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Townsend
Harris Forever!
The
100th Anniversary Campaign
Post
Office Box 1274 - Gracie Station - New York, N.Y. - 10028
Eugene
Lang '34
Honorary Chairman |
Ted Peck
'42
Director |
Jeffrey
Cohen '90
Assistant Director |
In
March, the Townsend Harris Alumni Association launched Townsend
Harris Forever! an
unprecedented effort to raise money in support of Townsend Harris
High School, its students, teachers, academic programs, athletic
teams and extracurricular activities.
Our
goal is to raise more than $2 million in contributions by Founder's
Day 2004, which will mark the 20th Anniversary of the reopening
of Townsend Harris High School. Already, we have received more than
$400,000 in gifts and pledges
toward our goal.
Townsend
Harris, like schools across New York City, has been subject to severe
budget cuts by the Board of Education and the city and state governments.
These cutbacks present a substantial obstacle to providing students
with the rich high school experience that Townsend Harris alumni
experienced during their high school years -- whether they attended
school in the 1930's or the 1980's.
Public
schools across America are now turning to private partners to support
their students and programs. Many seek corporate sponsorship and
foundation grants. A select few schools like Townsend Harris are
also able to turn to an active and loyal base of alumni to step
in and insure the school's continued excellence.
Townsend
Harris Forever! will
create several "endowment" funds that will be used to
support the high school in perpetuity. This means that the principal
amount of your donation is protected, to insure that your gift will
continue to enrich the lives of Townsend Harris students forever!
As
the donor, you choose the fund that you wish to support. The funds
and the specific goals are as follows:
Publications Fund
To support
the school newspaper, yearbook, literary magazine and other
publications):
$250,000 goal.
$51,000
pledged so far.
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Athletics
To support
all of the various needs of Townsend Harris athletic teams:
$300,000 goal. |
Library
To augment
the holdings of the school library and support special exhibits
and collections:
$75,000 goal. |
Textbooks
To supplement
the school textbook budget, which in recent years has run a
$15,000 annual shortfall:
$300,000
goal.
$25,000
pledged
so far.
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Community Service
To support
the school's numerous community service programs:
$100,000
goal.
$100,000
pledged. Goal achieved!
|
Photocopy
For equipment
and maintenance need to duplicate exams and other course materials:
$75,000
goal. |
Technology
To provide
and maintain the most modern computer systems and support materials:
$300,000 goal.
|
Music
To supplement
all school music programs, including the student orchestra and
band:
$150,000
goal.
$25,000 pledged so far. |
Classical Languages
To support
and augment the classical languages program:
$35,000
goal. |
Faculty Development
To support
special teacher training and insure the best possible teaching
staff:
$200,000 goal.
$200,000
pledged. Goal achieved!
|
Drama/Theater
To support
drama programs and to insure a world-class school play each
year, with sets, costumes, props:
$175,000 goal.
$5,000 pledged so far. |
School Vans
To replace
and maintain school vehicles:
$40,000
goal. |
In
the past, alumni have given generously to create numerous scholarship
programs that support students in their education beyond Townsend
Harris. The Alumni Association will continue to administer these
scholarship programs and will continue to establish new scholarships
as donors request them.
Gifts
raised through Townsend
Harris Forever! will
go directly to benefit current students at the school, to provide
them with the best possible high school experience. Until now, the
Alumni Administration has supported school programs on an operational
rather than "endowment" basis. For example, to augment
the classical language program, the Alumni Association currently
pays the salary of the school's Hebrew language teacher and to broaden
the music program, the Alumni Association pays for a special Strings
instructor. Most recently, generous alumni donors quickly came together
to help the school create its special Social Science Research lab
-- to support students who are participating in high-stakes social
science research competitions.
Townsend
Harris and its students have been featured recently on Public
Television's NewsHour, which is broadcasting a special series
on high school research competition.
It
is important for all alumni to recognize that the re-opened Townsend
Harris is not a successor to the original school in name alone,
but truly embodies the original high standards of academic excellence.
No other public high school in America as is committed to the classics
and the humanities -- the crucial core of a liberal arts education.
And
while Townsend Harris puts a priority on humanities, Townsend Harris
students nevertheless continue to excel in the sciences frequently
besting their competitors from the science-focused schools -- Stuyvesant,
Bronx Science and Brooklyn Tech.
The
Alumni Association is committed to recognizing the generosity of
benefactors to Townsend Harris. In cases, where a donor provides
the substantial majority of a fund, that fund will be named in honor
of the donor, if he or she wishes, or in honor of any other person
that the donor wishes to recognize.
There
are numerous ways to make your contribution to Townsend
Harris Forever! including
as a direct cash gift, a bequest, a charitable remainder trust,
a gift of appreciated securities and more.
If
you would like to donate today, please send your contribution to:
Townsend
Harris Forever!
The 100th Anniversary Campaign
Post
Office Box 1274 - Gracie Station - New York, N.Y. - 10028
If
you would like more information or would like to speak with our
campaign director, Ted Peck '42, about the various methods of giving,
please send e-mail to president@thaa.org
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