At Rodeph Sholom School, we are always looking for practical ways to make our physical spaces more sustainable and operationally efficient. Over the summer, our facilities team—led by Wilton Pineda, Director of Facilities, and Claudio Borbon, Building Supervisor—coordinated the installation of nearly a dozen new energy-efficient windows at our 79th Street campus, home to the Elementary Division and Middle School.
Working alongside an outside construction crew, the team completed the upgrades throughout the building to address a common source of energy loss in New York City buildings: traditional windows. The new high-performance windows improve insulation and seal drafty air leaks, directly lowering our demand for heating and cooling. This not only reduces our carbon footprint and curtails local greenhouse gas emissions, but also yields meaningful long-term savings on building utility costs—all while creating a more comfortable indoor environment for our students and faculty year-round.
This project is the latest chapter in the School’s ongoing commitment to creating greener, more sustainable spaces as opportunities arise to invest in updated and thoughtfully redesigned environments for our students. Slated for completion in spring 2027, the playground and courtyard nestled between our 84th Street campus and Congregation Rodeph Sholom, currently under construction, will build on the sustainable materials and features incorporated into The Day Family Play Deck, our most recent playground project, completed in spring 2025.
The upgraded window project at 79th Street was made possible with the support of the Adamah Climate Action Fund, part of a movement to help Jewish institutions and communities take meaningful action against climate change while reducing energy costs. This grant reflects the School’s growing commitment to partnering with institutional funders whose priorities align with our own, leveraging external support to make strategic investments in a more sustainable campus. Over the past year, the Development Office has expanded these efforts by working with Jewish organizations and state and federal agencies to strengthen campus security and support a range of benefits for faculty and staff.
Through every improvement—big or small—we remain dedicated to providing our students with a modern, healthy, and inspiring environment where they can learn and grow.