The Future Starts Here Centennial Campaign

With your help, we can make the campus of our dreams a reality for future generations and the next 100 years.

GARY KRAHN, P h.D. HEAD OF SCHOOL

MY GRANDDAUGHTER, REESE, IS OPENING MY EYES TO AN INSPIRING FUTURE.

We are currently collaborating on a project to build a device that will organize her lacrosse sticks. Let me clarify: Reese has a clever idea to create a custom rack for her lacrosse sticks and I am standing beside her, watching in awe of her brilliant and resilient approach to problem-solving. Reese is learning how to design, prototype and take a product to market, and I am learning who Reese is.

Design and Innovation focuses on designing solutions to real-world obstacles. Reese loves lacrosse, so she set out to find a way to take better care of her equipment. Knowing of my immense curiosity in this area, she asked me to collaborate.

When she was sketching out the initial design, I asked her, “What happens if it doesn’t work?”

“I will just redesign it,” she replied fearlessly. What she said next is what has me so hopeful for the future.

“Papa,” she said, “my first prototype probably won’t work, but that doesn’t mean it won’t ever work. I know if we keep working on the design and asking others for feedback, we will make a product that is good.”

Reese is only in the sixth grade, but thanks to the teachers and environment at La Jolla Country Day School (LJCDS), she is already becoming the type of person the future will require for a better world: a human-centered innovator. More specifically, the future needs innovators who are analytical thinkers, who know progress is iterative and who treat one another with dignity. This is the type of person LJCDS has been producing for almost 100 years, and it is what makes us perfectly positioned to lead the next 100 years.

The pace of technological change has made the future as unpredictable as ever. However, I am certain that the future will demand good people equipped with the skills to face problems that do not exist yet. If we simply train our students to do what has been done, we will prepare them to live in our past rather than their future.

We have a vision to catapult primary education into the next century Our first step is a $15 million capital campaign to build The Hub for Innovation. It will intentionally bridge the humanities, science and art to foster collaboration, adaptability and resilience among our students so that they can thrive in the rapidly changing world they will inhabit as future leaders. This booklet introduces you to the ground-breaking facility and the interdisciplinary departments that will share it.

Philanthropic support from the community will be pivotal in achieving this ambitious goal. With your investment, we can influence the trajectory of education nationwide by providing access to outstanding facilities, industry-leading guest speakers and transformational teachers.

LJCDS is not a building. It is an environment where our students are encouraged to reach their potential to be a catalyst for good. We are building The Hub for Innovation for students, so they may learn to shape a better world for tomorrow.

The future starts with students like Reese. The future starts here at La Jolla Country Day School. This is your opportunity to partner to inspire the future.

With gratitude,

Gary Krahn, Ph.D. Head of School

INTRODUCING The Hub for Innovation

Breaking ground in 2025

Launching into the future in 2026

1

DESIGN & INNOVATION

This centerpoint will feature distinct Design and Innovation centers for the Lower School as well as the Middle School and the Upper School. Students will have access to new interactive learning environments that will foster collaboration among grade levels and between divisions.

2

NEW COMMUNITY HALL

Relocating to the second floor, Community Hall and the attached terrace will provide a flexible space for Torreys of all ages to connect with the world and one another. Imagine a nexus where the collaboration between art and humanities intersects with design, innovation and the global environment. In this space, students will learn from great minds and benefit from inspirational mentors.

The Hub will add 14,000 SQUARE FEET for exploration and collaboration.

3 THE BRIDGE

This standout architectural feature is a 1,500-square-foot bridge with flexible learning spaces. It represents a core concept of The Hub: real life applications of core disciplines and the importance of collaboration.

4

JACOBS FAMILY LIBRARIES

Continuous access on the first and second floors to the Fayman Family Lower School Library and Jacobs Family Middle and Upper School Library will provide seamless integration for discovery, curiosity, research and access to information.

5 TECHNOLOGY PLAYGROUND

Technology is changing faster than we thought possible. The Hub will house adaptable rooms to meet the current need. Just like the lessons students learn in Design and Innovation classes, the creative process is an evolution, and so is The Hub.

6 MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PROGRAMS

The Hub will foster an intentional collision of disciplines, cultivating knowledgeable minds and empathetic citizens equipped to inspire a better world.

These programs include:

• Center for Excellence in Citizenship

• Community, Culture and Belonging

• Media Literacy

Innovators have the power to change the world.

Our students are innovators, artists, humanitarians and change agents. The Hub for Innovation is our commitment to the future.

HOW WE GOT TO THIS PIVOTAL MOMENT:

Collaborated with the Board of Trustees to create our vision for the future

Hired ARC, a renowned architectural firm, to explore different paths to the campus of the future

Presented the Master Plan to the LJCDS community in October 2022

Conducted over 50 interviews and collected 4,500 electronic surveys from faculty/staff, parents, grandparents and alumni

BUILDING ON THE PAST

For 100 years, LJCDS has been a place where children establish a lifelong passion of inquiry and discovery. As we enter our next century, we honor our legacy and partner to create our future. The Hub for Innovation builds on our most recent capital project, The Jacobs Family Library and administration building providing the foundation to our interdisciplinary model.

Innovation is in our DNA.

For 100 years, La Jolla Country Day School has been an innovator in education by retaining the soul of its founder, Louise Balmer. Our students flourish in an educational environment where proven meets pioneering, and creative problem-solving is always at the forefront.

Our campus is situated at the epicenter of technological innovation, an area focused on drones, phones and genomes. That same creative thinking and approach to problemsolving is in our DNA.

We have a responsibility to provide access to the facilities and educators our students need to address the problems of the future. The Hub will further our ability to prepare students to positively impact the world they will encounter as adults.

Torreys will be at the intersection where innovation meets humanity.

While the intersectionality between design, arts, science and humanities is the focus of our approach, we push our students to go further—to not just master key areas of content, but to be decision-makers and innovators who benefit society.

PROGRAMS AT THE HUB:

Community, Culture and Belonging Media Literacy

Center for Excellence in Citizenship Design and Innovation

DESIGN AND INNOVATION

TOGETHER BY DESIGN

MEDIA LITERACY

THE HUB

CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN CITIZENSHIP

COMMUNITY, CULTURE AND BELONGING

The future starts with creative problem solvers.

We inspire students to improve the lives of others through purposeful innovation.

Spanning Kindergarten to Grade 12, Design and Innovation cultivates the intentional collision of environments, peers, mentors and resources to foster an innovative spirit. Our comprehensive approach instills life skills and a forward-thinking mindset, equipping students to excel in our ever-evolving world.

Design and Innovation created an environment for me to achieve out-of-reach goals that built the the foundation for college and my career.

The entrepreneurial mindset was new to most of my peers at MIT because their high schools did not have a similar curriculum. Because of LJCDS, I thrived at MIT and have now taken the design and innovation methodology into our business. Most startup companies fail, yet so far at Hydrova, we have beaten the odds. That is a credit to the preparation that began with the Design and Innovation program.

ROSTAM REIFSCHEIDER ’17, MIT CLASS OF ’21, COFOUNDER & CTO, HYDROVA, NAMED FORBES 2023 “30 UNDER 30”

CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE

The future starts with a global mindset.

We launch students as caring leaders who use their gifts as a power for good.

The Center for Excellence in Citizenship provides students with opportunities for civic engagement and encourages them to use their voices to bring attention to meaningful issues and to be more informed and engaged citizens. It fosters collaboration, communication and leadership skills as well as instilling a foundation of social responsibility and an understanding of the interconnectedness of global issues. Educational programs include Citizenship Week, Model UN, Torrey Mock Trial, Voice of San Diego Politifest, and a collaboration with the San Diego Diplomacy Council.

The fusion between Design and Innovation and Center for Excellence in Citizenship gave me confidence in my competence.

As long as you have passion and are persistent, you can learn and do anything. This was pivotal for me. I created my own major, Political Philosophy, Policy and Law, studying the intersection of these subjects at University of Virginia. I never would have had the confidence to pursue this without educators who encouraged me to reach my full potential.

SYDNEY STRAWN ’20 UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CLASS OF ’24

The future starts with belonging.

We unlock greater potential by developing cultural competency.

We foster a community that values inclusion, belonging and systemic equality by encouraging authentic conversations and diverse perspectives, and by challenging assumptions and biases. Community, Culture and Belonging promotes tolerance, empathy and a sense of shared humanity. We foster emotionally intelligent students who are proactive contributors to a more equitable society. Only then, are innovators able to create human centered and global solutions.

Before I came to LJCDS, I knew I wanted to do something with a neurodiversity focus related to autism and that meant going into the neuroscience or cognitive science fields.

After the intro

class, I wanted to

do something

related

to design and innovation. I thought, “Why not combine the two? How am I going to do that?”

SOPHIA HWANG ’23 NORTHEASTERN CLASS OF ’27

The future starts with analytical thinking.

We teach students to analyze all forms of media and to look at all sides of an issue so they are able to form their own opinions.

LJCDS is a national leader in Media Literacy within primary education. We teach students how to access, analyze and discern the validity of digital information, and then how to create and share media in an ethical manner. The result: our students will be changemakers, leveraging their advanced skills to shape a more informed and responsible digital landscape.

I have a responsibility to pay it forward for future innovators the same way others paved the way for me.

At LJCDS, there was an inspiring coach, teacher and mentor at every turn, helping me become the best version of myself.

I want to show aspiring young innovators that the possibilities are endless when you follow your intuition and lead from a place of passion and curiosity. I’m honored to give back to LJCDS and help inspire the next generation.”

JOSHUA CHURCH ’13 COFOUNDER, EDGE THEORY LABS

NAMED FORBES

“30 UNDER 30”

2023

The Hub will provide transformative access to opportunities and mentors, fostering innovative leaders of tomorrow.

Access to key mentors and industry leaders, extending the boundaries of education beyond textbooks and the traditional classroom model.

Access beyond regular school hours, keeping The Hub open for LJCDS students and other promising students around San Diego and provide invaluable opportunities for collaboration with graduate students from UCSD, USD and SDSU.

Together, we can extend boundaries and power possibilities.

The Future Starts Here

THE CENTENNIAL CAMPAIGN FOR LA JOLLA COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

THE TIME IS NOW

By investing in cutting-edge facilities and a groundbreaking combination of academic programs, we will help our students stay ahead of technological innovations and the challenges they will face throughout their lives. Your gift today will influence tomorrow’s trajectory of education for the better, leaving a lasting impact on our future leaders.

Our Future Relies on You

YOUR SUPPORT

HELPS US REACH OUR GOAL

$15 Million

GENEROUS COMMITMENTS

TO DATE

$4.5 Million

Together, we will inspire greatness for a better world.