We hope this note reaches you in good spirits. We write to share our concerns about the organization
that connects us all—Prep for Prep—and to call upon all alumni to express their
concerns to Aileen Hefferren, Prep’s Chief Executive, and Prep’s Board of
Trustees by signing the Prep
for Prep: Alumni and the Future of the Program petition.
Over the past decade, drastic changes have taken place at Prep that have caused an increasing number of alumni to feel disconnected with the organization in which we literally grew up. The first was the unceremonious departure of Prep’s founder, Gary Simons. Then came the change to the Prep seal without any forewarning to the alumni. Most recently, Prep announced the retirement of Peter Bordonaro, Deputy Executive Director & Director of Academic Programs, but has expressed no intention to retain him in any substantive capacity within the organization, contrary to what has been done for departing executive staff members, Dominic Michel and Jonathan Mills. The latest event is the restructuring of Prep’s Admissions Department which resulted in the removal of esteemed Prep alumna Tarmla “Tammy” Small and left the admissions office devoid of anyone with significant experience in finding and evaluating PREP 9 candidates. Moreover, there is not one decision-maker in the entire department with any independent day school or boarding school experience.
Over 100 years of combined Prep expertise and institutional knowledge has been lost in the last two years (Peter, Tammy, Dominic and Jonathan). When it comes to the Prep Brand and Culture, we alumni have a vested interest in ensuring that the organization that raised us continues on a positive course. We must make our voices heard when the organization fails in its commitment to Prep and our fellow alumni. Most of us will and have done anything for Prep: donating to the alumni giving campaign; offering internships to students; and featuring in the Annual Report and at the Lilac Ball. However, Aileen and the Board of Trustees must realize that we are willing to support Prep to the best of our abilities, but only to the extent that it recognizes us as important stakeholders to be considered when making structural changes to our organization.
1) make your pledges to the Alumni Giving Campaign for this fiscal year but withhold making the actual donations; and
2) refrain from attending Prep events, including the Lilac Ball.
For those of you who have already made your gift to Prep, please consider requesting a refund and ask that your supporters do the same. Also, sign the Prep for Prep: Alumni and the Future of the Program petition and feel free to leave a testimonial.
Remember, we are the embodiment of Prep’s motto: Excellence, Integrity, Commitment and Courage. Leaders don’t just happen!
Thank you for your time and consideration and make sure to share this letter with fellow Prep alumni.
Sincerely,
Erick Espin (P9 VI)
Renee M. Chung (XVII)
June Arrington-Pena (P9 VI)
Esosa Ogbahon (P9 VI)
Christian Pena (XIII)
Asia Witherspoon (P9 VII)
Updates
April 18, 2014
Reaching this level of support carries a weight I did not anticipate when I first started this. It is exhausting to keep pushing against a wall of silence, but seeing so many of you acknowledge these changes gives me the resolve to keep going.
17 Comments
Here's a thought on what the petition could request: 3 Young Alumni Trustee seats. Full voting members of the Board who serve three year terms. One trustee could be voted in every year, with one rotating off every third year. It'd be a way to ensure a seat at the table for vested alums who don't have the deep pockets of traditional board members.
For many of us, Prep is a family and not a program. I recently asked a younger member of Prep who her advisors were and she could not remember. I was blown away. My advisors were my heroes. This is a sign of an untimely departure from something that was so central to so many of us, and is still the core of who I am today. I wholeheartedly support this reclamation and hope I can be a part of it #GFunksKids (XVIII)
Prep for prep is a institution build on education and reforming the inherent discrimination in the American educational system. Without Prep for prep I would not have been able to attend and graduate from a top boarding school and Ivy League university. It forged the leaders of the future. To eliminate those personnel who were instrumental in the development of this great institution is a travesty and reeks of corporatism which was never the intent of prep for prep.
Ditto for delmas three questions. What process will alumnus use to elect these individuals? How do we ensure that they are in fact a proxy for alums as opposed to a rubber stamp for the greater board? From my understanding our trustees have to raise a min fundraising target per year...perhaps we could pool our resources into a trust which will then form our electees contribution to the pot contingent on their election to the board?
I am saddened to hear that Prep has continued to make decisions that seem to run counter to its mission. Losing long time and esteemed members of the community has shaken my faith in the leadership. It is my hope that they hear the voices of the Prep for Prep family and right the ship posthaste. I can remember the first time that I used "posthaste" in an essay in Mr. Rayhill's class. This is the type of indelible mark that Prep has left of most if not all of us.
Hello All, I am glad that the dialogue has begun. I just wanted to add an item that greatly concerened me. For the past several years, I have served as an Alumni Interviewer. Several years ago, Prep 9 increased the number of students to the prepatory component without obtaining an increased admissions committement from boarding schools. What this means is that approximately 20 extra students students are admitted to Prep 9 then cut after the first summer, regardless of how they perform. I highly disagree with this practice for many reasons. I was told that this practice was implemented by the Board. I am not 100 percent sure if my facts are straight, but I have heard this from more than a few people and I want it to be added to the list of items discussed. I plan to attend the stratefic meetings and raise it. Thanks, Damaris
Happy Birthday Tammy! Prep for Prep is what it is because of you
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We hope this note reaches you in good spirits. We write to share our concerns about the organization
that connects us all—Prep for Prep—and to call upon all alumni to express their
concerns to Aileen Hefferren, Prep’s Chief Executive, and Prep’s Board of
Trustees by signing the Prep
for Prep: Alumni and the Future of the Program petition.
Over the past decade, drastic changes have taken place at Prep that have caused an increasing number of alumni to feel disconnected with the organization in which we literally grew up. The first was the unceremonious departure of Prep’s founder, Gary Simons. Then came the change to the Prep seal without any forewarning to the alumni. Most recently, Prep announced the retirement of Peter Bordonaro, Deputy Executive Director & Director of Academic Programs, but has expressed no intention to retain him in any substantive capacity within the organization, contrary to what has been done for departing executive staff members, Dominic Michel and Jonathan Mills. The latest event is the restructuring of Prep’s Admissions Department which resulted in the removal of esteemed Prep alumna Tarmla “Tammy” Small and left the admissions office devoid of anyone with significant experience in finding and evaluating PREP 9 candidates. Moreover, there is not one decision-maker in the entire department with any independent day school or boarding school experience.
Over 100 years of combined Prep expertise and institutional knowledge has been lost in the last two years (Peter, Tammy, Dominic and Jonathan). When it comes to the Prep Brand and Culture, we alumni have a vested interest in ensuring that the organization that raised us continues on a positive course. We must make our voices heard when the organization fails in its commitment to Prep and our fellow alumni. Most of us will and have done anything for Prep: donating to the alumni giving campaign; offering internships to students; and featuring in the Annual Report and at the Lilac Ball. However, Aileen and the Board of Trustees must realize that we are willing to support Prep to the best of our abilities, but only to the extent that it recognizes us as important stakeholders to be considered when making structural changes to our organization.
1) make your pledges to the Alumni Giving Campaign for this fiscal year but withhold making the actual donations; and
2) refrain from attending Prep events, including the Lilac Ball.
For those of you who have already made your gift to Prep, please consider requesting a refund and ask that your supporters do the same. Also, sign the Prep for Prep: Alumni and the Future of the Program petition and feel free to leave a testimonial.
Remember, we are the embodiment of Prep’s motto: Excellence, Integrity, Commitment and Courage. Leaders don’t just happen!
Thank you for your time and consideration and make sure to share this letter with fellow Prep alumni.
Sincerely,
Erick Espin (P9 VI)
Renee M. Chung (XVII)
June Arrington-Pena (P9 VI)
Esosa Ogbahon (P9 VI)
Christian Pena (XIII)
Asia Witherspoon (P9 VII)
Updates
April 18, 2014
Reaching this level of support carries a weight I did not anticipate when I first started this. It is exhausting to keep pushing against a wall of silence, but seeing so many of you acknowledge these changes gives me the resolve to keep going.
17 Comments
Thank you for writing this petition. I’d love to understand the rationale and context behind the recent restructuring decisions. I support this petition for its call to transparency. When I think of Prep, I think of Peter Bordonaro and Tammy Smalls and the huge impact they’ve had on my life trajectory and identity. To that end, I’d love to have more information on the following questions: 1. Why was Tammy Small pushed out of her role? 2. Why won’t Peter Bordonaro play a substantive capacity within the organization? 3. What is the future of organizational culture at Prep?
Here's a thought on what the petition could request: 3 Young Alumni Trustee seats. Full voting members of the Board who serve three year terms. One trustee could be voted in every year, with one rotating off every third year. It'd be a way to ensure a seat at the table for vested alums who don't have the deep pockets of traditional board members.
For many of us, Prep is a family and not a program. I recently asked a younger member of Prep who her advisors were and she could not remember. I was blown away. My advisors were my heroes. This is a sign of an untimely departure from something that was so central to so many of us, and is still the core of who I am today. I wholeheartedly support this reclamation and hope I can be a part of it #GFunksKids (XVIII)
Prep for prep is a institution build on education and reforming the inherent discrimination in the American educational system. Without Prep for prep I would not have been able to attend and graduate from a top boarding school and Ivy League university. It forged the leaders of the future. To eliminate those personnel who were instrumental in the development of this great institution is a travesty and reeks of corporatism which was never the intent of prep for prep.
Ditto for delmas three questions. What process will alumnus use to elect these individuals? How do we ensure that they are in fact a proxy for alums as opposed to a rubber stamp for the greater board? From my understanding our trustees have to raise a min fundraising target per year...perhaps we could pool our resources into a trust which will then form our electees contribution to the pot contingent on their election to the board?
I am saddened to hear that Prep has continued to make decisions that seem to run counter to its mission. Losing long time and esteemed members of the community has shaken my faith in the leadership. It is my hope that they hear the voices of the Prep for Prep family and right the ship posthaste. I can remember the first time that I used "posthaste" in an essay in Mr. Rayhill's class. This is the type of indelible mark that Prep has left of most if not all of us.
Hello All, I am glad that the dialogue has begun. I just wanted to add an item that greatly concerened me. For the past several years, I have served as an Alumni Interviewer. Several years ago, Prep 9 increased the number of students to the prepatory component without obtaining an increased admissions committement from boarding schools. What this means is that approximately 20 extra students students are admitted to Prep 9 then cut after the first summer, regardless of how they perform. I highly disagree with this practice for many reasons. I was told that this practice was implemented by the Board. I am not 100 percent sure if my facts are straight, but I have heard this from more than a few people and I want it to be added to the list of items discussed. I plan to attend the stratefic meetings and raise it. Thanks, Damaris
Happy Birthday Tammy! Prep for Prep is what it is because of you
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Thank you for writing this petition. I’d love to understand the rationale and context behind the recent restructuring decisions. I support this petition for its call to transparency. When I think of Prep, I think of Peter Bordonaro and Tammy Smalls and the huge impact they’ve had on my life trajectory and identity. To that end, I’d love to have more information on the following questions: 1. Why was Tammy Small pushed out of her role? 2. Why won’t Peter Bordonaro play a substantive capacity within the organization? 3. What is the future of organizational culture at Prep?