Dear Park School Community - If you’ve attended a concert or school gathering at Park over the past 60+ years, you’ve likely been treated to a rousing rendition of There is a School or the more traditional Park School Hymn. In the former, the song closes with, “So, we’d like to know a school with more go, and we’ll stand by it till the end, oh!” The latter, written by Mary Capen Davis ‘30, sings “Hearts filled with love and loyalty, we give to follow in thy truth.” Both allude to the steadfast support Park has always received from our community - our school family, if you will - and the belief of our community in the power of a Park education. In her book, An Adventure with Children, founding headmistress Mary Hammett Lewis used the words “community” and “family” a total of 40 times throughout the book’s 137 pages. She closes Chapter II, detailing the very early days of Park's existence, by saying, "The nucleus of the first tiny school, a remarkable group...brought with them the wonderful spirit of the pioneer school, and it was no time at all before our family was at home." During her 12 years at Park, Miss Lewis certainly held in high regard the people that made up the Park community and the many ways they helped to build and sustain the school during its early years. Now, 112+ years after Park began, one of the constants of our school remains our incredible community, so it is only fitting that the theme of this year’s issue of the Pioneer centers on just that. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines community as “a unified body of individuals.” These five words are a simple way to describe the beauty of what we have here at Park. Our community of faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents and guardians, grandparents, board members, neighbors, and friends come together often and with enthusiasm to cheer on sporting events; watch our students act, sing, play instruments, and showcase their art; attend the annual auction; support our teachers; or simply enjoy the campus. What makes Park even more special is that our community is made up of actual families who attend, work at, and champion the school with their siblings, cousins, spouses, and children. The following pages will give you a glimpse into different facets of our community: hear from Board President Mark Karrer ‘73; meet Noah ‘25 and Evan ‘25: cousins, lifelong Park students, and children of Park faculty; learn about the important role that our athletics program plays in our school community; get to know a few alumni who still consider Park an important part of their families; read through our incredible Impact Report from the 2023/24 fiscal year; and more. We are all enriched by the many ways our community members support Park's aspirations through their generosity and goodwill. As Park moves through its 113th year, it is important to further elevate and support the community we’ve all created here. Park puts problem-solving students into the world; ensuring that continues for another 100+ years and beyond is more important now than ever. Your continued participation and support is what will make this possible. With appreciation, Kim Ruppel, Director of Development kruppel@theparkschool.org PARK Pioneer Head of School: Lisa Conrad President: Keith Frome, Ed.D Pioneer Editor + Designer: Kim Ruppel Contributors: Cheryl Benzinger, Noah Benzinger '25, Jacob Bird '27, Lisa Conrad, Stephanie Dommer, Keith Frome, Seamus Gallivan '96, Patty Cohen Gelman '66, Charles Hartney, Jarret Izzo ’03, Mark Karrer '73, Harry Lipsitz '10, Amariana Rhodes '25, Kasia Wardynski '79, Paula Wardynski '75, Skip Wardynski '77, Sue Wardynski, Amy Wiese, Evan Wiese '25, Brooke Zillig '10 Printing: Zenger Group © Copyright 2025 The Park School of Buffalo: All rights reserved. No content from this publication may be reproduced or reprinted in any form without the express written consent of The Park School. On the Cover: The spirit of Park's joyful, inclusive community was on display at a recent all-school Pep Rally as students cheered enthusiastically for their peers. FOLLOW US To update your address, email development@theparkschool.org or call 716.839.1242. /theparkschoolofbuffalo @parkschoolofbuffalo /the-park-school-of-buffalo A Note from the Editor
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTcyNDA=