Capital Campaign - Phase V Completed
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Headmaster Peter Quinn explains the Master Plan at a recent parent luncheon.
The Capital Campaign, Soaring to New Heights, was launched in September 2005 - a phased campaign to complete the Master Plan for building out the campus over the next decade. Phase V, a $6 million endeavor, focused on the construction of a new Library, Science, and Technology building, and also included retrofits to create a new Dining Room and a Lower School Library. The Campaign for Phase V, which concluded in 2008, was the largest and most successful Capital Campaign that Wakefield has conducted to date.
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The Library, Science, and Technology building opened in January 2007. This building houses Wakefield’s first technologically integrated Library; an expanded technology laboratory/classroom; and six spacious, fully-equipped science laboratories. Space in existing buildings then became available for impressive retrofits that produced (1) a Dining Room that also has multiple uses as a space for various gatherings, and (2) a beautiful Lower School Library designed to address the needs of our youngest readers.
Next Phase
We are currently addressing the infrastructure needs of the campus through traffic and parking improvements before determining what the next construction project will be and when it might take place. As is always the case, these decisions are driven by the needs of the curriculum.
Capital gifts can be made at any time, whether or not we are conducting an active phase of the Capital Campaign. We have recently received generous gifts supporting the restoration and essential repair of the old stone bridge - the primary entrance to the campus as you wind up the hill and "a memorable landmark" for the many students who have attended Wakefield School over the years (quote from a story in our student newspaper, Noctua, entitled Golden Gate: Rebuilding a Giant). Gifts have also been made for renovating playing fields, creating a retention pond for irrigation, landscaping, and creating a memorial Reading Garden.
Building an Endowment
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- The Lower School Library
A school's Endowment is a fund that lasts in perpetuity with only the income being spent for priority needs. Endowment funds provide financial security and flexibility in the present and for the future. This financial strength often provides support for financial aid, faculty salaries, academic programs, and/or maintenance of buildings and grounds. Now that Wakefield has established itself firmly in this hilltop campus (since 1996), building an Endowment for the school has become a priority.
In 2008-2009, a Trustee made it possible for Wakefield School to receive a $50,000 gift for financial aid endowment; the first gift of its kind in our school's history. This was a challenge grant which was met by Annual Fund gifts from the parents of the Junior and Senior classes and the Fund-A-Scholar financial aid solicitation at our annual auction.
If you would like more information on the Soaring to New Heights Campaign, the Master Plan for the campus, and the Endowment, please contact our Director of Capital Giving and Capital Campaigns, Lindsay Jones, at 540-253-7542.