Chestnut Ridge Honors Threefold, a Village Fixture for 100 Years

The Village of Chestnut Ridge Board of Trustees led off Thursday night's meeting by honoring the Threefold Educational Foundation and School, a campus that has been part of Chestnut Ridge for 100 years. The board presented a village proclamation celebrating Threefold's century of education, agriculture and the arts.

District 15 County Legislator Joel Friedman joined the board to present a second proclamation, issued by Rockland County Executive Ed Day. It congratulates Threefold on 100 years and honors its "inspirational example of commitment to education in Rockland County." Daniel Bieber, executive director of Threefold, accepted both proclamations on the organization's behalf.

Threefold's campus sits on Hungry Hollow Road in Chestnut Ridge. It was founded in 1926, sixty years before Chestnut Ridge was incorporated as a village, when a group of New Yorkers who ran a vegetarian restaurant near Carnegie Hall bought a small farm on the road. Over the next century that farm grew into a nationally known center for Waldorf education and the arts. According to the village proclamation, the campus is home to about 125 residents and supports roughly 180 jobs. It includes Green Meadow Waldorf School, founded in 1950, which serves nearly 300 students from nursery through grade twelve. The campus also houses the Otto Specht School for children with learning and developmental challenges, Eurythmy Spring Valley, and the Threefold Community Farm, which keeps Rockland County's only dairy herd.

In statements following the meeting, village and county officials praised Threefold's contributions to Chestnut Ridge and Rockland County.

"Threefold was here long before Chestnut Ridge became a village, and it has helped shape the character of this place for a hundred years," said Mayor Rosario Presti Jr. "The schools, the farm, the arts programs, all of it adds something special to Chestnut Ridge. We're proud to recognize them and we look forward to their next hundred years."

"What stands out to me about Threefold is how it opens its doors," said Deputy Mayor Chaim Rose. "From interfaith exchanges with young people from across our village to programs that welcome people of every background, Threefold has shown what respect between neighbors looks like. That's something every resident of Chestnut Ridge can be proud of."

"A hundred years is an incredible milestone for any institution," said Trustee Shmuli Fromovitz. "From Green Meadow to the Otto Specht School to the only dairy herd left in the county, Threefold has given generations of families something to be proud of. Congratulations to everyone who has been part of that story."

"It was an honor to stand with the village board and present County Executive Day's proclamation," said Legislator Friedman. "Threefold has made a lasting contribution to education and to Rockland County as a whole, and this recognition is well deserved. I wish them continued success as they begin their second century."

Threefold is starting its second century by investing in its historic campus, including a new building for the Otto Specht School.