By Carol P. Bartold, Senior Reporter

Sep. 5, 2018:  “What’s really nice, and unique, about The Bronxville School,” said Superintendent Dr. Roy Montessano, “is having kindergarten through grade 12 in one building.” In reflecting on his first year as head of the district, Montesano commented that he has been fascinated to see how well one building not only enables all the schools to work together, but also promotes a pride of ownership within the Bronxville Village community.

“While every town I’ve been fortunate enough to work in certainly loves their schools,” Montesano said, “there is something singular in Bronxville about the level of community support.” He described it as a pride that gains energy as a family’s entire generation of children progresses and attends school in the same building. “The Bronxville School really is the center of this community.”

Montesano praised the dedication and efforts of The Bronxville School Foundation in funding projects and improvements. “The Foundation is a tremendous asset,” he said, “like nothing I have ever experienced. What they have been able to do for us is wonderful.”

The new 2018-2019 academic year promises to be one of expansion. Dr. Montesano predicts that facilities enhancements and improvements, which will be funded by the referendum approved by voters in March, will be transformational in improving the quality of educational offerings. He observed that the physical facilities, as configured now, can prove to be a limitation in moving toward a 21st-century education that involves project-based work and student collaboration, as well as independent study. “We’re pushing against the outskirts of what exists,” he said, “and with new configurations we’ll be able to figuratively expand our walls.”

The district continues to hold regular meetings with the architects to review design and construction plans. Montesano anticipates that by mid-September, those documents will be approximately 75 percent complete.

The elementary school playground, rebuilt over the summer, is complete and will be ready for students at the opening of school. The school anticipates holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration for the playground in October.

The remaining three pumps needed to complete the flood mitigation project, also part of the March referendum, will be installed in November, Montesano reported. State education department approval has been obtained and the school district has issued a purchase order for those pumps. Montesano also reported that the initial two pumps have performed as designed during heavy rains over the spring and summer.

On the academic front, Dr. Montesano outlined the school’s plan to continue defining and expanding The Bronxville Promise by focusing on the Engaged Citizenship disposition. “This will coincide with our goal of expanding the student portfolio project we have been working on for the past year,” he said. Begun as a pilot program with a group of seniors during the 2017-2018 academic year, the portfolios are meant as a record of students’ work and a reflection of their experiences as they relate to the dispositions of the Promise. During the new school year, younger students will begin work on their portfolios. The portfolios, at present, are not part of the college application package, but Montesano indicated that they will provide information and data they can use to further their applications.

Although final enrollment figures will not be submitted to the state until October, Montesano expects enrollment to hold steady at last year’s level of approximately 1,660 students. “We have some new students,” he said, “but nothing that’s putting overall stress on any one grade level.” 

Pictured here:  Superintendent Roy R. Montesano.

Photo courtesy The Bronxville School