Schools

Nearly $300K Donated to DPS Over Past Year

A $49,806 gift from the Kefalas-Pinto Foundation leads the list.

In his final official appearance before the Darien Board of Education, outgoing Superintendent of Schools Don Fiftal delivered a report Tuesday evening on the many donations made to the district over the past school year.

Emphasizing that the report was "a work in progress" and that a number of items were still missing—including an in-kind donation of power for the operation of portable stadium lights—Fiftal praised the generosity of donors in a brief presentation.

Between August 21 of last year and June 4 of this year, the report records $271,716.80 in contributions to Darien Public Schools from a mix of individuals, clubs, and non-profits. Fiftal said the total may top $300,000 when additional donations are incorporated.

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"It's an extraordinary amount of gifts," Board of Education Chairperson Kim Westcott said. "I think it's very important to take stock of this every year."

The largest single reported gift—$49,806—came from the Kefalas-Pinto Foundation, going toward the purchase of lifting platforms and training equipment for the Darien High School weight room, a diving board and swimming equipment, bus travel for out-of-state contests, and uniforms for the football, cheerleading, boys volleyball, and girls volleyball team.

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Close behind was a donation of $44,750 from the Middlesex Parents Association, which funded the purchase of a horizontal climbing wall, weights and fitness equipment, new doors for the school's fitness center, a Dance Dance Revolution system, and a Toshiba LCD TV.

Also in the same bracket: a yearlong total of $41,870 from the DHS Parents Association, including $25,700 for "one time, non-recurring items," $9,200 for DHS programs and activities, $600 to partially offset building expenses for the Alternate Learning Program, $1,890 for rollable carts at the DHS Welcome Center, and $4,480 for student planners.

The largest reported gift by an individual came from Joseph Mosca, who gave $2,500 to partially underwrite the cost of sending the DHS Tudor Singers to the Chanticleer Youth Festival.

Other notable contributions included:

  • $30,000 from the Hindley School Association for the refurbishment of the Hindley Common Room. (Board member Amy M. Bell indicated the exact amount may have been a few thousand dollars higher.)
  • $29,300 from the Ox Ridge PTO for playground equipment.
  • $27,364.54 from the Blue Wave Pride Club, including $4,241.15 toward equipment for the girls hockey and basketball teams, the boys wresting team, the weight room, and a winter music mix for cheerleading; $6,775 toward equipment for the fitness center and banners for the squash team; $6,705.84 for benches and equipment for the boys golf team, the boys and girls track teams, and the softball team; $501.4 toward a championship banner for the girls ice hockey team; $1,000 toward a mast for the sailing team boat; and $8,141.15 toward unspecified items for DHS fall sports teams.
  • $18,120 from the Royle PTO, including $11,150 toward replacement equipment for the school's large playground structure and $6,970 to upgrade and replace the school's portable and common room public address systems.
  • $10,000 from the Darien Technology & Community Foundation for "AirLiner" slates, a type of equipment used with SMARTBoards at the elementary school level.
  • $10,000 from the Darien Youth Lacrosse Association toward video filming equipment for boys and girls lacrosse games.


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