Page 3 - Ben Bronz Academy Brochure

A Message from the Chair of our Board of Directors
The 2021-2022 school year started on a high note with our new Executive Director, Dr. Gail Lanza, greeting our staff and our students who
were finally back full time in their classrooms. It was wonderful to see everyone busily working at their desks and interacting with each other, knowing that there were many smiles hiding behind their masks.
With the assistance of our recently completed Strategic Plan, Gail was able to quickly get up to speed and immediately embarked upon addressing the Goals and Objectives that had been identified through the work of the Board of Directors with input from the staff, our parent body, and our stakeholders during the previous year. First and foremost, we wanted to focus on “updating and diversifying BBA’s overall academic program to provide a best in class learning experience that not only remediates our students’ learning disabilities, but also supports their holistic development and prepares them to return to their mainstream schools”. Gail and Christina Lampere, our Education Director, worked diligently throughout the year to update and enhance curriculum, while also interviewing potential new staff members to fulfill our goal of building a related services team comprised of a School Psychologist, a Speech/ Language Pathologist, and an Occupational Therapist. These highly qualified professionals will now be available to provide our students with support as an integral part of our program.
Simultaneously, the Board of Directors was busy throughout the academic year planning our first ever Golf Tournament, a Covid safe event that we held this past May. Not only did the 85+ participants have a great day, but the profits will
provide the seed money for our new library/media center. With additional funding available through the Board’s full participation in our Annual Giving Campaign, in conjunction with the Travelers’ Birdies for Charity Program, we are now in good shape to make our dream of having a library/media center for our students a reality.
Despite the many challenges that the pandemic continued to provide throughout the year, the Board was also able to successfully
recruit and add another physician to our Board of Directors. Additionally, we have recently identified two extremely accomplished special educators who will be joining our Board in the Fall.
I am both pleased and proud to share the above highlights of what was accomplished this past year and am also very excited about all that lies ahead for Ben Bronz. As we begin the 2022-2023 School Year, it is with great pleasure that I look forward
to introducing you to my friend and colleague, Richard Rubenstein, a longstanding Director, who will succeed me as Chair at our Annual Meeting in October. I am confident that he will continue
to ensure that we meet our Strategic Goals and Objectives as we strive to provide the best possible program for all of our students.
With gratitude, appreciation, and ongoing hope for the future,
Barbara Brown, M.S., M.Ed.
Chair, Ben Bronz Board of Directors
UpSwing! 2022 Ben Bronz Academy Annual Report 1