A CitySquash Look Back At 2012
from Tim Wyant
December 18, 2012 - 2012 was a great year for CitySquash. Our team members performed well on the squash court, winning eight Urban National titles and finishing 4th at the Middle School Nationals. Five of our high schoolers captained their squash teams, including Andrew Cadienhead, who was also elected student body co-president at Taft. Fourteen of our 28 college students played varsity squash. Edgardo Gonzalez, a Hobart senior, became our first college captain. Jesse Pacheco, a Cornell junior, finished last season ranked 26th in the country.
There was good news on the academic front as well. Five of our 8th graders and one 9th grader were admitted to boarding school, increasing the number of CitySquashers who have won private school scholarships to 43. Our high school seniors all graduated and now attend the likes of Barnard, Connecticut College, Franklin & Marshall, Hamilton, and Morrisville. From 3rd graders to college seniors, our 140 team members continue to work hard to become better students. They are also giving back, regularly volunteering in the Bronx and beyond.
As an organization, CitySquash continues to grow stronger. More than 1,200 donors contributed to the program over the last year, and hundreds more volunteered as mentors, tutors, hosts, and coaches. We have a dedicated and generous Board of Directors and our partnerships with Fordham University, P.S. 205, M.S. 45, and Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics remain strong. Our 11-person staff is outstanding. This year I had the good fortune to become the head of the National Urban Squash and Education Association, a role that involves considerable time and travel. Partly as a result, we created another management position at CitySquash and found the perfect person for it. Terence Li, a former Yale squash player, worked at CitySquash from 2005 to 2007, and later earned his M.B.A. at Yale before working in finance. As Program Director, Terence runs CitySquash's day-to-day operations and works closely with me and our Board of Directors on our development and strategic planning efforts. We are lucky to have Terence in this leadership role.
2012 also marked the 10th anniversary of our launch as an organization. As we look back at the last decade, we have much to be proud of. But the milestone also compels us to pause and look inward, to think anew about the work we do. This fall, our Board of Directors embarked on a strategic review of the organization, and in the coming year we expect to develop a plan for the next phase of CitySquash's development.
It is because of our ever-growing community of supporters that CitySquash has come this far, and we are deeply grateful to you for your generosity. Whether you are a volunteer, a donor, or you support CitySquash in other ways, we hope that you continue to believe in the organization and our hardworking and talented students.
Happy holidays and all the best in 2013.
Sincerely,
Tim Wyant
Executive Director
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