Document

Seniors and Juniors made his-

tory at the Cooke Center Acad-

emy on May 29 when they

danced the night away at the

school’s first-ever prom.

Excited and ready to celebrate,

students boarded the Spirit of

New York ship at Chelsea Piers

at 7:30 and set sail at 8 for a

dinner cruise around the tip of

Manhattan.

After dinner, stu-

dents, parents and

staff grooved to the

tunes of a fantastic

DJ on Cooke’s own

private deck.

More prom photos on

page 6!

Cooke’s Seniors and Juniors Set Sail for PROM!

20 and 30-somethings Come Out to Celebrate Cooke

Cooke’s younger generation of

supporters gathered under the

stars at a chic downtown party

that raised more than $35,000

for the Road to Independence

Campaign.

The New Friends of Cooke Sum-

mer Soirée drew 400 guests to

the Tribeca Rooftop on June 17,

where revelers enjoyed great

food and cocktails while catch-

ing up with friends and former

classmates.

“The party was a huge success.

All of our friends had a great

time, and they were really inter-

ested in learning more about

Cooke,” said Charles Miller, son

of Cooke Board member and

founder Roger Miller and

brother of Nicky Miller, one of

Cooke’s first students who

passed away two years ago.

Cooke Center for Learning and Development Volume 6, Issue 2

What’s Cooking ? Cooke Center News

Inside this issue:

Message from

Dr. Termini

2

Preschool Update

2

Off-site Education

3

New Friends of Cooke

Summer Soirée

4

Lower and Middle

School Awards Day

5

CCA Commencement

and Prom Photos

6

Students and Staff

Recognize Corporate

Supporters

7

“There’s No Place

Like Cooke!”

CCA Players perform

the Wizard of Oz

8

Charles Miller, David Robards and Ian

Miller thank guests for their support.

Summer 2009

Cont’d on page 4

practices in inclusive education.

Cooke also provided many com-

munity workshops in West Harlem

this year, including “How to De-

velop your Child’s Love of Read-

ing,” and “Increasing Financial

Independence.” This year for the

first time, Cooke facilitated a

men’s support workshop.

After a site visit to both of

Cooke’s Harlem programs, Cooke

received a new grant from The

Warner Fund for $25,000!

South of Harlem, Cooke’s partner-

ship with City and Country pre-

school has been strengthened by

a new consulting component led

by one of Cooke’s seasoned

SEITs (Special Education Itinerant

Teacher).

And Cooke’s Brooklyn staff

reached double the number of

children and continued to present

valuable workshops like the well-

attended “Improving Communica-

tion between School Staff and

Parents.”

The Brooklyn team also pre-

sented a series of Saturday work-

shops in the Brownsville

neighborhood at the request of

Assemblyman William Boyland.

Graduation, award ceremonies,

and the other celebrations that

mark the end of the school year

are now behind us.

They brought an end to a won-

derful year of learning and

growth; the result of much hard

work on the part of our stu-

dents, faculty, and parents.

Now all can enjoy a much de-

served summer vacation.

Summer is a perfect time for

rest, relaxation, and the kind of

learning that occurs naturally. It

is a time for reading magical

stories, for running and climb-

ing, for taking time to work at

our hobbies, or to learn about

nature by watching the ants

crawl about our picnic crumbs.

The skills we develop through

these opportunities are vital to

helping a child move forward

along the road to independ-

ence, and an essential compan-

ion to the learning that has

gone on throughout the school

year.

I wish each of you a summer

filled with rest, fun, and lots of

learning.

Michael

President’s Message: A Time for Rest and Learning

Cooke. “The program started

from scratch and we now have

45 children receiving a range of

services, including special edu-

cation, family and individual

counseling, occupational and

physical therapy, and speech.”

Also uptown, Cooke’s West

Harlem Head Start program

heads into summer having run

an inclusive preschool class-

room, providing direct services

to children who needed them,

and trained teachers in best

Preschool Update

Cooke’s Preschool has made

great strides in the 2008-2009

school year, starting new pro-

grams and serving more and

more children.

Last fall, Cooke formed a part-

nership with the Harlem Chil-

dren’s Zone, (photos below) one

of New York City’s most suc-

cessful children’s programs.

“Our work at the Harlem Chil-

dren’s Zone has been a tremen-

dous success,” said Tina Wells,

Head of Preschool Services at

“Our work at the

Harlem Children’s

Zone has been a

tremendous

success.”

Tina Wells

Head of Preschool

Services

Page 2 What’s Cooking

Dr. Michael Termini

President

Pre-

schoolers

at the

Harlem

Children’s

Zone.

Off Site Education = Learning and Fun

Page 3 Volume 6, Issue 2

L ower and middle schoolers enhanced their classroom learning this year with fun and educational field trips throughout the City.

All students visited one of the City’s zoos. Level I and II students at Corpus Christi visited the Central Park Zoo, where they were

thrilled to see the penguins being fed, watch the polar bears swim, and feed the animals in the petting zoo. Students in other sites visited

the Bronx Zoo. Level III had the task of categorizing the animals according to what continent they live in, while other levels had assignments

connected to their science lessons.

Many of our classes were the lucky participants in a guided tour of the new Yankee Stadium– including the dugout!

Other off-site education experiences included a New York Road Runners “Running Day” on Randall Island with the Mighty Milers fitness pro-

gram (as part of Cooke’s Healthy Living curriculum), and a trip to see the film “Earth.”

Along with Charles, Ian and

members of the Adeona Foun-

dation, the New Friends of

Cooke Gala Committee included

young professionals from

NASDAQ, Hogan & Hartson, and

The Moody's Foundation.

Cooke Center alum David Ro-

bards joined Charles and Ian in

thanking the crowd for their

support. They also presented a

video highlighting our students

and their accomplishments.

Corporate sponsors included

News Corporation; Greenberg

Traurig; Hogan & Hartson;

Kasowitz, Benson, Torres &

Tickets were sold on-line via

Facebook, personal e-mails and

a virtual invitation.

Charles and his brother Ian

founded New Friends of Cooke

just after Nicky’s passing, when

the group ran a 5K race to

benefit Cooke in Nicky’s honor.

Interest in a young profession-

als group was revitalized with

the Adeona Foundation's hoe-

down benefit party for Cooke

last fall. The foundation is run

by five young men in their 20s

(pictured below) who have a

personal connection to Cooke

through Charles Miller.

Friedman LLP; Bryan Cave; Gilt

Groupe and Moody’s.

Charles, Ian and Chris Quick of

Adeona helped put the event in

the spotlight with a June 16

appearance on “Fox and

Friends,” which highlighted the

event and the Cooke Center in

general. The video can be seen

on Cooke’s Web site,

www.cookecenter.org.

“We couldn’t have asked for a

better night,” said Charles.

“Everyone is already looking

forward to the next party!”

20 and 30-Somethings Celebrate Cooke (cont’d from Page 1)


Parents and staff beamed with

pride as they celebrated the

many accomplishment of

Cooke’s Lower and Middle

Schoolers at the June 15

Awards Ceremony held at 475

Riverside Drive.

Students collected awards for

being everything from a

“sensational storyteller” to

“most improved reader” before

digging in to a pizza lunch and

enjoying a performance by a

funny, magical clown.

The event also marked a

change in leadership for the

Lower and Middle Schools. Ve-

ronica Cook will be leaving her

post as Head of School, though

she’ll be staying on to consult

with Cooke part time.

Her parting message to stu-

dents? “Always do your best,”

she said. “If you do your best all

of your gifts are going to come

through.”

Taking over as head of the

lower and middle schools will

be Laura Inzalaco-Hopkins, who

brings extensive experience

working with children with a

high level of need.

“I look forward to next year and

getting to know all of you,” she

told the students.

Parents took the opportunity to

mingle with each other and talk

a bit about what Cooke has

meant to their families.

Aya Hasegawa said she’s seen

great improvement in her son,

Miro, a first-year level I Cooke

student. “He can solve emo-

tional problems better than

before,” she said, “and he loves

the school!”

Ryan Annecco’s mom also

noted huge strides in her mid-

dle schooler who had struggled

in public school. “Now, she

genuinely loves to go to school.

As soon as she’s off the bus,

her books are out and she’s

doing her homework. She even

does extra credit assignments

with no prompting!” said Penny

Annecco. “She is 100 percent

more independent!”

Awards Day Recognizes Students’ Strengths


(clockwise from top middle)

Cooke President Michael Termini

presents a thank you gift to former

Head of Lower and Middle School

Veronica Cooke; Level I student

Miro Hasegawa with his mom, Aya

Hasega; Level III student Keedon-

dre Butler and his mom Cynthia

Butler; Jadin Martin and Diamond

Gurley enjoying the show; Wesley

Wylie with some feathered friends;

Laura Inzalaco-Hopkins, new Head

of Lower and Middle School; Sarah

Bieber with her mom, Ellen Bickal.

Center: Middle Schooler Ryan

Annecco with her parents Penny

and Joe Annecco. Below: Grace

Yang presents Maxine Hickey with

her copy of Magic Secrets.

Cooke celebrated its first full

senior class with at an emo-

tional and exuberant com-

mencement and awards cere-

mony on June 10.

This class was the first to begin

their high school career at the

Cooke Center Academy, which

opened in 2005.

“Together we created a school,”

CCA Head of School Mary

Munsch told students and par-

ents, “and what a school we

created.”

Commencement signifies begin-

ning, and for all of Cooke’s sen-

iors, the ceremony marked a

new beginning in their

lives. Some will go to

college programs for

students with disabili-

ties. Others will start in

job training programs.

Still others will continue

their career at CCA,

working to further pre-

pare for an independ-

ent future.

One thing is certain:

wherever life may take

this year’s seniors, they

will always have a very

special place in

Cooke’s history.

CCA celebrates Commencement for First Full Class of Seniors

Juniors and Seniors Set Sail for PROM! (cont’d from page 1)


From now on, planning for life

after high school will take place

in the newly named Moody's

Foundation Transition Office at

the Cooke Center Academy!

At a June 1 ceremony at the

Academy, Cooke named the

transition office for Moody's to

recognize their extraordinary

generosity to Cooke’s students

over the years. The Moody's

Foundation has supported

CCA's Transition to Life program

― which provides students with

the experience and guidance

they need for a bright, inde-

pendent future.

CCA students were on hand to

talk about their internships, and

about why they love Cooke. The

number one reason? The staff.

"All of the teachers are really

great. They're friendly, and

they're patient with us," said

senior Ashley Goris. Next year

Ashley will attend Landmark

College, a school for students

with learning disabilities in Ver-

mont. While at CCA she in-

terned at the law offices of Ho-

gan & Hartson and worked with

children at the 92nd Street Y.

The Moody's Foundation has

made it possible for Cooke to

hire the social workers and

other staff needed to develop

Cooke's unique Transition to

Life program, and the curricu-

lum that supports it. The foun-

dation has given Cooke

$700,000 since 2003.

Fran Laserson, president of

The Moody's Foundation, told

the students that Moody’s has

been proud to support them.

"We love Cooke!" she said.

Also there to celebrate was

Lisa Westlake, chief human

resources officer at Moody's

and Cooke's newest board

member.

As the ceremony came to a

close, Cooke's President Dr.

Michael Termini announced,

"We can now officially name

this office The Moody's Founda-

tion Transition Office at the

Cooke Center Academy!"

Sixth Avenue?" he asked, as

quite a few hands shot up. Dr.

Termini also mentioned that

students may have an opportu-

nity to do an internship at CVS

in the coming months.

Things soon heated up on the

court with seniors Isaiah

Luciano (22 points--10 re-

bounds and 9 assists) and

Aaron Ellis (14 points--12 re-

bounds and 6 assists) leading

the team to victory just as they

had throughout their careers at

CCA. Their presence on the

team will be greatly missed next

year.

CCA's win was no doubt made

easier by some foot-stomping

encouragement from their

cheerleaders.

"Put that ball in the hoop,

hoop," they shouted, waving

their pom-poms and having a

great time.

The opposing team was made

up of players from both Colum-

bia Grammar & Preparatory

School and The Dalton School.

Columbia Prep student David

Neff, family friend of Cooke

founding parents Karen and

Tom Robards, organized the

team.

CCA Wins Basketball Game, Receives $20,000 Grant from CVS

Just before the CCA basketball

team beat Columbia/Dalton

Prep 91 to 77 on May 21, the

players got a little extra encour-

agement: A $20,000 grant from

CVS Charitable Trust!

Robert Schwartz, CVS' district

sales manager from New York,

presented a giant check to the

players and staff. He was joined

by Michael Termini, Cooke's

president.

Dr. Termini reminded the stu-

dents that many had visited

CVS as part of their Off-Site

Education program. "How many

of you have been to the CVS on


COOKE RECOGNIZES CORPORATE SUPPORTERS

CCA’s Transition Office Named for The Moody’s Foundation

Moody's executives Perry Rotella,

Fran Laserson, Linda Huber and

Lisa Westlake join CCA students

and one alumnus for the Moody's

Transition Office naming.

Above: CCA Cheerleader Christina

Charles. Below from left: CVS’ Robert

Schwartz join CCA players and Mi-

chael Termini in presenting a giant

check; CCA cheerleaders warming up;

senior Isaiah Luciano gets ready to

shoot.

Visit our new Web site!

www.cookecenter.org

COOKE CENTER for

LEARNING and DEVELOPMENT

voice, Sam wasn’t confident

he’d earn a major role in the

show. “I thought I was going to

be someone else,” said the over

six-foot senior. “I thought

maybe I’d be a munchkin.”

Not only did he sing his way into

audience’s hearts, he boosted

his own courage along the way.

In the midst of rehearsals, he

applied and was accepted to

the Berkshire Hills Music Acad-

emy, a program for musically

gifted students with disabilities.

“I think part of him realizing

that that was something he

really wanted to pursue came

about because of how good it

made him feel to be in Wizard

of Oz rehearsals,” said Ms.

Chase.

To watch a video about the

making of the Wizard of Oz, visit

www.cookecenter.org.

When the Cooke Center Acad-

emy Players began rehearsing

for the Wizard of Oz, they were-

n’t sure they'd be able to see it

through to opening night. In

May.

“They weren’t sure they’d be

able to memorize, and they’re

memorizing, they weren’t sure

they could sing, and they can

sing,” Bethany Chase, Transi-

tion Department chair at CCA,

said during rehearsals.

“Basically they weren’t sure

they could pull it off, and they’re

awesome.”

Like the story’s characters,

Cooke students had to learn for

themselves that their inner gifts

would carry them where they

want to go. This was the case

for Sam Montgomery, a.k.a. the

Tin Man.

Despite his incredible tenor

There’s No Place Like Cooke!

475 Riverside Drive, Suite 730

New York, NY 10115

212-280-4473

The Cooke Center for Learning and De-

velopment is the largest private provider

of inclusive special education services in

New York City, offering preschool pro-

grams, a K-12 school and consulting ser-

vices that support inclusive learning envi-

ronments.

Top: Nagisa Mikami, Sam Montgom-

ery, Ashley Goris, Jake Waltuck. Mid-

dle: Indika Rickman, Britney Ventura,

Christina Charles , Bianca Vega.

Right: Emanuel Pinkhasov

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