Laying the
Groundwork

The Wilson School was founded in 1909 by Rev. Henry B. Wilson and his wife, Teresa. St. John’s School grew quickly to 13 grades, as there were few opportunities for girls to have an academic program in their high school years, and families wanted all of their children to attend school together. In 1959 upon the retirement of Mrs. Wilson, who had been Head of School since her husband’s death in 1923, the school was dedicated and renamed The Wilson School.

When the School closed in 2013, The Wilson Foundation was created to offer students, educators and school programs the opportunity to apply for funds to help offset expenses needed for educational enrichment, whether in the form of tuition or extracurricular activities, such as study-travel programs, camps, college classes, etc. Applicants are expected to procure matching funds.

The application for this fund may be submitted at any time throughout the year. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, or previous affiliation with The Wilson School or St. John’s School.

Application Forms

Applications

Students

Teachers/Organizations

If you are a student or educator who is personally applying for funding for tuition for college/university, trade/clock-hour, or other tuition-based program.*

If you are applying for a grant (for you or your school/organization) to improve a program or a course with materials or opportunities for yourself, or your students/attendees.

Students

If you are a student or educator who is personally applying for funding for tuition for college/university, trade/clock-hour, or other tuition-based program.*

Teachers/Orgs

If you are a student or educator who is personally applying for funding for tuition for college/university, trade/clock-hour, or other tuition-based program.*

* The Wilson Foundation limits scholarship awards for students to those ENTERING 7th grade through Senior year in college or trade/clock-hour schools. We do not fund post-graduate programs or Post Baccalaureate.

Board Members

Melissa Burnside | President

Melissa Burnside is a graduate and 12 year attendee of The Wilson School. After Wilson, Melissa attended Rollins College in Winter Park Florida. Her college time included a year in Australia at the University of Melbourne. Melissa is a seasoned health care professional, having been employed by BAYADA Home Health Care since 1990.

At BAYADA, Melissa spent years in national contracting and managed care operations. She now oversees the company’s work related to culture and values. Melissa was a previous member of the Board of Trustees at The Wilson School. She also served as the President of The Celebrate the Children Foundation in Denville, NJ. Melissa has been a Councilwoman in Rockaway Borough since 2006. She is a member of the Rockaway Borough Garden Club, Library Board, and serves on several committees. She is an active fundraiser for The Alzheimer’s Association and very active in her community. Melissa enjoys traveling, gardening, and time at home with her fiancé, Jair and their two English Bulldogs.

Melissa is an advocate for children and seniors alike. She is so grateful for her education at The Wilson School and excited to support the mission of The Wilson Foundation.

Betsy Chandler resides in Boonton with her family, and her daughter attended the Wilson School for the two years prior to its closing. Ms. Chandler is the president of MIC Insurance Services in Kinnelon.

She has been active in many business and community organizations over the years. She is a past-president of the Tri-Boro Rotary club, and earned the distinguished honor of the Paul Harris Fellow award.

She graduated from the University of Scranton with a BS in Criminal Justice and double minors in English and Business. The Chandler family attends the Community Church at Mountain Lakes.

Chris joined The Wilson Foundation board in January 2016. From 2008-2013, he served as Director of Admissions and Marketing and 7th grade math teacher at The Wilson School. He is a graduate of New Jersey Institute of Technology, and holds a Masters Degree in Education.

Chris has worked in the education industry for over 22 years in both for-profit and not-for-profit environments. Currently, Chris works in the Office of Professional Development for Middlesex County, NJ as a Training Coordinator. He is humbled to be on The Wilson Foundation Board of Trustees and looks forward to doing some great work.

Carolyn Borlo is a former French teacher (1978-2013) and Head of School (1998-2013) of The Wilson School in Mountain Lakes. She is currently the Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair and is looking forward to the success of this organization. Rev. and Mrs. Wilson would be pleased to know that their educational and philanthropic legacy is continuing in their names.

Mrs. Borlo spends her time with her husband, Joseph, and her Golden Retriever, Bentley in Denville. She gardens, knits baby sweaters for gift shops, visits her mother in Bryn Mawr and her grandsons in Connecticut. She is the proud mother of Sarah Schaefer, a Circle ’13 alumna of the Wilson School.

Henry Modzelewski is an entrepreneur with 45 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and logistics industries on three continents. Now retired, he lives in NJ with his wife and German shepherd. He is the past Treasurer of The Wilson School Board of Trustees and a parent of a former President of the Board and Circle 7 alum of the Wilson School.

Linda Myers is currently retired and residing in Olympia, Washington, where both of her children and their families live. She grew up in a military family, was born in Japan and moved around the world, settling in the Midwest where she met her husband, Steve, at Ohio State University. Eventually the family moved to New Jersey for her husband’s business, where she was employed for 25 years at the Wilson School as business manager. It is an honor to now serve on the Wilson Foundation Board, continuing the mission of The Wilson School.

Rev. Dr. Debra L. Duke earned her M.Div. and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary where her area of focus was Mission, Ecumenics and the History of Religions.  She also holds an A.B. in Engineering Science from Dartmouth College and an M.S. in Engineering and Policy from Washington University in St. Louis. During college, she spent a semester studying at the Université de Toulouse in France.  After college, Dr. Duke served as an appropriate technology extension worker in Senegal, West Africa under the United States Peace Corps.  Back in the US, she has served as a teaching assistant at Princeton Theological Seminary and has also taught World Religions at The College of New Jersey and Montgomery County Community College.

Currently, Dr. Duke is Senior Pastor at The Community Church of Mountain Lakes.  In her free time, she enjoys running, singing, dancing, canoeing, hiking and eating ethnic foods.  She and her partner, Peter, have three young adult daughters, two very smart dogs and three adorable cats.

Jim Cook is a resident of Mount Arlington, Morris County NJ. He is currently employed by Columbia Bank, where he is Branch Manager/Financial Services Officer. He began his banking career as a part time teller and worked his way up the ranks to his current position.

In addition to his work with the Wilson Foundation, Jim also serves on the boards of Boonton Historical Society and The North Essex Chamber of Commerce.

In his spare time Jim enjoys antiquing, genealogy, and the Jersey Shore.

James Tonelli is a Certified Public Accountant in the firm Tonelli, Sheedy and Co. LLC based in Summit, New Jersey.

He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants.

He received his Bachelor of Science (BS) in Accounting from American University.

The Reverend Timothy P. Carr was the Priest at St. John’s Church in Boonton from 2013-2019.

Prior to St. John’s, he served at both All Saints Church in Hoboken and St. Edward the Martyr, an English and Spanish-speaking congregation in Harlem. He has been the Priest at All Souls’ Episcopal Church in Miami Beach and is currently serving at Christ Church in Rockville, MD.

Fr. Tim has trained as a conflict mediator, vocational discernment specialist, as well as an educator in church history. He was awarded Man of the Year in Boonton, (2018). He served as a chaplain for the Miami-Dade Correctional System, the Miami Beach Fire and Rescue, The Boonton Ambulance Squad and the New Jersey Firemen’s Home.

He is a graduate of Thomas Edison State University in Trenton, NJ, with a B.S. in Psychology. Before earning his M.Div. from the General Theological Seminary in New York, Fr. Tim had a career in the cosmetic and fragrance industry including stints as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for several well-known brands such as Yves St. Laurent, Giorgio Beverly Hills and Boucheron.

Fr. Tim is married to Dr. Edwin A. Acevedo who is the principal of a public charter school in DC. They have a grown son named Mario. Their two dogs both enjoy the role of parochial pooches.