Straight Talk from a Donor Gary Schambs, Skylar Schambs ’14, and Faith Pescatore
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eading west on Cedar Road toward Gilmour, Faith Pescatore looks to the right at the light dancing off the reflective roof of the Academy’s bold new athletic complex. “You can see the sprawling Athletic Center and a cool view of the rest of the school,” Pescatore says. “Sports and physical fitness are a huge part of a child’s education.” Part of the Parent Division Committee for PROMISE AND RENEWAL: The Capital and Endowment Campaign for Gilmour Academy, Pescatore and her husband, Gary Schambs, are longtime supporters of the Gilmour Community. “We believe in giving back locally because that is where you see the most results. When you give to a local nonprofit organization, you can meet its leaders and see its mission accomplishments right in your own back yard,” Pescatore says. “We could see the facility and knew where our dollars were going and that they would not only support our daughter, but the other students who will use the complex.” The Gilmour parent thinks that the new Athletic Center will increase student pride and may attract children to participate in sports who aren’t ordinarily interested. She also is enthusiastic about the new gymnasium, Heritage Hall, and the student lounge. “It will be great to have a gathering place for students when they finish practice,” Pescatore says. Her daughter, Skylar Schambs ’14, who was 3 years old when she began Gilmour’s Montessori program, swims competitively, so the whole family was excited at the prospect of a new natatorium. Her husband practiced in Gilmour’s old natatorium as an Orange High School student in the late 1960s, so they both knew the old pool needed to be replaced. The natatorium’s special instruction pool for younger children is a plus, Pescatore notes. “The earlier you can get kids in the water the better,” she says. “Swimming
is something you can do your entire life to promote fitness and health.” It also offers life lessons about teamwork, time management, and competition and helps children face their fears, she maintains. The Gilmour mom is impressed that the Academy is always looking to be at the cutting edge and that it is committed to offering students the finest education available. She accepted a role with the capital campaign wholeheartedly. “When you really believe in something, you want to send the message to other parents and encourage them to give back,” she says. Pescatore understands that in the current economic climate people are careful about making investments and in considering where their money will best be spent. “I believe it is in the school, the education it offers, and in the endowment, which the capital campaign supports. It is really the best investment you could ever spend,” she says. “I used to tell everyone that Gilmour was a top-notch school even before the athletic complex was being built. The new Athletic Center puts it over the top.”
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