February 25, 2015
If anyone is enthused about the history of TFS, it would be Nancy Cohen ’78. As a member of the school’s fourth graduating class and the mother of two TFS alumnae, Nancy is passionate about linking the school’s past to its present and future. “I believe in the story of the school and I have watched it evolve, constantly becoming a better version of itself,” she says.
Today, she and her family – husband Stephen Goldhar and daughters Robyn (Class of '09) and Jennifer (Class of '12) – have generously come forward with a leadership gift for the Learning Forum.
“TFS has always been an innovative, ground-breaking school, and the Learning Forum is an exciting next stage of innovation that brings best practices in learning and teaching to our community,” says Nancy.
A unique aspect of the Cohen-Goldhar gift will be the establishment of an archives program for the school. Not a dusty collection removed from the student body and staff, the archives will be a living repository of our curriculum and development, from the time TFS became the first French immersion school in Canada, and of our history as a bilingual educational institute. It will also be a working resource for students, both as source of information and as a development tool to hone research skills, and for staff and volunteers to transmit the story and values of TFS to future generations of TFSers.
The gift is the latest in a long line of giving and volunteering at TFS. Starting from when her eldest daughter was in Junior Kindergarten, Nancy has served as the Alumni Representative to the Parents’ Association (PA) and assumed various roles within the PA itself, eventually becoming PA President and serving on the Board. Nancy was a member of the Advancement Committee (currently the Campaign Cabinet) for 10 years, as well as the 50th Anniversary Committee. She also co-founded the Alumni of Distinction Committee. Stephen was the longest-serving member on the Property Committee (18 years!).
Not content to volunteer their time and talents alone, Nancy and Stephen were also the driving force behind the creation of the media lab at the Senior School. Prior to it being built, students at the Senior School had to make use of the media lab in the Junior School. “Stephen and I want to make things happen. So we found a space in the Senior School and provided the funding to build it,” Nancy says.
Now Chair of the Stewardship and Accountability Committee, as part of the TFS Foundation, Nancy’s newest role is to build and enhance relationships with donors, and plan and enhance philanthropy at TFS. We are immensely grateful to Nancy and Stephen for their commitment to TFS and for their exemplary leadership over the years.
Looking at the growth and changes at TFS, Nancy remarks, “When we make progress, we take it for granted. We can’t imagine life without these improvements. Yet it takes a huge group of people to make all this turn out and we can’t forget that. I encourage the entire TFS community to get involved, step up and be proud of being part of making Soaring Beyond a success.”