Staten Island Community Charter School was built by a community that wanted it, believed in it and supported it.

Our school is meeting its enrollment, educational and parent-involvement goals because of our dedicated school leadership and teaching staff and because a lot of individuals, families and organizations on Staten Island lent us their support and encouragement. We have a great many people to thank.

The enduring contribution of our Founding Principal

Mrs. Pauline Frank led SICCS during the 2010-11 school year after working with the original SICCS planning team to secure charter authorization. As school leader, Mrs. Frank assembled and trained our instructional staff and implemented our educational program. We honor our Founding Principal for her enduring contribution, which has benefitted the entire school community.

The Charter Center: An indispensable partner

The New York City Charter School Center — which delivers a variety of information and training services to existing and prospective charter schools — provided incubation space that became SICCS’s first home, where we developed much of our charter application. Charter Center staff members were a huge help in getting our charter approved in December, 2009.

Support from our elected representatives

We’re grateful to Staten Island Borough President James Molinaro, Councilwoman Debi Rose, State Senator Diane Savino, Assemblyman Matt Titone and former Congressman Mike McMahon, who were early supporters.

Individuals and organizations found many ways to help

Elizabeth Egbert, President and CEO and Henryk Behnke, Director of Marketing and External Affairs of the Staten Island Museum, graciously provided the founding board with a place to meet; hosted our very first enrollment lottery; and have become enthusiastic collaborators since. The St. George Civic Association (SGCA) was our school’s earliest community partner; special thanks go to SGCA president Theo Dorian, for his support and encouragement. We’re also grateful to Joe Carroll, Staten Island Community Board 1′s district manager, for his insights into available city-owned real estate, when we were seeking a home for our new school.

SICCS owes a huge debt of gratitude to founding board members Ellen Bate, who provided legal review and consultation; Mary Bullock, who broadened and deepened our understanding of the arts as a teaching tool; Iris Kelly, whose finance/accounting skills and eye for detail were a big asset to our founding team; Tina Sher, who represented the school officially on many occasions and who contributed significantly to our approved charter document; and Joan Shulman, who lent us her very helpful perspective on pedagogic issues.

We thank Frances Paulo-Huber, former President and CEO, and the Board of Directors of Snug Harbor Cultural Center, for their support and interest in establishing SICCS on the center’s beautiful grounds. Though the timing proved unworkable, we were and remain grateful for their public-spirited offer.

The founders of SICCS will always remember the encouragement we received from Trinity Lutheran Church’s Pastor Richard Michael and church council representative Charles Bellmeyer, who offered us the then-vacant space we now occupy at the former Trinity Lutheran School. The Mud Lane Society for the Preservation of Stapleton and principal officers Mirjana Luczun, Dr. Ted Brown, Janet Sirotta, Joseph Kubera, Marge Hack and Cynthia Mailman gave SICCS a warm welcome­­––and a welcome contribution!

Internationally known architect Louise Braverman generously created an interior space that matches our vision and will direct the renovation of our expanded space as we prepare to move into first-floor classrooms formerly occupied by Trinity Lutheran School.

The community-minded people at Sherwin Williams donated paint and advised on colors. St. George architect Sarah Power provided urgently needed space planning assistance. Gerardi’s Farmers Market, New Brighton, contributed a generous supply of pumpkins for SICCS’s first ‘pumpkin patch’ in front of our school. Stapleton resident, artist, and Wagner College instructor Steve Nutt helped assemble our office furniture. Silver Lake photographer/ folklorist Irma Bohorquez-Geisler sponsored a craft auction to benefit our school. St. George architects Kevin Rice and Pablo Vengoechea gave us solid advice on renovation and construction.

And for the painting, we had expert help from the apprenticeship program of the Finishing Trades Institute, jointly sponsored by the International Union of Painters & Allied Trades (IUPAT) and District Council 9.

Letters of support from directors of community organizations

Cesar Claro, Executive Director
Richmond County Savings Bank Foundation

Melanie Cohn, Executive Director
Council on the Arts & Humanities for Staten Island

Robin A. Dublin, Executive Director, Kathleen E. Vorwick, President
Greenbelt Conservancy, Inc.

Elizabeth Dubovsky, Executive Director
Staten Island Foundation

Mindy Duitz, President
Learning Leaders

Elizabeth Egbert, CEO and Executive Director
Staten Island Museum

Beth Gorrie, Executive Director
Staten Island OutLOUD

Tami Greer-Brown, President
Staten Island NAACP Education Committee

D.B. Lampman, Director of Education
The Noble Maritime Museum

Scott Noppe-Brandon, Executive Director
Lincoln Center Institute

Stephen Preskill, Chair
Wagner College

Tom Roderick, Executive Director
Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility

Dina Rosenthal, Executive Director
Staten Island Children’s Museum

Rose Shargo, Education Director
Jewish Community Center of Staten Island

Ken Struve, Executive Director
City Access of New York

Ed Wiseman, Executive Director
Historic Richmondtown/Staten Island Historical Society

Letters of support from Staten Island parents

Adrienne Abbate
Susannah Abbate
Leslie Chow
Tony DeGeorge
Tamara Jenkins
Margaret Lorczak
Jennifer Lytton
Katie McCarthy
Leah Mitchell
Patrizia Vignola
Deborah Young

. . . and petitions in support of our school signed by 200 Staten Island parents.

THANK YOU.