The Dennis Cohen Memorial Scholarship

On August 22, 2012 The Community School suffered a great loss in the passing of our esteemed Director and President, Dennis Cohen. For forty years, Dennis Cohen dedicated his life to the students of Community School. His goal was to make all students at Community School feel good about themselves. His excellent sense of humor entertained both students and peers. His colleagues regarded him as a perceptive listener and an expert in conflict resolution.

As a teacher, Dennis inspired students to set their goals high and relentlessly pursue their dreams. As an administrator, Dennis set the tone for the entire school to expect the best out of each and every student. Indeed, Dennis had a mission to ensure that all the students at Community School believe in themselves and remain motivated to achieve success.

Perhaps Dennis’ strongest suit was his consistent work ethic, which ultimately allowed him to tackle problems that might otherwise have remained unresolved if fewer hours and a lesser effort were applied to the issue. Mr. Cohen’s legacy will live on for the thousands of children who benefited from his knowledge and expertise in the field of education. He is sorely missed by his students, his faculty and every one of the lives he touched throughout his stellar forty-year career.

Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing Dennis knew of his tremendous love for sports and his support for our school’s many sports teams. We have fine memories of Dennis walking the sidelines of our students’ games, usually with snacks and drinks in hand to share with the students and the staff spectators. No matter how busy he was, he would always find the time to come and support our student athletes. Because of Dennis’ love for sports and for his dedication to our students, on May 19, 2013 our gymnasium was named “The Dennis Cohen Memorial Gymnasium” by The Community School, Inc. Board of Trustees.