t h e f u t u r
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h e r e . T h e C e n t e n n i a l C a m p a i g n f o r L a J o l l a C o u n t r y D a y S c h o o l DRAFT AS OF JUNE 2023
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Dear Torreys,
The future starts at La Jolla Country Day School. After years of planning, consulting and collaborating with members of our community, we have developed a comprehensive plan that will transform our school over the next 30 years and catapult us into the next century. Phase one, a $15 million investment, will have immediate and long-term impacts on our current students and future generations of Torreys. It will advance a culture of resilience and adaptability so that our students thrive in this rapidly changing world.
To arrive at this pivotal moment, we have:
collaborated with the LJCDS Board of Trustees in their vision for the future of the campus; hired ARC, a renowned architectural firm, to design the campus we envisioned; presented the Master Plan in October 2022 to the LJCDS community; formed a Campaign Task Force made up of 13 community representatives conducted over 50 interviews and collected 4,500 electronic surveys with faculty/staff, parents, grandparents, alumni, parents of alumni and donors.
This campaign will feature a three-story, 14,000 square-foot Hub with a human-centered design that will house our nationally recognized Design and Innovation program; Media Literacy; Center for Excellence in Citizenship; Community, Culture and Belonging; a new Community Hall as well as flexible collaboration spaces.
To build this comprehensive center, we are leaning on our community to secure significant financial support before construction can begin. The timeline is ambitious, but we are optimistic that we can break ground in 2025 so students can begin learning and creating in the Hub in 2026. Philanthropic support from the community will be critical to achieving this audacious goal.
The possibilities are limitless as we guide our students through the most pivotal years of their lives. It is my sincere hope that future generations can share the LJCDS experience on a campus engineered for excellence. With your help, we can make the campus of our dreams a reality for future generations and the next 100 years.
With gratitude,
Gary Krahn, Ph D Head of School
we are making torrey history
Founded in the heart of La Jolla, La Jolla Country Day School (LJCDS) has a rich history. For almost 100 years, the school has elevated itself while retaining the soul and spirit of its community. Today, the campus is surrounded by medical marvels and tech giants and students in our community flourish in an educational environment where proven meets progressive and problem solving is at the forefront.
Recognized as a national leader in education, LJCDS is a model for 21st-century learning. The school's student-centered faculty designs meaningful, hands-on and relevant learning experiences.
LJCDS provides resources and mentorships to hard-working students so that they have the opportunity to achieve success. Development and growth are not just found in the classroom but beyond in the arts, athletics, co-curricular programs and community-service learning.
"we constantly step back to make sure we are developing something that the customer actually wants. most startup companies fail, yet so far we have beaten the odds. that is a credit to the preparation that began with the program."
—rostam reifschneider ’17
we are experiential learners determined to become the best version of ourselves
we are enhancing programs that have proven success
We aren't just looking at the next 10 years, we are charting what will be 100 years from now.
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our vision starts
with discovery
we are establishing a comprehensive approach to curiosity, connection and creativity
Connected Gathering Spaces
Modernized Libraries
on Discovery
Community, Culture and Belonging
Design & Innovation
Global Impact
Center for Excellence in Citizenship
P L
the hub
we are igniting curiosity
Educational excellence in arts, humanities, math and social sciences provides the foundation for technical skill sets. The new Hub will leverage and enhance what all ages learn in their classrooms, pushing students to dig deeper, challenge the status quo and solve complex problems that haven't been solved yet.
The Hub will foster creativity, inquiry and collaboration, and represent the human dignity that our students carry with them beyond graduation into the world around them.
the hub
By providing access to resources, mentors and spaces that foster collaboration, inquiry and discovery, the Hub will empower our students to exercise multiple perspectives, exercise a global mindset, challenge the status quo and solve complex problems.
atured Spaces
Hub will add 14,000 square feet of learning and collaboration
ce, with approximately 4,500 square feet of expanded and anced Design and Innovation space that includes:
maker space
robotics lab
VR studio and computer science classroom
flexible collaboration areas
student showcase display
dge commanding 1,500 square feet designed for student nection and collaboration, including study workrooms
nter for Excellence in Citizenship, focusing on human connection impact through a global lens
dia Literacy Office
mmunity, Culture and Belonging Department
w 2,800 square-foot Community Hall and flexible gathering space
The Hub will prepare students today to become the leaders of tomorrow.
1 OF 18
schools worldwide in partnership with UPenn's Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship
The Design and Innovation Program
LJCDS provides students with the advanced resources, mentorship and space to become innovators.
The Design and Innovation program will serve as a laboratory for our students to test their ideas and develop solutions to relevant problems. Our goal is that these solutions will improve the lives of others.
“this will be a safe place for experimentation. we teach our students that failure is not a barrier to the future, but that we are breaking the barriers that lead to success.”
—dan lenzen director of design and innovation
we are thoughtful collaborators
Modern Libraries
Modern libraries are information hubs. They teach our students where to find information, how to validate and authenticate that information and how to use it to form their hypothesis or support their argument.
Media Literacy and Ethics
This relatively new focus of education is a critical academic discipline. It teachers our students not only to responsibly examine create and share digital media bu develops their moral c
Center for Excellence in Citizenship
The space for the Center for Excellence in Citizenship (CEC) will allow Torreys to gather in collaborative inquiry and use their voices to bring attention to meaningful issues with compassion and care for the world around them. Activities like Citizenship Week, Model United Nations, Mock Trial, Voice of San Diego Politifest, San Diego Diplomacy Council and more bring together humanities and design thinking to create a better tomorrow.
Community, Culture and Belonging
We foster a community that values inclusion, belonging and systemic equality by encouraging authentic conversation and diverse perspectives, and by challenging the assumptions and biases that keep us stuck.
Gathering Spaces
We embrace the excellence of the industries in our backyard and look forward to growing future partnerships with biotech, healthcare, research and technology industries. The Hub features flexible gathering spaces for social interaction and the exchange of ideas, from small study rooms to Community Hall, where events and lectures will take place. This is where great minds come together and seek solutions.
“the buildings change, but the feeling is the same. we’re proud of all the innovation since we graduated—and thrilled that the feeling of being on campus is specific and palpable to us. it’s such a happy, bright, beautiful campus.”
–merritt rosen-brizolis ’01, alumna and parent
we are inspired by greatness
the new hub will:
Create central space to design solutions to real-world problems
Bring together students, educators, mentors and experts in various fields
Connect our students to the world and the world to our students
Prepare students to confidently pitch in the Torrey Explorers Fund, a venture capital fund for students seeking to start a business, launch a social campaign, invent a technology or create an art installation
Promote a deep understanding of the design thinking process
Inspire students to turn ideas into actions and own a portfolio of work
Foster a welcoming maker space for students from other schools, supporting the idea of a 'private school with a public purpose'
we are invested in the future
Making a transformational gift to La Jolla Country Day School today means making a difference in the lives of thousands of Torreys for the next century. By investing in facilities designed to support innovative and entrepreneurial thinking, you are helping us prepare our students with the skills needed to inspire greatness and create a better world.
will you join us?
18 endowment for design and innovation goal: $2 million+ the hub capital enhancements goal: $13 million campaign goal $15 million Learn how you can make a difference at La Jolla Country Day School. Contact Lindsay McCreary, director of philanthropy, at lmccreary@ljcds.org or 858-453-3440 x285. Leadership gifts of $25,000 or more will be recognized with a named opportunity. All gifts to the campaign will be recognized on the campaign donor wall. leave your legacy
