July 17, 2014

Dear Fellow Alumni,

I am writing today to announce the election of new officers of the Stuyvesant High School Alumni Association (“SHSAA” or “Association”), and to share some exciting news about the strength of our organization going forward. On July 15th, the Campaign for Stuyvesant (“CFS”) and the Friends of Stuyvesant (“FOS”) have united with the Alumni Association to ensure there is one unified group working for the benefit of the school. As a result of this unification, we have a $500,000 challenge match that will, with your help, raise the first $1 million of what will become a permanent endowment for the school.

The History

The SHSAA, thanks to the support of our 34,200 alumni, has a long tradition of giving. Dedicated alumni have directed over $4 million in distributions to the school, students and faculty through our organization over the past decade. For over 25 years we have traditionally funded our mission through membership support in annual dues and generous gifts by giving all funds raised directly to the school. Today we are announcing an exciting new approach that will enable us to support larger capital projects and strategic initiatives for the school: Going forward, there will be one organization, the Stuyvesant High School Alumni Association, that will serve as the sole focal point for alumni fundraising efforts. This development was made possible by the cooperative efforts of the Campaign for Stuyvesant and the Friends of Stuyvesant, two existing endowment organizations formed for the benefit of the school, to consolidate all endowment fundraising activities in the SHSAA.

The alumni of Brooklyn Tech and Bronx Science have raised endowments of almost $22 million and $8 million respectively, and we are confident that our alumni will prove equally generous in support of the school that has given so much to each and every one of us.

What’s Different?

There were several changes we made to make this integration possible. We formally expanded our mission to include the goal of raising and maintaining an endowment. To oversee and ensure its success, we created a new Board of Trustees within the Association who have primary responsibility for this new priority and amended our by- laws to govern the relationship between the Board of Directors, the Trustees and staff of the SHSAA to guarantee fiscal responsibility. We also created a new class of membership so that our Association could be more inclusive to embrace parents, teachers, administrators and other interested persons who wish to support our mission to support the school – the Associate Member. Associate Members are eligible to attend all Association events, committee meetings, board meetings and serve as Trustees. However, only Alumni Members can vote for and serve on the Board of Directors.

Special Thanks

While we cannot thank each and every person that contributed to this consolidation as this was a collective effort, we extend a very special thanks to Principal Jie Zhang and Parent Coordinator Harvey Blumm for their invaluable support. As well, without the critical leadership, guidance and support of Jeff Kestler ’64 and Paul Weichsel ’49 (CFS), Donovan Moore P’03 and Han Hsien Tuan ’81 (FOS), former President Jukay Hsu ’02 and Executive Director Lisa Tepperberg ’88 (SHSAA), and the pro bono services of Lawyers’ Alliance, Fried Frank and White & Case, this success would not be possible.

This announcement formally presents the start of the Association’s fundraising drive to match a $500,000 challenge grant, which was made possible by the FOS and alumnus Boaz Weinstein ’91. We have until July 15, 2015 to raise this amount to get our endowment off to a solid start by reaching the first million in assets.

We are calling on all alumni to do their part and contribute. Please let us support Stuyvesant with the necessary funding to enhance the student experience to a level becoming a school of its stature. Let’s not forget that Stuyvesant in this limited era of public funding gets the same per-student-ratio funding as other high schools in New York City. This leaves the school short of funds in many key areas such as: updating our science laboratory equipment, which is over 20 years old; engaging external instruction for students to compete globally in multiple subjects; procuring technologically advanced instructional tools and advanced student resources such as smart tablets with e-textbooks as well as providing extra-curricular support including tournament funding in advance of championships. With 40% of our current student body coming from households that qualify for free or reduced lunch, these students cannot afford the costs of AP books, athletic equipment and club fees that are not covered by the Department of Education.

We need your help to keep Stuyvesant positioned at the forefront of excellence. We thank you for your continued support and look forward to building a great future with you – through alumni events, alumni engagement and with a robust endowment befitting of one of the jewels in the crown of New York City. Visit our new homepage at stuyalumni.org to find out how you can get more involved, make a gift or pay your annual membership dues and like our Facebook Page here! Please find your newly elected officers below:

The Newly Elected Executive Officers of the Alumni Association

• President – Soo Kim ’93
• 1st Vice President – Lawrence F. Marshall, MD ’61
• 2nd Vice President – Robert Ayzin ’00
• Treasurer – Vanessa Liu, JD ’92
• Recording Secretary – Evelyn Krejci ’76

Respectfully,

Soo Kim ’93
President