Student/Partner Alliance celebrates 30 years

May, 2023 – Summit based non-profit, Student/Partner Alliance (S/PA) celebrated their 30th Anniversary at Canoe Brook Country Club on Thursday, May 11th. S/PA was co-founded in 1993 by Tom Cash (of Short Hills), Sheila Klehm and Warner Canto. In the last 30 years it has provided scholarships and mentoring to over 2,300 Newark and Jersey City area high school students. S/PA currently supports 185 students at 5 New Jersey High Schools, including; Saint Benedicts’s Prep, Hudson Catholic High School, Immaculate Conception High School, Saint Vincent Academy and St. Dominic Academy.

Attendees at the celebration included over 130 partners, mentors, sponsors, alumni, staff, board of directors and friends. There was an opening musical performance by the “St. Dominic Academy Dominoes” choir led by their director, Joseph Napoli, followed by impactful speakers including: Emmett Daly (Summit resident, President & Mentor), Tom Cash (Co-Founder and Chairman), Terry Matthews (Principal, Hudson Catholic High School), Christopher Birosak (Treasurer & Mentor), Quincy Slay (Board Member, Mentor & Alum of Hudson Catholic High School), Christopher Beltran (Board Member, Mentor and Alum of St. Benedict’s Prep) and Margaret Momber (Madison resident and Executive Director of S/PA).

The mission of Student/Partner Alliance (S/PA) is to support motivated high school students at private high schools in New Jersey’s urban areas of Essex, Hudson and Union counties with tuition assistance and mentoring to increase their chances for college admission and scholarships, and ultimately to lead successful and productive lives. To learn more about the role mentoring plays in our community and to find volunteer opportunities with us visit www.studentpartneralliance.org. If you would like to learn more about our program, please contact Kristin Shannon at kshannon@studentpartneralliance.org.