Summer on the Hill
Staff
John McIvor, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director of Summer on the Hill
In 1994, after 26 years in the ministry, Dr. John McIvor was in a new position as Assistant Director of Admissions of the Horace Mann School when the opportunity to establish Summer on the Hill arose.
That year, a group of Bronx public school children visiting the Horace Mann Lower School so impressed Gary Miller (then Horace Mann’s Director of Admissions) and Dr. John McIvor, that the administrators wanted to start an enrichment program for promising, disadvantaged, public school children. The Horace Mann School agreed to donate its facility, and Horace Mann alumnus, Bruce Brickman, contributed seed money for a pilot summer program.
Since then, under John’s direction, Summer on the Hill has become an extraordinary year-round program that has changed the lives of 750 promising public school children and their families. SOH’s mission remains constant: to offer educational enrichment to promising, disadvantaged public school students, prepare them for rigorous high schools and colleges, and offer guidance to their parents.
Summer on the Hill addresses the scarcity of gifted and talented programs in NYC public schools through a six-year, Grade 3-8 summer and academic-year program that offers enrichment classes in academics, arts, and sports, and guidance on school choices to 200 students. Students for the Grade 3-8 Program are recruited from 100 Bronx and upper Manhattan public elementary schools. Summer on the Hill’s High School Program continues the SOH community for Grade 3-8 program graduates with free SAT, writing, and academic review classes, college visits and counseling, internships, and community service opportunities.
John McIvor’s vision of Summer on the Hill is of a community in which learning and personal responsibility are equally valued, and where an atmosphere of mutual respect helps individuals to develop their talents and discover new abilities.
John has held pastoral, teaching and administrative positions, including the positions of Assistant Pastor, Incarnation Church, Manhattan, 1967-1972; Professor of Theology, St. Joseph’s Seminary, 1975-1990; Founder and Rector of the St. John Neumann Seminary Residence, 1977-1990; Pastor, St. John the Evangelist, Mahopac, N.Y., 1990-1993. In 1993, Dr. McIvor left the ministry and subsequently joined the Horace Mann School as Assistant Director of Admissions, Mentor to Students of Color, and Ethics Teacher, 1993-1999. In addition to serving as Executive Director of SOH since 1994, John has been Horace Mann’s Director of Community Service since 1999, and its Director of After-School Program, since 1995.
John McIvor holds the B.A., 1963, M.A., 1965; M. Div., 1967, from St. Joseph’s Seminary and College, and earned the S.T.L., and S.T.D. degrees in 1973 and1975, respectively, from St. Thomas Aquinas University, Rome, Italy.
Julia Veliz, Assistant Director of SOH and Director of Recruitment and Admissions.
Julia Veliz, SOH’s Assistant Director/Director of Recruitment, Admissions,, and Placement, is responsible for outreach to SOH’s 100 public school partners, managing the entire 2nd grade and middle school admissions processes, arranging transportation for 200 students in SOH’s Grade 3-8 program, and assists in supervising the Grade 3-8 program. Julia joined SOH in 1995, and has helped to promote the tremendous growth and success of the program. In addition to being Director of Recruitment and Admissions , Julia directs placement efforts at SOH.
Claudia Mendez, Director of the High School Program
Claudia Mendez, Director of the High School Program, joined SOH in May 2010. Claudia holds a Master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University and has worked in college access as the Project Coordinator for the pre-college program, CARPE DIEM at CUNY-City Tech.
Olga Torres, Dean of Students/Coordinator of Curriculum
Olga Torres, Coordinator of Curriculum/Dean of Students, has been a SOH language arts teacher since 1996, and has enjoyed working with talented 4th graders from the Bronx and upper Manhattan. In 2008, Olga was appointed SOH’s Coordinator of Curriculum/Dean of Students, which will allow her to continue to work with all SOH’s Grade 3-8 students and work on refining SOH’s rich curriculum. Olga is a champion of SOH and strives to inspire her students with a love of learning.
Olga is a 25-year veteran of the NYC Department of Education, serving as a teacher in public school enrichment, ESL and special education classes. Olga has been a member of the school committees charged with implementing school policies, curriculum, and school leadership plans. A graduate of Lehman College of the City University of New York, Olga has 34 credits above her Masters in Education. She holds NYS Permanent Certification (Kindergarten through 6th grade), and certificates in methodology of The Schools Attuned and The Wilson Program. Olga speaks fluent Spanish.
Beth Torres, Associate Director of Development/Newsletter Editor
As SOH’s Associate Director of Development/Newsletter Editor, Beth develops and writes SOH’s grant proposals, evaluation reports, website content, and biannual newsletter. Since joining SOH in 2004, she has won grants for Summer on the Hill from The Altman Foundation, Educational Foundation of America, JPMorgan Chase, the William T. Grant Foundation, The New York Community Trust Readers’ Digest Scholarship and Leadership Fund, The William E. Simon Foundation, The Starr Foundation, Time Warner, Inc., US Airways Education Foundation, and other foundations.
Beth is also a freelance grant writer for the City University of New York and other educational organizations, for whom she has developed programs and won funding from the USDE, HUD, NYSED, and NYC DYCD. Prior to working in development, Beth taught writing at NYU.
Carole McIvor, Nurse/Administrative Associate
Carole McIvor, Nurse/Administrative Associate, SOH, 2003-present. R.N. Mrs. McIvor was Staff Nurse/Office Practice, A.G. Prangley Jr., M.D. Greenwich, CT, and OB/GYN practice, from 1964-1988. Between1993-1995, Carole was Medical Office Nurse, Marc Newberg, M.D., Greenwich, CT. In addition to serving as SOH’s nurse during the academic year, Carole has been a minor surgery nurse at Surgical Specialists of Greenwich, from 1995-present.
Carole is a 1963 graduate of the Greenwich (CT) Hospital School of Nursing.
Jessie Suriel, Administrative Assistant/Secretary
Jessie Suriel has been SOH’s Administrative Assistant/Secretary from 2004 – present. Prior to joining SOH, Jessie worked for the New York Botanical Gardens as a secretary for the Horticulture Department and in the commercial lending department of the Emigrant Saving Bank
Jessie holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Nyack College. Jessie speaks fluent Spanish.
Faculty. SOH teachers have years of experience in public and independent schools. Over 70% of our teachers return to SOH each year. A majority of faculty members hold a Master’s degree.