Community Profile: Ruth Ballenzweig, Volunteer Coordinator

This year, High Meadow has revamped our family volunteer program, long a central part of our school culture supporting campus and community life. At the center of this work is Ruth Ballenzweig, a parent of two HMS students and an accomplished educator.

When Ruth Ballenzweig and her family joined High Meadow in 2023, she wasted no time becoming involved in the life of her new school. Volunteering at events like Fireside Friday, Ruth embraced the opportunity to be part of her children’s educational experience, and part of her community.

“There are a lot of really fun opportunities to be involved at High Meadow,” Ruth explains, “but historically, it's been challenging to match parents to the right opportunities to fit their skills and schedule.” This year, in her new role, Ruth will take the time to review volunteer interest forms submitted by families, work with staff to identify volunteer needs, and connect the dots.

“If you are having trouble figuring out how to get involved, or want to contribute a special skill, I’m going to be that person who can help match you up and address general questions,” she says. 

High Meadow has also reimagined its volunteer program, which allows families to offset a portion of tuition through community service, while keeping costs down for events. Under the new program, called the High Meadow High Five, each family will be asked to contribute to a total of five events or activities, three via in-person hours, and two via donations like baked goods.

“High Meadow offers all these amazing events – clean up days, clothing swaps, bake sales, Fireside Fridays – but they can't happen without family support. There are also opportunities to contribute special skills, like running the sound board, or to share something from your cultural or professional background.”

Ruth herself grew up in New York City, attending a mix of public and private schools. She left high school ahead of schedule to attend Simon’s Rock early college, “a small liberal arts school for kids who wanted to do something a little different,” in Western Massachusetts. There, Ruth says, “I kind of became more of a country girl than a city girl.” Her first job was working on a small CSA vegetable farm.

From there, Ruth became a high school English teacher, earning her Masters in Education from Brooklyn College. After a few years, though, she found that “neither of those jobs met all of my preferences and interests, so I ended working at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, running a program for teens. I loved building relationships with the same kids over time, bringing together my teaching with being outdoors, and getting to teach kids more holistically, based on their interests.”

Still, Ruth imagined herself one day returning to a small town and a quieter, slower lifestyle. “So once I had my career and was fortunate to meet and marry someone who also wanted to live in the country,” she and her husband, Karim, made the move. “Our timeline was a bit sped up by Covid,” she adds, as her first daughter was born while they were locked down in a small apartment.

“We were looking at a bunch of different areas – Massachusetts, Vermont, here. We’re really happy we landed in this community, just five minutes away from a school we love for our kids, and close to family in the city.” In fact, Ruth’s in-laws are in the process of making a cross-country move to join them.

Since landing in her new home, Ruth’s engagement in the area continues to grow. In addition to her volunteer coordinator role, she substitutes at High Meadow, works with Wild Earth, and operates a decluttering business. For her, community involvement is about more than just getting things done: “We’re also showing our children how we can all work together to make our community thrive and flourish.”