The Alex Cohn Grant is funded by donations from Alex’s family and friends. It is designed to support Beaver students who want to explore a particular interest in an extracurricular activity that will have a meaningful impact on their life journey. Read more.
In honor of Joe Christy—a mentor to Alex Cohn and a beloved faculty member who passed away in November 2022—the Cohn family increased their grant contribution to support three recipients this year.
"Joe Christy was one of Alex Cohn’s teachers when Alex was a student at Beaver. Alex found tremendous support in Mr. Christy’s guidance, helping him to thrive at Beaver and discover some of his greatest passions. Mr. Christy also served on the Cohn Grant committee for years and loved seeing the hard work and authentic investment that students put into creating beautiful things with the help of the grant. We thank Mr. Christy for his contributions to the Cohn Grant over the years, and we know that he would be proud of all those who applied."
— The Cohn Grant Committee
This year, many applications saw students wanting to head outdoors—from using documentary filmmaking to share their love of a sport with the world to building equipment to allow those with disabilities to experience a recreational activity for the first time. Students also continued to gear their ideas toward helping their community—reimagining a space on our campus to better serve our students, building a hydroponic wall to educate the Beaver community about innovative ways of creating greener spaces, and more.
Student ideas showed a desire to share our passions to benefit others.
The three recipients of this year's grant are Charlie Heyworth '24, Rachel Jean-Mary '25, and Emma Thiebault '25.
Charlie Heyworth '24
Bikes for All
All kids deserve a bike. For children with neuromuscular disorders like cerebral palsy, biking can boost strength and coordination, build confidence, and foster inclusion. Unfortunately, adaptive bikes are scarce and exceedingly expensive. The nonprofit Bikes For All program will collect, refurbish, and redistribute outgrown adaptive bikes to families in need.
Rachel Jean-Mary '25
Afrodite
With the Cohn grant, I will make a fashion line of formal attire out of bonnets, durags, and headwraps. This project—a visual expression of Afrosurrealism—will serve as commentary as to how absurd it is for these articles of Black culture to be categorized as ‘unprofessional’ and ‘ghetto’.
Emma Thiebault '25
Art for Care
With the Alex Cohn Grant funds, I will create a program called Art for Care for students. This program will organize donation drives and volunteer hours to bring art supplies and classes to hospital patients. Art is a powerful healing tool, so using it as a coping tool is beneficial for patients.