NEWS & EVENTS: SIA IN THE NEWS STORY DETAILS

Staten Island Academy Breaks Ground
On the New Alexander Robbins Steinman ’86 Memorial Field

August 6, 2004 - Staten Island Academy will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Alexander Robbins Steinman ’86 Memorial Field on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 at 3:30PM at the school’s Todt Hill campus.

The Memorial Field is a gift to Staten Island Academy from the Alexander Robbins Steinman Foundation. Founded in 2002, the foundation was established in honor and memory of Alexander Robbins Steinman, an Academy alumnus and trader at Cantor Fitzgerald, who died in the September 11th World Trade Center attacks. The foundation has received extremely generous support from family, friends and local community members. In its first year, the foundation raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars for the project, which includes the renovation of the Academy’s extensive outdoor athletic complex.

Head of School Diane J. Hulse, John J. Fafian, Academy board president, and Alexander Robbins Steinman Foundation members Rachel Steinman Kelleher, Denis Kelleher, Irwin Steinman, Tracy Orr Steinman, Brian Farley and others will dig with ceremonial shovels to mark the start of construction on the new fields. A reception will follow the brief ceremony. That evening at 7:10 PM, Staten Island Academy continues the celebration by sponsoring a baseball game as the Staten Island Yankees take on the Brooklyn Cyclones at Richmond County Bank Ballpark in St. George.

The vision for the new field complex is extensive. The project includes stripping the current baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse fields, leveling the grounds, installing a complete irrigation system, and laying new sod on the expansive sports fields. The Memorial Field, which makes up over half of the Academy’s pastoral 12-acre campus, will also include new fencing, new backstops, a paved path along the field’s perimeter, and a grand stone entryway with flagpole and memorial plaque. Twin Industries, project designers and contractors, officially begin construction on August 20. The renovation will be complete by early November, in time for the school’s spring sports season.

The Memorial Field is generating much excitement at the school. Director of Athletics Darlene Crowe said, “We are looking forward to having the premier outdoor athletic complex on Staten Island. With new baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse fields, the Academy will take its already excellent athletic program to the next level.”

Staten Island Academy currently has 32 junior varsity and varsity teams in its Middle and Upper School divisions. Athletics make up a significant part of the well-rounded and demanding liberal arts education that the Academy offers. Over 75% of Upper School students play on at least one athletic team. This fall, in keeping with the school’s long-held tradition of athletic excellence, an impressive 16% of Staten Island Academy’s 2004 graduating class will go on to play Division I, II, and III athletics in college.

In addition to work on the fields, the Academy is undertaking several other facilities projects this summer. Major improvements include upgraded classroom spaces for the school’s Lower School division, complete replacement of the school’s computer equipment and systems, and spatial re-structuring to its Middle School facility. While the Academy makes enhancements on an on-going basis, the most recent will surely “wow” students and faculty in the fall. The improvements are part of a long-term campaign at Staten Island Academy to provide cutting edge tools and spaces to the 450-member student body.

Head of School Diane Hulse said, “It is a time of great growth for the Academy, and that growth can only occur if we celebrate and honor the school’s distinct history and heritage. The Alexander Robbins Steinman ’86 Memorial Field is a shining example of the everlasting commitment alumni have to our institution, and to the pride they take in the SIA community.”

Staten Island Academy (1884) is an independent, co-ed college preparatory school educating children from pre-Kindergarten through high school, on a 12-acre campus. Through a rigorous academic program, and comprehensive arts and athletics programs, the Academy challenges students to stretch their minds and bodies, and to value independence and integrity. The school is located at 715 Todt Hill Road in Staten Island. For more information, visit www.statenislandacademy.org, or call (718) 987-8100.

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To arrange interviews or photographs, please contact Maureen McShane, Director of Communications at (718) 987-8100, ext. 234, mmcshane@statenislandacademy.org.