. Prior to this, he was the Senior Sales Director, Enterprise at General Assembly, where he partnered with Fortune 100-500 companies to reskill and upskill their workforce to support a firm's digital transformation. He also served as a Senior Account Executive at Bloomberg Government, a subsidiary of Bloomberg LP, providing comprehensive information, analytics, workflow tools, and news for professionals interacting with the federal government.
Nicholas Romeo attended Gettysburg College, majoring in Political Science with a focus on American Government and Political Philosophy with a minor in African American History. During his time there, he was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and completed internships with Senator Arlen Specter and No Labels. Prior to college, he attended The Haverford School and Benchmark School.
In addition to supporting Benchmark School, Nicholas is actively involved in volunteering roles at The Haverford School, serving as the Alumni Officer for the Class of 2008 and as a member of the Leadership Council, where he assists the Board of Trustees, Headmaster, and other school constituencies with advice, counsel, and service on matters affecting the general vitality of the school.
Nicholas is serving on the Development Committee. He says, “As an alumni of Benchmark School, I am deeply honored and incredibly excited to join the Board of Trustees. This opportunity allows me to give back to an incredible institution that played a pivotal role in shaping my educational journey and personal growth. I look forward to collaborating with the esteemed members of the board, Chris Hancock, as well as Benchmark’s incredible teachers and faculty to ensure current and future generations of students can benefit from the same exceptional education that I received.”
Pete Verdi, P’24
Pete Verdi is the President of Menlo Financial Consulting where he collaborates with partners and stakeholders to provide support across a variety of operational finance needs including budgeting, reporting, and analysis.
He began his career in the Financial Management Program at General Electric. During his fourteen years at GE, he held increasingly larger financial positions working across multiple business, including Appliances, Corporate Audit, Lighting, Plastics, Industrial Systems and Water & Process Technologies. In addition to GE, he has also worked for AmerisourceBergen as the Vice President of Commercial Finance. Leveraging his twenty plus years of corporate finance experience, he began a consulting career with a focus on mergers and acquisitions and CFO-type services. For nearly a decade he worked with Brandywine Mergers & Acquisitions assisting business owners with exiting their businesses. This work included providing financial support (accounting, reporting, and operational improvements) and working with businesses through the sale and disposition of the company.
Pete holds a BBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from Arizona State University. He lives in Bryn Mawr with his wife Lesli, children James and Annie ’24 and two dogs Rocky and Apollo.
Pete serves on the Development Committee of Benchmark School’s Board of Trustees. Pete says, “As a parent, I have experienced, first-hand, the transformative power of Benchmark. As a board member, I now can give back to the community that literally changed my daughter’s future. It's an honor and a privilege to have this opportunity.”
THE LATEST
From 2107 North Providence Road
A Full Circle Story
A Fictional and Non-Fictional Learning Journey
In the Mattaliano/Duncan 5th grade, students create historical fiction based on the real-life Black heroes of the Underground Railroad and Reconstruction. More than four years ago, when recent graduate Penelope Prinbeck was in this class, she created a story called Hold Onto Dreams about the teaching work of educator and activist Charlotte Forten Grimké. In Penelope’s Author’s Note, she explains, “Charlotte Forten was born in 1837 in Philadelphia to an affluent free Black family. When illness forced her to quit her job in Philadelphia, she volunteered to teach the freed slave children of the Sea Islands in South Carolina.”
Beyond writing and illustrating an engaging story that imagines rural Black life in South Carolina at the time, Penelope took the story deeper, creating the character Henry, a boy whose learning differences create problems for him in learning to read. About Henry–and about herself–Penelope says, “Henry could represent the hundreds of slave children whose lives were transformed by Charlotte Forten Grimké. Henry’s story is especially important to me. When I was young, I had a lot of trouble reading. Just like Henry, the letters swam on the page and refused to make sense. My school sent me to a teacher named Susan, who sat with me for hours, helping me puzzle them out.”
As an 8th grader, when Penelope returned to her 5th grade classroom to interview Mrs. Mattaliano as part of the research for her portfolio project, she also offered to read her story to the class. Penelope not only answered students’ questions, but took the lead in prompting students with questions of her own to help them consider topics more deeply. Looking into the future, Penelope is now considering seeking a job that would involve working with children.
CBS Covers The SWAG
Benchmark Students Share Their Unique Experience
On May 8, CBS Sports reporter Krystle Rich-Bell visited Benchmark School to see our talented student athletes in action. Ms. Bell covered the story of our partnership with the soccer training program called The SWAG, connected to the Philadelphia Union. These remarkable students are getting an unparalleled Benchmark education while engaging in top-tier soccer training. Time for soccer training is built into their Benchmark day, with dedicated coaching on campus in the morning before school and travel to the Union practice facilities after school.
The seven Benchmark students who began with The SWAG have now graduated into the Philadelphia Union Junior Academy.
Scott Spangler, coach, Benchmark parent of player Thomas ’28, and founder of The SWAG, said, “We can give them an introduction to soccer with a level of coaching that you don't see unless you're in a professional academy.” Mo Mayah ’28 said, “It feels like a dream.”
Scan the QR code to watch the full segment that aired on May 14, 2025.
Farewell, Retirees
Parting with Joan Fox, Ruth Kelemen, and Leslie Stein
At the end of the 2024-2025 school year, we said goodbye to three beloved members of our community who have moved on to their next adventure: retirement. Here, in honor of their countless contributions to our school, we showcase some of their reflections.
Ruth Kelemen taught in the Middle School for 23 years. Ruth says, “My warmest memories of my time here are the lightbulb or “Ah ha!” moments when you and the student know the student has made the connection or realized what was really happening in the book.” Ruth also mentored students for many years, and says, “There are tears of joy when I see my mentees graduate. Reflecting with each one on how they started 6th grade and how they are ready to enter 9th grade is joyful!”
Ruth leaves the following wisdom: “As we all are incredibly busy, let's remember we are all individuals. No one knows what kind of a day anyone is having unless it has really been shared. Let's always strive to be our best each day and encourage our students to do the same. Mistakes are one of the ways we learn! I hope we can continue to teach our students strategies to learn and accomplish the hard stuff.” She concludes, “I am blessed and honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of this community for so long.”
Leslie Stein dedicated her skills as a psychologist on the Child and Family Support Services team for 28 years. A consummate professional, it is fitting that one of Leslie’s fondest memories relates to professional development. She says that she enjoyed “the opportunity afforded me and [former teacher] Joan Davidson to meet and learn from Dr. Mel Levine at the University of North Carolina's conference on learning. He was an inspiration and driver of my 20+ year passion to share with staff and parents the knowledge I gleaned from him on ’learning difference.’”
Ruth Kelemen talks with students at the top of the Waterfall.
Leslie also notes, “Benchmark gave me the memorable and gratifying opportunity to connect with passionate staff on so many meaningful levels—connections that greatly enriched my life and taught me immeasurably!” In parting, Leslie offers, “All my warmest wishes for your continued passion and Benchmark's longevity.”
Joan Fox taught art at Benchmark for 6 years. Although her tenure at Benchmark was not as long as those who retired with her, the gift of her teaching and presence in our community has been equally powerful. In reflecting on Benchmark, Joan says, “I think it’s a very committed, very caring community. I felt what I brought was a different perspective to things and I felt valued. I didn’t feel like people tried to have me do it differently. I hadn’t expected to find a community here at Benchmark that was so welcoming and sincere.”
On her work with students, Joan says, “I feel as if I’ve always been allowed to give to the kids a different type of movement in my room but that would never have been possible if it wasn’t for the structure they’re getting in other spaces too. We should all walk the world being able to be us, right? And that’s what I wish for our kids.”
Leslie Stein meets with teachers to share information about developing learning profiles. See more about her work on page 32.
Joan Fox works with students to prompt sketch ideas on the grounds of Boxhill.
Owning It Middle School Students Manage Events
Last year, our Benchmark Parents Association reflected on some of the school events that they help to host, like Family Movie Night and the Middle School dances. Those events were well-attended and fun, but could they be better? In a move to give our students more ownership over these events, the BPA tapped Rachel Cameron, Assistant to the Head of School, to help lead our Middle Schoolers in having more control over the events.
Each of the three events–Family Movie Night and the two Middle School dances–had a student committee of advisors/managers who helped to decide the themes of events, made promotional materials, and then supported the events themselves.
For Family Movie Night, the committee of 6th graders narrowed the possible film choices to three options,
and took the selections to mentor groups for a vote. The committee also designed and created a range of promotional posters that were posted around the school and included in the Weekly Announcements. For each dance, the respective 7th and 8th grade committee members created possible themes and took those to mentor groups for a vote as well. The committees also worked closely with Sam Gerlach (our own DJ) on song selections and even created a game wherein students would get punches on a card for dancing to certain songs and earned prizes.
Rachel says, “It was so great to see the kids unleashing their creativity. You could see that they felt really invested in each of the events. And participation for all of these events went way up!”
Some students having fun and taking photos at Boxhill before the Semi-Formal.
Radical Morning Meetings
Cultivating Joy and Justice
Outside of his work as our innovation teacher, Sam Gerlach has another passion: promoting “Radical Morning Meetings.” Sam explains, “Radical Morning Meetings are a framework for culturally responsive social-emotional learning for educators and students.”
Sam is a member of the board of Philly Children’s Movement (PCM), and, together with his mother, Jennifer Bradley, speaks at local and national workshops and conferences about the Radical Morning Meeting (RMM) framework. Radical Morning Meeting practice was first piloted in collaboration with the Rutgers Graduate School of Education and three neighboring school districts working to develop antiracist educational practices. RMM offers an invitation to build community while cultivating skills for both joy and justice. In their workshop sessions, Sam guides participants through a Radical Morning Meeting while also teaching about the framework and its culturally responsive components. Finally, Sam helps educators to begin planning how to utilize this framework in their own practice, whether that be professional development, the K-12 classroom, or community spaces.
In February, Benchmark hosted a meeting of the Greater Philadelphia Diversity Collaborative, and Sam shared the tenets of Radical Morning Meetings, leading the group through exercises that they could incorporate into their own classrooms.
In the past year, Sam has presented at the Rutgers Equity Alliance for Community Health (REACH)— Advancing Equity with Community-Engaged Education conference and at the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND) Conference. This past July, Sam presented at the National Education Association (NEA) Conference on Racial and Social Justice in Portland, Oregon, with his workshop titled, “Radical Morning Meeting: Centering Joy & Justice in Classrooms and Beyond.”
Sam says, “Traditionally, morning meetings serve as a temperature check and a starting point for many teachers. However, Radical Morning Meeting is a more deliberate practice that can ignite, engage, and excite, while also highlighting and serving the underrepresented, marginalized identities that are already present and prevalent in the classroom.”
Tom Hurster Honored for Group Psychotherapy Winner of the 2025 Harold S. Bernard Group Psychotherapy Training Award
In March 2025, Mr. Tom Hurster, MSS, LCSW, CGP, AGPA-F, was honored as one of the recipients of the 2025 Harold S. Bernard Group Psychotherapy Training Award from the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). At Benchmark, Mr. Hurster is a Clinical Social Worker on our Child and Family Support Services team.
Mr. Hurster, co-honored with his colleagues Seth Aronson, PsyD, CGP, and Andy Pojman, EdD, CGP, AGPA-F, has made a profound impact within the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA). As Co-Chairs of the Child and Adolescent SIG, as Faculty at AGPA Connect, and through various governance roles, they have significantly contributed to the professional community by promoting teaching, training, supervision, mentoring, and writing about group psychotherapy for children and adolescents.
Established in 2001, this prestigious award is presented annually to individuals or organizations whose work in group training and/or education elevates the practice of group psychotherapy. Steve Van Wagoner, PhD, CGP, AGPA-F, Certification Board Chair, remarked, “This year’s Bernard recipients are respected and generous teachers whose dedication to supporting and growing the field of group psychotherapy embodies the essence of this award.”
Mr. Hurster and his co-chairs received this during the AGPA Connect 2025 conference in San Francisco.
“This year’s Bernard recipients are respected and generous teachers whose dedication to supporting and growing the field of group psychotherapy embodies the essence of this award.”
Summer Scholars
Philly School Students Love Benchmark Camp
For the past two years, we have been honored to host students from Thomas G. Morton School in Philadelphia at Benchmark Camp. These students’ principal, Andrew Brooking, and assistant principal, Kelsey Harryman, selected them as those who could uniquely benefit from the Benchmark summer experience of top-notch language arts instruction and executive function skills development, along with a second-to-none recreation program.
This past year saw a rapid expansion of the partnership to sixteen students thanks to generous foundation support. The Pincus Family Foundation spearheaded this pilot program between Thomas Morton School and Benchmark Camp in 2024. Recently, we were able to expand the number of scholars to sixteen due to the additional generosity of the philanthropic arm of Power Home Remodeling (“POWER”), Power for Good Foundation, with a $20,000 grant. Benchmark is grateful for the support that makes these campers’ transformational experiences possible.
Camper Hailey’s mother described the Benchmark Camp experience as “wonderful, outstanding, and beneficial,” and noted that Hailey particularly benefited from “understanding different ways to break down new words and meanings and building vocabulary.“ She and the other scholars returned to Thomas G. Morton School in September demonstrating marked improvements in reading, writing, executive function skills, and overall preparedness.
Nearly all of the Morton students who took part in the first year of the program were able to return for the second year. Their affection for the program and those who run it was clear when Mr. Hancock and Director of Summer Programming, Mrs. Mary Katherine Montgomery, visited Morton during the school year and were greeted with big smiles, hugs, and tearful pleas from other students about how they could take part in Benchmark Camp too. Mrs. Montgomery shared that one of the students, Tevin, proudly shared with her that he was now a reader and that he couldn’t wait to come back for Summer 2025!
LEVERAGING AI FOR STUDENT LEARNING
Crutch or Creative Tool?
By Eric MacDonald, Ed.D., Head of Middle School
“If
a kid grows up with generative AI and doesn’t really learn how to properly use it, they might get the idea that AI is there to do all the work, which will cause them to not learn anything about writing itself.”
This was the astute observation of one of our 8th grade students after spending a year learning about and how to use generative AI tools. It is just one of the many critical observations some of our 8th graders made about AI use after spending a year learning about generative AI and experimenting with using it for learning, particularly writing. At Benchmark, we have long believed that, not only is it important for students to learn how to use technology tools because they will need to use them beyond Benchmark, but that these tools also provide opportunities and supports for students with learning differences and for developing executive function skills. Since the advent of ChatGPT and the increasing availability of generative AI tools, teachers at Benchmark have begun to explore how we might leverage this new technology for our teaching and how students can begin to use it for their own learning.
Exploring AI @ Benchmark
When I first heard about ChatGPT in January 2023, I must admit that my first reaction was to ask that access be blocked for students. Michael Rogers in our technology department urged me to consider this carefully. So, I began to read some more about AI, modeled my curious explorations of it with my students, and engaged in discussions with them over the following few months. Together with my students, we started to see some of the promise that AI held, while also exploring the issues that raise concerns about this developing technology. That summer, Benchmark supported me attending the International Society for Technology in Education’s (ISTE) annual conference being held in Philadelphia, where I attended every AI session I could find, and in taking a course offered by ISTE called “AI Explorations for Educators,” developed with funding from General Motors. The final project of the course got me thinking about how I might integrate AI into my English class in the 2023-2024 school year.
Early that year, Mrs. Blackburn and I engaged students in learning about what AI is and how it works, so that they had a basic understanding of this developing technology. Throughout the year, we continued to build on this learning about how AI works and how it is being used. Students were given the following guidelines around their use of generative AI tools:
If you feel the need to use a generative AI tool for something, it is best to ask first.
Alternatively, provide what you did, what you learned, and how it will help you with similar questions/issues in the future.
Don’t assume one teacher’s expectations will be the same as another’s. When in doubt, ASK.
With that foundation, we began to explore the use of AI for writing. Of course, some students wanted to jump in and just let it do the work. Students always had to do some aspect of writing first and could only turn to an AI tool when they were stuck or to get some
kind of feedback on their writing. When students would ask to use a tool, we would ask them why they felt it would be helpful and, afterwards, engage them in a conversation about how it went, particularly what they learned that they could apply to their future writing.
In the beginning of the year, we modeled for students how to use AI tools for writing. For example, when teaching students how to write a thesis statement for a theme analysis essay, I modeled for them using various AI tools to give me several suggestions for rewording it. We discovered together that none of the suggestions felt quite right and that we ended up using parts of our original sentence and aspects of suggestions from several tools. Throughout the year we often explored how different AI tools give different results and learned that as writers we could benefit from the ideas generated from these various tools. In the middle of the year, students were required to use AI tools to get suggestions for rewording thesis statements they had drafted as well as to pick a paragraph from their essay they felt needed the most work and get several suggestions for rewording that paragraph from AI tools.
Eventually, students were allowed to use an AI tool whenever they felt it would be helpful, but had to acknowledge that they used it with a footnote in their paper.
It became clear that the students became critical users of these AI tools. Here are some of the reflections of students about their use of AI for writing:
I think that the AI tool was iffy when it revised my original paragraph because the first time that it revised was good but it did not have what I was looking for and the second time it was just horrible.
I think that the AI sentence rewriter helped me develop a more effective thesis statement by using different words that, although [it] did not change the meaning of the sentence, made the sentence more clear and descriptive. It also helped me see different opportunities that my writing holds.
I learned that AI does not know everything about what you are writing about and mixes up details which is why you shouldn’t take AI’s work without looking over it.
These statements reflect that students were becoming thoughtful, critical users of the technology tools and not blindly using it to do the work for them.
To effectively use AI tools to enhance my writing I need to make sure I am learning from my mistakes and actually taking in the information that the AI is telling me. I think it is best to use AI when I am stuck on my writing and I am not sure if it is a good draft or not, because if not then I might not get a good understanding of how I am doing which might affect my overall grade. I can use MagicSchool in the future for writing assignments when I am stuck and need something to help me and I can also use it when a teacher isn't there for me.
I’m learning to effectively use AI to enhance my writing skills by not using it to write for me, but using it as a tool to reword my ideas, fix my sentence structure, and give me new ideas. It is best to use AI when you think something doesn’t sound right or you think that it could sound better or flow better but you're now sure how. I might want to use AI tools such as TinyWow or MagicSchool in future writing assignments when I can’t get a lot of teacher feedback or I want to reword something to flow better.
Using AI has affected my writing skills by teaching me how to weave in more sophisticated words and sentences. So I am able to use stronger words without them sounding out of place.
Collaborating to Expand Our AI Exploration
In the 2024-2025 school year, more teachers became involved in exploring how AI can be used to support student learning. This was due in large part to a partnership between Benchmark and Widener University. This partnership came about after I read a very interesting article on AI in education in The Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, and discovered it had been written by professors at Widener, one of whom I knew through my involvement in the Keystone State Literacy Association. So I reached out to them to see if they were interested in collaborating, and they were enthusiastic to collaborate. Throughout the year, Dr. Zora M. Wolfe, Associate Dean of the College of Health & Human Services, and Dr. Katia Ciampa, Associate Professor and Director of Reading Programs, visited Benchmark to explore with interested teachers how we might leverage AI tools in the classroom. The Benchmark group included Miss Chloe Datner (our librarian), Mrs. Lisa Grieco (6th grade teacher), Mrs. Melinda Rahm (4th grade teacher), Ms. Nicole Scali (8th grade teacher), and Mr. Chas Thomas (6th grade teacher), with a few others joining us at times. This intrepid group met during our professional development days, but also bright and early about once a month. Mrs. Grieco summed up the feelings of the group overall when she noted that she found it insightful to hear from university professors how AI is being used and to learn from colleagues how they were exploring its use, particularly with students. The professors conducted interviews at the end of the year with our faculty participants as part of their research on teacher AI use. As a result of our discussions, Dr. Ciampa and Dr. Wolfe are creating a developmental continuum of student AI use and some ideas for students to think about when engaging with AI, especially to support executive function skills. We are excited to see how this partnership adds to research in the field!
Inspired by these discussions, Mr. Thomas and Ms. Philion began to explore AI with their 6th grade language arts students in the spring. They taught
students a little about what AI is and gave students some opportunities to play with it, for example generating images with AI. They then began to use MagicSchool’s student tools to allow students to get feedback and support on their writing. Mr. Thomas shared that he loved that MagicSchool’s tools provided a place students could turn to problem solve on their own and that it helped to spark student thinking. Students were excited about using the tools and that they could get help when a teacher was busy helping another student. Mr. Thomas likened it to “training wheels to support their thinking.” He and Ms. Philion are excited to see how students respond to feedback from an AI tool compared to how they implement teacher feedback, as well as how it might enhance their willingness to make revisions and the
“Our students benefit from teacher coaching to learn how to effectively collaborate with AI tools.”
quality of their revisions. Mr. Thomas was so excited about what he was seeing in his classroom that he had to share it with the other 6th grade teachers, saying, “You’ve got to use this in your classroom!”
Mrs. Rahm and Miss Datner collaborated to explore AI use with a 4th grade class. Miss Datner created a lesson about media literacy that included an introduction to AI. Students explored idea generation and used AI to get feedback on their ideas, discussing how they might use it in the future. The students participated in a fun activity with a custom chatbot to experience AI. They gave a list to the chatbot and saw what the response was to their input. The students had fun in these interactions with AI. Mrs. Rahm and Miss Datner also provided the students with practice
using AI prompts. They observed that our students’ executive function skills, like response inhibition and flexibility, impact their interactions with AI. Most often the students were too quick to just accept what the AI tool gave them. Some students found the AI generated findings too long and challenging to read and they relied on teacher support to take action, like revising the prompt. Other students needed guidance to reflect on the ideas presented by AI and consider the ideas before pushing back on what the AI was giving them. These 4th grade teachers learned something that also has been apparent with older students: that we need to teach students how to think critically and even argue with an AI tool in order to use it effectively and ethically. Our students benefit from teacher coaching to learn how to effectively collaborate with AI tools.
In 8th grade, students work on a project early in the year that includes setting goals for themselves for the year. This year the teachers wanted their goals to focus on executive function skills. We created an AIpowered chatbot that helped students to do just that. The chatbot's instructions were:
You are an expert executive function coach. I would like you to help me develop a goal to work on an executive function or other important skill (such as self-confidence, active involvement, collaboration, growth mindset or self-advocacy) and then help me brainstorm some action steps I can take in school to work on that goal.
The student is asked to tell the chatbot which skill they want to work on. The chatbot then helps them to better understand the skill and suggests some possible goals. Students were taught to “argue” with the chatbot to make sure the goals worked for them. The chatbot then suggested how they might work on their goal and, again, students were encouraged to “argue” with the tool to ensure the plans worked for them. The result seemed to be clearer, more effective goals with much more realistic and specific action plans for students.
Ms. Scali and I worked together to develop a chatbot that might guide students to more effectively and thoughtfully engage in working on a boat building project based on Bernoulli’s principle. Last year, I worked with Mrs. Blackburn on a custom chatbot that guided students in developing some background knowledge before reading a textbook and in developing effective purpose questions to guide their note taking. Mrs. Grieco used a tool in MagicSchool that helped students develop a song to help them remember science concepts they were learning about.
Throughout our explorations of using AI with students, we were guided by the following questions:
How can AI support students in learning?
(We think there is especially great potential for supporting the learning of students with learning differences.)
How do we help students balance the use of AI for learning vs. doing the thinking for them?
How do we help students take charge of their own learning and thus use AI responsibly?
We also believe that these tools need to be treated like we do all explicit strategy instruction by helping students develop an understanding of:
What specific AI tools can be useful for their personal learning
Why the specific tool is helpful to their learning
When to use specific AI tools to further learning and/or be more productive
How to use various AI tools to enhance learning
All of this is done in the context of modeling AI tools for students, providing them with guided practice in their use, and frequent reflections. These reflections encourage students to think about:
How are they using AI tools?
How/when are AI tools useful?
What issues are they running into? (When is it not as helpful?)
How are AI tools helping them learn and think?
What are they learning from using AI tools that they can apply to their future writing/learning?
We have explored the use of a number of different AI tools, being sure that the tools we are allowing students to use are not using student data. Among the tools we have been exploring are TinyWow.com’s AI rewriter tools, MagicSchool, SchoolAI, and Flint. New platforms are emerging all the time and we will continue to explore which tools offer the best and safest opportunities for our students.
In addition to the use of AI for learning, we have also worked to help students understand the problems presented by AI. We discuss the biases that can be part of AI models. I adapted lessons from Common Sense Media to engage students in discussions about the problems of teenagers beginning to turn to AI for friendship and advice. (Interestingly, so far, students are adamant that this is not a good thing.) We periodically discuss news articles about developments in the world of AI and what these developments might mean for us as humans, including AI’s impact on the environment.
Teacher Uses for AI
In addition to exploring how AI can support student learning directly, teachers are exploring the many opportunities that AI platforms are providing to support the work of teachers. For example, Mrs. O’Hara has often spent hours developing stories for students to read that use Word Detectives key words. She has found that AI can do this for her much quicker and produce engaging stories for students. Many teachers are finding that it helps them to use text resources
that would otherwise be too difficult for students to read, as they can use AI tools to rewrite the texts at a variety of levels. AI tools can be used to help teachers save time developing assessments and in providing ideas for new ways to teach concepts in more meaningful ways. These tools have the potential to save teacher time so that they can concentrate even more on individual student needs.
But It’s All About the Thinking
Based on the feedback received from the presentations I have given to various groups of educators about our work with AI at Benchmark, we are on the forefront of exploring how AI can be used to support student learning. We are exploring AI use in the context of the research-based approach to instruction that we know works for our students. The teachers I share with are impressed by the reflective way our students have come to use these tools. Many parents and teachers worry about how AI can negatively impact our cognitive abilities. However, Benchmark students are on the forefront of exploring how we as learners can partner with AI to support us without giving up our role as thinkers and problem solvers. I will always remember that at the end of that first school year when ChatGPT broke out, I had a discussion with my English class about where things were headed. As we worried about the potential issues of AI, one student spontaneously said, “But, it’s all about the thinking!” Our students, with the right support, can come to see AI as a tool for learning, not as a crutch to do their thinking for them.
As we worried about the potential issues of AI, one student spontaneously said, “But, it’s all about the thinking!”
Indeed, it is all about the thinking. We as humans need to ensure that we are the “senior partners” and that we are doing the critical analysis and thinking when using AI. Many parents and teachers are concerned about students turning to AI to “cheat” by getting AI to do the work for them. Teachers are working to develop “AI-proof” assignments. Interestingly, a 2023 survey by researchers at Stanford found that the rate of cheating, at around 60%, had not changed from the results of surveys prior to the advent of ChatGPT. At Benchmark, it seems that those students who have engaged in the guided learning about AI described here are indeed less likely to misuse the tools.
AI is not going away. It is here to stay and will only become more powerful and pervasive. As Sal Kahn, founder of Kahn Academy, writes in his book Brave New Words:
To meet the demands of this new world of work, educators are going to have to, explicitly or implicitly, continue making their students familiar with [AI] tools and the power that they have. Generative AI is what’s called a generalpurpose technology, one that comes along very rarely. Think of the transformations brought about by steam power, computers, or the internet. Generative AI is likely to transform our lives faster, and more profoundly, than any of these previous inflection points. (Khan, 2024, p. 203)
As parents and educators, recognizing the transformative power and opportunities of AI, along with the problems, we need to collaborate together to help our students navigate this ever-changing world effectively and leverage these tools so that they can become effective learners, thinkers, and problem solvers in this brave new world.
Spector, C. (2023, October 31). What do AI chatbots really mean for students and cheating? | Stanford GSE. Stanford Graduate School of Education. Retrieved January 18, 2025, from https://ed.stanford.edu/news/what-do-ai-chatbots-really-mean-students-and-cheating
UNCOVERING LITERACY PARALLELS IN MATH INSTRUCTION
Word Detectives Comes to Math Class
By Rosanne Crowe, Head of the Math Department and Susan Null, Lower School Math Teacher
Literacy, as defined in education, is the ability to read, write, speak, and listen—essential skills that empower students to thrive in school and navigate the world around them. At Benchmark School, we have developed intentional literacy practices, including Word Detectives decoding and spelling programs. Recognizing the strength of this approach, Susan Null, math teacher at Benchmark, saw an opportunity to apply Word Detectives strategies to math instruction. Her goal was to help students strengthen math literacy—the ability to reason, communicate, and understand mathematical concepts.
Using principles of Word Detectives methodologies to teach math is particularly useful for Benchmark students in two ways. First, our students are already familiar with the routines and terminology used in
Word Detectives lessons. When these same structures are brought into math, they make new content more accessible by reducing cognitive load. This familiarity allows students to engage more deeply in learning and boosts their confidence— particularly for those with executive function challenges such as difficulties with working memory and sustained attention. Second, the foundational pedagogy of Word Detectives is very effective, and when transferred to math, it unlocks understanding and fosters active participation. This approach empowers students to articulate their thinking, deepen their conceptual understanding, and build number sense. We've seen students who once struggled grow into confident, capable problemsolvers—especially when they are equipped with tools they already use successfully in other parts of their day.
Two of the core routines from the Word Detectives program are the use of key words and the Talk to Yourself Chart. Key words are simple, high-frequency words that highlight the most common spelling patterns in English. Teachers guide students in analyzing these words using the Talk to Yourself Chart—a series of prompts such as: How many letters does the word have? How many sounds do you hear? What spelling patterns do you notice? This structured questioning helps students break down and understand how words are built, recognize patterns, and apply that knowledge to decode unfamiliar words.
These same routines that analyze words, so ingrained in our language arts classrooms, can be naturally applied to math instruction. Many Benchmark students struggle with traditional methods of learning multiplication facts, such as timed tests or flashcards. Instead of rote memorization, students use a multiplication chart that organizes facts by factors. Just as students use known vowel patterns to decode new words, they can use known factors to uncover new multiplication facts. Mrs. Null introduced this approach to her thirdgrade class, using a multiplication chart and the same familiar prompts from Word Detectives: “If I know..., then I know....” At first, students were hesitant, thinking the task was too hard. But when she reassured them using language from Word Detectives—“If you know 4 × 4 = 16, then you know 400 × 40 = 16,000”—they saw the connection and quickly began to apply these strategies successfully. Over time, students developed a deep understanding of multiplication as repeated addition and grasped the Commutative Property— that 4 × 6 is the same as 6 × 4. They also learned to identify multiples and factors, all through the use of an organized and structured visual model.
Mrs. Null also extended the “Looking Through Words” routine into math instruction to build number sense and attention to detail. In language arts, this routine starts with a simple word and changes one part at a time—by switching letters or adding syllables— until the student ends up with a more complex word. For example, a teacher might say, “If you have not and change the n to a c, then the word is...” and students reply, “cot.” Multiplication
In math, Mrs. Null created a version called “Looking Through Numbers.” Starting with a number, she would change one digit in each step and ask students: What changed? For example, she might guide students through the following: “If you start with 4,500 and end with 4,000, what changed?” The students respond, “You subtracted 500.” These small-step transformations allow students to think critically about place value and operations. In another example, for early algebra, a teacher might say, “If you start with x and end with x², what changed?” and students would answer, “You squared the x.”
This routine is especially helpful for building students’ critical thinking skills. Just as a student might misread the word “was” as “saw,” they might misread the number 21 as 12. Looking Through Words and Looking Through Numbers encourages students to slow down and pay attention to every letter or digit, and to recognize how its placement affects meaning or value. Because the structure of the routine is familiar, students engage readily, enjoy the activity, and experience success.
Over the past year, Mrs. Null has not only experimented with these two key literacy strategies but has also developed additional math routines to support math vocabulary and conceptual understanding. Through this work, she empowers her students to become confident and capable mathematical thinkers. By establishing consistent, familiar, and effective routines across disciplines, Susan helps students build lasting literacy skills, both in language and mathematics.
UNDERSTANDING A CHILD’S UNIQUE LEARNING JOURNEY
Learning from Dr. Leslie Stein
By Stefanie Frayne, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications
Have you ever wondered why your child learns differently?
Dr. Leslie Stein, a psychologist at Benchmark School for 28 years, focused for many years on conducting in-depth student learning profiles for families, offering parents and teachers invaluable insights into each student’s preferred learning methods, strengths, weaknesses, and potential barriers. This critical information allows educators to tailor their teaching strategies while helping parents support their child’s academic and personal growth.
She focused these learning profiles around the six major processes of learning. When asked, “What do we mean by the processes of learning?”
Dr. Stein responds, “Learning is a huge, multifaceted concept, so I developed a workshop to educate parents specifically about what is involved in their child’s experience within the classroom and called it “Learning about Learning.”
Dr. Stein’s six major processes of learning are:
• Higher order thinking
• Memory
• Processing skills
• Language
• Ordering systems
• Grapho-motor skills
She emphasizes that the executive function skills— such as attention, working memory, and selfregulation—are also crucial, as their presence or absence impacts these major learning processes in significant ways.
Dr. Stein began offering these annual workshops for parents back in 2009, equipping them with information that could help them understand and assess their child’s strengths and challenges. These workshops also helped parents comprehend why difficulties arise, particularly in areas that led students to Benchmark.
“This information has enhanced my instruction, as I think about how these processes intersect with each other, and how they are impacted by executive skills when I am planning a lesson.”
—
Sue Arabia, Lower School teacher
When Dr. Stein announced her retirement last year, she offered monthly sessions with faculty, allowing them to discuss in small groups the complexities involved in a “learning different” profile. She grouped teachers by grade level to ensure shared expectations and understandings of students’ capabilities.
In these sessions, Dr. Stein discussed the six learning processes in depth, focusing on the executive function skills that impact them. Using a protocol that she developed, Dr. Stein provided staff with a visual schema that facilitated a way to approach each student’s needs neurodevelopmentally and to incorporate this understanding into conferences with parents. Over the course of a Benchmark education, students show significant growth in areas that initially posed challenges. With strategy instruction, educators can foster this growth, and with a solid understanding of how the different processes of learning interrelate, they can enable parents to more clearly appreciate a child’s initial challenges and growth, as brains are remarkably malleable.
Sue Arabia, a veteran teacher in the Lower School, notes, “It is very interesting to see how the major processes of learning impact a student’s performance across the day. This information has enhanced my instruction, as I think about how these processes intersect with each other, and how they are impacted by executive skills when I am planning a lesson. I also thought there was a powerful message to share with parents about how these major processes develop over time, but not in the same way or at the same speed for everyone.”
Dr. Eleanor Gensemer, Assistant Head of School for Academics, adds, “These sessions help teachers think diagnostically. When they see a certain behavior, they can better understand its cause. This also enriches their conversations with parents, enabling them to explain challenges in the context of a child’s developmental journey.”
Dr. Stein’s work at Benchmark School has provided invaluable insights into the complexities of student learning and the importance of understanding each child’s unique educational journey. Through an elucidation of the learning processes along with the crucial role of the executive function skills, Dr. Stein has equipped parents and educators with the tools to better support students in their academic and personal growth.
While her retirement marks the end of formally scheduled learning profiles, Dr. Stein’s legacy continues through the ongoing professional development of teachers who are now better prepared to diagnose learning challenges and share this complex information with parents. The collaborative approach she fostered has deepened the understanding of student needs and enriched the entire school community’s ability to guide children toward meaningful growth and success.
BUILDING EMOTIONAL SECURITY, ONE MORNING AT TIME
Social-Emotional Learning in Room 5
By Linda Duncan, Lower School Co-Teacher
The Mental Health Connection
At Benchmark, we strive to create a community that is warm, welcoming to all, positive, and conducive to risk-taking. We see in our population of students that strong mental health has a notable impact on school success, and we teachers find greater classroom success when we teach not only academic content but social-emotional well-being as well. For this reason, Benchmark teachers prioritize building a safe space where students can develop an increased growth mindset and become comfortable taking risks. Before beginning to teach content, it is paramount that students demonstrate comfort and readiness to learn. We teachers strive to create a space in which we can share our authentic selves and in which we feel understood and accepted for both our vulnerable selves as well as our affinities so that we can promote social-emotional learning. With this as our foundation, students are ready for the essential strategy instruction
that is intended to foster thriving human beings who demonstrate enthusiasm for lifelong learning, critical thinking, and problem solving.
7 Traits of Successful Students
Benchmark School’s founder, Dr. Irene Gaskins, described these 7 traits of successful learners: attentive, active, reflective, persistent, flexible, organized, and positive. Today the language one associates with these traits is known as executive function skills, yet Irene was definitely a visionary when she chose to include and emphasize active learners with a positive attitude. Since it is a primary goal at Benchmark to take action when faced with a task or problem, we teach students to make productive use of tools and strategies. Since we are strategy driven, not only do we emphasize why a strategy is important but we also teach how, when, and where/which spaces to use it. Just as we teach
academic strategies, we also teach social-emotional learning (SEL) strategies. When students are not feeling positive and are lacking a growth mindset, we provide students with the tools they need to take action.
When we make SEL strategies a primary goal and teach students the importance of this foundation, they can be ready to maximize their learning throughout the day and increase their productivity. Therefore, direct instruction at Benchmark begins the moment students gather in a circle on the back carpet or at their desks.
Taking Action: SEL in the Classroom
As a seasoned teacher with arthritis, a chronic invisible disability, I have learned firsthand the power of taking action and of a growth mindset. When I visibly flare, I can choose to be negative and passive or I can choose to take action and be positive. Therefore on “bad days,” I do my best to model both flexibility and goal-directed persistence for students despite my challenges. After having created and taught a Character Development curriculum in a previous school community, I am thrilled to lead Rm. 5 Morning Meetings since these
serve as valuable time to build community, character, growth mindset, empathy, grit, and executive function skills, as well as practice the additional strategies that prepare us to put forth our personal best for the rest of our day. A bulletin board titled “Make Today Count!” depicts visuals of the strategies shared that serve as a permanent reference for students at the door.
While every Lower School classroom approaches morning meeting differently, I will address morning meetings in the Room 5 fifth grade community, which use a curriculum I designed. To make mornings easier and because students benefit from predictable routines, I developed a repetitive structure based on the days of the week.
I begin morning meetings with a beginning “chime” from a singing bowl and then a greeting, such as “Welcome and happy Motivational Monday!” This is often followed by a check-in using a color zone chart as reference. The color chart zones of regulation connect colors with emotions:
Blue zone represents sad, sick, tired, bored, weary
Green zone represents happy, calm, focused, ready to learn
Yellow zone represents frustrated, wiggly, losing control
Red zone represents angry, fearful, out of control
In the beginning of the school year, we talk about how morning meeting space is a safe area where we can all share our “authentic” selves, both our vulnerabilities as well as our affinities. If someone is not in the green zone of being happy, focused, and ready to learn, we talk about the importance of being mindful of this, particularly if students are willing to share why.
After a brief check-in, we zoom in on the objective based on the day of the week’s content as seen above. I share a brief message or ask a question that frequently stems from our reading or social studies curriculum. For this reason, I select books with intention and a big focus often becomes character analysis. Through these books, different diverse communities are represented each month and students study characters or unsung or famous heroes/global citizens that demonstrate grit, resilience, and noble contributions. Then I ask students to reflect and share their responses using “I statements.” Before dismissing from the morning meeting we chant our mantra: “We Thrive in Room 5!” Finally, an ending dismissal chime allows for a couple of breaths before transitioning to their first block of language arts.
During Motivational Mondays, students frequently pair-share together a highlight from their weekend. Our main focus, however, is to have students reflect about what will motivate them for the day and/or new week. To encourage everyone to take a risk, I like to begin by sharing what will motivate me and then opening it up to sharing. Those less comfortable with sharing aloud are asked to write their response on a post-it.
Tranquil Tuesdays are devoted to a structured mindful meditation which is especially helpful for today’s “anxious generation.” I dim the lights and students sit in a space of their choice with a fidget and practice taking a body scan, breathing, and repeating affirmations such as “I am kind.” They learn the value of these mindful breaks and often practice them at the end of the day. In the beginning of the year, Tuesdays are also sometimes referred to as “Topical Tuesdays.” This allows for time to focus on the many executive function skills that we address daily at Benchmark (sustained attention, goal-directed persistence, response inhibition, organization, time management, planning and prioritizing, task initiation, and emotional control). These become daily vocabulary words and goals for Benchmark students and morning meetings allow us to revisit these most crucial traits of successful students.
Wednesday’s theme can vary. On “Wellness Wednesdays,” we devote time to a more extensive reflection in which students respond to questions about themselves in a private Google form. On “Words of Wisdom Wednesdays,” we dive deeply into a picture book or short story. As I read aloud, students reflect on their many takeaways including the author’s message. To build empathy and background, I select books intentionally and often connect read alouds to a theme and/or cultural heritage month since our aim is to build bridges and make connections. In exposing students to such stories, we talk about how books can serve as windows or mirrors. Books as windows allow us to build background on different cultures, identities or concepts, while books as mirrors allow us to make personal connections to characters and events. After spring break, the theme becomes “Wednesday Warriors” where we focus on overcoming classroom
struggles. By this time of the year, students are growing in their awareness of their own learning styles and the executive function skills that consistently present challenges for them. Many also now recognize that their previous school setting may not have served them, while Benchmark offers them a safe place as well as the necessary strategies to help them learn. By highlighting different celebrities and historical figures that have also struggled in school, students can feel represented and develop a growth mindset that they, too, will succeed and make contributions to society one day in the future.
Thankful Thursdays are devoted to sharing gratitude after each student shares the people, places, nature, joy, and goals that promote their own positivity and sense of appreciation. A gratitude rainbow where each color is assigned a category serves as a visual to spark ideas. Once again because we have been presented with characters or communities that have experienced roadblocks in our studies, many times we can find connections with the curriculum. After having grown in empathy, we remember to never take anything for granted.
Finally, Fun and Fruitful Fridays are devoted to sharing cups of joy, inspiring content, and having fun. This is also a good day to devote to games that build both community and executive function skills such as sustained attention, response inhibition, flexibility, memory, etc.
Just 20 minutes a day can be so valuable. No matter the day, one goal remains: At Benchmark we want our students to be successful. Students who feel safe and understood will be more likely to identify in the green zone of “happy, calm, focused, and ready to learn.” They may not stay in this zone of emotional regulation and it may become necessary to take charge, reset by breathing, take a walk, etc. but now our students have the skills and knowledge to help themselves. Our work on social-emotional learning has maximized students' ability both to learn academic content and has opened the door to supporting lifelong learning, critical thinking, and problem solving. In this way, we embody the mantra, “We Thrive in Rm. 5!” and it is my hope that this is a message they will carry with them as they move through the Benchmark community and beyond.
POEMS FROM MR. HANCOCK
Ode to the Class of ’ 25
For the past three years, our Head of School Chris Hancock has celebrated each 8th grader with a personal poem in his graduation remarks. (See more about his thoughts on this topic in his letter on page 2.) At graduation this past May, he said,
“In the spirit of Benchmark’s commitment to each individual, and to honor the memory of a late mentor of mine, who 23 years ago taught me just how important seeing the uniqueness of each student is, I have written a short poem to pay tribute to each individual graduate. It is my way of saying congrats and thanks to each of you.”
Natalie Andress is first on our list, Spending LOTS of free time in school on Pinterest. A gifted actor in our musical, belting notes on stage, And off it a gymnast, her back tucks and dismounts all the rage. To Downingtown High she’ll head, all the tools she’ll need, Meet each challenge with confidence, and every expectation you’ll exceed.
Solomon Anyan is next in line, Among many talents, a special gift for graphic design. And a moral compass that always points north–his qualities don’t end there, Challenge him in video games or bball, a smart person wouldn’t dare. His quiet humility, a quality envied by all, Take it with you and shine at AIM in the fall.
It’s no surprise how much Anna Cheshire loves to read, But preserve a bookmark for 3 straight years, we should all take heed. Her relentless courage has nary a peer, Tackling the musical and whitewater rafting, just this year. DV Friends will soon get to see, what we already do, There’s nothing she can’t accomplish that she sets her mind to.
Ben Dershowitz showed on Field Day he’s fast as a gazelle, A competitor in basketball and soccer, it’s surely served him well. But can we talk about his sports teams, too much Eagles for me, Yet he never rubs it in, which speaks to how kind he always strives to be. Empathetic deep down, with only occasional mayhem, One thing is clear, Shipley has landed a gem.
Maggie Frasca is quite accomplished in ballet, Like the great Anna Pavlova, she lands a pirouette and plie. She’s also a House Captain, leading proudly the Blue, But too soon she graduates, to see our 20-step handshake renew. A bright future ahead, not worried in the least, Ready to kick down doors and thrive at West Chester East.
Some people know her by her given name, Faith Green. But the real ones know she’s the TikTok Queen. Talking makeup and filming dances, creating content at lightspeed, Should not overshadow how much she’s grown to love a good read. Book club with Miss Datner surely won’t be the same, International Christian High, prepare for your next entry in your hall of fame.
Cameron Kassis graduates today as he continues ascending, Perhaps a chef in the making, cooking with dad, his time worth spending. Then, with a full belly, he’ll attack you on the pitch,
Or solve a complex math problem, without even a hitch. With a growing list of skills, a Shipley Gator he’ll soon convert, How proud we are of who he’s become, saying goodbye does hurt.
And now onto Brooks Lankford, the kid can do it all. Whether it’s hockey, or soccer, or fishing, or bball. The list grows by the minute, of which he should boast, But to us at Benchmark, it’s his caring spirit that’s swelled the most.
As he charts his own path at Perkiomen very soon, Carry that kindness for all, and a bright future will bloom.
Sophia Mack-Love might be the biggest Swiftie, How she knows all the lyrics and lore, it’s remarkably nifty. Known to classmates as smart, and never mean, A peer last week said “she was awesome and innovative” on her Rube Goldberg machine. Of to DV Friends in the fall, she’ll bring her fashion and mascara, From one Swiftie to another, I hope you enjoy your Graduation Era.
Grayden Majka can fly by you on the ice,
And punish you against the boards, then apologize because he’s so darn nice. Last week in bombardment, he took a pause to hug little sister, Proving he is class and caring all the way, not just a slapshot or wrister.
To Devon Prep he heads, armed and ready to go, What an example he’s set, as an exceptional big bro.
It’s faster to ask Kelsi McGowan, what she DOESN’T do, Leader in soccer, and Green House Captain too. She’s determined and fierce, competes harder than most, She’s also a talented singer, a musical side she does boast. A great buddy to Lower School kids, this list is getting long, Delaware County Christian knows it too, what a gifted kid they’ve taken on.
Alex Migliore, or “Miggs” as they say, Is a finely tuned athlete, rowing crew every day.
He’s also a leader in school, Green House Captain to note, He’d arrive from Wilmington every day, and “never late” he’d gloat. But it’s to Salesianum in the fall, a much quicker drive, Incredibly prepared for all that comes next, there’s no doubt he’ll thrive.
Greet you with a smile, Miranda Napoli just may, Off the bus she bounds, wishing everyone a great day. But don’t let her kindness fool you, she’s vicious in a thumb war. For two years we’ve battled, and I simply can’t win anymore. Irish dance and lacrosse, her interests never ceased. Make sure to get involved, and work hard, at West Chester East.
Abby O’Flynn is a field hockey stud, A top US goalie, she’ll best you on turf, or in mud. But it’s that drive in her that now shines so bright, There isn’t a task she encounters, with even a tinge of fright. As she continues to advocate and grow, A star at Delaware Valley Friends she’ll be, this much I know.
Carter Paul was in my raft on the 8th grade whitewater trip, And it’s some kind of miracle that our boat didn’t flip. This man of the people loves a good night at Dave & Buster's, Mr. Boles says mentor group, without him, is beyond lackluster. Kidding aside, this young man continues to grow, Keep up the hard work, and accolades at DV will surely flow.
Penelope Prinbeck has wisdom beyond her years, She thinks deeply about most things, and feels even deeper for her peers. In the musical she was the Jabberwock, fierce and absurd, Off the stage, she can be seen parsing through a book’s every word. But it’s her keen self-awareness and authenticity to boot, That will unlock doors like it did, as a top Friends Central recruit.
Isabelle Quinn wow’d us with songs from Wicked’s score, In our musicals she defied gravity, with each note fans begged for more. On the stage, it was confidence she had found, And off of it, no surprise, that strong friendships abound. Off to Bishop Shanahan, where I promise she’s got what it takes, Be courageous, take chances, and remember, even Glinda made mistakes.
Jack Ramage loves history and isn’t ashamed to brag, He once created his own country with its own constitution, and flag. He also loves baseball, and bleeds Philly red, One would be amazed at the stats he keeps in his head. But it’s his sense of humor and dedication that make everyone a fan, Malvern Prep is receiving a wonderful young man.
When off the court, Ethan Rayfield loves to fish, But catch him on it, and he rebounds like Nikola Jokic. The girls call him, “Group Leader,” always with affection, Never hesitates to look out for others, or provide a team project with direction. Downingtown East is where he’ll soon enroll, Whatever he pursues, he’ll do with care, and surely meet every goal.
Sam Ryan can solve a Rubix cube in 10 seconds flat, Or put you in checkmate before you know where you’re at. He can also glide by you with the greatest of ease,
A champion swimmer, makes breaststroke look like a breeze. His real virtues though, are his brains and his heart, It’s no surprise that EA is where he’ll soon get his start.
Pursues most things with vigor and focus, does Josie Scott, But it’s her deep friendships that happily fill her pot. She’s grown immensely since her days roaming the Lower School, Even took on House Captain, making the color orange look cool.
Qualified for W.B. Saul High, and proud she should be, It’s not every day you meet a talent like Josie.
Levi Silk has hair, flair, shoes, and a style of his own, But it’s his purple Baltimore Ravens colors for which he is best known. A talented football player outside of school, and here a loyal friend, A Bearing Witness Project Award showed the empathy to which he can attend. And now to Lower Merion, where he’s got all the strategies one might need, Work hard, advocate, and success will come. Undoubtedly. Indeed.
Please roast me, Maddie Siravo did ask, But to do so is too tough a task.
To celebrate the dynamic actor and singer, a much simpler feat, Starring in our musical, and even being paid by Walnut Street. What her teachers already know, is what we hope in herself she does see, That Conestoga has never met someone with her tenacity.
Barrett Slye is a lifer, here since 2nd grade, It’ll be much longer than that, before his mark on us does fade. He does it all–from soccer to golf, and next year it’s water polo and crew, On top of this he’s kind to all, a class act through and through. Now a Malvern Prep Friar, where more success will come, Nobody more proud than his dad and his mum.
You cannot get this young man to stop reading, one Alex Solomon. He reads every word and detail from cover to colophon. Beyond the pages he does karate, is a scout, and loves science the best, A dazzling project on hydroponics, wow’d us all during Quest. To AIM he heads, and this I must now stress, You’ve got all the tools young man, now go out and impress.
A humble, world traveler is Noelle Steele, To London and the wide world, she’ll hop on a plane with zeal. She also loves kids, a future teacher could be her path, But, we must first talk about skipping school to fly to the WNBA draft. Equipped for all that comes next, in the Longhorn State where she’ll soon be, No doubt Ms. Wonderland will shed a tear, or three.
No poem about Evan Sweatt would ever be complete, That didn’t mention Dot’s Pretzels, as his favorite treat. An avid gamer, and a sponge for random facts, Constantly warning Mrs. Veacock of coffee’s 20 negative impacts. A gifted writer of fiction, and the most creative mind around, Just hitting his stride as he’s DV Friends-bound.
EJ Turner can hoop and speed by you on the pitch, But art is where he’s truly found his niche. His expression is profound through pen and brush stroke, Mrs. Fox agrees, strong emotions his work does evoke. Next year will bring change, with a move to Tennessee, But nobody could be more ready, he’s as capable as can be.
Look up the word caring, and you’ll see Joe Youngblood’s face, The last on our list, a sentinel for good for this place. He’ll checkmate your king in chess, rarely finish second, But it’s the headless chickens drawn on classroom boards that will live on as legend. To Conestoga he goes as prepared as any,
Not a question of if he’ll succeed, but how often. The possibilities are many.
So there it is, my Ode to the Class of ’ 25,
The time to celebrate all their hard work has finally arrived.
To our graduates…our faculty are so truly proud,
And so are your biggest fans, sitting behind you in the crowd.
As you set forth on new journeys with new people in new hallways, Please know that Benchmark is with you…forever, and always.
Congratulations Class of 2025!
Every member of the class of 2025 worked very hard to reach this point, and we are immensely proud of their perseverance and commitment.
We wish you great success and happiness in high school and beyond!
Natalie Andress
What is your favorite memory from Benchmark?
The rafting trip.
What’s one thing you wish every Middle School student knew?
To be kind.
Anna Cheshire
What is your favorite memory from Benchmark?
The rafting trip.
Words of the Wiser for Younger Students
Do what you want to do, even if you're scared.
Benjamin Dershowitz
What is your favorite memory from Benchmark?
When I ran the last event in the House Cup and we won it.
Benchmark taught me... How to do algebra.
Solomon Anyan
What is your favorite memory from Benchmark?
My friends coming to see my final basketball game in the student vs. staff game.
Benchmark taught me... How to be social, how to be empathetic, and tough.
Maggie Frasca
Words of the Wiser for Younger Students
Don't let yesterday take up too much of your time today.
Benchmark taught me... To advocate for myself.
Faith Green
Benchmark taught me…
To believe in myself.
What is your favorite memory from Benchmark? Field Day.
Cameron Kassis
What is your favorite memory from Benchmark?
Doing the s’mores project in 5th grade.
What’s something you’re really proud of accomplishing at Benchmark?
Improving work quality and ADHD problems and getting good grades.
Sophia Mack-Love
Words of the Wiser for Younger Students
Don't give up even if you run into challenges.
Benchmark taught me... How to advocate for myself.
Grayden Majka
What’s one thing you’ll never forget about Benchmark?
Ms. Scott being so nice to me and helping me get to the right reading level.
Words of the Wiser for Younger Students
Always try hard but you don't need to do it alone.
Brooks Lankford
What is your favorite memory from Benchmark?
Playing football in the snow on the field in 5th grade.
What’s one thing you’ll never forget about Benchmark?
The wonderful teaching and support.
Kelsi McGowan
What’s one thing you’ll never forget about Benchmark?
How welcoming it truly is and being a House Captain as well.
Benchmark taught me…
How to be confident in my reading and writing skills.
Alex Migliore
What is your favorite memory from Benchmark?
The Gettysburg trip.
Benchmark taught me…
How to problem solve in different ways.
Miranda Napoli
What is your favorite memory from Benchmark?
The rafting trip.
What’s one thing you’ll never forget about Benchmark?
The school trips and friends and building our community.
Carter Paul
What is your favorite memory from Benchmark?
Going whitewater rafting.
What’s one thing you’ll never forget about Benchmark?
I will never forget how much I learned.
Penelope Prinbeck
What is your favorite quotation?
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” - Mary Oliver, “The Summer Day”
What’s something you’re really proud of accomplishing at Benchmark?
I am proud of my acting skills, which have really improved!
Abigail O'Flynn
Benchmark taught me… How to use strategies and tools.
What’s something you’re really proud of accomplishing at Benchmark?
Reading a 400-page book.
Isabelle Quinn
What is your favorite memory from Benchmark?
My favorite memory is the rafting trip and the musicals.
Benchmark taught me... Don't give up and keep trying.
Jack Ramage
What’s something you’re really proud of accomplishing at Benchmark?
I really improved my grades.
What’s one thing you’ll never forget about Benchmark? Recess.
Benchmark taught me… Patience not only with the people around me but when learning too.
What’s one thing you’ll never forget about Benchmark?
I'll never forget about the friends I've made.
Ethan Rayfield
What’s one thing you’ll never forget about Benchmark? The people.
What’s one thing you wish every Middle School student knew?
Seventh grade is the most fun year at Benchmark.
What’s one thing you’ll never forget about Benchmark? I will never forget my mentor group.
What’s something you’re really proud of accomplishing at Benchmark?
I am proud of getting a lot better at reading.
Sam Ryan
What’s one thing you wish every Middle School student knew?
There are a LOT of essays in 8th grade.
Benchmark taught me… To never quit, and to keep persisting through.
What’s one thing you wish every Middle School student knew?
You can push through and do hard things and it will get better.
Words of the Wiser for Younger Students
It takes risks to achieve dreams.
Josie Scott
Levi Silk
Madeline Siravo
Barrett Slye
What is your favorite memory from Benchmark?
Having a Boston Tea Party in Mr. P's class.
What’s one thing you’ll never forget about Benchmark?
Everyone is there together as a community and they are always there to help you and be your friends.
Evan Sweatt
What’s one thing you wish every Middle School student knew?
Eighth grade isn’t that bad. Benchmark taught me… How to work.
Alex Solomon
What’s something you’re really proud of accomplishing at Benchmark?
How I learned to read, and now I am a very good reader.
Words of the Wiser for Younger Students
Always remember to charge your laptop.
EJ Turner
What’s one thing you’ll never forget about Benchmark?
The friends I have made through my years here.
What’s something you’re really proud of accomplishing at Benchmark?
That I can write an essay, and I also really liked learning about history.
Noelle Steele
What is your favorite memory from Benchmark?
The Gettysburg trip.
What’s one thing you wish every Middle School student knew?
It's okay to not know the answer but it's not okay to not try.
Joe Youngblood
What’s one thing you’ll never forget about Benchmark?
How fun art class was–learning pottery and sewing and drawing was so much fun.
Words of the Wiser for Younger Students
While getting a good grade is important, what is more important is actually learning.
In
We love to hear about your activities! Tell us about your achievements, clubs, sports, employment, educational undertakings, life changes, and anything else you’re proud of.
Submit your news and photos via the “Alumni” section of our website.
the spring of 2025, rainy weather turned the 2nd Annual Alumni Kickball Game into an indoor bombardment tournament. It was wonderful to gather with so many alumni. See you at the next event!
CLASS NOTES
1985
Michael Herskovitz visited Benchmark for the first time in decades this past fall, and enjoyed seeing the many changes to campus since he left around 5th grade. Michael recalled driving to Benchmark in a van with other students from Center City, and has very fond memories of the ropes course. Reflecting on the academics, Michael says, “The diversity of things that were taught here was so exceptional. It was great.” Today, Michael has a design and construction company in Center City.
2000
Jonathan DeLone attended Colorado State University and studied horticulture with focus on landscape design, which he then translated into his own business, DeLone Design, LLC, a landscape and outdoor living design company. Jonathan says he’s been busy growing his residential design company into a premier design firm, snowboarding the west, and raising his dog Lucille. Looking back on Benchmark, Jonathan has fond memories of the outward bound course and offers shoutouts to Ms. Scott, Ms. Campbell, and Ms. Phlato.
Sam Rogers attended Episcopal Academy and Dickinson College after his time at Benchmark, and is presently a Technical Instructor, where he teaches software to government IT agencies. Sam says that while what he teaches is “criminally boring,” is proud that his dad jokes and random facts about space “absolutely blows their minds and everyone’s dreams end up coming true.” Sam lives in the DC area with his wife and three children, Ava (12), Maddie (10), and Asher (4).
2010
Hadley Mottola Helm went to Unionville High School followed by Millersville University. Hadley works for Christiana Care as an Adaptive Therapy Specialist. She teaches K-12 music, gym, art and health at the First State School located in Wilmington Hospital, which gives children and adolescents who would otherwise be homebound with serious illnesses the chance to attend school with their peers while they get the medical treatment they need. Hadley says, “I got married this past September and live with my husband and dog. In my free time, I coach girls' lacrosse at Brandywine High School, and my husband coaches youth hockey. We definitely stay busy with all the coaching! My husband and I love to travel and look forward to traveling this summer and fall!” Looking back at Benchmark, Hadley says, “The moment I was able to read my first book was the “ah-ha!” moment in my life. To this day, I still decode words like my teachers used to teach me.”
2011
John Connolly attended La Salle College High School and The Catholic University of America after Benchmark, and he currently serves as the Director of Operations for Congressman Mark DeSaulnier of California in the U.S. House of Representatives. John shares, “Last year, after four and a half years at Council for a Strong America working on education policy, I returned to Capitol Hill as Director of Operations for Congressman
Mark DeSaulnier of California, the Ranking Member of the House Ethics Committee.”
Jacob Horneman attended Penncrest High School and then Norwich University following his time at Benchmark. While at Norwich, Jacob was in ROTC and then was commissioned into the US Army, where he presently serves as a military intelligence officer at Ft. Drum in New York. Jacob is still considering his next moves following the Army, and is contemplating the fields of cyber security and real estate.
2013
Joseph A. Gallo has been in the automotive business ever since he left high school. Joseph says, “I currently work at a speed shop called Fabspeed Motorsports that works on exotic cars and I work for a detail business on the side. My favorite part of being at Benchmark was working at the summer camp.”
2015
Maie Seelaus attended Bayard Rustin High School followed by Pennsylvania State University, where she earned degrees in rehabilitation human services, human development and family studies, and equine science. Maie is an Instructional Assistant for children with autism and emotional support needs in Exton, PA, as well as serving as an assistant coach for the women's soccer team at Immaculata University. Maie received a “Coaching Staff of the Year” award for the 2024 season. In addition to teaching and coaching,
Maie established her own barn in West Chester, PA and currently owns and trains horses as well.
Maie says, “I transferred to Benchmark in 6th grade from Westtown School and within two and a half years, Benchmark made a huge impact on my life. Besides leaving me with lifelong friends, Benchmark taught me to be brave and try new things, to be organized and disciplined with time management, and advocate for myself. Without the teachers, especially Dr. MacDonald, Mrs. Reisinger, Mr. Canney, Ms. Wonderland, and many more, I would not be as successful as I am today!”
Alex White was recently accepted to the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice, where she is excited to train to be a social worker. Alex graduated from the University of Denver in May 2023 with a degree in criminology with minors in psychology and international studies. Alex reports that she often worked with children who had disabilities in some capacity during her undergraduate years, predominantly working as a Registered Behavior Technician for kids with ASD or other developmental differences and was an adaptive swim instructor. After graduation, Alex worked for Child Protective Services as an intake caseworker and most recently worked at Vail Health Hospital's Precourt Healing Center.
Alex says, “My time at Benchmark gave me a new chance at life. I was transformed; I was a broken and lost kid who was entering 6th grade on a 3rd grade reading and math level, but then after three years of hard work, I was able to graduate Benchmark fully caught up in not only academic skills, but I also gained the ability to have confidence and make friends. I graduated with a sense of resilience that took three years to develop. If I didn't go to Benchmark when I did, I would have remained as a broken and lost kid who was simply trying to survive the day.” Alex gives
a special shout-out to Dr. Gensemer, Mrs. Kelemen, Ms. North/Mrs. Crowding, Ms. Sennett, Dr. Cunicelli, Dr. MacDonald, Mr. Canney, Mr. Hurster, and Dr. Lemisch.
2016
Olivia Dodge attended Conestoga High School after Benchmark and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2025 with a bachelor’s in civil engineering with a focus in transportation. In the spring, she started a job at LANGAN as an Entry Level Traffic Engineer. Sharing an update, Olivia says, “Around Halloween 2023, I tore my ACL, MCL and meniscus rock climbing. I have made a full recovery and still enjoy climbing. I also played on Pitt’s Club Tennis Team.”
Nate Quinn graduated from Hofstra University magna cum laude with a degree in social studies education. Nate says, “I am excited to start my teaching career and have all the teachers at Benchmark to thank as I try to follow in their footsteps. I am grateful to all the teachers and that is why I am pursuing a teaching career.”
2017
Jade Broadus stopped by Benchmark after work last fall to visit her old teachers and to share that her Benchmark skill of self-advocacy continues to shape her adult life. Jade says, “I was at work this morning
and I had to advocate for myself, and that’s something that I learned here. Benchmark taught me to advocate for myself, to get what you need. This is where I learned to do that. I didn’t learn it anywhere else.”
Jade works as a corrections officer in Delaware County at George W. Hill Correctional Facility. Her daughter, Hunter, turned three this past April. Jade has fond memories of all of her Benchmark teachers, and is especially appreciative of all of the one-on-one time she had with Dr. Gensemer.
Blake Fox recently served as a legal intern at Vermont Law School’s Animal Law and Policy Institute (ALPI), where he worked closely with professors and conducted legal research, drafted memoranda, and contributed to the preparation of legal briefs concerning contemporary issues in animal law. Blake is a senior at Wesleyan University, majoring in history with a minor in animal studies. Blake serves as the Assistant Opinion Editor of The Wesleyan Argus, the university’s student newspaper and manages the TikTok account @ConstitutionalLaw, which, with nearly 25,000 followers, is the largest independently operated TikTok account focused on coverage of the United States Supreme Court. He intends to attend law school and pursue a career in Supreme Court and Appellate litigation. Blake is deeply grateful to his teachers at Benchmark for helping him become a better learner and self-advocate.
Sophia Leone is studying at Syracuse University, dual majoring in broadcast and digital journalism
and political science. Although she is still in college, she works as a digital producer at ABC9, where she had the opportunity to report live from the Democratic National Convention.
This past summer, she lived in New York City, where she worked with the National Publicity Team at Paramount Pictures. During her time there, she contributed to high-profile films like A Quiet Place: Day One, Gladiator 2, and the re-release of Interstellar. Sophia has also worked for The Megyn Kelly Show, where she ran all of the social media accounts, which had millions of followers. She was also thrilled to work for American High, a film production company specializing in high school comedies, where she got to analyze movie scripts before being pitched to Hulu.
Looking back on her time at Benchmark, Sophia says, “I truly enjoyed participating in the musical and the winter concert, as they provided a wonderful opportunity for everyone to collaborate and express creativity. Benchmark played a key role in helping me gain confidence as a learner, and I now have a strong understanding of what strategies work best for me in the classroom to ensure my success.”
2019
Orión Astorga-Wister attended The Haverford School after his graduation from Benchmark, and is currently in his third year at Cornell University. Orión says, “I am studying neuroscience and computer science with aspirations to work in brain-computer interface technology.” This past summer, Orión worked in a neuroscience lab studying memory.
Ashley Schnyder met with Lower School Co-Heads Joyce Ostertag and Colleen O’Hara via Zoom in April 2025. Ashley is attending Elon University and was taking a course called Journalism in a Free Society. One of her assignments called for writing a news story with an interview component. She says, in reaching out to Joyce and Colleen, “I immediately thought of Benchmark School as a topic close to my heart and one that would be both meaningful and informative to explore.”
Gunnar Graham pursued his soccer and academic development at YSC Academy following his departure from Benchmark, and has just started his first year at Yale University, where he is playing Division 1 soccer.
2020
Grey Graham attended Malvern Prep following graduation from Benchmark, and is now in his second year at Dartmouth College. Grey is a valued member of the varsity Men’s Lightweight Rowing team, which he has been rowing for since his freshman year.
2021
Reese Dyson graduated from Villa Maria Academy High School in 2025 and is now attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) where she is pursuing her lifelong dream of becoming a rocket scientist with her major in aerospace engineering with a minor in robotics. Reese is also participating on the school’s track and field team.
Judy Horn graduated from Sacred Heart Academy Bryn Mawr and is attending Temple University for film and media arts and taking part in the crew team. Judy has been extremely active in scouting and has taken part in five high adventure camps where she rowed and hiked hundreds of miles. She has held several roles and honors, and recently was initiated into the Order of the Arrow, received her Brotherhood, and earned her Eagle Scout award in December 2024. Judy rowed on Sacred Heart’s team for four years and won the varsity trainer singles race of The Head of The Schuylkill 2024 and the open 500m dash of Center City Slams 2025.
Judy says, “I went to Benchmark from second grade to eighth grade. In that time I saw the school grow and change, creating new traditions and moving on from old ones. I remember dancing at every Mini-THON and being so excited to be a leader once I was eligible. I was there for the first-ever House pep rally and am a proud member and past leader of the Orange House.”
Abdul-Dauda J. Kamara (AJ) graduated from Msgr. Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast High School and is now attending Saint Joseph's University. AJ says, “I am excited about what lies ahead and my years at high school were successful because of what I learned at Benchmark.”
Rohan Kapoor recently graduated from Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia and is beginning his freshman year at Lehigh University in the School of Business, majoring in finance. Rohan will be playing tennis for Lehigh and possibly golf as well. Rohan says about Benchmark, “Learning good strategies to help me become a better learner and has helped me especially in high school.”
Luca Mazzola is presently attending Villanova University, where he received a soccer scholarship.
Nora Trost is at the Academy of Notre Dame, where she has served as the field hockey manager, played paddle, and is on the JV softball team. She received Honors for her grades and recently received Honorable Mention in the National Spanish Exam.
Will Viner and his father Jim went on an epic 20-day paddling and rafting trip in the Northwest Territories of Canada this past July, exploring the Natla and Keele Rivers in the Mackenzie Mountains. The two of them
and their guides were completely off-grid for the duration of the trip. Will is beginning his first year at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington this fall.
Evan Whitehouse graduated from AIM Academy and is attending Villanova University for engineering this fall.
2022
Tim Hanway attended Salesianum School after Benchmark, where he swims competitively. Tim has served for two summers as a lifeguard in Avalon, NJ. Tim is beginning his freshman year at Loyola University of Maryland. Tim says, “I really wouldn’t be where I am without Benchmark. They taught me strategies and methods to deal with challenges in and out of the classroom that I still use to this day. I cannot thank them enough for everything that they have taught me over my three years at Benchmark.”
Miles Mader is attending Bayard Rustin High School in West Chester, where he has been on the honor roll every year. Miles is proud to have recently bought his own car.
Vincent Uglow graduated from Malvern Prep, and is attending Indiana University, where he will play on their Division 1 men's soccer team. Vincent says, “My academic achievements were an important part in securing this opportunity, and I am grateful for the strong foundation I built at Benchmark School. The many skills I developed at Benchmark not only prepared me for success at Malvern Prep, but also equipped me with the tools to capitalize on life's opportunities. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Benchmark School for supporting my academic growth and teaching
me valuable life skills that will benefit me for years to come.”
2023
Lazenby James Scheibe is a sophomore at Malvern Prep and has been studying many new subjects such as Chinese and sculpture. This year, Laz will be traveling to Australia as an exchange student and will host a student as well. Laz reports that he has started playing water polo and was a starter on varsity both years, and has also been active on the swim team. Laz is taking part in many school clubs, and his favorite is the mock trial club, where they didn’t quite win the state tournament but Laz was the top lawyer in the competition and got awarded “best lawyer” in both trials. Laz says, “My favorite moment at Benchmark was the gathering where we shared our learning portfolios. It was great to see all the work that I had put in recognized by others. I also really enjoyed all the House Mornings because, as a House Captain, I was able to see the fruits of my labor pay off, and all the kids having fun.”
2024
Jane Driscoll is attending Agnes Irwin School and has been having a successful time. Jane’s mother Laina comments, “Benchmark prepared her well!”
Eliza Flaherty is attending Westtown School, where she plays tennis and participates in several activities, including a service program where she helped with kitchen duties throughout the year. She began studying Chinese, which she really enjoys and plans to study through junior year. Eliza has called upon her Benchmark strategies in her schoolwork at Westtown, helping her to wrap up her freshman year with honors.
Emmett Hastings is attending Delaware Valley Friends School and is playing on Kings and Cougar competitive ice hockey teams.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
Honoring Our Volunteers
Our Annual Report of Gifts showcases the financial generosity of our school community, for which we are grateful and could not survive without. In addition to financial support, we are also appreciative of those who give their time and talent to Benchmark School in a myriad of ways.
2024-2025 Benchmark Parents Association
We are truly grateful for the incredible leadership of the 2024-2025 Benchmark Parents Association. Their heartfelt dedication to enriching the school experience for our teachers and students, and their genuine commitment to bringing our parent community closer together, is a gift of immeasurable value.
President: Sarah Kinsella, P’26
Vice President: Jen Brion, P’28, P’30
Treasurer: Jenna O’Nell, P’26
Secretary: Donna Saulino, P’26
The Benchmark Parents Association is composed of parent volunteers who organize events such as the Back-to-School Bash, Family Movie Night, the Book Fair, Bingo Night, school dances, and so much more. These events not only deepen our families’ connection to the school, but also strengthen our sense of community by bringing us together to connect and support one another.
Students love browsing the Book Fair. Cheers to Chairs Sarah Westcott and Aimee Fabiani.
Bingo Night draws a crowd, led by Chairs Jen Brion and Ellen Sanders.
Parent Ambassador Network
These dedicated parents assist our Admissions team by welcoming and supporting new families at Benchmark School. As friendly faces at Open Houses and the New Parent Orientation, they help create a warm, inclusive environment from day one. Our Ambassadors serve as trusted guides—answering questions, sharing their experiences, and offering reassurance to families beginning their Benchmark journey. Beyond campus, they help spread the word about Benchmark in their communities. We are deeply grateful for the time, energy, and enthusiasm they bring to our school community.
Bill Bieljeski
Jennifer Brion
Cassandra Centeno
Samantha Conway
Brian Cuzzolina
Sarah Kinsella
Emily Lambert
Nicole Martin
Cindy Nissen
Robin Pointer
Joe Preisser
Ellen Sanders
Donna Saulino
Jill Sides
Sarah Westcott
Class Parents
We are grateful to our wonderful class parents for their support throughout the school year. Their involvement made a meaningful difference. Thank you for your time, energy, and commitment—you helped make this year a special one!
Kirsten Bieljeski
Deija Brantley
Cassandra Centeno
Cindy Conner
Samantha Conway
Sarah & Brian Cuzzolina
Aimee Fabiani
Kelly Ford
Lori Hendrick
Kamini Hogan
Jenny Knox
Kelly Kolmer
Jessica Law
Ashley Leber
Nicole Leon
Elizabeth Morzuch
Brad Paul
Susan Ramage
Amanda Ryan
Dawn Salerno
Ellen Sanders
Jill Sides
Alisha Slye
Library Volunteers
We sincerely thank each of our incredible library volunteers for their time, energy, and dedication—your support makes our library a welcoming and inspiring place for all. We truly appreciate everything you do.
Kirsten Bieljeski
Jennifer Brion
Mindy Civan
Brian Cuzzolina
Tori Harrington
Kamini Hogan
Jenny Knox
Kelly Kolmer
Board Committees
Ashley Leber
Mandy Muller
Kristen Papatheoharis
Carrie Pratt
Danielle Szabo
Erica Tucker
Virginia Welsh
Kelli Wilson
The following committees are composed of staff, trustees, and selected community members that have expertise in particular areas. All volunteer their time and share their knowledge and experience to make our school run smoothly. We are grateful for their willingness to serve in this capacity.
BOARD OFFICERS—EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chairman: Ben Rogers
Vice Chair: Rich Salerno
Secretary: Michele Todd
Treasurer: Dan Berger
Head of School: Chris Hancock, ex officio
GOVERNANCE
Andrew Rogers, Chair
Lauren Ainsworth
Chris Hancock
Rich Salerno
Michele Todd
Amber West Buller
Anne Rice-Burgess
ADVANCEMENT
Michelle Bogosian, Chair
Lauren Ainsworth
Turaya Kamau
Aimee Fabiani
Cindy Nissen
Jamie Lauth
Megan Wonderland
Alyce Callison
Stefanie Frayne
Sarah Kinsella
Sarah Westcott
Peter Verdi
Brad Paul
FINANCE
Dan Berger, Chair
Michele Todd
Charles Ryan
Len DeStefano
Joe McPeak
Brad Hill
David Bloom
Kevin Kolmer
FACILITIES
Rob Lambert, Chair
Jim Viner
Amanda Ryan
Joe McPeak
Drew Kellner
Magic was in the air at the Spring Social as mentalist John Graham wowed the guests with mind-boggling tricks.
2025 Spring Social: The Magic of Benchmark
On Saturday, March 8, 2025, Benchmark School hosted nearly 200 parents, teachers, and trustees for an evening of intrigue featuring delicious food, drinks, a silent auction, and an unforgettable performance by renowned magician, John Graham. Thanks to the incredible support behind this event, we raised over $75,000—funding the many community gatherings that bring our families together all year long.
This evening would not have been possible without our event sponsors and committee.
ACE OF SPADES
Dawn & Rich Salerno
KING OF HEARTS
SITE Engineering
(Emily and Rob Lambert)
Alisha & Jack Slye
QUEEN OF DIAMONDS
Biscardi & Fox, LLC
Mindy & Jesse Civan
EduTech
LT Cleaning
Mercedes & Michael
Migliore
Brooke & David Rounick
Melody & Ted Tang
JACK OF CLUBS
Susan & Rob Borislow
The Camera Shop in Bryn
Mawr
Meredith & Michael Carter
Carol Glowacki
Sarah & Shane Kinsella
Mary Katherine & Nick
Montgomery
Penn Medicine
ServPro Team Fabiani
Testa Bros. Landscape
Toad Hollow Athletics
Joe Verdeur Swimming
Pool Supplies
Sarah & Paul Westcott
Jennifer & Steve Wright
COMMITTEE
Dawn Salerno, Chair
Kirsten Bieljeski
Stacy Biscardi
Jen Brion
Mindy Civan
Cassandra Centeno
Cindy Conner
Samantha Conway
Aimee Fabiani
Staci Gaupp
Andrea Harvey
Sarah Kinsella
Nicole Leon
Mercedes Migliore
Tara Mondello-Poole
Kristen Papatheoharis
Donna Saulino
Allison Schneider
Sarah Westcott
Kelli Wilson
REPORT OF GIFTS 2024-2025
THE
1970 LEADERSHIP SOCIETY
Named for the year of our school's founding, the 1970 Leadership Society is composed of donors whose combined gifts through the Benchmark Fund, EITC, OSTC, capital campaign, and endowed funds to Benchmark School during the 2024-2025 fiscal year totals $1,000 or more. It is with great appreciation and gratitude that we recognize these donors.
Founders $100K+
Maggie & Matthew Brodnik, P’22
The Graham Family
Missy & Ed Hanway, P’18, P’19, P’22, P’24
Alisha & Jack Slye, P’25
Terryglass Foundation
Luminaries $50K+
Benchmark Parents Association
Ashly & Dan* Berger ’93, P’27
Ilene & Steve Berger, P’93, P’96
Clark Capital Management Group, Inc.
Comcast Cable Communications LLC
Elaine & Len* DeStefano, P’23
Dawn & Nick Kemp, P’10
Cindy Berger Nissen ’96, P’27
Charles Ryan*, P’17
Scholars $25K-$49,999
Monika & Joerg Ahlgrimm, P’24
Elizabeth Atterbury
Sasha Ballen & Diana Spagnuolo, P’24, P’28
Enzo Cafiero
Wendi* & Charles Chase, P’06
Lesli Esposito & Peter* Verdi, P’24
Aimee & Vince Fabiani, P’28
Harmelin Media
HSC Builders & Construction Managers
Kevin Morgan
Keith Morgan
Brooke & David Rounick, P’30
Amanda* & Kevin Ryan, P’25
Cory & Rick Scheibe, P’23
The Tally Foundation
Mary Ellen & Drew Weissman WSFS Bank
Visionaries $10K-$24,999
Kate & David Black, P’23
Michele & Charles Bramley
Nikki & John Bendl
Susan & Rob Borislow, P’27
The Coltman Family Foundation, Inc.
Neil & Janet Dabagian, P’15
Kathy & Bob Elias, P’03
Mary & Joe Fenkel, P’03
Beth & Peter Goodhart, P’10
Wanda & Chuck Jurgensen
Kelly & Kevin Kolmer, P’27
Emily & Rob* Lambert, P’27
Melina Marmarelis & Samuel Takvorian, P’30
Elizabeth & Ken Parsons, P’28
Frank S. Polizzi and Mass Marketing Insurance Group Power for Good Foundation
Melissa & Andrew Purcell, P’29
Candice & Ben* Rogers ’95, P’24
The Rorer Foundation
Natalie Rounick
Dawn & Rich* Salerno, P’26
Christine Stanko & Scott Burkholder Anonymous (3)
Innovators $5,000-$9,999
The Altringer Family, P’28
The Becket Family Foundation
Jennifer Chipman Bloom &
David Bloom ’80, P’27
Mindy & Jesse Civan, P’28
Laina & Rob Driscoll, P’24
Patricia Ralph & Gordon Fowler, Jr., P’11
Tina Isen Fox & Richard Fox, P’17
Jonathan and Joanne Harmelin Trust
Ashley & Jeffrey Leber, P’30
Lauren & James Maloney ’04
Jami W. McKeon & John F. Hollway, P’98
Mercedes & Michael Migliore, P’25
Amy & Tom O'Donnell, P’28
Suzanne B. Perot
Kristen & Keith Peter, P’25, P’27
Amy & Jim Petersen, P’07
The Joey Pozzuolo Family Foundation
Sheri & Ken Resnik, P’09
Barbara & James Rogers, P’93, P’95, P’00
Jessica & Andrew* Rogers ’93
Rachel & Andrew Sofish, P’24
Softerware, Inc.
UHS Recovery Foundation, Inc.
Utica National Insurance Group
Cheryl & Thomas Weir, P’01
Harris Wildstein
Trailblazers $2,500-$4,999
Terry & John Barth
Susan T. Deakins, P’11
Carole M. Filtz, P’92
First Resource Bank
Carol Glowacki, P’26
Chris Hancock
Shira & Brad Paul, P’25
Sarah & Paul Westcott, P’28
Mark Wildstein
Anonymous
Mentors $1,000-$2,499
Valerie & Sean Bard ’82, P’21
Carolyn & John Bartholdson, P’24
Stacy & Gaeton Biscardi, P’23, P’26
Susan & Rob Borislow, P’27
Barbara & Gerard Bricks, P’88
Marisa & James Bruder, P’20
Amber West ’84* & Pierce Buller
Susan & James Carr, P’00
Melody Chou & Ted Tang, P’31
Marcia & W. Gregory Coleman
Marie Derham & John Connolly, P’11
Michelle Pearlman & Andrew Denker, P’27
Eleanor Gensemer
Ann & Maurice Glavin, P’12
Donna & Lewis Gould, P’81
Anne & Matt Hamilton, P’94, P’98, P’01, P’07
Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation
Ann L. Jones
Sarah* & Shane Kinsella, P’26
Joanne Levy, P’02
Ann & Howard* Marcus
Susan & Brian McGowan, Jr., P’24, P’25
Mary Katherine ’08 & Nicholas Montgomery
Julia & Thomas Patterson, P’83, P’89
Anne Rice-Burgess*, P’18
Judy & Geoff Schnyder, P’22
Carolyn & John Smith
Elise Twitmyer
UGI Storage Company
Nuriye Uygur, P’16, P’17
The Veloric Foundation
Jim Viner*, P’21
Anne & Jeffrey Walkenhorst, P’27
Anonymous
PHILANTHROPY AT BENCHMARK
There are many ways in which we ask our community to participate in Benchmark School’s philanthropic efforts. Below are the ways in which our generous donors have contributed to making our school extraordinary.
Capital Giving
The following donors have made gifts towards capital projects during the 2024-2025 school year. We are grateful for not only the generosity, but also the vision of these legacy-minded donors.
Ardmore Toyota
Sasha Ballen & Diana Spagnuolo
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Benchmark Parents Association
Benevity
Ashly & Dan* Berger ’93
Ilene & Steve Berger
Maggie & Matthew Brodnik
Citizens Charitable Foundation
Elaine & Len* DeStefano
Lesli Esposito & Peter Verdi
Tina Isen Fox & Richard Fox
Beth & Peter Goodhart
The Graham Family
Missy & Ed Hanway
Kelly & Kevin Kolmer
Mercedes & Michael Migliore
Cindy Berger Nissen ’96
Amy & Tom O'Donnell
Elizabeth & Ken Parsons
Shira & Brad Paul
Amy & Jim Petersen
Candice & Ben* Rogers ’95
Jess & Andrew* Rogers ’93
Cory & Rick Scheibe
Alisha & Jack Slye
Rachel & Andrew Sofish
Terryglass Foundation
Anonymous (2)
Benchmark Fund
The Benchmark Fund is Benchmark School’s annual giving program. Each year, we invite all members of our community to make an unrestricted gift of any size to this fund. Supporting our school through this fund enables us to provide the best educational experience to our students. Thank you to these donors for supporting the mission of Benchmark School.
Mary & Joel Adams
Lauren Ainsworth
Carol & Douglas Allan
The Altringer Family
America's Charities
Susan Arabia
Mary Jane & James Ask
Elizabeth Atterbury
Mary & Richard Auchincloss
Janet Audrain-McGovern & Paul McGovern
Didem Goz Ayturk & Ugur Ayturk
Sasha Ballen & Diana Spagnuolo
Valerie & Sean Bard ’82
John & Terry Barth
Carolyn & John Bartholdson
John & Carole Bartholdson
Mary Lee & Harris Bass
Tricia Baum
Bill, Dolly & Jon Baumann
Laura & Jeff Beauchamp
Kristin & Bill Becket
The Becket Family Foundation
Benchmark Parents Association
Betsy & Charles Bemis
Benevity
Nikki & John Bendl
Dory Benson ’94
Ashly & Dan* Berger ’93
Karen Berry
Mary Beth & Matthew Berry
Kirsten & Bill Bieljeski
Lorraine & Guy Biscardi
Stacy & Gaeton Biscardi
Blackbaud Giving Fund/YourCause
Anne Blackburn
Jennifer Chipman Bloom & David Bloom ’80
Lisa & Rick Bonvicini
Susan & Rob Borislow
Deija Brantley
Barbara & B. Gerard Bricks
Jennifer & Scott Brion
Brendan Brower
Marisa & James Bruder
Amanda & Doug Bruno
Silvana Byrne
Alyce Callison
Rachel Cameron
Lauren Cristella & Doug Campbell
Kevin Canney
Amaya Capellan & Alison Perelman
Terri Cappelli & Francis Jennings
Susan & James Carr
Sandra Casimir
The Centeno Family
Wendi* & Charles Chase
Melody Chou & Ted Tang
Mindy & Jesse Civan
Jennifer Cohen
Marcia & W. Gregory Coleman
Shannon & Terry Connelly
Brian Conner
Cindy & John Conner
Marie & John Connolly
Samantha Conway
Faith Cost
Deborah & Joseph Cristella
Jesse Crowding
Rosanne Crowe
Christopher Crowley ’94
Sarah & Brian Cuzzolina
Joan Davidson
Debbie DeBenedictis
Delco Gives
Jane & Ernest Dellheim
Rachel Dellheim ’93
Elaine & Len* DeStefano
Gina & Ted Diederich ’91
Kathleen Dinella
Jessie & John Dinome
Mara Dixon
Noreen & Bill Donoghue
Lorraine Wilson-Drake & Anthony Drake
Betsy & Michael Dubin
Angela & Joseph Dunn
Nasdaq Employee Giving
Merril & John Dutton
Anthony Edmonds
Sara Barton & Hentzi Elek
Kathy & Bob Elias
Employees of the Penn's Way
Campaign
Hang Nguyen & Glenn Ereso
Renee & Richard Erickson
Anne Esposito
Lesli Esposito & Peter Verdi
Aimee & Vince Fabiani
Carole M. Filtz
Colin Finch ’94
Patrick & Shannon Fitzgerald
Andrea & Kahlil Floyd
Karen & Ted Fluck
Christine & Terrance Flynn
Kelly & Kevin Ford
Patricia Ralph & Gordon Fowler, Jr.
Michelle & Michael Frascella ’94
Stefanie Frayne
Alexandra & Thomas Frazier
Jan & Don Frisch
Judy Galloway & Rick Woodruff
Francesca & Noah Gans-Pfister
Jennifer & Robb Gaskins
Wendy & William Gaunt
Staci Gaupp
Eleanor Gensemer
Alexandra Georgiou
Jessica & Robert Gladwin
Ahaviah Glaser
Maurice & Ann Glavin
Carol Glowacki
Halina & John Glowacki
Lynn M. Gonzalez
Donna & Lewis Gould
Emma Grace
Linda & Michael Graham
Nettie & Sterling Green
Lisa Grieco
Lisa & John Guillaume
Patricia Hacik & Robert Emery
Kerry Hallam
Pam Hamilton
Crawford Hamilton ’01
Miles Hamilton ’07
Samuel M.V. Hamilton III ’98
Chris Hancock
Ellen & Ed Hanway
Missy & Ed Hanway
Jonathan and Joanne Harmelin Trust
Harmelin Media
Andrea & Robert Harvey
Lauren & Eli Hastings
Karen & Thomas Helm
Lori Hendrick
Ryan Hendrick
Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation
Lynn & David Heyman
Carrie & Brad Hill
Julie & Alan Hochman
Barbara & Dennis Hoffman
Karen & Joseph Hofmann
Kamini & Brandon Hogan
Elizabeth & Charles Hottenstein
Morton Howard
Marcea & Tom Hummel
Tom Hurster
Laura Jackson & Rick Wachter
The Joey Pozzuolo Family Foundation
Allison & Craig Jones
Ann L. Jones
Wanda & Chuck Jurgensen
Mary Kadlec
Turaya* & Nicholas Kamau
Hedy Karbiner
Mary & Ed Kelly
Raine Kelsall
Marie & Jeffrey Kenkelen
Sarah* & Shane Kinsella
Lindsey & Noah Kissell
Jenny & Brandon Knox
MaryBeth & Robert Kowalski
Barbara & Al Kurtz
Emily & Rob* Lambert
Jack Lamperez
Jay Lankford
Sue & Mark Lankford
Lankford Acquisition Company, LP
Jamie Lauth
Rose Lawrence ’13
Ashley & Jeffrey Leber
Adam Lemisch
Jennifer Lerner
Joanne Levy
Katy Lichtenstein ’95
Sandy & Robert Lichtenstein
Shannon & Tom Locher
Joan & Robert Lodge
Suzanne Long & Glenn Krotick
Connie Lotz
Eric MacDonald
Dawn & Tim Mader
Sandy Madison
Gail & Len Magargee
Jennifer Malone
Dominic Mambu & Neely Tang
Ann & Howard* Marcus
Jill Markovitz & David Salmanson
Melina Marmarelis & Samuel Takvorian
Leigh Martin & Daniel Cassidy
Maria & Anthony Martin
Nicole & Elijah Martin
Julie & Timothy Mattaliano
Rose & Gary Mattaliano
Carol & Louis Mayer
Colin McAdoo ’98
Elsie & McKinley McAdoo
Cynthia & Robert McClung ’81
Naketa McCray
Susan & Brian McGowan
Jami W. McKeon & John F. Hollway
Brysen McMullin ’12
Patricia & H. Brooke McMullin
Joseph McPeak
The Mesigian Family
Marjorie Mitchell
Trey Milby
Tara Mondello-Poole & Robert Poole
Mary Katherine ’08 & Nicholas
Montgomery
Elizabeth Morzuch & Sam Torres
Mandy & Eric Muller
Margaret C. Naugle
Jacob Newmark ’15
Cindy Berger Nissen ’96
Micah Nissen ’27
Marcia & Neal Niznan
Susan Null
Amy & Tom O’Donnell
Jenna & Kevin O’Nell
Colleen O’Hara
Amy & Anthony Orapallo
Joyce Ostertag
Jacquetta Owens
Liz & Ken Parsons
Julia & Thomas Patterson
Shira & Brad Paul
Janine & Michael Pawlowsky
William Pawlowsky ’96
Michelle Pearlman & Andrew Denker
Suzanne B. Perot
Kristen & Keith Peter
Amy & Jim Petersen
Natissa & Scott Pfautz
Marie & Jacques Piquion
Deborah Pointer
Robin Pointer & Rob Whalley
Alison & Chris Powell
Sharyn & Joe Pozzuolo
Carrie & Bear Pratt
Alison & Joseph Preisser
Christina & Bernhard Preisser
Melissa & Andrew Purcell
Becky & Doug Pyle
Ginger & Christopher Quinn
Melinda Rahm
Wayne Reichart
Brianna & Adam Reid
Kristina Reisinger
Anne Rice-Burgess*
Sally Robbins & Chris Martinak
Candice & Ben* Rogers
Leslie Rogers Blum
Anna & Nicholas Romeo ’04
Betsy & Gerald Rorer
Frances & Jonathan Rorer
The Rorer Foundation
Rebecca Rosenstock
Brooke & David Rounick
Nahid & Mohammad Rowghani
Katherine & Ian Rubin
Joan Rufo-Simmonds
Craig Rushmore ’06
Amanda* & Kevin Ryan
Laura Sahlin ’04
Dawn & Rich* Salerno
Debra & Harry Salerno
Kristine Sambuco
The Samuel D. Cozen Memorial Fund
Ellen & Doug Sanders
Donna & Michael Saulino
Nicole Scali
Cory & Rick Scheibe
Marissa Schnelle & Mark Fiss
Irene & Morris Schnyder
Judy & Geoff Schnyder
Liz & Pete Schofield
Tobey & Sanford Schreiber
Marie Schueren
Michel & Dean Schwartz
Kelly & Anthony Sciole
Theresa Scott
Anne Seelaus
Cordelia Seeley
Kathryn & Andrew Semon
Judith Sennett
Virginia Sharpless
Meghan & Kevin Shea
Donna Shooster
Tiffany & Rachel Silliman Cohen
Joann & Charles Simmonds
Alisha & Jack Slye
The Slye Family Gift Account
Carolyn & John Smith
Jeanne Smith
Marianne Smith
Joanna & Philip Solomon
Zeffie Spirokostas
Dorothy Squitieri
Leslie Stein
Craig Stevens
Jeralyn Svanda
Kim & Mark Sylvester
The Tally Foundation
Alex Templeton
Thomas Thompson
Michele* & Mike Todd
Jenelle Tomov
Elise Twitmyer
United Way of Chester County
United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey
Carolyn Utz ’83
Nuriye Uygur
Judith & Rodger Van Allen
Laurie Veacock
Jim Viner*
Anne & Jeffrey Walkenhorst
Heather Warley
Teri Watkins
Nanci Weber & Bernard Schaeffer
Amber West ’84* & Pierce Buller
Sarah & Paul Westcott
Cherie & Paul Williams ’80
Kelli & Eliott Wilson
Megan Wonderland
Merrie & Graydon Wood
Jennifer & Steve Wright
Mikaela Yatsinko
Alyce Zenner
Kathryn & Frank Zirnkilton
Tracey Young Zubey & Michael Zubey
Rev. Albert Zug
Anonymous (5)
Pennsylvania Tax Credit Programs
The Benchmark community greatly appreciates the donors listed below who participated in Pennsylvania's EITC (Educational Improvement Tax Credit) and OSTC (Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit) programs. These programs allow individuals and businesses who pay Pennsylvania state taxes to donate their state tax liability to a scholarship-granting organization in exchange for a significant state tax credit.
AIM Scholarship 1 LLC
Made possible by Sasha Ballen & Diana Spagnuolo
Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools (BLOCS)
Made possible by Monika & Joerg Ahlgrimm, Nikki & John Bendl, Ilene & Steve Berger, Michele & Charles Bramley, Wendi* & Charles Chase, Clark Capital Management Group, Inc. LLC, Elaine & Len* DeStefano, Laina & Rob Driscoll, Lesli Esposito & Peter Verdi, Dawn & Nick Kemp, Keith Morgan, Cindy Berger Nissen, Sheri & Ken Resnik, Christine Stanko & Scott Burkholder, HSC Builders & Construction Managers, Mark Wildstein, and Anonymous (2)
Central Pennsylvania Scholarship Fund
Made possible by Enzo Cafiero, Lauren & James Maloney, and Brooke & David Rounick
Comcast Cable Communications LLC
First Resource Bank
Frank S. Polizzi and Mass Marketing Insurance Group
Friends of Education LLC
Made possible by Kate & Dave Black, Jennifer Chipman & David Bloom, Janet & Neil Dabagian, Aimee & Vince Fabiani, Sarah* & Shane Kinsella, Kelly & Kevin Kolmer, Emily & Rob* Lambert, Keith Morgan, Kevin Morgan, Barbara & James Rogers, Candice & Benjamin* Rogers, Brooke & David Rounick, Natalie Rounick, and Melina Marmarelis & Samuel Takvorian
The Graham Family
Harmelin Media
Made possible by Joanne & Jon Harmelin
McLean Packaging Corporation
Made possible by Mary & Joseph Fenkel
Pennsylvania Education
Partnership LLC
Made possible by Ashly & Dan* Berger, Ilene & Steve Berger, Mindy & Jesse Civan, Mary Ellen & Drew Weissman, Harris Wildstein, and Mark Wildstein
Ryan Advisory Services, LLC
Made possible by Charles Ryan*
Softerware, Inc.
UGI Storage Company
UHS Recovery Foundation, Inc.
Utica National Insurance Group
WSFS Bank Anonymous
Gifts to Endowed and Restricted Funds
Benchmark is the grateful recipient of numerous gifts to our restricted funds, all of which provide valuable, but targeted, resources for the school. The gifts from these individuals not only speak to their passion, but also to their commitment to our school community. Many thanks to all who contributed to these funds.
Beth Coltman Scholarship Fund
Made possible by The Coltman Family Foundation
The Dr. Robert Gaskins Fund for Mindfulness, Peace, and Social Justice
Made possible by Jennifer & Robb Gaskins
The Joey Pozzuolo Memorial Scholarship
Made possible by The Joey Pozzuolo Family Foundation
The Peter B. Deakins Memorial Fund
Made possible by Susan T. Deakins
Pincus Summer Scholars Program
Made possible by Pincus Family Foundation and Power for Good Foundation
The Promising Scholars Fund
Made possible by Charles Ryan*
The Sawyer Henry Weir Creative Learning Initiative
Made possible by Cheryl & Thomas Sawyer Weir
Gifts in Memory
Benchmark School is deeply appreciative of the gifts given by our donors in memory of friends and loved ones. It is our privilege to remember the individuals listed in bold type.
Jim Bemis ’86
Betsy & Charles Bemis
Samantha Biscardi Cammarata
Lorraine & Guy Biscardi
Anna Marie Everetts
Melinda & Dan Rahm
Tracy Elizabeth Hottenstein
Elizabeth & Charles Hottenstein
Myrium Kutscher
Robert Kutscher
Helen Lawrence
Joan Davidson
Gifts in Honor
The following generous donors have chosen to celebrate the individuals listed in bold type with a gift to Benchmark School in their honor.
The Amazing Staff at Benchmark School
Ruth Kelemen
Evie Bartholdson ’24
Carole & John Bartholdson
Ella Beauchamp ’28
Laura & Jeff Beauchamp
Benchmark Teachers and Support Services Staff
Judith Sennett
Blake Biscardi and His Classmates
Stacy & Gaeton Biscardi
Andrew ’21 and Jayson ’23 Blum
Leslie Rogers Blum
Lucas Elek ’09
Sara Barton & Hentzi Elek
Sean Flynn ’12
Christine & Terrance Flynn
Joan Fox
Jennifer & Robb Gaskins
Dr. Robb Gaskins & Jennifer Gaskins
Nuriye Uygur and Renee & Richard Erickson
Seamus Glavin ’12
Ann & Maurice Glavin
Douglas Gould ’81
Donna & Lewis Gould
Carly Hottenstein ’16
Elizabeth & Charles Hottenstein
Ruth Kelemen
Jennifer & Robb Gaskins
Gregory Kenkelen ’10
Marie & Jeffrey Kenkelen
Liza Kurtz Bragin ’93
Barbara & Alfred Kurtz
Anna Lodge-Bausback ’13
The Davidson Family Charitable Fund
Gavin Lotz Kaiser ’01
Connie Lotz
Jason ’99 and William ’96 Pawlowsky
Janine & Michael Pawlowsky
Alex ’25 and Matthew ’27 Peter
Carole & John Bartholdson
Barbara Rogers
Candice & Benjamin* Rogers
Rich* & Dawn Salerno
Debra & Harry Salerno
Laz Scheibe ’23
Cory & Rick Scheibe
Ashley Schnyder ’19
Maria & Anthony Martin
Henry Shea ’26
Meghan & Kevin Shea
Anna Simmonds ’27
Joann Rufo-Simmonds
Leslie Stein
Jennifer & Robb Gaskins
Kelly Sullivan ’05
Jessie Dinome
Michael Torres ’30
Elizabeth Morzuch & Sam Torres
Keaton ’27 & Leo ’32 Tucker
Wanda & Chuck Jurgensen
The Volunteers of Art Goes to School
Patricia Hacik & Robert Emery
Cami Woodruff ’22
Judy Galloway & Rick Woodruff
2024-2025 Benchmark Parents
Association Committee Chairs
President
Sarah Kinsella, P’26
Vice President
Jen Brion, P’28, P’30
Treasurer
Jenna O'Nell, P’26
Secretary
Donna Saulino, P’26
Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of this list. If there are additions, corrections, or omissions, please accept our apologies and contact development@benchmarkschool.org.
Years listed following the names of our Benchmark alumni and parents indicate the year the student graduated or is expected to graduate.
