LREI | Reunion

Admissions

LREI seeks to enroll students who are bright, curious, motivated and who show strong academic promise. The School is committed to creating an environment that is reflective of the wider community by enrolling students from diverse religious, ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds and gender identities. Creating this diverse student body fosters opportunities for deeper cultural learning and understanding.

We Are LREI

Welcome to LREI. We are now, as we have always been, guided by our school's mission. As a truly progressive school community, we never shy away from the challenges and the possibilities of change and growth. It is this bold, experimental, progressive vision of education that continues to inspire and guide the LREI community today. What we did yesterday, what we are doing today, and what we will do tomorrow are all a part of a coherent 14-year experience inspired by our mission.

Academics

Since its founding, the LREI experience has been grounded in progressive principles that shape the design of program in each of our divisions. These principles place students at the center of their learning experiences, call on us to narrow the distance between the world around students and their school experiences, and engage learners in authentic problem solving on a daily basis. Our mission driven approach informs all aspects of our 14-year experience.

Life @ LREI

Our founding ideals of learning that is grounded in experience, inquiry, collaboration, growth and active democratic citizenship inform every aspect of daily life at LREI. LREI truly is a community of learners; it is a place where students, faculty and families come together each day in the spirit of creativity, collaboration and consequence.

Our Community

LREI is a community built on understanding and respect for others. Like New York City, we are diverse in every sense of the word. We are scientists, artists, historians and more. We embody a wide range of interests, beliefs, family structures and backgrounds. We thrive on the unique ideas and perspectives each person brings to the school.

Past Reunion News

The 33rd Annual Alumni Reunion took place on June 1st -2nd, celebrating classes ending in “3” and “8.” This year, the class of 1968 celebrated their 50th Reunion. Over 200 alumni across sixty years, from the classes of 1956 to 2016, joined us for the weekend.

We kicked off Reunion weekend with a celebration to honor the retirements of Mark Bledstein and Larry Kaplan, two beloved LREI teachers. Their decades of extraordinary contributions have impacted generations of students. Their awards were presented by Jeffrey Nurenberg ‘94 and Violeta Picayo ‘09.

On Saturday, we had a full day of exciting events starting with a walking tour of historic Greenwich Village led by former LREI history teacher, principal, and historian, Nick O’Han. Alumni visited locations frequented by Elisabeth Irwin and her contemporaries and learned about LREI’s connection to this iconic neighborhood.

The Class of 1988 reunited for a special lunch at the Sixth Avenue Campus. After lunch, they toured the building, revisiting classrooms and sharing stories from elementary school.

LREI parent and archivist, Yukie Ohta, and Honorary Alumni Kasey and José Picayo led the Archive Session. Alumni sifted through decades of photos identifying teachers, classmates and events while recalling memories from their days at LREI.

Following the archive session, alumni remembered former music teacher Bob De Cormier through a sing-along of LREI classics with current music teacher Susan Glass and associate teacher Jay Saper. Songs included “Dark as a Dungeon” and “This Land is Your Land.”

Caleen Sinnette Jennings ‘68, this year’s Distinguished Alumna, performed excerpts from her memoirs “Queens Girl” and “Queens Girl in Africa.” Her performance included her experiences as an LREI student in the 1960’s. Caleen is an actor, director, playwright and highly esteemed Professor of Theatre at American University.

Prior to the main reception and presentation of awards, Director Phil Kassen took alumni on a tour of the expanded high school to show alumni familiar spaces and newly renovated facilities.

Reunion weekend concluded with a reception and awards ceremony for all alumni. Alumni Council President Tamar Gargle Krakowiak ‘88 welcomed everyone in attendance and shared heartfelt memories about the reunion classes. The Distinguished Alumna Award was presented to Caleen by her classmates Andrew Weiss ‘68 and Nora Heflin ‘68. Tamar awarded LREI parents and trustees Kasey and José Picayo, as Honorary Alumni. Alumni of all ages enjoyed catching up with old friends and teachers and taking fun pictures in our photo booth!

Photos can be viewed at lrei.org/photos.

Read excerpts from the weekend’s speeches here and access full remarks at lrei.org/reunion.

Reunion 2017: The 32nd Annual Alumni Reunion took place on June 2-3, celebrating classes ending in “2” and “7.” Alumni families, current, and former faculty, and current families gathered together for a weekend of celebration.

This year, we honored Sara Fishko ‘67 as the distinguished alumna and LREI teacher Adele de Biasi Pelz as the honorary alumna. Sara presented audio and video excerpts from her work on “The Jazz Loft” story. She discussed the process of developing the story from research to radio to film. Adele led an archive session with LREI parent and archivist Yukie Ohta where alumni identified photos from their time at the school.

Former LREI history teacher and school historian, Nick O’Han, led a walking tour of Greenwich Village highlighting locations frequented by Elisabeth Irwin and LREI’s connection to this vibrant neighborhood.

Photos Album Links

Reunion Photo Booth - Click here to view the album on LREI’s Flickr page.
Reunion Event Photos (Friday)- Click here to view the album on LREI’s Flickr page.
Reunion Event Photos (Saturday) - Click here to view the album on LREI’s Flickr page.

Reunion Event Photos - Click here to view the album on LREI's Flickr page.
Photobooth Photos - Click here to view the album on LREI's Flickr page.
Speeches - Click to read remarks by Alumni Council President Tamar Gargle Krakowiak ‘88

Click here to explore our StoryLab oral history archive.

Reunion 2016 honored Ambassador James I. Gadsden ‘66 as the distinguished alumnus and former LREI school historian and teacher Nick O’Han as the honorary alumnus. Nick lead a tour of Greenwich Village, with the help of his former student Celi Khanyile-Lynch ‘09. Ambassador Gadsden led a discussion titled Diplomacy, Foreign Affairs, and How to Effect Change, moderated by his mentee Ana De La Cruz ‘10. We were happy to welcome alumni families, current, and former faculty, and current families to join in this weekend of celebration.

Reunion Event Photos - Click here to view the album on LREI's Flickr page.
Photobooth Photos - Click here to view the album on LREI's Flickr page.

Speeches - Click to read remarks by Alumni Council President Tamar Gargle Krakowiak '88, Distinguished Alumnus Ambassador James I. Gadsden '66, and Alum Celi Khanyile-Lynch ‘09.

Click here to explore our StoryLab oral history archive.

Reunion 2015 honored cinematographer Tom Hurwitz '65 as a distinguished alumnus and former Associate Director of LREI, Michel de Konkoly Thege, as an honorary alumnus. Reunion festivities included a screening of Tom Hurtwitz's documentary Tiger Tiger, followed by a talkback. We also introduced StoryLab (our ongoing oral history project), and welcomed current and former faculty and staff to celebrate Reunion with LREI alumni.

Reunion Event Photos - Click here to view the album on LREI's Flickr page.
Photobooth Photos - Click here to view the album on LREI's Flickr page.
Speeches - Click to read remarks by Alumni Council President Tamar Gargle Krakowiak '88, Distinguished Alumnus Tom Hurwitz '65, and Trustee Robert Rosenthal '80.

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