Big Night Out!

Big Night Out!, Manhattan Country School’s annual spring benefit, will be held on Saturday, April 28, 2018. The event features the Living the Dream Mentor Award ceremony, dinner, dancing and an online auction. Revenue from Big Night Out! is vital to helping us raise the more than $2 million needed each year to sustain our sliding-scale tuition program. 

2018 Living the Dream Mentor Award Honorees

Each year, Manhattan Country School honors excellence and leadership in progressive education, arts and sciences, social and environmental justice, and community activism with its Living the Dream Mentor Award. This year, we honor the following individuals who exemplify MCS' vision and mission by promoting social justice through sports:

Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, Founder, Muslim Girls Hoop Too and Dribbling Down Barriers

In 2010, Bilqis became the first NCAA Division I basketball player to play while wearing a hijab. After college, she intended to play basketball professionally, but couldn't because of an International Basketball Federation rule banning hijabs. While her own dream was benched, she spoke out for the next generation. Through her efforts, the ban was overturned in 2017. Today, Bilqis inspires young Muslim women as a sports instructor and motivational speaker. 

Harris Friess '98 and Lyle Friess '00, Co-Executive Directors, Brooklyn Youth Sports Club

Harris and Lyle established the Brooklyn Youth Sports Club in 2009 to provide an enriching educational setting for economically disadvantaged youth. Through the club, the brothers use basketball as a vehicle to inspire more than 300 students each year to fulfill their academic, physical and personal potential. 

Jermaine Lloyd, Founder, Back 2 Bacics Academy

Jermaine is the founder of Back 2 Basics Academy, a nonprofit organization that provides year-round basketball training to underserved youths in New York City to help them develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills and to prepare them for real-life challenges. Jermaine has more than 19 years of classroom teaching experience and more than 25 years in coaching and athletic training. 

Festive