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| Planned Giving
 Meet Our Donors - Jackie M. It is not surprising that Jackie M. understands schools. Her husband, Bob, was the head of Media-Providence Friends School and is now headmaster at a school in Brooklyn, New York. But as a graduate of the Class of 1966, Jackie also knows what makes Greene Street special: “There is so much individual attention. Kids are treated with real dignity. I would have been the kid who got lost in the shuffle, but because of small classes, that was not allowed to happen. Whatever success I’ve had, I’d attribute to the early foundation I had there.” Jackie leapt into first grade without attending kindergarten and was immediately confronted by an imposing figure – first grade teacher Rachel Judd. “I was lazy and wanted to pick easy books to read,” Jackie says, “but she wouldn’t let me get away with that.” The high expectations continued throughout the Lower School. “Mrs. Goddard was also formidable, but a great teacher.” Alice placed her in both the regular and the advanced math groups, to offer her more of a challenge, perhaps foreshadowing Jackie’s accounting degree. “Whatever success I’ve had, I’d attribute to the early foundation I had there.” The School’s emphasis on experiential learning also stands out. “Mrs. Goddard brought in a sugar cane plant which the class cut up,” Jackie says. Anna Meloney had her fifth graders make model rooms out of balsa wood as they studied the Colonial era, and there was much excitement each year as the younger students tried to guess which sixth grade girl would be chosen to play Mary in the Christmas pageant. Heated games of kickball in front of the horse sheds were balanced by the civility of eating at round tables for four in the dining room or sitting quietly each week in Meeting for Worship. After graduating from sixth grade at Greene Street, Jackie went on to Woodrow Wilson Jr. High, where the large class sizes felt overwhelming. She briefly attended Northeast High School and then transferred to the Parkway Program. This was a new alternative to the traditional classroom setting, often described as “a school without walls.” Always independent, Jackie thrived amid the academic freedom. She went on to New York University where she majored in political science, and continued there for her MBA in accounting. “I chose Greene Street for what it meant to me growing up.” It was a small step to the large accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand, where she worked as a CPA. In 1993 she joined Smith Hanley, a national executive recruiting firm based in Connecticut. She became a partner in the firm, managing the consumer credit recruiting in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic and West Coast regions. In March 2006, she retired from Smith Hanley. Jackie doesn’t mind thinking ahead and found the process of writing a will “easy as can be.” “My husband and I thought we would put a will together. We used an attorney. We set up a trust to provide for family members and, when they pass on, funds will go to named beneficiaries. “I chose Greene Street for what it meant to me growing up. The School reaches out to so many different types of people. I hope this gift will help, by keeping tuition reasonable or increasing financial aid.” |