Alumni News
Alumni
Grace alumni are part of our school community for a lifetime and we are always delighted to welcome them. By sharing their time, talent, and philanthropy, Grace alumni remain integral to the fabric and future of the Grace Church School.
We hope that you will continue (or begin!) to engage with us as you move through your post-Grace journeys. Drop by for a visit, volunteer, connect with fellow alumni, or send us your life updates. We welcome your engagement, at whatever level, both online and in person.
Ready to get involved? Contact Director of Alumni Relations Renata Henry.
“It makes us proud to see the values taught and embodied at Grace carried to all corners of the world. Our alumni lead across a vast array of fields with kindness, integrity, and vigor. Even more, it brings us great joy when alumni return to help steward the Grace experience for the generations coming behind them.“
Renata Henry, Director of Alumni Relations
The Grace Alumni Association helps alums enjoy a continuing relationship with the school long after graduation through annual events such as milestone reunions, social gatherings, networking opportunities and opportunities to volunteer. It sponsors a speaker series, bringing alumni to talk to current students about their careers and interests; and extends a hand to the youngest alums, via Alumni Connect, a growing professional network. Whether you graduated from eighth grade or 12th grade or left Grace at another point along the way, you are a member of the Alumni Association and the larger Grace community, and we hope you will stay connected.
Serve as an expert for high school independent study projects; talk to students about your career in the Speaker Series; or join on a committee of the Alumni Board to plan events, support giving, and help with communications. Contact the Alumni Relations Office to get started.
GCS Alumni Board Members
Elizabeth Kipp-Giusti ’04, Chair
Annie Evans ’01, Vice Chair
Ellen Gustafson ’01, Vice Chair and Annual Fund Committee Chair
Julian Chernyk ’06, Membership Committee Chair
Jasmin Stanley ’03, Events Committee Chair
Katy Arons ’20
Gregory Gerard ’74
Lisa Highet ’17
Penelope Hinds ’18
Pierce Jackson ’99
Sarah Katz ’00
Anabel Keany ’10
Cecilia Magnusson ’01
Oliver Magnusson ’09
Tilden Marbit ’01
Pablo Marvel ’06
Nkem Oghedo ’04
Emeritus Members
Mary-Paula Bailey Allegaert ’71
Ted Chaloner ’59
Durrell H. Godfrey ’58
Rodney K. Hobbs ’69
Evan Silverman ’85
Ex-Officio Members
Renata Henry, Director of Alumni Relations
Lele LeVay, Director of Advancement
Leah Rosenbaum, Director of Annual Giving
There are so many ways to get involved, connect with students, and give back. We hope you will stay engaged with Grace long after graduation.
In October 2019, Grace Church School and Grace Church jointly engaged child protection specialists from Cozen O’Connor’s Institutional Response Group to conduct an independent, sensitive, trauma-informed investigation into a report of abuse from a 1997 graduate. Since then, the School and the Church have responded to reports of sexual abuse involving multiple choir members and school graduates from the 1990s. Our Board of Trustees also partnered with the Vestry at Grace Church to establish an External Review Committee to evaluate the ways we ensure the safety of children at the School and Church today. In keeping with our commitment to transparency with our community, we have made available the full Cozen O’Connor Investigative Report, the Executive Summary of the Investigative Report, and the External Review Committee Report.
We sought to respond to these heartbreaking reports in a forthright manner, to act with integrity in our response, and to support health and healing in our communities. We deeply regret that the School and the Church failed to protect students entrusted to our care, for which we feel profound sorrow. The leadership of both the School and Church have committed to honoring the courage of the survivors by learning from past failures detailed in Cozen’s report and from the recommendations of the External Review Committee, working with diligence and integrity to ensure that the well-being of Grace’s students is held sacred and protected.
We encourage anyone with information pertaining to child abuse or sexual misconduct at the Church or School to contact Head of School Robbie Pennoyer (rpennoyer@gcschool.org or 212-475-5609), local law enforcement, or child protective services.
Grace is a different place from the environment of the 1990s. We have implemented safeguards designed to detect and prevent predatory behaviors, including protocols and reporting systems, background checks for all new hires, and training that exceeds what is currently mandated by law. The expanded scope of the student Health & Wellness Curriculum and parent education opportunities around healthy relationships, consent, and preventing and recognizing signs of misconduct or abuse are additional measures we have in place today. We are confident in our current program, in our cooperative relationship with Grace Church, and in the many ways both School and Church promote the safety and well-being of our students.