Matheny School Upgrades Will Make School Even More Engaging

PEAPACK, NJ (August 31, 2026) – Matheny School installed two state-of-the-art smart boards this summer, and new accessible playground equipment will be added this fall.

An $8,000 grant from The Summit Foundation made the smart boards possible. In addition, a $24,999 grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation will support the purchase of accessible playground equipment for all members of the Matheny community to enjoy.

“The staff and students are incredibly excited about the new playground,” said Anne Bruno, assistant principal of Matheny School. “The playground is not only a place for play, but also to learn. Our teachers develop hands-on instruction that helps students study nature and participate in sensory experiences. These upgrades will strengthen those opportunities, and we are deeply grateful to the Reeve Foundation for this generous grant funding.”

“As we celebrate our 80^th anniversary, I am reminded of how far we have come,” said Nancy Hamstra, FACHE, President and CEO of Matheny. “When the Mathenys created this school, they were already ahead of their time. Today, our new smart boards are a welcome addition to the classroom. Thanks to our friends at The Summit Foundation, our students will enjoy the latest technology to support their learning and communication abilities.”

The Matheny School was founded in 1946 by Walter and Marguerite Matheny who established the Burnt Mills School for Paralysis in Far Hills, NJ. A few years later, the school was moved to Peapack and Gladstone. Today, Matheny is a comprehensive nonprofit hospital and school with a host of services for people with medically complex disabilities.

Matheny offers year-round enrollment to parents and guardians who are looking for a special nonprofit school for their child. The school accepts students with developmental disabilities beginning at age three in the preschool program. They move up through elementary, middle, and high school programs, and finally through age 21 in the Transition Program. To request a tour of the school, families are asked to fill out the form on Matheny’s website.

Matheny will conclude its 80th anniversary celebration in March 2027 with a two-day conference on its Peapack campus for professionals, families, caregivers, and advocates. More information will be released soon on Matheny’s website and social media channels.

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About Matheny: Matheny’s mission is to provide exceptional care and an optimal quality of life for children and adults with special needs and medically complex developmental disabilities. Matheny is a nonprofit special hospital and private school headquartered in Peapack and Gladstone, NJ and has seven community residences in Somerset and Warren counties as well as an adult day center in Hillsborough, NJ. It was founded in 1946 after Walter and Marguerite Matheny’s son, Chuck, was born with cerebral palsy (CP) into a world ill-equipped to care for children with special needs. Matheny patients have a diverse range of medically complex developmental disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Lesch-Nyhan Disease (LND), and a wide range of rare diseases including Rett syndrome, Angelman syndrome and others. To learn more about Matheny, visit matheny.org or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn using handle @mathenymedical.