for the Boys
CFS CA PI TA L CA M PA I GN NEWSLET T ER SUMMER 201 9
Dear Friends and Supporters of Church Farm School, Greetings from CFS where we are very pleased to have closed a successful 2018-2019 school year culminating in the graduation of the Class of 2019. As in prior years, each graduate leaves Exton one final time as a student on his way to bigger and better things, thanks to the significant educational opportunity we continue to provide through your prayers, partnership and steadfast support. A significant aspect of our ability to help the boys accomplish so much is the simple, yet important fact, that we have a purposeful facility in which to house, feed and educate them. As you may be aware, we have set out to enhance the spaces in which the boys live and learn each day through a campus modernization project. And thanks to your support of our Capital Campaign For the Boys, we are moving ahead with construction. Our focus in this phase is on providing: 1. 2.
3.
80%
raised of $6.5 million goal 5.2 million
$
A unified center for all of the visual and performing arts; An addition to the north side of Greystock Hall that will house the admission office in one place, provide an elevator for ADA access, expand the dining center in order that we might hold family-style meals for the whole school at one sitting and significantly enhance collaborative learning and meeting spaces for greater student and teacher interaction; A new, safe and secure entrance to the school from Valley Creek Boulevard, environmental controls that will also serve as an outdoor classroom and an entrance into the school directly from the tunnel.
The campus is significantly abuzz with construction activity and we look to have all of Phase One completed by August of 2020 with a number of spaces being available for use before then. In gratitude for your support of the project, this newsletter intends to provide you with regular updates, features and photographs of the work being done. Our sense is that you will enjoy monitoring our progress and celebrating every achievement along the way. We will also keep you informed about any occasion we will have to celebrate new spaces and share the joy in providing today’s boys with the finest opportunity they could find anywhere. As much as change is in the air, this also remains constant. Thank you for your support and please let us know how we can keep you up-to-date. With heartfelt appreciation,
The Reverend Edmund K. Sherrill II, Head of School
Head of School Ned Sherrill greets the community at the May 17 groundbreaking celebration.
Designing Our Future
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The Buck Family Center for the Arts
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Fundraising For the Boys
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CHURCH FARM SCHOOL’S CAMPUS MODERNIZATION PROJECT
Designing Our
FUTURE On April 10, 2019, the Church Farm School’s Griffin Scholars Luncheon was abuzz with excitement from our friends and Board members who had noticed the first (of now very many) construction vehicles on campus, which was beginning to dig the new entrance road to the school from Valley Creek Boulevard. The new road will create a more attractive, safer and accessible ingress and egress from campus, and is one of three objectives that encompass the first phase of the school’s campus modernization project, which was approved by the Church Farm School Board of Directors at its January 2019 meeting.
The campus modernization will retain the school’s rural, historic charm and advance its mission of educating 180 high-potential young men each year. Designers for the project are Voith and Mactavish, architects, and Chester Valley Engineers, civil engineers. Watchdog, Philadelphia, is providing project oversight and construction is being provided by CH&E Construction and H.L. Wiker Inc., both of Lancaster, PA. A groundbreaking celebration to formally announce and celebrate the project was held on May 17, and students, faculty, alumni and friends of the school gathered to hear from Head of School Ned Sherrill, Board President
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Church Farm School Capital Campaign Newsletter
Matt Burns, student speakers and choir members Angel Vasquez ’21 and Preston Coston ’21, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania The Rt. Rev. Daniel Gutierrez and West Whiteland Township Board Chair Theresa Santalucia. Representatives of the Buck Family (profiled on page 5) and the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust (longstanding supporters of the school financially and through Peter Hamilton’s role as a Board member) were also in attendance to help put the ceremonial shovels in the ground and formally announce their support and enthusiasm for the project. Our wonderful Church Farm School Choir rounded out the event with a performance of “America the Beautiful.”
In addition to the new road, two other enhancements are: THE BUCK FAMILY CENTER FOR THE ARTS A new Center for the Arts, named for the Buck family, long-standing benefactors of Church Farm School, will consolidate the school’s arts program into a centralized, modern facility complete with studios, labs, classrooms and practice and performance spaces. A central exhibition gallery and outdoor arts patio will showcase student work. ACADEMIC BUILDING RENOVATIONS FEATURING HAMILTON ATRIUM The school’s main academic building – Greystock Hall – will be re-oriented to face the new entrance and quad, and will be highlighted by The Hamilton Atrium, named for a generous gift from the Hamilton Family Charitable Trust. This will allow for greater Admission and Head of School functioning on the first floor, an enlarged dining center with patio, an elevator for access to the building’s entirety and gathering spaces for students, faculty and visitors. Additionally, the tunnel connecting both sides of the campus under Route 30 will have direct access into Greystock.
For the Boys Capital Campaign. Funding for the $15M campus modernization project will come in part from the school’s $6.5M “For the Boys” Capital Campaign, as well as already raised funds and other sources. The Campaign Taskforce, co-chaired by Board members Richard Gherst and John Bellis (profiled on page 6), has been working steadily behind the scenes with the school’s Development Office and consultant Schultz & Williams to manage project fundraising and progress. With about a year left in the project’s fundraising lifespan, the Campaign has raised more than $5.2M thus far.
As the Campaign name suggests, the project is intended to enhance the Church Farm School experience for the young men that the school serves annually through its college preparatory residential program. “We are excited about Church Farm School’s campus modernization and the ways in which it will enhance the school as it enters its second century. We also know that the competitive environment for independent schools has changed dramatically over the past 10 years. The talented and deserving students we seek have many great options and we want CFS to be their first choice,” says Matt Burns, Board President and a former CFS parent. • Church Farm School Capital Campaign Newsletter
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The Buck Family Center for the Arts. Opening Winter 2020.
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he arts at Church Farm School have long been a vibrant and visible component of school life, yet the program’s disparately located facilities has hindered the greater development of a true and collaborative arts culture. That’s all about to change when the Buck Family Center for the Arts is completed in winter 2020. “We see so many kids through our department – probably 85% of the student body annually,” says Director of Instrumental Music Nicole Campbell, “but we don’t have adequate space for them.” Where Campbell’s current classroom behind the stage of Alumni Hall does double duty as a classroom and practice space, the new Center for the Arts will have practice spaces, performance spaces and classrooms, plus lockers where the students can store and access their instruments to rehearse during off-hours. Art teacher Kevin Korb, who started at CFS in 1998 as an intern during his senior year at West Chester University, remembers the days when limited space meant student art shows would often have to be held off-site. Arts Department Chair Dina Schmidt says the Center for the Arts will feature an array of opportunities to showcase student work, including an arts patio and an internal gallery, which can also double as an exhibition gallery for visiting artists or be used to host small musical performances.
Choir Director Gary Gress, whose students currently have to travel from the academic side of campus through the tunnel to a makeshift classroom beneath the Chapel (in under 3 minutes), is elated that the school and its supporters are investing in the school’s arts program, and is looking forward to “above-ground, light-filled spaces that are much more flexible for practice and performance.” While public schools continue to pull away from the arts, Gress notes that science and research show how vital they are to a well-rounded education. “For many of our students, the arts are their niche. This space validates them as students and young men.” He says the team is so grateful that CFS administration and its board have supported the arts at this level, and to be honored with such a generous gift by the Buck family is extremely ennobling for the program. The team agrees that creating a truly collaborative program – for both adults and students alike – will generate excitement and make “the kids feel like they are part of something bigger.” Summarizes Korb, “We are really excited about this new beginning and to be put on the map as integral to the Church Farm School program.” •
Director of Instrumental Music Nicole Campbell, Director of Choral Music Gary Gress, Arts Department Chair Dina Schmidt and Art Teacher Kevin Korb.
Opposite 1. Jim Buck and his sister, Cackie Buck Rogers, are generously supporting the creation of the Buck Family Center for the Arts, along with their mother, Elia Buck, and uncle and aunt William and Laura Buck. 2. Jim Buck and his mother, Elia, were part of the school’s May 17 groundbreaking ceremony for the campus modernization project and in particular, the Buck Family Center for the Arts.
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The Buck Family Honors Legacy of Support
J
im Buck and his sister, CFS Board member Caroline “Cackie” Buck Rogers, recall both Church Farm School and the arts as integral parts of their lives from an early age. Their father, J. Mahlon Buck, Jr., served on the school’s Board of Directors for 40 years, and was an accomplished pianist, a cappella singer and patron of the arts in Philadelphia. “Music was the background noise of our lives,” Jim recalls, “and my siblings and I were all strongly encouraged to be actively singing and playing instruments. For me, it became a mainstay of my life.” A singer at The Haverford School and then Princeton University, Jim continues to sing with the a cappella ensemble “The Tonics,” who performed Broadway hits with the CFS Choir at the 2015 Gala. Cackie is well known for her volunteer service for the arts in Philadelphia, currently serving as the Chair of the Academy of Music and as a Vice Chair and member of The Philadelphia Orchestra Association’s Board of Directors. “While I’m already intricately involved with Church Farm School as a board member, Jim became more aware of the great work of the school’s arts program when he sang with the choir at the Gala.”
“This is a very strong marriage of interests for us. Our family adores CFS and feels very strongly about the arts in education.” James M. Buck III
“Ned [Sherrill, CFS Head of School] has done a great job keeping us involved in the efforts at the school in need of support. Very early on, he identified the lack of facilities for the arts program, and he wanted to do something about it. This is a very strong marriage of interests for us. Our family adores CFS and feels very strongly about the arts in education,” Jim says. Says Jim and Cackie’s uncle, Bill Buck, “As a brother of J. Mahlon Buck, Jr., a former 40-year board member who loved CFS, I am very happy to support the new and greatly needed Buck Family Center for the Arts. Music has always been a big part of my life, having sung in school, college and later in the Suburban Squires for 20 years [who performed at CFS on numerous occasions], as well as playing sax and clarinet in a Dixieland band all through college. It is most gratifying to see the popularity of the Arts today, with most of the students enjoying or participating in some form, as opposed to generations ago. The boys at the school will now have a state-of-the-art facility on a seven-day-aweek basis, as well as a wonderful place for the enjoyment of the community.” “The small environment at CFS allows these students a diverse educational opportunity that is now going to be supported with the proper facilities,” adds Cackie. Both agree that the new Buck Family Center for the Arts will make the school even more competitive than it is now, as both a rallying for the internal community around the program, and a draw for prospective students and donors, who will now have greater opportunity to see the arts in action. “The arts team at CFS is incredibly dynamic; it is fantastic that they will have a place to hang their hats. I’ve got to believe it will be the backbone for broader musical performances. What you are developing here will put CFS on a different map for the community,” says Jim. Cackie, who attended The Shipley School and watched her daughter matriculate through its arts program, says she saw firsthand how it was bolstered by facility enhancements. “It will bring every area of the arts up.” Cackie couldn’t be more excited to be part of the school’s momentum in its second century. “Our students are high-achieving, college-bound young men who deserve the opportunity to shine and to get individualized attention that they might not get in a larger high school environment.” Adds Jim, “CFS really celebrates the whole boy. Completing these facilities will make this even more realized. Our father would be extremely proud of CFS and where it is today. He was so deeply proud of his service to the school.” •
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VOLUNTEER PROFILE
Fundraising For the Boys. Capital Campaign Taskforce Co-Chairs Richard Gherst and John Bellis.
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hurch Farm School has relied upon the community’s generosity with their time, talent and treasure since our founding in 1918. We have been especially fortunate to find a vast number of individuals willing and able to give all three. Two standout Board volunteers include Richard H. “Dick” Gherst and John Bellis, Jr., who are bringing their strong leadership skills and business acumen to the job of co-chairing the For the Boys Capital Campaign Taskforce supporting the campus modernization project. Gherst has been involved with the school as an officer and board member since 2007, and currently serves as Chair of the Finance Committee. He has helped steer initiatives such as the Head of School transition, development of the 2011 strategic plan and now, the implementation of the first phase of the campus modernization project. A CPA and a retired partner of Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Gherst was referred by colleague and former Board member John Pickering to the CFS Board. “The idea of providing a college preparatory education to mostly underserved boys is surely a worthy cause, and I have always enjoyed working with our very competent, professional and collegial group of directors.” Gherst has been integral to the campus plan since 2011, when he worked with the Board and CFS Administration to select a firm to create the plan. “I believe I have brought financial, analytical and leadership skills to the process, along with a healthy skepticism and probing for specifics. Fortunately, our Board includes many other needed talents and expertise in engineering, law, insurance, banking, fundraising and general business savvy.” Gherst says CFS faces unique fundraising challenges because they cannot rely on typical private school funding streams, but believes hard work by CFS staff and its
volunteer leadership has made the Campaign’s goals a near reality. “I am proud of the way our Board has stepped up in the vision to approve the project. I’m also proud of our Development team and Ned’s tireless leadership. As we near our goal, I hope that we can plan to exceed it while controlling costs.” Gherst’s Taskforce Co-Chair John Bellis became involved as a CFS Director in 2016, after learning of the school from his father, a longtime donor who passed his passion for the mission on to his son. The relationship between Bellis and CFS really bloomed after he and Head of School Ned Sherrill initiated a tour of Schramm, where Bellis served as Chief Financial Officer for 30 years, for CFS students interested in STEM. Prior to Schramm, Bellis served in the Air Force and for 13 years as a Senior Vice President at Girard Bank. Bellis believes enhancing the school’s facilities will make the school even more competitive “and help us continue to attract high-quality students and maintain our mission.” Like Gherst, Bellis says this must be a continuing effort that doesn’t stop with this Campaign. “Without continual investment, we will be bypassed by others.” Bellis says that the strong support for the Campaign that has already been exhibited is a positive indicator for the future. “We have exceeded our initial target well before the end of the campaign period and we have had wonderful support not only from our Board but also from important and longtime supporters of the school. I am hopeful that we will even exceed our goal of $6.5 million so that we can prepare for future improvements.” We are grateful to Dick Gherst and John Bellis for their leadership, and for the entire Taskforce for their efforts to enhance our campus “for the boys.” •
For the Boys Capital Campaign Taskforce Mr. John Bellis, Jr., Co-Chair Mr. Richard Gherst, Co-Chair Ms. Carol Ann Atterbury Mr. Matthew Burns Mr. Mark Carroll Mr. Samuel Cupp Mr. Stephen Darby
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Church Farm School Capital Campaign Newsletter
Mr. Michael Hankin Mr. Cecil Hengeveld ‘64 Mrs. Stacey Shreiner Kley Ms. Caroline Buck Rogers The Rev. Edmund K. Sherrill II Mr. Bruce Wilson
Drone photo showing campus updates as of mid-June.
Left: Dick Gherst at the groundbreaking ceremony with Ned Sherrill Right: John Bellis and his wife, Claire, at the 2019 CFS Gala.
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Church Farm School 1001 E. Lincoln Highway, Exton, PA 19341 www.gocfs.net • (610) 363-5347
Show your support for the Boys! Church Farm School, now in its 101st year, is going through a time of reflection and renewal. While celebrating its storied history, the school pledges itself to even greater achievement in pursuit of its mission to make a college preparatory education financially accessible to a diverse community of young men. The buildings are not important in and of themselves; rather, it is the environment they and the faculty create to help young men succeed and flourish. You are invited to offer these kind, deserving, grateful and high-achieving young men unparalleled opportunities by making Church Farm School the finest it can be with a gift or a pledge to our For the Boys Capital Campaign. For more information,
visit www.gocfs.net email development@gocfs.net or call (610) 363-5333
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Church Farm School Capital Campaign Newsletter
© 2019 Church Farm School. Designed by Edward Kim ’16 • www.edward.kim