Parkside Annual Report 2022-2023

Message from the Co-Heads of School

As we reflect on the past school year, we can’t help but be in awe of how the Parkside community continues to step up in the face of challenges to provide the very best education and support for our students and their families. One of the most important things that we do together, which makes our community what it is, is to be reflective and attuned to ourselves in order to, in turn, be reflective and attuned to our students. When staffing and scheduling posed coverage challenges, Parkside’s teachers and therapists rallied to support each other, to step in where needed, always with a smile, and with the needs of our students top of mind.

2022-2023 was a school year defined by flexibility, but it was also a time of growth driven by a desire to better understand and support one another. A new partnership with the Project Dorot “Pearls of Wisdom” program brought opportunities for our oldest students to learn from the life stories of elders from our wider New York City community. The reintroduction of after-school programming, in the form of a Newspaper Club and highly popular Tae Kwon Do class, gave students new outlets to express themselves outside the classroom. And our adoption of a traumafocused lens to better understand students’ needs gave teachers and therapists a new perspective to to strategize and provide support.

We are indebted to the Parents Association, led by Patrick Weir, Holly Varsalona, Stacey Thomas, Maia Borus and Paula Cavanaugh

for the many exciting community-building events that kept families engaged with Parkside, despite limited events inside our schoolhouse. From the monthly playdates in the park, to the outstanding Book Fair, Wine Tasting, Holiday Party, and more, our parent volunteers continue to be a driving force.

The Wasserman family and NXTime treated us to a one-of-a-kind concert in the fall, and our Spring Benefit Committee, spearheaded by Danit Almog, created a very special evening at City Winery featuring the musical stylings of Jane Paknia and Blue Morpho, that raised more than $94,000 for our art and movement programs. Our entire parent community supported the Annual Fund, and combined with alumni, extended family and friends, made a total of 533 donations totaling more than $739,000 in support of Parkside’s general operating expenses.

Through it all, we are grateful that everyone in our community has genuine care for one another and for our school. Our ability to be reflective, adaptable and understanding made this school year successful, and will continue to do so in the year ahead as we strive to further Parkside’s goal to provide the very best education for our students.

Thank you for being part of this effort.

Warmly,

Albina Miller & Leslie Thorne

Message from the Board of Directors

As we began the school year in September 2022, there was a great sense of optimism that permeated our community. With the physical and social challenges of the previous three years mostly in the rear-view mirror, the team at Parkside welcomed our newest students with fresh excitement for a year filled with new opportunities, friendships, teamwork, and growth. From the perspective of the Board of Directors, there was a sense of accomplishment that Parkside had persevered, and that our school had continued to forge ahead as we had so many times before.

As stewards of Parkside’s mission, and in our commitment to continue to serve a diverse population of students regardless of families’ ability to pay private tuition, the Board took a measure of comfort in the news that our request to the State Education Department to increase our tuition reimbursement rate was approved at the end of 2022. This increase, which raised the annual state funding per student to $51,414 helps to ensure Parkside can remain a state-funded school for the foreseeable future. But that can only happen if parents, alumni, and our broader community continue to support the school as generously as they always have.

It is only with the broad support of our community that Parkside thrives. It is the parents‘ partnership with teachers and therapists that enables the school to provide the very best support for our students.

It’s the countless volunteers of the Parents Association, our library volunteers, and those of you who write letters to Albany advocating on behalf of special education schools, that keep our community whole. And it is the more than 420 donors –parents, grandparents, alumni, foundations, corporations, and friends – that fund our ability to hire and retain our superb team of educators and therapists, while continuing to expand and adapt our approach to meet the needs of this newest generation of students.

We closed the 2022-2023 fiscal year having raised $855,083 in private donations through the Annual Fund, Spring Benefit, Parents Association, and other smaller efforts. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we thank you for this show of support.

As we look to the year ahead, we will continue to call on you for contributions as we strive to bolster our school’s financial strength, and as we continue to promote the meaningful impact that Parkside has on our community and New York City as a whole. I thank you in advance for answering that call.

Sincerely,

Alan Pearson P’01 President, Board of Directors

Highlights from the

“It’s hard to narrow down into a few words the highlights of my final year at Parkside. It was very hard to graduate from this incredible school because I loved every single moment I was there for 6 years. My last year was full of wonderful memories. I got the incredible opportunity to be Principal for the Day and saw some of the ins and outs of the very important roles of Ms. Thorne and Ms. Miller. I loved being invited to take part in Parkside Singers and learning to expand my voice in music and learn beautiful songs like “When I Grow Up.” I loved being part of newspaper club and learning how to become a journalist with Ms. Andi and Ms. Nussbaum. I was so fortunate to have two spectacular roles (Mrs. Bucket and Mrs. Teavee) in the 5th Floor Willy Wonka Musical production. I loved the Valentine’s 5th floor mixer, the movie night, the book fair, the holiday party, the family picnic and the many Parkside Playdates set up by the P.A. I truly loved my classroom teachers Ms. Ament and Mr. Breen this past year as well as all of my other teachers. I loved the incredible friendships I made at Parkside and I really hope they continue to grow even as we all embark on new chapters at different middle schools. I loved my last year but every year at Parkside so much that my dream is to become a teacher at Parkside someday. This school is the best school and I am so fortunate to have been a part of it.”

– Sevana Kalaydjian ‘23

Parkside is truly unique because it genuinely loves and nurtures their students and truly understands who your child is and how to address & support their learning differences with a lot of heart. It has the most incredible roster of caring and talented teachers and professionals. The communication provided to parents is bar none - we will miss the weekly newsletters with photos and the open door policy of communication with everyone. Parkside becomes family very quickly and you don’t want to part with it. To all of you just joining this phenomenal schoolyou are the lucky ones - you hit the jackpot!”

– Marlene & Nareg Kalaydjian

the year...

“Willy Wonka was so crazy and fun, I especially loved turning Violet into a gigantic blueberry!!!”

– Tyler Dragani ‘23

Classes 5-2 and 5-4 collected donations of dried pasta for their “Pasta Bowl” in support of the New York Common Pantry

The Parents Association partnered with Main Street Books to host a fabulous Book Fair, and planned a wide range of other community building events during the year!

Atiba Wilson visited Parkside to share his life stories about family and the importance of being there for one another. He joined us as part of the Pearls of Wisdom Program with Project Dorot which works with elders in our community to hone their storytelling skills.

Fun was had by all at the PA Family Holiday Party in December!

IN OUR CLASSROOMS AND THERAPY OFFICES

• We Implemented materials from Responsive Classrooms First Six Weeks of School which has had a great impact on how our students see themselves as independent learners, mathematicians, readers and writers.

• We built reading group and classroom lending libraries to increase independent reading opportunities at home and at school.

• We re-introduced homework beyond nightly reading for certain children in order to extend and strengthen skills reinforcement.

• We partnered with Project Dorot Pearls of Wisdom Program so that our oldest classes could hear stories about the lives of different elder storytellers.

• We introduced an after-school Tae Kwon Do program, and launched a Newspaper Club.

• We introduced and begin to utilize a trauma focused lens to give teachers and therapists more tools and a better understanding of how to support students needs.

• We reviewed and reflected on the efficacy and use of the Zones of Regulation and began to consider important changes to its implementation and teaching.

• We formed an Interdisciplinary task force in order to explore and address, both individually and as a school, the process by which we learn to differentiate dysregulation from misbehavior.

Families were treated to a private concert by NXTIME thanks to the generosity of The Wassermany Family.

Chess Club made its return to Parkside, allowing students to hone their critical thinking skills and participate in healthy competition.

PA Playdates in Central Park were a highlight of the year, giving children and parents alike the opportunity to socialize and have fun.

Teachers, therapists and staff continued their professional development with a variety of trainings, including sessions on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB).

BLACK HISTORY MONTH AT PARKSIDE

True to Parkside’s approach to learning, the observance of Black History month varied by teacher and student interest while engaging all students with important concepts and information.

Our 3rd floor classes explored the picture book “Born on the Water” during their February assemblies. This book, created by the 1619 project, shares the story of a young girl who receives a family tree assignment in school but realizes she can only trace back three generations. She then hears from her grandmother that 400 years ago, in 1619, their ancestors were taken from their homeland in Africa and brought to America by European slave traders. She learns how the people said to be “born on the water” survived.

Back in their classrooms, our youngest students continued to build an age-appropriate understanding of inclusion, tolerance and fairness through whole class read alouds, activities and discussions.

Our 4th and 5th floor students learned about many famous and influential Black Americans who were leaders in areas such as sports (Serena Williams, Jackie Robinson, Marshall “Major” Taylor), politics (Barack Obama, Thurgood Marshall, Kamala Harris, Constance B. Motley), science (Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Katherine Johnson, George Washington Carver), civil rights activism (Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks, John Lewis) and the arts (Edmonia Lewis, Ulysses Kay, Beyonce). Projects included having students complete individual book reports, create quilt squares, work on posters in small groups, and write quick outlines and final paragraphs, all about chosen important figures in Black history. In one classroom students connected their Science unit about plants to the work of Tony Hillery, founder of Harlem Grown, who has created a network of community gardens in Harlem. Many classrooms made Black History part of their daily morning meeting with information shared about different Black achievers each day. Teachers also discussed important concepts such as activism, segregation, and prejudice with students, introducing these topics in a differentiated and developmentally appropriate way.

All students had the opportunity to discover new aspects of Black history and culture in Art and in Music class throughout Black History Month. In Art, Mr. Lonsdale worked with each class to produce unique and beautiful art pieces based on African culture. Mr. Lonsdale also read with every class the award-winning picture book Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring which explores the life and art of this prominent African-American portrait artist of the Harlem Renaissance. In Music, the children learned about Jazz and the Blues – how these musical styles were creations of Black culture that still influence music today – and had the opportunity to listen to and create Jazz and Blues music of their own. Ms. Huskisson also shared a “Musician of the Week” each week and played various songs from Black artists to expose the children to new artists from different genres and backgrounds.

While there are certainly painful truths about our history and humanity embedded in the study of Black history in America, we found that our observance of Black History Month at Parkside celebrated and honored the many gifts and achievements that Black Americans have brought to us all.

Lively Learning

This year Parkside’s speech department introduced a pilot program called Lively Letters. Along with classroom and reading teachers of 3-1, 3-2 and 3-4, our goal was to increase our students’ sound symbol correspondence. This ability to know and produce a letter sound is a foundational building block to reading. This is no easy task, especially for children with speech and language-based challenges. Enter a program called Lively Letters.

Lively Letters is a research-based, multi-sensory reading program created by Nancy Telian, MS CCC-SLP. As a speech language pathologist, Ms. Telian’s training in speech perception (hearing a sound) and speech production created a natural springboard for her work in literacy development.

through

Lively Letters...

Each Lively Letter has an embedded image that provides an anchor for the child’s attention, memory and speech production. For example, the letter T is a tap dancer who makes the sound, “TTTT” and the letter V is a vampire who drives a van, “VVVV.” Against the backdrop of these images, whole child learning is the name of the game. Each sound is introduced through a song, hand/body cue, story and activity.

I wish every parent could visit a Lively Letters class! Children are moving, laughing, playing and creating – all within lessons connecting speech perception and speech production with a Lively Letter symbol (sound symbol correspondence). Activities are as varied as baking cookies (“MMMM MMMM!”), creating crafts (“Jumping Jellyfish!”), acting out stories (“No, No Soup!”), and marching in a vehicle parade (“VVVV”).

At this point, a reader might be pondering, “I’m glad the kids are having fun – but are they actually learning sound symbol correspondence?” Our students’ following quotes can answer that best!

“Hi Mr. D - DDDD!”

– Sacha, 3-4

“I’m a fire-breathing dragon . . . FFFF”

– Pazia, 3-2

“Letters K and C are best friends! They both make the KKKK sound!”

– Quinn, 3-4

CONGRATULATIONS!

To the CLASS OF 2023...

You’ve proven this year that you have what it takes to move on to middle school and to achieve great things as compassionate, caring individuals. We can’t wait to welcome you back through our red doors on 74th Street as alumni.

Ongoing schools: Lowell, Summit, Winston Prep, Nord Anglia, and public schools.

Rome Kadi ’15 Gave Commencement

Address to the Class of 2023

On Thursday, June 15 Parkside alumnus Rome Kadi ‘15 gave the the alumni address during the Class of 2023 Graduation Ceremony. Here is the full transcript of his speech.

Oh, and I did not make ChatGPT write this so let’s just cut the tension right away.

Before I get started today, I would like to thank a few important people who made this all possible. First and foremost, my parents, Judith and Gary Kadi. They raised me to be who I want to be in this world and have always been there for me through thick and thin. Love you guys. I’d also like to thank the two people who are the reason that we are all here today, Albina Miller and Leslie Thorne. Thank you for allowing me to stand in front of you today and for creating such a wonderful school where kids like me can develop into great students and people.

Eight years ago, I remember sitting in these exact chairs. I was wearing a watch with the Miami Marlins logo on it because it was my favorite baseball team at the time. Around this far into the graduation, I looked at the face and was thinking: “Man, when is this going to be over?” Little did I know: once that graduation finished and I would begin the next chapter of my life, it would be so special. But, first, let me tell you about who I am and what brought me to Parkside.

At two years old, I was diagnosed with a learning disability and it completely changed me and my family’s life. Once my parents found out the news, they were distraught at first. But, as my dad would say, they got into warrior mode. They did whatever they could to get me better by doing different treatments and therapies including going in those hyperbaric chambers and wearing those helmets that made me look like an astronaut. Whatever it was, my parents sacrificed to put me in the best position possible and, with their efforts, I got healthier. So, thank you guys for putting me first through all of those hardships. I can’t possibly thank you enough for that.

Now, you’re probably wondering how I got to Parkside. When me and my family moved to New York from Arizona in 2008, my mom was looking for a special needs school. There were only 2 options: Parkside or a school in Chinatown with a messy storage room that was supposed to be an occupational therapy room. Let’s be real: we sure as hell weren’t taking the latter. In all seriousness, Parkside was an amazing fit for me and where I was at in my development process. I have met so many great people that went through those big

red doors every morning, whether that be teachers, occupational therapists, speech therapists, social workers, students, you name it. Every one of them played a role, whether big or small, in helping me on my path to success after Parkside.

So, today, I’d like to shout out a few teachers that I’ve had the chance to learn from over the course of my time here. Mr. Vargas: I loved being in your library class. I remember you used to make me belly laugh so hard with your jokes and always brought charismatic and fun energy every time I was there. I also remember you had that signature catchphrase after seemingly every page of a children’s book that you read: but wait, there’s MORE! Mr. Cruz and Mr. J: You guys always brought positive energy and a smile to my face every time I saw you, and that continues in the years since I’ve graduated, so thank you guys. Ms. Ferraro: I remember being in music class with you and Ms. Lin at the time. Being in that class was so much fun because I was able to learn all about music and drama in an exciting way. Towards the end of my time here, I was in two school plays: Oliver and Les Miserables. It was a lot of fun getting to learn my characters and be a part of something bigger than just me. Even if I was too nervous to do something, you seemed to always push the limits and show me what I’m capable of so I cannot thank you enough for that.

Last and certainly not least, my favorite teacher I’ve ever had, Ms. Ament. Listen, I just got to say this up front: you are one tough cookie. You always have been. That’s what I’ve always appreciated about you. You never backed down from anybody giving you a hard time and have always stood up for yourself. That’s something I want to take with me going into college and beyond because I know it’ll serve me

well, so thank you for that. But, you also helped prepare me for what was waiting in middle and high school. Don’t worry, I remember doing those book reports every month. Even though I was annoyed that I had to do it, I worked my tail off to put together a great product. Because of that, you helped me sharpen my work ethic, which has helped me immensely in the years to come. Lastly, I remember you religiously taught me and the rest of 5-2 how to clean up our crumbs after we ate something. I could just hear it now. “First, you put your hand on the table where the crumbs are. Then, put your other hand under the table. Finally, slowly brush those crumbs to the edge of the table so that the other hand can catch it.” Ms. Ament, it was truly a blessing being able to learn from you and I’m sure this version of 5-2 is lucky to have you as their teacher this year.

Lastly, to the Class of 2023, I have three pieces of advice for you.

1. Embrace the unknown: Listen, I was in your shoes just a month ago, when I graduated from York Preparatory School. I’ll be honest, although I’m really excited for my next chapter at Arizona State, I’m also a little nervous about it. College is something new for me and frankly, if you’re going into any type of uncharted territory, it’s natural to feel uncomfortable about it. Point is: it’s okay to not know everything yet. If you keep an open mind and are willing to learn throughout your school careers, you will be in a great place for years to come.

2. Find something you are good at and stick to it, you never know where it might lead you: For me, it was sports broadcasting. Early on in my middle school years, it was a dream of mine to be a broadcaster for a living, but I wasn’t sure how to really put that dream into motion yet. During the

summers of 2020 and 2021, I went to the Bruce Beck Sports Broadcasting Camp….. on Zoom of course. When I was there, they had me practice exercises like working with a teleprompter, doing playby-play broadcasting, doing game highlights like they do on SportsCenter, and much more. It was there that I realized that I really wanted to do this….and I was pretty good at it too. Long story short: when I got back to school and COVID was not as big of a threat, I managed to pull some strings with the school’s athletic department and started doing playby-play for the school’s boys varsity basketball team. For you, your dream might be to become a firefighter, police officer, engineer, doctor, whatever it is. Once you find that thing you love to do and wouldn’t trade it for anything else, keep doing it because you have no idea where it could take you in life.

And 3. Make an impact that outlasts you:

The new head of my old school said this during her speech at my graduation and I thought it was pretty good. So, thanks for the idea, Ms. Magg. When you turn the page and enter your new chapters as middle school students, I urge you to make an impact in your school communities. Now, believe me, I can speak from experience, it doesn’t happen right away. You need to build trust with your fellow classmates and teachers, while continuing to better yourself as a student and person. However, if there is any opportunity for you to help out your classmates and give back to your school community, please do so. Whether that means helping your classmates with their homework or mentoring younger students, it’s so important because it’s a nice thing to do for someone and it helps make their struggles easier to handle.

I figured that I would end this speech with a quote. “One day, you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else’s survival guide.” Today, I hope my story can inspire someone else on their path to success.

Thank you Parkside for everything and congratulations to the Class of 2023!

FINANCIALS

CONTRIBUTIONS

TOTAL GIVING TREND 2013-2023

ANNUAL FUND

Bridging the gap and supporting everything from staff salaries and benefits to classroom technology, supplies and curriculum, the Annual Fund is Parkside’s fundraising priority. We extend our sincerest thanks to every donor who gave in response to our annual appeal.

Leadership Donors

1986 FOUNDERS CLUB

$50,000+

Jonathan Givony and Rebecca Dorfman

LEADERSHIP CIRCLE

$30,000+

Andrew Georgiev and Anna Kardaleva

Rene Plessner

Adam and Perry Rosen

TUITION GAP PARTNERS

$22,000+

Mary Liz Alexander +++

Michael and Corinne Bilerman +

Anna Jennings

Michael and Diana Nahmias

Adebayo and Amelia Ogunlesi

RED DOOR SOCIETY

$15,000+

John and Kathy Lee Bickham

Peter Gilligan and Sohini Chowdhury

Nareg and Marlene Kalaydjian +

Brian Metzger and Stacey Thomas

Susan Miller

Fabien and Oksana Pavlowsky

Supporters

Anonymous (2)

Norberto Abbate and Corinne Gallo

Adaora Achufusi

Andrew and Alison Adler

Chantal Aflalo

Para Ahilan and Nirilla Anthonimuthu

Gina Aiosa

Danit Almog

Richard and Carol Alston ++

Marc and Elaine Altholz

Jacqueline Ament and Nelson Berberena +++

Ziv and Megan Arazi +

Marilyn Simons

Rob Tannenbaum and Gabriela Shelley

Ira and Paula Resnick

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

$5,000+

Tansel and Sila Alan

Andrew Boss and Sarah Krissoff

Tim and Paula Cavanaugh

David Chitayat and Xhingyu Chen

Ethan and Jenna Dabbs +

Nicolas and Masayo Douglas

Jonathan and Jamie Holland

Scott and Lisa Hustis

Kirsten Johnson

Alison Lankenau +++

Veli Topkara and Fardina Malik

Eugene and Laura Mazzaro ++

Maury Miller and Vanita Shastry

Drew Newton and Sarah Finegold

Harvey Poniachek

Howard Pyle

Maury Miller and Vanita Shastry

Jon and Jenny Steingart

Shu Tu and Kye Ye

Tongwei Liu and Julia Tung

Consecutive Year Giving

+ 5 or more years

++ 10 or more years

+++ 15 or more years

Dirk Vander Wilt and Emily Wang

Kye Ye and Shu Tu

Jie Yu and Xina Ren

CLASSROOM PATRONS

$2,500+

Vipul Adlakha and Ruchy Gupta

Charles and Melanie Bensoussan

Jorden Bickham

Michael Burguieres and Michelle Landauer

Joan Snyder and Maggie Cammer

Kristi Caruso

Raghav Chari and Isha Gary +

Brook and C. Zoe Cuddy

William Brodsky and Minna Fyer

Scott and Elizabeth Gellman

Daniel and Sara Golden

Erez Geron and Orna Issler

Christopher and Deborah Milite +++

Paul Devlin and Gretchen Morgenson

Lane Schaffer and Karen Rabinowicz

Samantha Resnick ‘12

Joan Snyder and Maggie Cammer

Joseph and Ivy Venafro

Jeremy and Nicole Warren

Carl Lennartson and Susan Arthur

Donna Assumma

Vincent Aubrun and Patricia Godoy

Maria Barbone

Maia Borus

Fabio Botarelli ‘97

James and Kathleen Bowers +

Arnold and Viviane Breitbart

Beth Brenzel

Todd Bressi and Amy Lempert +

Patricia Brickley

G. David Brinton and Janet Mattick +++

Nancy Broadway

Inez Brown

Patrick Brune and Fred Greenblatt ++

Scheherezade Bryant

Richard Buckholz and Heidi Bush

Patricia Bussard

Catherine Butler

Mario Cabrera

Cindy Cardinal and Daniel Tamkin

Brad and Ashley Carlin +

Robert and Eleanor Cayre

Frank Chaney and Ronda Wist

David and Linda Chew

King Chong

Subrata and Elisabeth Chowdhury

Elizabeth Cingari

Lawrence and Dianne Cohler-Esses

Kevin Collins and Leonor Lorenzi

Dawn Cooper

Paul and Janet Cord

Jim Moy and Sandra Corro-Moy

Alice Cunningham +

Loryn Curcio

John and Erin +

Michelle Dan

Duane Pinder and Brenda Davis

Thomas Delaney and Patrick Mullin +

Joan Delaney +

Mary DiPerna

Christopher and Sarah Dolan

Nick and Karen Dragani

John and Gail Duncan

Ron and Debbie Eisenberg

Robert and Margaret Eisenstadt

Susan Elicks

Coretta Essilfie +

Shelley and Steven Faro

Jack and Marianne Ferraro

Robert and Anna Franch

Adam Francique

Rebecca Frank

Kevin and Joan Frawley

Dori and Brian Friedman

Gregory Galant

Ted and Christine Gerstein

Thomas and Mary Jane Gilligan

Alissa Ginsberg and Julie Wood

Simon Glick and Leah Edmunds

Susan Glickstern

Mark and Leslie Godridge

Sarah Goldenberg

Maria Gonzalez

Daniel and Beverly Green

Rashod Monroe and Serene Gregg

Thomas and Mary Jane Haher

Peter and Margarita Halloran

Linda Heitman

Thomas Hicks

David and Alexis Hill

Keith Haller and Randi Hirschberg

Sam and Katie Holliday

Peter and Lisa Holsberg

Jasmine Hopkins

Rebecca Hornstein +

John and Rosalie Hughes

Blaed Hutchinson

Tsuyoshi and Kaori Inoue +

Joel and Alissa Isaacson

Arthur and Vivian Isakson

Nelson Johnson

Helene Jorgensen +

Judith and Gary Kadi

Anthony Kapp and Alexander Sikkema +

Jim Kunen and Lisa Karlin

Robyn Karp

Stuart and Beth Katz

Ariela Katz

Asma Khaliq

Milton and Heidi Klein +

Serhat and Beth Krause

Madelon Krissoff

Thomas Sunshine and Nadia Kuprian

Denise Lackos

Andrew Lambert ++

Austin Lambert ’17

Cathy Lankenau-Weeks and Chris Weeks

Michael Lattis and Michelle Pakula

Lance Daniel and Iredeoya Lavezzari

David and Meredith Lee

Ben and Wendy Lehmann

Christopher and Esther Leon-Wales

Jeffrey and Rachel Levine

Andrea Levinger-Phelan and Peter Phelan

Jane and Richard Liescheidt +++

Greta Lincoln

Joseph and Kay Lindenfield

Frances Lo Casto

John MacArthur and Renee Khatami

Bob Maclay and Karen Lundry

Jon and Sharmee Mah +

Angelo and Julia Marketos +

Stu Markowitz

Claudia Marks +

Anthony and Mary Lou Marotta

Boaz Mourad and Stacey Matthias

Jillian Mayonove

Richard and Amy McDaid

Andor Skotnes and Teresa Meade

Gary Mellen +++

Joshua and Beth Mermelstein

Albina Miller and Preston Faro +++

Morlon Mitchell

Akiko Miyake +

Earl and Marita Monroe

Maya Monroe

Dina Monte

Federico Lozano and Lucrecia Montemayor

Dorothea Moore ++

Christopher Moore

David and Barbara Morris

Paul and Linda Mulhauser

Evadne Naantaanbuu

David Nachman

Corey Nascenzi +

Cindy Nathanson +

Jamie Nussbaum

Kerry O’Donnell

Inmeka Olmeda

Robert Silverstein and Wanda Olson

Max Olynyk and Valerie Bruno-Olynyk

Michael and Tanzilya Oren

Glenn Cox and Alisha Ostacher Cox

Nischal and Aline Pai ++

Lief Nielsen and Uma Parikh-Nielsen

Sarah Park

Alan and Leslie Pearson +++

Stephen Pearson

Kyle Pearson

Jeffrey and Nancie Perlowitz +

William and Stephanie Perry

German Guerrero and Kimerly Polak-Guerrero

Cary and Elyse Pollock +++

Arcady Lapiro and Shelley Poniachek

Roman Klimenko and Natalia Potapova

Jimmy and Rhonda Quan

Jody Ransom

Ron and Liat Raz

Ozier Muhammad and Lisa Redd

Grier Richards

Sean Roh and Jiea An

Neal Rosenberg

Richard Rubin and Beth Rosenberg

Andrew Rosenbloom +++

Jason and Heidi Rosenfarb

Jeffrey Rothman and Nancy Sacks +

Fredric and Vivienne Rottman +

Hyacinth Ruiter

Nicholas Stern and Barbara Samuels

John Dwyer and Grainne Saxe

Mustafa Saylak

Julie Sazant +

Adam and Lauren Schwartz

Hollis Burridge and Michaela Schwartz

Christopher Browne and Caroline Seklir

Lee Semel

Simon and Elana Shafir

Jeremy and Elena Shahom

Sarah Shamlal

Chakrakodi and Mangala Shastry

Paul and Claudia Shaum

Davida Sherwood

Mark Silberberg and Tracy Butler

Nathan Rosen and Priva Simon

Michael and Elizabeth Singer

Darren Skotnes

Hayward and Barbara Smith

Molly Snyder-Fink

Deborah Sommers

Rachel Sosland

Sia Sotirakis

Alumni Family Donors

Andrew and Alison Adler

Chantal Aflalo

Para Ahilan and Nirilla Anthonimuthu

Mary Liz Alexander

Carl Lennartson and Susan Arthur

Vincent Aubrun and Patricia Godoy ++

Fabio Botarelli ‘97

James and Kathleen Bowers

James and Kathleen Bowers

Arnold and Viviane Breitbart

Todd Bressi and Amy Lempert

G. David Brinton and Janet Mattick

Nancy Broadway

Inez Brown

Richard Buckholz and Heidi Bush

Robert and Eleanor Cayre +

Frank Chaney and Ronda Wist

David and Linda Chew

Lawrence and Dianne Cohler-Esses

Kevin Collins and Leonor Lorenzi

Paul and Janet Cord

Jim Moy and Sandra Corro-Moy

Brook and C. Zoe Cuddy +++

Alice Cunningham

Loryn Curcio

Ethan and Jenna Dabbs

John and Erin Dalton

Michelle Dan

Duane Pinder and Brenda Davis

Thomas Delaney and Patrick Mullin

Joan Delaney

Mary DiPerna

Robert and Margaret Eisenstadt

Coretta Essilfie

Kevin and Joan Frawley

Jeff and Audrey Spiegel

Freddie Chambers and Paula Steele

Caitlin Stetner

Dikla Strohl

Mieko Suzuki

Andrew and Leslie Thayer

Susan Thomas and Steven Hutchinson

Leslie Thorne and Tom Casey +++

Peter Ticali

Katie Tuss

Craig and Robin Unterberg

Rachel Vannucci and Mick Bonde +

David and Elizabeth Varga

Peter and Holly Varsalona

Tom Vega and Victor Santiago

Robert and Jane Venafro

Jed Wasserman

Patrick and Suzannah Weir

Lynn Wilderman

Howard Jacobson and Kathryn Wolfson

Julie Wood and Alissa Ginsberg

Christine Yen

Marie Zehngebot

Antoine and Michelle Zemor

Francine Zitz

Zachary and Arna Zohlman

Dori and Brian Friedman

William Brodsky and Minna Fyer ++

Ted and Christine Gerstein

Simon Glick and Leah Edmunds

Mark and Leslie Godridge

Daniel and Beverly Green +

Thomas and Mary Jane Haher

Peter and Margarita Halloran +++

Thomas Hicks

David and Alexis Hill

Sam and Katie Holliday

Peter and Lisa Holsberg

Rebecca Hornstein

John and Rosalie Hughes

Blaed Hutchinson

Joel and Alissa Isaacson

Judith and Gary Kadi

Milton and Heidi Klein

Austin Lambert ‘17

Andrew Lambert

Ben and Wendy Lehmann

Christopher and Esther Leon-Wales

Joseph and Kay Lindenfield

Bob Maclay and Karen Lundry

Jon and Sharmee Mah

Angelo and Julia Marketos

Claudia Marks

Boaz Mourad and Stacey Matthias

Eugene and Laura Mazzaro

Richard and Amy McDaid

Andor Skotnes and Teresa Meade

Gary Mellen

Christopher and Deborah Milite

Akiko Miyake

Paul Devlin and Gretchen Morgenson

Paul and Linda Mulhauser

Kerry O’Donnell

Adebayo and Amelia Ogunlesi

Robert Silverstein and Wanda Olson

Glenn Cox and Alisha Ostacher Cox

Nischal and Aline Pai

Alan and Leslie Pearson

Jeffrey and Nancie Perlowitz

German Guerrero and Kimerly Polak-Guerrero

Cary and Elyse Pollock

Cary and Elyse Pollock

Lane Schaffer and Karen Rabinowicz

Ron and Liat Raz

Ozier Muhammad and Lisa Redd

Ira and Paula Resnick

Samantha Resnick ‘12

Richard Rubin and Beth Rosenberg

Andrew Rosenbloom

Jason and Heidi Rosenfarb

Fredric and Vivienne Rottman

Fredric and Vivienne Rottman

Nicholas Stern and Barbara Samuels

Julie Sazant

Hollis Burridge and Michaela Schwartz

Jeremy and Elena Shahom

Paul and Claudia Shaum

Mark Silberberg and Tracy Butler

Nathan Rosen and Priva Simon

Marilyn Simons

Michael and Elizabeth Singer

Darren Skotnes ‘88

Hayward and Barbara Smith

Freddie Chambers and Paula Steele

Jon and Jenny Steingart

Dikla Strohl

Mieko Suzuki

Tongwei Liu and Julia Tung

Craig and Robin Unterberg

David and Elizabeth Varga

Howard Jacobson and Kathryn Wolfson

Marie Zehngebot

Antoine and Michelle Zemor

Zachary and Arna Zohlman

Current and Former Staff Donors

Adaora Achufusi

Richard and Carol Alston

Jacqueline Ament and Nelson Berberena

Beth Brenzel

Patrick Brune and Fred Greenblatt

Mario Cabrera

Elizabeth Cingari

Rebecca Frank

Sarah Goldenberg

Anthony Kapp and Alexander Sikkema

Jim Kunen and Lisa Karlin

Ariela Katz

Denise Lackos

Alison Lankenau

Cathy Lankenau-Weeks and Chris Weeks

Andrea Levinger-Phelan and Peter Phelan

Jane and Richard Liescheidt

Greta Lincoln

Frances Lo Casto

Jillian Mayonove

Albina Miller and Preston Faro

Morlon Mitchell

Barbara and David Morris

Corey Nascenzi

Corporation and Foundation Donors

Arnhold Foundation, Inc.

Ira M. Resnick Foundation

Law Offices of Regina Skyer

Live Breathe Fitness, Inc.

META

Nathan Tannenbaum Foundation, Inc. +

Parkside Parents Association

Paypal Charitable Giving Fund

SS&C Technologies

Stratton Charitable Foundation

The Abner Rosen Foundation

The Hilda Mullen Foundation

The Wasserman Foundation

Valley National Bank

Jamie Nussbaum

Inmeka Olmeda

Grier Richards

Lauren and Adam Schwartz

Rachel Sosland

Caitlin Stetner

Leslie and Andrew Thayer

Susan Thomas and Steven Hutchinson

Leslie Thorne and Tom Casey

Rachel Vannucci and Mick Bonde

Christine Yen

COMMEMORATIVE GIFTS

Memorial Gifts

In Memory of Kay Margraf Ancell

Jody Ransom

Linda Heitman

Patricia Bussard

Sarah Shamlal

In Memory of Marquita Francique

Adam Francique

In Memory of David Freeman

Evelyn Harmon

Marjorie Isenberg

Leslie Thorne and Tom Casey

Honorary Gifts

HONORARY GIFTS

In Honor of Harish Ahilan

Para Ahilan and Nirilla Anthonimuthu

In Honor of Remy Aubrun

Vincent Aubrun and Patricia Godoy

In Honor of Max Blankenbaker

Jorden Bickham

King Chong

In Honor of Jacob Boss

Madelon Krissoff

In Honor of Thomas Casey

Christopher and Deborah Milite

In Honor of Alex Georgiev

Gregory Galant

Lee Semel

In Honor of Olive Golden

Daniel and Sara Golden

In Honor of Albina Miller

Christopher and Deborah Milite

In Honor of Albina Miller and Leslie Thorne

Davida Sherwood

Corey Nascenzi

In Memory of Robert Hutchinson

Blaed Hutchinson

In Memory of Carol Nye

Joseph Nye

In Memory of Harriet Adams Redd

Ozier Muhammad and Lisa Redd

In Honor of Albina Miller, Leslie Thorne and Audrey Eisenberg

Chris Weeks and Cathy Lankenau-Weeks

In Honor of Grier Richards

Dawn Cooper

In Honor of the Speech Pathology Department

Patrick Brune and Fred Greenblatt

In Honor of Leslie Thorne

Christopher and Deborah Milite

OTHER GIVING

Facebook Fundraising

We extend a very special thank you to to the members of our community, and their friends and supporters, who launched campaigns on behalf of Parkside through Facebook.

Jamie Holland Giving Tuesday Fundraiser

Cristal Balaban

Angela Christensen

Eileen Hegmann Connell

Jen Iwanicki

Rosemarie Oakley

Michelle Olson-Rogers

Lynn Wilderman

Rob Tannenbaum

Birthday Fundraiser

Nan Barber

Ruth S. Barrett

Tom Beaujour

Serena Boyd

Carol Cashion

Erin Clermont

Bonnie Cole

Ilsa Enomoto

Tammy Faye

Guy Finley

General Donations

Mary Liz Alexander

Danit Almog

Amazon Smile

Autism Spectrum Champions, LLC

Summer Online Auction

Tansel and Sila Alan

Natan and Noemi Bitterman

Donald and Lindsay Dye

Scott and Elizabeth Gellman

Scott and Lisa Hustis

Bobbie Gale

Susie Galvin

Sharon Harkey

Stephanie Jones

Herbert Jue

Marlene Kalaydjian

Brett Leveridge

Jim Macnie

Don Maggi

Kayte Miller

Risa Morley-Medina

Joan Myers

Brendan O’Neill

Catherine Rademacher

Stephen Randall

David Rensin

Julie Robichaux

Jennifer Ryan Jones

Maximiliano Santinelli

Karen Schlosberg

David Schultz

Sara Sherr

Missy Tanenbaum

Mary Wagman

Sara Karp Golden Giving Tuesday Fundraiser

Jacki Bender

Douglas Ehrlich

Lori Golden

Jessica Robinson

Katie Roose

Austyn Stevens Miess

Simone Towbin

General Facebook Page Donors

Laura Dee

Jude Farrell

Jen Iwanicki

Nareg Kalaydjian

Anthony Kapp

Lynn Moro Wilderman

Leslie Thorne

Suzannah Weir

Evelyn Harmon

Marjorie Isenberg

Anthony Kapp Minted, LLC

Joseph Nye

Paypal Charitable Giving Fund

Peter and Holly Varsalona

Avtar and Salinee Kang

Anthony Kapp

Jeffrey and Rachel Levine

Laurie Marshall

Christopher Moore

Michael Lattis and Michelle Pakula

Lane Schaffer and Karen Rabinowicz

Regina Walker

Special Events

Sol Alberione

Ziv and Megan Arazi

Stuart and Dina Berrin

Michael and Corinne Bilerman

Fabio Botarelli ‘97

James and Kathleen Bowers

Erica Brandwein ‘13

Dora Butner ‘11

Oliver Cates-Addison ‘20

Robert and Eleanor Cayre

Marsha Cole

Robert King and Anne Davis

Zeke Dean ‘94

Thomas Delaney and Patrick Mullin

Henry Doede ‘21

Nicolas and Masayo Douglas

Johnny Dwyer and Sarah Magid

Simon Glick and Leah Edmunds

Ryan Camareno and Judy Frangie-Camareno

Melissa Gelade

Scott and Elizabeth Gellman

Erez Geron and Orna Issler

Ted and Christine Gerstein

Ruby Glick ‘22

Daniel and Sara Golden

Brett R. Goldstein

Heidi Green

Thomas and Mary Jane Haher

Catherine Halloran ‘13

Estela Helguera-Tegeder ‘21

Jonathan and Jamie Holland

Restricted Gifts

Social Work Department

The Anna Freud Foundation

Yearbook

Parkside Parents Association

Sam and Katie Holliday

Scott and Lisa Hustis

Tsuyoshi and Kaori Inoue

Anna Jennings

Nareg and Marlene Kalaydjian

Rajan Kang ‘18

Anthony Kapp

Asma Khaliq

Serhat and Beth Krause

Will Whitesell and Felicia La Forgia

Austin Lambert ‘17

Christopher and Esther Leon-Wales

Jeffrey and Rachel Levine

Paul Chew and Bindia Malhotra

Veli Topkara and Fardina Malik

Angelo and Julia Marketos

Richard and Amy McDaid

Denisa McIntyre ‘04

Albina Miller and Preston Faro

Maya Monroe

Christopher Moore

Marlo Navarro

Kerry O’Donnell

Finoula O’Mahony ‘19

Tanzilya and Michael Oren

Michael and Tanzilya Oren

Glenn Cox and Alisha Ostacher Cox

Dante L. Panora ‘09

Shari Patrick

William and Stephanie Perry

Debra Pesek

Lily Pesek ‘21

Gifts In Kind

Mary Liz Alexander

Leonard and Nicky Ellis

Michael Lattis and Michelle Pakula

Nxtime

Peter and Holly Varsalona

Daniel Wasserman

Ron and Liat Raz

Iris Reyl ‘22

Charles and Hilary Reyl

Karina Rizzi

Perry and Adam Rosen

Jason and Heidi Rosenfarb

Aaron Royer

Unique Samuel-Figueroa

Christopher Browne and Caroline Seklir

Maury Miller and Vanita Shastry

Rob Tannenbaum and Gabriela Shelley

Mark Silberberg and Tracy Butler

Darren Skotnes ‘88

Hayward and Barbara Smith

Gerald Karikari and Barbara Smith

Molly Snyder-Fink

Sia Sotirakis

Micah Steingart ‘20

Heather Strohl ‘16

Chelsey Tabor ‘04

Tricia Tabora and Evan Jehle

Jeffrey Tarpley ‘16

Andrew and Suzanne Taub

Brian Metzger and Stacey Thomas

Leslie Thorne and Tom Casey

Shu Tu and Kye Ye

Ashley Valentine ‘16

Peter and Holly Varsalona

Yu Wang

Jed Wasserman

Matthew and Joanna Weiss

Gabriel Zohlman ‘22

PARENTS ASSOCIATION SPRING BENEFIT AT CITY

PLANNING COMMITTEE

Danit Almog

Beth Krause

Rachel Levine

Michelle Pakula

Shu Tu

SPECIAL THANKS

Michael Dorf (City Winery)

Melissa Ferraro

James Lonsdale

Jane Paknia and Blue Morpho

Benoit Massy (Carnegie Framing)

Vanita Shastry

GOLD SPONSOR

Select Equity

Charles and Hilary Reyl

SILVER SPONSORS

Mary Liz Alexander

DONORS AND PATRONS

Vipul Adlakha and Ruchy Gupta

Tansel and Sila Alan

Sol Alberione

Mary Liz Alexander

Danit Almog

Ziv and Megan Arazi

Donna Assumma

Austin & Company, Inc.

Carol Baird

Jorden Bickham

Michael and Corinne Bilerman

Joan Snyder and Maggie Cammer

Cindy Cardinal and Daniel Tamkin

Brad and Ashley Carlin

Kristi Caruso

Carrie Catapano

Tim and Paula Cavanaugh

David Chitayat and Xhingyu Chen

Paul Chew and Bindia Malhotra

Tal Chitayat

Peter Gilligan and Sohini Chowdhury

Subrata and Elisabeth Chowdhury

Frances Clayton

Leslie Crowe

Alice Cunningham

Archina D’Agostino

Nicolas and Masayo Douglas

Emily Faro

Lisa Faro

Scott and Elizabeth Gellman

Alissa Ginsberg and Julie Wood

Laura Giustiniani

Daniel and Sara Golden

Thomas and Mary Jane Haher

Keith Haller and Randi Hirschberg

Jonathan and Jamie Holland

Scott and Lisa Hustis

Ira M. Resnick Foundation

Joel and Alissa Isaacson

Erez Geron and Orna Issler

Anna Jennings

Kirsten Johnson

Nelson Johnson

Judith and Gary Kadi

Nareg and Marlene Kalaydjian

Avtar and Salinee Kang

Anthony Kapp

Andrew Georgiev and Anna Kardaleva

Beth Krause

Serhat and Beth Krause

Andrew Boss and Sarah Krissoff

Kimberly Kuppenheimer

Thomas Sunshine and Nadia Kuprian

Chris Weeks and Cathy Lankenau-Weeks

Michael Lattis and Michelle Pakula

Lance Daniel and Iredeoya Lavezzari

Christopher and Esther Leon-Wales

Jeffrey and Rachel Levine

Andrea Levinger-Phelan and Peter Phelan

Heidi Lipton

Federico Lozano and Lucrecia Montemayor

Veli Topkara and Fardina Malik

Albina Miller and Preston Faro

Maury Miller and Vanita Shastry

Maria Mitchell

Christopher Moore

Michael and Diana Nahmias

Cindy Nathanson

Lief Nielsen and Uma Parikh-Nielsen

Michael and Tanzilya Oren

Edouard Paknia

Fabien and Oksana Pavlowsky

Alan and Leslie Pearson

Kyle Pearson

William and Stephanie Perry

Michael and Adina Pitt

Roman Klimenko and Natalia Potapova

Lane Schaffer and Karen Rabinowicz

Charles and Hilary Reyl

Perry and Adam Rosen

Adam and Perry Rosen

Jenny Samuelson

WINERY

Joshua Sapan and Ann Foley

John Dwyer and Grainne Saxe

Jessica Scovel and Tony Low

Christopher Browne and Caroline Seklir

Select Equity Group Foundation

Rob Tannenbaum and Gabriela Shelley

Joel Siev

Sia Sotirakis

Kelly Spitzley

Tricia Tabora and Evan Jehle

Brian Metzger and Stacey Thomas

Leslie Thorne and Tom Casey

Peter Ticali

Katie Tuss

Craig and Robin Unterberg

Peter and Holly Varsalona

Joseph and Ivy Venafro

Vincent Visceglia

Dirk Vander Wilt and Emily Wang

Jed Wasserman

Patrick and Suzannah Weir

Matthew and Joanna Weiss

Lynn Wilderman

Julie Wood and Alissa Ginsberg

IN-KIND DONORS

Abigail Huskisson

Adventureland

Albina Miller

Amanda Klotz

Amanda Mintzer

Barber Shop 72

BeFIT NYC

Bespoke Brows Inc.

Brooklearn

Classic Kids Photogrpahy

Claw Daddy’s NYC Color Me Mine

Courtney Takahashi

Dan Morrison

Danit Almog

Dearest

Elizabeth Gellman

Empowered Sports and Fitness, LLC

Esther Leon-Wales

Eva Qin Photography, LLC

Ginger Merritt

Guerlain Saks Fifth Avenue

Hannah Kearney

Ira Resnick

Jackie Ament

Jakiem Swinger

James Lonsdale

Jaymie Tannor

Jillian Mayonove

Joan Snyder

Joel Shapiro

Jorden Bickham

Karen Berlin Ishii Premier Tutoring and Test Prep

Karen and Nick Dragani

Kelly Holmes

Kohen Educational Services

LEGOLAND New York Resort

Leigh Ettinger

Lief Nielsen

Marissa Krauser

Mark Ryan Salon

Marlene Kalaydjian

Masayo Douglas

Megan Arazi

Melissa Ferraro

Miriam Restaurant

Morey’s Piers

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

NBC Universal Media

Nella Williams

New York Football Giants

New York Knicks Community Relations

New York Yankees

Norberto Abbate

NYC Academics

O Live Brooklyn

Oneness In Love, Inc.

Orna Issler

Patrick Weir

Patsy’s Pizzaria

Paul Chew

Rebecca Colwell

Rebecca Frank

Rob Tannenbaum

Sara Golden

Shu Tu

Sia Sotirakis

Splish Splash Waterpark

SPYSCAPE

Stacey Thomas

Tech Kids Unlimited

The Craft Studio

The Jewish Museum

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Tory Burch LLC

Tribeca Language

Vanita Shastry

Workplayce 2030 Broadway LLC

Yamilex Mejia

Additional

Parents Association Volunteers

PA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Patrick Weir

Stacey Thomas

Holly Varsalona

Paula Cavanaugh

Maia Borus

CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

Room 3-1

Sol Alberione

Room 3-2

Rachel Levine

Ivy Venafro

Room 3-3

Sara Golden

Shu Tu

Room 3-4

Sila Alan

Danit Almog

Jamie Holland

Room 4-1

Anna Jennings

Anna Kardaleva

Patrick Weir

Room 4-2

Sohini Chowdhury

Vanita Shastry

Room 4-3

Lief Nielson

Room 4-4

Stacey Thomas

Maia Borus

Room 5-2

Ashley Carlin

Room 5-4

Michelle Landauer

BOOK FAIR CO-CHAIRS

Michelle Landauer

Sarah Krissoff

Jamie Holland

WINE TASTING CO-CHAIRS

Stacey Thomas

Christopher Moore

HOLIDAY PARTY CO-CHAIRS

Ivy Venafro

Lisa Hustis

Rachel Levine

Jamie Holland

Teacher Appreciation Week Giveaways

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Alan A. Pearson, President

Albina R. Miller, Vice President

Brook Cuddy, Treasurer

Donna Assumma, Secretary

Corinne Bilerman

Lucinda Cardinal

Thomas B. Casey, III

Ethan Dabbs

Peter Halloran

Vita Miller, Emeritus

Nischal Pai

Stephanie Perry

Leslie F. Thorne

Peter Ticali

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

Albina Miller Co-Head of School

Leslie Thorne Co-Head of School