Local Builders Among Annual Gala Honorees

above-Joseph J. Sisca, III; below- Joseph J. Sisca, Jr

The Foundation in Support of Educational Excellence will honor local builders and leaders in health care, education, and government at its annual gala on May 18.

The gala honorees are Joseph J. Sisca, Jr., CEO of the Sisca Organization, and Joseph J. Sisca, III, President of the Sisca Organization; Dr. Andrew D. Pearle, Chief of the Sports Medicine Institute at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College; Ken Jenkins, deputy Westchester County executive; and Eva Fernandez, provost and vice president for academic afffairs at Mercy College.

The 6 p.m. gala at X20 Xaviars on the Hudson benefits the Charter School of Educational Excellence (CSEE).

“Our five honorees have made significant contributions to our school and to public education in Yonkers,” said Sobeida Cruz, vice-chair and treasurer of the Foundation in Support of Educational Excellence. “We are grateful for the continuing support we receive from these honorees as our K-12 school reaches a significant milestone with the graduation of our first senior class.”

The Brewster, N.Y.—based Siscas are longtime developers in the Hudson Valley. They built the CSEE’s $27 million new high school at 220 Warburton Ave., which opened in 2021. The Sisca Organization’s other noteworthy Yonkers work includes Schoolhouse Terrace, 121 affordable housing apartments at 33 Ashburton Ave., and the outdoor water park at Tibbets Brook Park.

The Hospital for Special Surgery has a longtime sports medicine outreach program with the CSEE, helping to reduce the incidence of injury among the school’s sports teams. Mercy College partners with the CSEE to help its students prepare for college, while Deputy County Executive Jenkins has tirelessly supported public education in Yonkers in all its forms.

The CSEE’s new high school will graduate its first senior class in June. Some of the graduating seniors received acceptances from Cornell University, Fordham University, the Rochester Institute of Technology and Seton Hall University. The most popular schools with the CSEE’s Class of 2023 are Mercy College, Pace University and Manhattanville College.

Tickets for the gala are available at the school’s website.