Profiles in Giving
Profiles in Giving reflect the many ways people in the BCD community give back to their school. Each give in different ways but are effective in bringing new ideas, energy, and dollars to BCD:
Sion Boney
Sion & Demarest Boney joined the BCD community in 2001 with their daughter Winston, now a freshman at Millbrook, and son, Ford, now in BCD’s fifth grade. With his business background and experience sitting on boards, Sion saw an opportunity to give back to the School and joined BCD’s Board of Trustees in 2004, serving first as treasurer and later joining the Committee on Trustees and Strategic Planning Committee. In 2006, Sion assumed the position of Board president. His tenure as president has seen the School through the closing of 2S, the restructuring of the Brook Farm campus, and the transition to a new Head, where his role went above and beyond as co-chair of the selection committee. In addition to the many hours Sion puts in monthly as a steward of the School, he and his wife Demarest are also generous Leadership donors and look to find ways to support the school’s Development events, this past year as a sponsor of BCD’s Fore the Love of Education Golf & Tennis Tournament and as an Underwriter of BCD’s Winter Dinner Dance, which supported the Professional Development Fund and honored nine BCD veteran faculty. Sion’s leadership is a gift to the School and one that continues to shape BCD’s future.
Lisa Sayman ‘83 Butler
Lisa Sayman ‘83 Butler knows her way around BCD. She first came in 1972 as a preschooler and today has three children of her own at the school: Margaret (Grade 5), Beatrice (Grade 7), and Elizabeth (Grade 9). Lisa’s love of the school is infectious and she looks to give back in many ways. Over the years, Lisa has sat on the Board, chaired the Committee on Trustees, and has been a member of the Development Committee, co-chairing BCD’s 60th Anniversary Celebration. More recently, Lisa has thrown her efforts behind BCD’s retooled Theater and Film Program where she is the head of the parent volunteer group, coordinating everything from concessions and ticket sales to cast dinners and the closing banquet. “If it happens in the theater and film department, Lisa had a hand in it.”
John Dolan
Skim the pages of Martha Stewart Living or view the wedding photos of celebrity couples such as Will & Jada Smith and you will see the work of advertising and wedding photographer to the stars, John Dolan. Here at BCD, though, John is just dad to Olivia (Grade 8), Jack (Grade 6), and Henry (Grade 4). He is also our resident photographer. John’s beautiful color and black & white photographs of students at play on our campus and in the classroom grace BCD’s marketing materials and advertising and give us a look that money can’t buy. John could not be more generous with his talent and time - not just behind the lens of a camera but front and center at school functions, where he’s always willing to lend an extra hand at a barbecue lunch or coach an after-school enrichment program. One of John’s most special gifts, however, was the all-school photo he took this past spring of our student body that was presented as a gift to Rob & Gini Peterson at the Closing Assembly.
Robin McGraw
Robin and his wife, Buzzie, a former PE and science teacher at both BCD and BCD2S, joined the school in 2003 when their daughter, Andie, was in Kindergarten. In addition to being a Board member and Chair of the Development Committee, Robin is also Chair of this year’s annual Giving Fund. Robin sets the bar high when it comes to giving and leads by example. His donations, privately and through his charitable trusts, put him in the Leadership Circle of giving at BCD, and he works passionately and tirelessly to solicit donations on BCD’s behalf from others for both the annual Giving Fund and BCD’s Capital Gifts Campaign. While the McGraw family has taken a leave of absence this year from BCD to travel, Robin still finds time to stay connected to BCD activities and keep the annual Giving Fund moving forward towards its dollar and parent participation goals.
Claire Naylor-Pollart
Claire and her husband, John, came to BCD in 2001. Today their daughter, Kendall, is in third grade, and their son, Quintin, is in sixth grade. For the last two years, Claire has put together and runs the after-school enrichment program here at BCD, which has given hundreds of young BCD students the opportunity to explore a wide range of activities, from West African-style hand drumming to Juggling and making movies. Claire joined the BCD Board of Trustees in 2007, and is a member of both the Development Committee and the Buildings & Grounds Committee. In addition to the Pollarts’ Leadership Circle donations to the annual Giving Fund, Claire is a regular and visible sight on BCD’s campus as an active volunteer at all campus events, from dishing out Thanksgiving Soup to organizing events at Fun, Field & Fair Day. Her energy and willingness to share what she loves about BCD make her a great goodwill ambassador and someone the school can always turn to when a helping hand is needed.
Eric Wilska
Eric and Evelyn Wilska came to BCD in 2003 with their son, Kelt, now in seventh grade. Eric, owner of the Bookloft in Great Barrington, has been one of the driving forces behind BCD’s library book sales. This past November, the Book Sale generated over $8,200 in sales and netted over $1,600 for our library fund thanks to Eric’s careful selection of books for children of all ages and adults. This year, Eric is also a Board member and sits on the Admissions & Marketing Committee and on the Buildings & Grounds Committee. He is known for his creative ideas when it comes to marketing and admissions, many of which have been successfully implemented, such as Take a Peek at our Week.
