Francis and Kristen Walsh, current Saddle River Day School parents and residents of Saddle River, have generously matched the $100,000 award. Thanks to the generosity of the Walsh family, the grant funds have been received and the school has been able to expand the innovative programming and academic offerings of its CIE.

With a roster of shows this robust, it’s no wonder that prospective students are beginning to pay attention to Saddle River Day School as ‘The Place’ to hone their acting, singing, and performing skills. And this is just the way Tyler Capa wants it. He’s here to develop, encourage and support each performer and crew member who steps on his stage.

Behind the scenes, SRDS Robotics team members are learning valuable, transferable life skills like project management, time management, and teamwork, as they have only a few weeks to get their robots battle-ready after they’ve received the challenge. Design thinking (and re-thinking), and making adjustments and brainstorming solutions in real-time are skills the students hone. Students are learning the gift of failure and resilience, and how to take what they’ve learned and apply it effectively.

We all have opinions. As we have seen in recent years, the way these points of view are communicated makes a great difference in the way they are received and we are perceived. This is why learning the art of debate is an important life skill for students at Saddle River Day School, so they can effectively, as debate coach and Middle School history teacher, Radley Glasser puts it, “develop and articulate their own thoughts, but also consider opposing opinions critically and empathetically, while engaging in civil, yet substantive, discourse."

We all know that to be a student at Saddle River Day School, one must have the intellectual curiosity and capacity to succeed. But ask an SRDS student what they do beyond their studies and it will quickly become evident that they have hearts to help those who are less fortunate. When called to make a difference in the world to -- as our mission statement says -- “become a caring and ethical contributor to society,” our students, faculty and families step up.