Read the report here about accomplishments of Friends of CRLS during the past year, and the support of parents, alumni, and community members for the students and faculty of CRLS.

The board of FOCRLS is proud to announce the hiring of the organization’s first-ever Executive Director, Dr. Elaine Schear. The ED search was a vigorous undertaking which considered many candidates in a two-tiered interview process. The hiring of an ED is the latest step in the implementation of the FOCRLS strategic plan for long-term sustainability and growth. Please click here for the announcement with more details about this exciting development. We look forward to the beginning of this new stage for FOCRLS!

Read an article from the Cambridge Chronicle on 1/30/2015 about hiring the first-ever FOCRLS Executive Director.

We are pleased to share the Fall 2014 Newsletter of the Friends of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. We are off to a great start to the year! As always, a big thank you to all of our supporters and volunteers.

Friends of CRLS is now 8 years old, and we’ve come a long way in that short time. During that time we have grown to 6 core programs (Faculty Innovation Grants, Student Travel Fellowships, the Unsung Heroes Program, Scholarships, the It Takes a Village college success program, and Faculty Distinction Awards), serving the entire CRLS community and its graduates.

We are now taking the significant step of moving towards hiring a part-time Executive Director, as part of the FOCRLS strategic plan goal of building long-term sustainability, making it possible for FOCRLS’ programs to thrive and grow long into the future.

Click here for the job description — please share this announcement with others.

The first FOCRLS Community Meeting of the 2014-2015 year was held on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 in the Media Cafeteria of the CRLS Main Building. It was a great success, as we celebrated 8 years and welcomed new volunteers. Please click here to read the press release for a summary of the meeting as well as testimonials from current volunteers.

Do you want to make a profound difference in the lives of ambitious, college-bound, low-income CRLS grads? Mentoring has been proven to increase student success and graduation rates for college-matriculating, low-income students. We are looking for mentors from the community in many fields! If you have time for one meeting a month with a CRLS graduate mentee, please see more info at our Mentoring Program page. Thank you!

Read an article on the mentoring program in the Cambridge Chronicle, 7/31/2014.

Four beloved and admired teachers at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) were honored with Faculty Distinction Awards at the June 5, 2014 graduation ceremony. Jon Baring-Gould, Amanda Hughes, Ned Flaherty, and Susie Van Blaricum were selected for their abilities to teach, inspire, and encourage students.

Sponsored by Friends of Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (FOCRLS) and organized by Assistant Principal Bobby Tynes, Faculty Distinction Awards are presented each year to the four teachers or staff members chosen by the graduating class as those who had the most positive influence.  This year’s honorees brought the total to 32 faculty recognized since FOCRLS began the tradition in 2007.  After Principal Damon Smith read honorees’ self-submitted bios to the graduates and guests, the honorees were presented with framed certificates and letters of appreciation.

For more information on the teachers selected and a photo of the ceremony, please click here.

What an amazing community-building event at Flatbread Pizza in Davis Square on Tuesday night, May 27, 2014! From our benefit event, Friends of CRLS raised $1,100 from the pizza sales and raffle. We could not have raised these funds without our alumni and supporters, and of course the generosity of The Flatbread Company.

The flatbread pizzas were delicious. Our alumni, supporters, and guests were excited to participate in our 2nd annual benefit night at Flatbread. Some of our guests chose to bowl, while others tried their luck with our raffle — with prizes donated by alumni, parents, and local businesses, and alumni took the opportunity to network with one another. The benefit night was truly an evening to remember.

Friends of CRLS would like to thank Flatbread Pizza, and our generous raffle donors, supporters, and alumni for supporting us with our event. The funds raised from our benefit night will go towards furthering our current and future initiatives for students, faculty, and alumni.

Many thanks to our Raffle Donors!

• Football signed by New England Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich, donated by the New England Patriots
• Baseball signed by Red Sox infielder Will Middlebrooks, donated by the Boston Red Sox
• Falcons’ Pride Basket,donated by Jacquie Cesario, CRLS Faculty Member
• Grendel’s Den gift card, donated by Kari Kuelzer, CRLS Class of ’88
• Write Aide – 1 hour writing session with Elaine Schear, writing coach and FOCRLS President
• Breakfast Basket, donated by Sandra Lima, CRLS Class of ’98
• Wine Basket, donated by Sandra Lima, CRLS Class of ’98
• Henry Bear’s Park gift cards, donated by FOCRLS
• Handmade Soap Basket, donated by Elisa Pepe, CRLS parent
• Signed and framed b&w photo of Half Dome, donated by Derrick Jackson, Boston Globe columnist, photographer, and CRLS parent
• Wet Paint Nail Spa gift card, donated by Michelle Phoenix, Cambridge business owner

See you next year!

The FOCRLS Spring Newsletter is hot off the press and chock-full of news and highlights from this school year. Thank you to all of our supporters and volunteers who have made 2013-2014 a hugely successful year!

Parents and community members came out on the evening of Wednesday, May 28, 2014 for the last Friends of CRLS (FOCRLS) community meeting of the school year for a talk with CRLS Principal Damon Smith. At the opening of the meeting, FOCRLS President Elaine Schear spoke of the accomplishments of the past year, and the key role of FOCRLS volunteers – many of whom were in attendance – in making all that FOCRLS does to support the school happen. Principal Smith then talked about the importance of the role of community investment in CRLS – like that of the Friends of CRLS and its supporters – for helping students achieve their aspirations. He said that there are 1700+ students at CRLS, with 1700+ unique personal stories, and that we need the community to be invested in the success of each and every one of these students. Principal Smith spoke of how school has undergone a renovation of its physical plant, which has impacted students in a very positive way, and that the school is going through the even more significant transformation of how it carries out its academic program. As part of that, there has been a process to develop an updated mission statement for the school involving faculty, students, parents, and administrators, which will help to provide a focal point for that work. He also shared with attendees the news that the school will be implementing a new class scheduling system in the fall which will help make class scheduling more nimble. The evening underlined the dynamic nature of CRLS, and many attendees made a commitment to work with Friends of CRLS as volunteers in the school year to come.

Photos from the meeting are available in this FOCRLS Facebook album.