Ossining Schools Honor Retirees, Announce Grants
Good news dominated the Ossining School Board‘s Wednesday meeting, as administrators paused to honor district leaders, salute retirees and accept donations from the Ossining Matters educational foundation.
Elisabeth Gilbert, the new president of Ossining Matters, announced to the board that the group would be donating $82,208 this year to fund 19 projects at all six of the district’s schools.
That funding brings the total monies donated by Ossining Matters in its six years of existence to more than $550,000.
This year, the funding will support “a mix of innovative proposals and continued funding for proven successes,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert is also the wife of school board member Graig Galef.
The Ossining Matters grants will fund projects like an instrument purchase fund, a series of assemblies tackling everything from nutrition and healthy habits to substance abuse, and “Click and Learn,” a website for reading and math instruction in the elementary schools.
The grants will also support a vegetable and flower garden at the Roosevelt School, an outdoor classroom at the Claremont School and a donation of iPads to help “struggling learners” at Ossining High School.
Ossining Superintendent Phyllis Glassman said she and the board are very grateful for the Ossining Matters funding.
“It’s just remarkable what Ossining Matters contributes to this district,” she said. “Each year, it seems to get better and better.”
Another beneficiary of the Ossining Matters funding is the “1,000 Books” program, which encourages district parents to have their children read — or read aloud to their children — one thousand books before the age of six.
At the Wednesday board meeting, one student who achieved this milestone was honored: Siri Reddy, a Park School kindergarten student.
Faculty members Mary Katherine Hillman and Vanessa Downey honored Reddy and touted the program, which had 130 new families sign up this year.
“Continue your love of reading and allow books to take you to many wonderful places,” Hillman told Reddy, who was in attendance along with her parents.
Anne M. Dorner Middle School English teacher Elizabeth Bly was also honored with the district’s Outstanding Leadership Award for her work in pioneering Ossining’s Relay for Life anti-cancer event.
Bly said she was “truly, truly honored and slightly embarrassed” to receive the distinction.
“Relay for Life has been a very personal cause for me,” she said. “My mom is my personal inspiration for getting involved.”
Bly said she was proud of the Ossining High School students she’s worked with on the event, many of whom plan to “take their Ossining experience and what they learned here and take it forward” to establish and pioneer Relay for Life events on their college campuses.
In addition, 13 retirees were honored, and Assistant Superintendent Raymond Sanchez told the board that, combined, the educators had served the district for more than 258 years.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
