State of the School: 2021-22 Report on Progress & Philanthropy

Editors

Suzy Akin Lauren Corvese

Design

Robert Beerman, Onward Upward Photography Flo Farrell

John Gillooly Photography

John Rich Tony Rinaldo Photography

Student artwork in the Report on Philanthropy was created during the 2021–22 academic year.

Printing Puritan Capital

Development Office 617.274.6018 development@parkschool.org

Shannon O’Leary, Director of Development

Lauren Corvese, Director of Annual Giving Abbie Weaver, Manager of Development Operations & Special Events

The Development Office has taken great care to ensure the accuracy of the information in this report. If your name was inadvertently omitted, misspelled, or otherwise listed incorrectly, please accept our apologies and let us know so we may correct our records.

State of the School 2021–22

Letter from Scott Young, Head of School, and Joe Robbins, Chair, Board of Trustees

New Trustee Profiles: Kent Bennett Tiffany Hogan Rich Quincy Amanda Teo

Susanna Whitaker Waters ’99 Academic Program Graduation 2022 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Admission Parents’ Association Operations & Planning

Report on Philanthropy 2021–22

STATE OF THE SCHOOL: THE 2021–22 REPORT ON PROGRESS AND PHILANTHROPY 2 4 6 8 12 14 16 18 24 26 28 30 34 36 38

Letter from the Development Office Picnic at Park

The SPARK Campaign Giving Day 2022: The SPARK Match for Community & Belonging Budget & Philanthropy Summaries Volunteers Lists of Donors

On the cover: What defines Park? Our motto, “Simplicity & Sincerity,” just begins to tell you what matters most at Park. Our cover highlights the many attributes Park students embrace throughout their journey, aspects of character and accomplishment that are captured in The Park Portrait.

DEAR MEMBERS OF THE PARK COMMUNITY,

The beginning of each new school year is always exciting, full of promise and possibility, and as we look forward to all that’s ahead, it’s important to reflect on the good work that brought us this far. In sharing this State of the School: Report on Progress and Philanthropy for 2021–2022, we are proud to say that The Park School is thriving—and its strength grows out of the amazing work accomplished last year through the collaborative efforts and commitment of so many.

Even as we continued to adapt to challenges presented by the pandemic, the Park community kept moving forward. We couldn’t be more grateful, or more proud. This year of growth and inspiration set us up to continue driving our mission forward at its best. We are thrilled to reflect back across a year in which we brought back elements that make Park “Park.” From the return of in-person gatherings—such as Picnic at Park, the SPARK celebration in the fall, Morning Meeting, and May Day—as well as the relaunch of essential programming like team sports and international travel, the community continued to catalyze Park’s movement forward. So much of this has been made possible through the deep commitment that all of you have brought to Park. This shared, collective effort made such a positive school year possible—thank you.

It was also a year of innovation as Upper Division students and faculty moved into brand new classrooms and collaboration spaces—innovation that continues this year in our new Maker Wing and Lower Division STEAM corridor, and as students take to the new turf field, and look forward to adventure on our high ropes course. We are grateful to all members of the community whose belief in Park and in the potential of these programmatic investments catalyzed The SPARK Campaign and the realization of our institutional goals.

Beyond the manifestations of community support these campus enhancements make visible, we are especially proud of the community’s strong turnout in support of our diversity, equity, and inclusion priorities. This year’s Giving Day, dedicated to The SPARK Match for Community & Belonging, set a new record for participation. The community showed up for Park’s core values in astounding numbers, earning Park the challenge grant that generously matched gifts and setting a new record for dollars raised on Giving Day.

These funds will increase endowment for DEI education, increase capacity to respond to emerging DEI needs, and establish endowed support for educational testing for students with learning differences. This effort—and its success—showed Park coming together to create the kind of community we aspire to be, one in which all members feel a deep sense of belonging, in which all members can truly thrive.

The state of the school is strong, with robust enrollment and attrition at historic lows. Our financial position is similarly robust. The Annual Fund is the bedrock of Park’s culture of philanthropy. Its continued strength in the midst of an exciting capital campaign—we exceeded $2.3M for the 6th year in a row—speaks to the Park community’s steadfast commitment to the values we hold dear: a strong financial aid program, leading compensation for our stellar faculty and staff, and excellent academic program. And while the Annual Fund sustains these values and the School’s daily operations, the success of The SPARK Campaign carries us forward, advancing our ability to deliver the best PreK–8 program in the greater Boston area, firmly grounded in the three pillars that guide everything we do: a commitment to academic excellence, a firm foundation of socialemotional learning, and the ongoing expectation that every member of the community will feel the deep sense of belonging that inspires the confidence to try, risk, fail, and grow.

It’s exciting to see what we accomplish when we come together in support of Park’s mission. We are excited by all the possibilities ahead.

Warmly,

Joe Robbins P’30, ’28, ’26, ’24 Chair, Board of Trustees

Scott Young P ’30 Head of School

This effort—and its success—showed Park coming together to create the kind of community we aspire to be, one in which all members feel a deep sense of belonging, in which all members can truly thrive.

Trustees

KENT BENNETT

Kent Bennett and his wife, Kate, have three daughters—Max (Grade 4), Molly (Grade 1), and Charlie (2 years old, aspiring future Park student) —and are thrilled to be part of the Park community where their two older girls have thrived and the parents have enjoyed serving as class parents and on committees at Park over the years. The family lives in Newton Corner.

When not changing diapers, Kent invests in technology startups in Boston and beyond as a Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners and serves on the boards of over a dozen public and private companies. His focus is on consumer startups as well as consumer-facing vertical software. Prior to Bessemer, Kent was a consultant at Bain & Company, and a television and film screenwriter. Kent holds an undergraduate engineering degree from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar.

Kent also serves on the board of the New England Venture Capital association. In his free time (at least when he had some) he enjoys playing guitar, piano, and singing, and aspires to conscript at least one of his daughters into a family band.

TIFFANY HOGAN

Tiffany Hogan will serve the Park community for the 2022–23 and 2023–24 academic years as president of The Park School Parents’ Association and as a member of the Board of Trustees. An active parent volunteer since joining the Park community when her son, Xavier, now a seventh grader, entered Grade 1, she has led numerous parent committees at Park, including New Parent Dinners, Community Service, and Hospitality. Most recently, she helped to create and co-chair the Anti-racism Task Force of Park’s Alumni and Development Office. It is important to her to be an active part of the Park community so that Xavier feels like he belongs.

A Boston native, Tiffany leads Diversity & Inclusion for Wolf, Greenfield & Sacks, a Bostonbased intellectual property law firm. Prior to this, she managed Diversity, Employer Brand, and Diversity Recruiting at Akamai Technologies and the career development office at MIT Sloan School of Management. Recognized for her strategic thinking, creative problem-solving, relationship-building skills, and sense of humor, she is personally committed to helping her community, specifically through educational opportunities, philanthropy, and service.

In addition to her full-time and community work, Tiffany teaches yoga part-time in Dorchester and plays tennis around Boston as often as possible. She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MBA from Simmons School of Management. Tiffany is a big proponent of community building and is excited about engaging with the Park community in person this upcoming school year.

RICH QUINCY

Rich Quincy and his wife, Eliza ’98, have two children at Park—Louisa (Grade 2) and Hannah (Kindergarten). The family has thoroughly enjoyed their time at the school. The Quincys have lived in Wellesley for seven years and in Boston before that. When they considered school options for their children, Eliza’s experience as a Park graduate and passionate alumni volunteer led them to ultimately choose Park.

In addition to his family life, Rich is a principal of Quincy & Company, a regional real estate development and management company with a presence throughout New England. He is also a trustee of Bromley Realty Trust, the oldest continually operating business trust in Massachusetts. In this role, he manages all investment strategies for the Trust, which owns and operates suburban community shopping centers and urban and suburban multifamily apartment buildings throughout New England. Rich is an advocate and investor in energy-efficient buildings and construction projects on a local and national level.

Rich attended Dedham Country Day School and Noble and Greenough School, and received his B.A. from Boston College and a J.D with a focus on Urban Planning and Land Use from the University of Connecticut School of Law. After college, Rich participated in the Teaching Fellowship program at Nobles and worked as a teacher, golf and hockey coach, and admissions officer at the school before beginning his investment career.

Rich is excited to join the Board of Trustees and continue to develop his relationship with the school alongside Eliza, a past co-chair and active member of the Alumni Committee and Springfest co-chair for the Parents’ Association.

SUSANNA WHITAKER WATERS ’99

After four amazing years at Park, grades 6–9, Susanna attended Concord Academy and then St. Lawrence University, where she majored in history with a minor in Caribbean and Latin American studies and captained the women’s lacrosse team. Upon completing a M.Ed in Secondary Social Studies at SLU, Susanna taught and coached at Holderness School, before moving to Brooks School in North Andover. Susanna currently serves as the Associate Head of School for Academic Affairs and teaches history at Brooks. She coordinates the Davis Scholars & Fellows Programs, enjoys serving as a

AMANDA TEO

Born in Singapore and raised in Hong Kong and California, Amanda appreciates the challenges of being “new” or “in-between,” and brings enthusiasm for helping spaces and cultures become more humble, compassionate, and inclusive. Graduates of Los Angeles-area public schools, Amanda and her husband, Stephen Gordon, a geriatrician and healthcare entrepreneur, still find themselves in awe of Park’s outstanding curriculum, facilities, and staff, and incessantly remind their children—Ethan (Grade 4), Jonathan (Grade 2), and Mari (Kindergarten)—how lucky they are to be part of this community.

Amanda was recently named Counsel to the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. In this role, she develops strategies and policies to enhance community wellbeing, reform the federal legal system, and advance racial and economic equity. Previously, she worked for over a decade at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, where she was the Chief of Staff and an appellate prosecutor.

Amanda received her A.B. from Princeton University, a M.A. in English from Harvard University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She is a member of the Harvard Law Review Board of Overseers, a hearing examiner for the Board of Bar Overseers, and a member of the Board of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County. Amanda is a native speaker of Cantonese, an alumna of LeadBoston, and a DEI facilitator trained by the National SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Project. At Park, Amanda has served as a class parent and is currently co-chair of the PA DEI Committee and co-facilitator of the parent and caregiver SEED group.

The family landed at Park because Jewish day school was too long of a commute, and Amanda is most grateful to Park for nurturing her children’s commitment to social justice and their capacity to become kind, engaged mensches. After 10 years in JP, the family is excited (and a bit sad) to move to a new home in Coolidge Corner.

faculty advisor for WINC (Women’s Incorporated), and is a longtime member of the Diversity Leadership Council. Susanna recently completed a fellowship with Leadership + Design, and is currently working toward a M.Ed in Private School Leadership at Columbia University, with coursework in finance, law, and governance. Her practicum research project is titled “Building for the Future: Reimagining 21st Century Learning”

and she chairs the Architectural Task Force at Brooks.

After a term as Fundraising Director on The Village School board of trustees in Boxford, Susanna has been excited to participate in the Park Alumni Committee and to join The SPARK Campaign as co-chair. Her husband Willie works in Admissions at Brooks, and they have three children, Ainsley (9), Callum (5), and Camilla (1). Ainsley and Cal attend the Pike School in Andover, which provides Susanna with another window into the primary independent school experience. Susanna is looking forward to serving a term on the Park board and being even closer to a community that launched her own trajectory in independent schools.

STATE OF THE SCHOOL:

Academic Program

AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF of managing the Park program amidst the necessary restrictions required to protect health and safety, we were thrilled to return in 2021–22

to in-person learning and community events. We are grateful for the extraordinary efforts this community delivered to make it possible to successfully and safely mount a full year of in-person learning—every day, all year long.

It may seem like a distant memory right now, but it’s important to recognize that all our families supported Park’s health assurance efforts with weekly at-home rapid testing, that large numbers of families brought children to campus to participate in our early morning “test-to-stay” protocol, and every member of the campus community participated in weekly on-campus PCR testing. Before we even acknowledge the extraordinary accomplishments of our students and teachers, we must applaud the collective commitment of the Park community that made this possible. Thank you to you all!

Because we supported this commitment together, students of all ages were able to return to the library. Because we did this together, students were able to perform on stage once again. Our ensembles program thrived with in-person musical instruction and performance. Athletics teams returned to our fields and courts for competition. We sang together at the Winter Festival and on May Day. Cross-grade collaborations were reborn; for example, our Grade 7 students built community

with students from all corners of the school through the Probability Carnival, in which they designed games with younger students in mind and found joy in engaging students in Grades 1–3 in playing together. We even celebrated together with a Silent Dance Party—every person moving to their own music in an other-worldly community dance that inspired so much laughter and many smiles.

That the return last spring to in-person Morning Meeting was met with such joy attests to the community’s hunger for gathering! Students were able to lead meetings, perform for their peers, practice public speaking, celebrate community accomplishments, and so much more. That parents and guardians were once again allowed in the building to witness Morning Meeting was another facet of community joy. Even though we were all still masked, we were together.

It was with so much joy that we witness the teaching and learning that grew out of crossdisciplinary efforts, such as the wonderful stained glass installation born of a partnership between

Upper Division math and English classes as students found new ways to express “This I Believe” through use of complex math equations, and the Lunar New Year celebration created by Mandarin students that engaged the whole community in ideas of courage, community, and resilience.

We also celebrated the many ways in which students used the skills they practice to explore identity and belonging, whether through the Grade 1 “Be You” project where they spoke about standing up for oneself and for one another—being an ally, a friend, a thoughtful upstander, a changemaker—or the Grade 5 study of immigration that opened the door to explorations of what it means to feel one belongs—in this country, and on a personal level, in Park’s Upper Division.

Certainly, the “important stuff” that happens every day at Park centers around growth and learning, and yet, while Park teachers and students continued to grow and to learn when we couldn’t be in community together, the return to community events reminds us that the best learning happens

in and through relationships with others while recognizing the value of what each individual brings to that collective whole. And so as we reflect on the past year, we celebrate that even with the challenges of this year, we continued to be Park together.

Warmly, Tina Fox Lower Division Head Ken Rogers Upper Division Head

Students were able to lead meetings, perform for their peers, practice public speaking, celebrate community accomplishments, and so much more.

STATE OF THE SCHOOL:

Graduation 2022

As I move towards the future,

I also think about the past. I think about what I want to do and how to get there. Getting to goals usually doesn’t happen quickly. It’s not like I picked up the bass and started playing with a huge artist. It was about focusing on the small steps, and practicing, in order to move further ahead. It’s easier and better to dig into the little things that will move you closer to your goal. Take small steps.

Graduates, don’t take on too much during your first couple of semesters. Think about things you like to do while you’re in high school and different ways that might pan out into a career or multiple careers. Make sure to have fun—if you’re not having fun—fix it! Use your resources and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. You should enjoy your time anywhere you go, especially in high school.

If I could go back, I would tell my younger self to take it day by day. Don’t stress about the semester or the month. Focus on the day itself, which is a lighter load, so you don’t take on too much. Don’t let FOMO dictate your choices—you can’t be everywhere at the same time! Take a deep breath, be good to yourself and it will all be okay.

Congratulations, graduates—I’m excited for each and every one of you!

—Kyla Wright ’16

Each year, Park’s faculty choose the Alumni Graduation Speaker from the alumni class currently completing their junior year in college.

Each year, students who wish to serve as graduation speakers submit writing samples for consideration by a faculty committee, which selects two speakers without knowing the identity of the writers.

to celebrate milestone days, like Yulefest, to create the same feeling of joy [...] Never stop creating happiness and time to be with others.

When I was a PreK-er at Yulefest, I felt so sad that I didn’t know all the lyrics to “Children Go Where I Send Thee.” Now, I genuinely don’t think that I could forget them, even if I tried. Yulefest is once every 365 days, but still I know the lyrics by heart. Once a year is all one needs to stay connected to something. Once a year will be all it takes for us to stay a close knit group of people. We can all be in each other’s lives if we want to be but we just need to put in effort. I know we have all proved ourselves to be worthy of that effort. Because together we are joy.

Over my 10 years at Park I have come to learn that a community isn’t about the place; it’s about the people. [...] Our timelines have been knotted together for a year or ten, and we all have pieces of each other intertwined in us. I feel so blessed to be reflected by all of you.

—Chloe DiAdamo ’22

Next Schools

LIVVY AVIGNON BRIMMER AND MAY SCHOOL

MICHAEL BARBALAT NEWTON NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

DAVID BAUMEL NEWTON NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

ZACH BAUMEL NEWTON NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

ISABELLA BERGER THE BUCKLEY SCHOOL (CA)

MICHAEL BERGIN ST. PAUL’S SCHOOL

ELI BERK MILTON ACADEMY

KASEN BOOKBINDER MILTON ACADEMY

GABE CALLEJAS CONCORD ACADEMY

LEILAH CARRUTHERS THE WOODWARD SCHOOL

JULES CHARLES CRISTO REY BOSTON HIGH SCHOOL

ANDRE DASILVA THE ROXBURY LATIN SCHOOL

FREDDY DENT GROTON SCHOOL

CHLOE DIADAMO MILTON ACADEMY

BLAKE DINWOODEY NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL

GRAYSON DOLINS THE WINSOR SCHOOL

JOHN EIELSON THE FESSENDEN SCHOOL

WILLIAM EIELSON THE FESSENDEN SCHOOL

WILLIAM FRABIZIO CONCORD ACADEMY

LOUISA FURMAN THE WINSOR SCHOOL

JOAQUIN GAKIDIS BUCKINGHAM BROWNE & NICHOLS SCHOOL

EMERY GAY ST. PAUL’S SCHOOL

CATE GLASS MIDDLESEX SCHOOL

XANDER GROSSMAN CONCORD ACADEMY

SEBASTIAN GUZMAN NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL

OLIVER HIRSCHFELD MILTON ACADEMY

MATTY JACKMAN BOSTON UNIVERSITY ACADEMY DEVAN KATHIRESAN MILTON ACADEMY

I encourage everyone to continue

Spending this last year together

has been

such a rich experience. Through collaborative projects, early morning practices, and hanging out after school, I feel like I have truly become a part of this community, and I am so grateful for the welcoming classmates and teachers who have made my Park adventures possible. [...] I am also grateful for all Park did to keep students in school during the pandemic. Park gave us opportunities to socialize and community-build. As a new student at the time, this allowed me to make new friends and learn about the school. This may sound trivial to some, but for a new student, having the opportunity to spend time with my classmates during free blocks meant a lot to me. Many of my old friends were online all of last year, but at Park we were able to, at first, spend a couple of days, then every day, on campus.

Park also pushed for the language trips, weighing the benefits for us against the potential risk of COVID-19. This is yet another example of how Park truly cares about its students, and the amount of work that the faculty and staff devote to making our experiences as fun and meaningful as possible. [...]

My two years here have gone by so fast, and now that it’s all over, I realize I took so much for granted. Looking back, I know I will cherish each and every memory.

—Joaquin Gakidis ’22

JULIANA KATZENSTEIN CONCORD ACADEMY

MAX KAUFMAN THE RIVERS SCHOOL

SOPHIE KIM THE WINSOR SCHOOL

GILLIAN LAMB THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL OF WESTON

JOHN HENRY LENZEN THE RIVERS SCHOOL

JULES LEWIS MIDDLESEX SCHOOL

LINGHUI LIU DANA HALL SCHOOL

JONATHAN LOO THE ROXBURY LATIN SCHOOL

JAYDA LU PHILLIPS ACADEMY ANDOVER

MIA MACKLIN-DIB BROOKS SCHOOL

TAKERU MATSUZAKA NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL

BEN NARASIMHAN BUCKINGHAM BROWNE & NICHOLS SCHOOL

NICK NARASIMHAN BUCKINGHAM BROWNE & NICHOLS SCHOOL

TADHG O’DONOGHUE NEWTON SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL

ARIEL RABINOVICH NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL

CLAU ROTHMAN

CARLY SAMUELS

DYLAN SAMUELS

BROOKLINE HIGH SCHOOL

BROOKLINE HIGH SCHOOL

BEAVER COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

MIA SANCLEMENTE NEWTON NORTH HIGH SCHOOL

FEDE SARACINO LICEO LEONARDO DA VINCI

SPENCER SARKIS

BEAVER COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

SOFIA SCHULTZ THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL OF WESTON

MO SESAY THE NEWMAN SCHOOL

LEYLA SOMANI DANA HALL SCHOOL

AUDREY SONG DANA HALL SCHOOL

NORA VOLDINS NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL

JONAS WILDERMAN NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL

NAIA YU MILTON ACADEMY

KAILYNN ZHENG NOBLE AND GREENOUGH SCHOOL

STATE OF THE SCHOOL:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

AS I SIT DOWN TO WRITE about the past academic year, my reflections are bookended by my New Employee Orientation experience. Last year, I sat in the library chairs as a new member of our Park community. This year, I co-organized the experience to welcome the newest employees to our Park community.

At Park, we deeply value diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). It was Park’s long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion that drew me to 171 Goddard. The cornerstone of Park’s program is academic excellence, affirming high standards of scholarship while encouraging each child to develop to their greatest potential. We know that students learn most effectively when they feel a deep sense of belonging, when they feel safe, known, and respected in their environment, and when they learn from the differences in backgrounds and perspectives shared within their learning community as curious critical thinkers.

Similarly, we know that employees will be most impactful when they feel a deep sense of belonging in our community. In my first year at Park, as a participant in the hiring process for every role, I had the opportunity to interview all finalist candidates for open positions. Ensuring our incoming employees meet our expectations and institutional DEI values is one example of how Park is authentically living its values.

What feels paramount, from my perspective as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, is the day-to-day lived experiences of the members of our community. I began last year with a key priority of getting to know the members of the Park community. I work closely with students, families, employees, alumni, trustees, and prospective community members. I began last year striving to build upon a strong foundation while also listening, watching, and observing the expressed emerging DEI needs of the community.

In the fall, two DEI Liaisons joined the team to round out the office. Naomi Austin, Grade 2 Teacher, and Courtney Stanley, Kindergarten Assistant Teacher, worked with me regularly throughout the year to support DEI initiatives.

In this year of transition amid ongoing pandemic management, we worked to reimagine Park’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Implementation Plan (DEIIP) to prioritize the ongoing work underway to more accurately reflect the day-to-day lived experience at Park. The DEIIP,

established in 2020, is an active, living document, serving as an accountability measure as our DEI goals continue to move from aspiration to reality.

The DEIIP’s ongoing work stretches out over current and upcoming academic years. “Immediate,” “Rising,” and “Future” priorities are sequenced based on the priorities that demand the most urgent attention. Through this action-based plan, we strive to demonstrate our commitment through our leadership, curriculum, programs, practices, and in every aspect of our community and culture. Together, we will work to ensure that all members of the Park community—students, families, employees, alumni, and trustees—feel a deep sense of belonging.

In the spring, a team of eight faculty and staff came together with the creation of the DEI Council. The Council, which further supports the work of the DEI Office, convened to collaborate on a focused project that supports our goal of institutionalizing cultural and heritage practices and observances at Park. Going forward, the DEI Council will operate in a year-long format, meeting regularly to advance Park’s goal of creating consistent institutional practices and policies related to Park’s DEI initiatives set forward in the DEIIP.

Over the course of the 2021–22 school year, the DEI Office worked closely with the Parents’ Association (PA) leadership and the DEI subcommittee of the PA, partnerships that are essential to moving our work forward. We continued to support the community’s learning and growth through SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) workshops for faculty and staff as well as parents and guardians. The Affinity & Working Groups ran for a second successful year, despite a mostly virtual format. BIPOC meet-up opportunities for both students and faculty and staff were launched and supported by the DEI Office, and student-driven Upper Division clubs, including ASAA (Asian Student Affinity Alliance) and GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance), operated with the support of Upper Division faculty. Partnership with the Development Office in the work of the Development Anti-Racism Task Force (DARTF) continued to build on its strong foundational year. The DARTF reviews and examines all aspects of Park’s advancement program including volunteer recruitment, events, new parent cultivation, alumni relations, and stewardship to deepen inclusive practices. As the year came to a close, members of the Park community came together at Boston’s Pop-up Pride festival, to celebrate, support, and recognize the rich history of the LGBTQ+ community and liberation movement.

Among the new initiatives that excite me is the newly-formed Program Leadership Team (PLT) of

which I am a member. I am energized by the opportunity to work alongside Lower Division Head Tina Fox, Director of Instructional Practice Pamela Penna, Upper Division Head Ken Rogers, and Head of School Scott Young as we collaborate to set institutional priorities and establish a pathway for programmatic change. This increased level of partnership across the School is already positively impacting the momentum of our DEI initiatives.

I am particularly grateful for the way in which the community came together on Giving Day in the spring, focused on raising funds for the The SPARK Match for Community & Belonging . Park more than doubled previous Giving Day totals, an unprecedented level of support. DEI is the work of the entire Park community, and on Giving Day, the community’s generosity underscored the value, priority, and commitment we place on this important collective work. The increased operational DEI budget these funds make possible will ensure that programming will continue to grow consistently over time. Already, plans are in place to bring esteemed consultant, educator, and activist Rosetta Lee to campus to facilitate a workshop for faculty and staff in January, and Park will deepen the partnership with the “Critical Conversations” speaker series out of the New Roads School in Santa Monica, California as a National Partner of the program.

As we transition into a new academic year, key priorities include increasing DEI-related programming for students, and regular communication on the progress of DEI at Park—including updates on the impact of funds raised in the The SPARK Match for Community & Belonging We will continue our work to make DEI aspirations a reality, more closely mirroring the day-to-day lived experience of our community.

At Park, we strive to enact meaningful, transformational change that sustains over time. The 2022–2023 academic year is full of anticipation and excitement for all the possibilities ahead.

Sincerely, Alile Eldridge Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Together, we will work to ensure that all members of the Park community— students, families, employees, alumni, and trustees—feel a deep sense of belonging.

STATE OF THE SCHOOL:

Admission

WE LOOKED FORWARD to a 2021–22 admission season that would feel “normal,” with high hopes that COVID-19 would be fading and we would once again be able to welcome families and students to in-person visits on campus, yet the rise of Delta and Omicron variants challenged us to keep reinventing the ways in which we could get to know applicant families and help them get to know Park. What might a fully virtual “Open House” look like? How might we best share what makes Park special? How might families come to appreciate the spirit and the values that undergird the Park experience?

As we talked, we found we kept rounding back to The Park Portrait, and the ways in which it crystallizes our core aspirations for Park students. Our students are joyful learners. They learn to be compassionate collaborators and creative problemsolvers. They grow as mindful leaders. They gain strong communication skills and practice using their minds and voices as advocates for what they believe in. As we reflected on these values, it became clear— we just need to show these values in action. In all our presentations and conversations with families, we sought to share stories of the ways in which our students and teachers shine in these qualities.

What sets Park apart? When we were able to invite accepted families to campus in the spring, someone asked Scott Young how Park is different from our peer schools. He first underscored the

value of our size. Park is larger than our peer schools, even as we sustain small classes and a low teacher-student ratio, and this means that children have all the more opportunity to meet and learn from and with peers and from varying backgrounds and perspectives. Second, he noted that while most schools take a stand for one central priority – be it academic excellence, social-emotional learning, or diversity, equity, and inclusion—Park is equally committed to all three, recognizing that you can’t effectively accomplish one without the other two. Our academic excellence is built not only on a strong curriculum, but on the knowledge that students learn best when they feel safe, known, seen and heard, respected, and appreciated. This is our mission—and the challenges of the past two years have only thrown its value more sharply into relief.

The success of our admission season is proof that our families get it.

For the second year in a row, we received over 300 applications, and welcomed 88 new students. We opened the school year with 561 students after averaging 542 students per year prior to 2020. This is our most diverse class in the last five years, with families drawing from 52 different zip codes. Fortyfive percent of students identify as students of color, and 32% speak at least two languages at home. Twenty-two percent of our families receive financial aid. This diversity is central to our identity and to the Park experience.

Admission is just one part of the equation that creates the kind of Park community we aspire to

be. We create this community together through our belief and commitment to these core values, and by sharing our stories about what transpires at Park every day. You, our families, are our finest ambassadors, and we are grateful for all the ways in which you create the community we all appreciate so deeply.

We create this community together through our belief and commitment to these core values, and by sharing our stories about what transpires at Park every day.

Sincerely, Matt Kessler Director of Enrollment Management

STATE

OF THE SCHOOL:

Parents’ Association

AS THE NEW PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION (PA) President, I am proud of the ways families have and continue to support the well-being of the school and community through engagement and volunteerism. With the challenges we all faced in the past two years, the efforts and accomplishments of the PA are even more impressive.

We are extremely fortunate to have so many parents and family members who work tirelessly to make Park a great community for our children, faculty, staff, and families. Our outgoing PA President Eliza Hoover and Vice President Doreen Ho did an exceptional job during a difficult time, finding creative ways to keep our community connected. In fact, being remote for some programs brought more families to our programs and events so they could engage from the comfort of their own homes. Zoom provided the opportunity to welcome excellent speakers like Laura Vanderkam on spending time on what really matters and Amber Coleman-Mortley on building anti-racist school communities. We also heard from Emily Oster and Dr. Christia Brown, who delivered presentations on the data behind decision-making in parenting and strategies for reducing gender bias, respectively.

After a year of meeting virtually each month, we set a record for attendance at the first meeting of the year in September 2021 with lots of new parents ready to join the amazing Park community. Even during the chilly winter months, parents showed up to our outdoor meeting with blankets!

We returned to Head of School Scott Young’s home for our New Parent Dinners this year, but having them on the field al fresco was a welcome change that allowed us to meet and reconnect in a lovely outdoor setting.

The creation of our Parent/Guardian Affinity Groups has been a highlight of the Parents’ Association over the past two years. So many motivated and engaged parents volunteered their time facilitating our ten groups. This program allows new and returning families opportunities to connect across a wide variety of shared identities.

Our service learning activities did not slow down either! Our annual Pumpkin Bread Drive won an award from the Parents’ Independent School Network (PIN). Together we baked 275 loaves and received a small grant to fund the initiative next year. The second year of our Welcome Home Project was hugely successful, and all the items we collected were put to use as soon as they were delivered to Pine Street Inn. We also collected clothes sorted by Kindergarteners for Cradles to Crayons.

Members of the Park community—but especially the children—were elated to attend Springfest this past May after a two-year interruption. With the help of our Springfest co-chairs, committee members, and Park staff, we were able to raise money to support the PA, but also bring smiles to so many faces. Rides, mini-golf, petting zoo, face painting, kids raffle, food trucks,

and fun games brought joy to children and adults.

We also were happy to bring back the Faculty and Staff Appreciation Luncheon, Bingo Night and Wee the People programs in person. These programs keep us connected to each other, and informed on family-related issues.

As we begin this academic year, there are so many things to look forward to. We hope you will join one of our committees and attend as many events as possible this year to further build and strengthen our Park community.

Sincerely, Tiffany Hogan President, Park Parents’ Association

We are extremely fortunate to have so many parents and family members who work tirelessly to make Park a great community for our children, faculty, staff, and families.

STATE OF THE SCHOOL:

Operations and Planning

THINKING ABOUT THE YEAR UNDERWAY , what first comes to mind is joy, stemming from the knowledge that so much of what occupied our time and attention during the 2021–2022 school year is behind us!

As you can imagine, much of “Operations and Planning” last year concentrated on the effort and logistics that went into daily COVID Task Force meetings, support for testing (on-campus PCR testing, test-to-stay operations, and the weekly confirmation of negative at-home rapid testing with each community member), and ongoing packaging of individual lunches each day, along with the ongoing uncertainties introduced by continued ebbs and flows of the virus. It was, certainly, the work of the entire community, and we move forward with gratitude for all we can now look forward to.

Even as these efforts continued, however, the Park team was busy planning our next phase of campus enhancements. Having worked in summer 2021 to complete the Upper Division renovations that made way for the new, larger classrooms that ensured that Upper Division students could be safely socially distanced on campus, we were able to turn our attention back to the intended flow of the Park Campus Master Plan. We revisited and finalized plans for the creation of the new STEAM corridor, home to three new science classrooms

and a new art studio, and plans for the new Maker Wing that would bring the woodshop to a new home adjacent to the Makerspace.

Our plans for a new turf field, delayed from 2019, were also brought back to the table, and we commenced work to make that long-held vision a reality. The day we first saw the construction team rolling out the turf in August was so exciting! This important addition to Park’s physical education and athletics program has been a long time coming, and as we witnessed at this September’s Picnic at Park, the field is also an important community space—a place where we can gather, play, and cheer our teams together. It also creates an active corridor between the main building, the PreK community, and Faulkner House, further unifying our campus. As part of this effort, we were able to bring new attention to the PreK playground area, designing a new space that is most appropriate to the development (and play!) needs of our youngest students.

It may seem that it goes without saying that all this work had to be completed for the opening of school, and yet this summer’s work represented

the most challenging push I have experienced in my twelve years at Park. In 2020, because the gymnasium and locker room area that would become the new Grade 8 classrooms and collaboration space was not in use due to COVID restrictions, we were able to begin work on the new Upper Division spaces early in the spring. This summer, however, we began work on the STEAM corridor and Maker Wing the day after graduation, with the need to complete it within 11 weeks, by Labor Day. As new families who toured campus on Tuesday, September 6 witnessed, “move in” was underway just a day before classes began. But open on time with student-ready classrooms, we did! I want to extend a grateful shout out to the teachers who rallied to get their teaching spaces ready within an extraordinarily short window. Their efforts were truly heroic.

We’re so pleased with the results! One wonderful benefit to having a large construction project underway, accompanied by larger teams of expert craftsmen, is that it provides an opportunity to accomplish many smaller projects around the edges of the central work. Our construction partners were able to support efforts to install a new sidewalk near the main entrance, which will better accommodate safe foot traffic to and from campus. A new collaborative project space along the Lower Division corridor was created, where Lower Division

classes can extend their learning beyond the classroom. We enhanced the Grade 7 corridor and collaboration space, extending the beautiful new finishes consistent with the new Grade 6 and 8 areas. We even installed a new roof on the West Building! Work on our new elevator is ongoing, with projected completion before the end of the 2022 calendar year, and we are all looking forward to the benefits it will provide. Needless to say, we could not have completed this last year so successfully without the support of so many. We are grateful to Park families, who have graciously rolled with all the necessary changes to carpool patterns, as well as the necessary efforts around health and safety. We are grateful to our construction partners, to Park’s facilities team, to the faculty who have been so flexible, and to all the members of Park’s staff whose often-unseen efforts over the course of the summer make so much possible. We couldn’t be more excited to feel the energy of all these “new beginnings.”

Sincerely,

Kimberly Boyd Assistant Head of School for Finance & Operations

As we witnessed at this September’s Picnic at Park, the field is an important community space—a place where we can gather, play, and cheer our teams together.

We revisited and finalized plans for the creation of the new STEAM corridor, home to three new science classrooms and a new art studio, and plans for the new Maker Wing that would bring the woodshop to a new home adjacent to the Makerspace.

DEAR FRIENDS OF PARK,

In 2021–22, the 50th birthday of our Goddard Avenue campus, the Park community honored the School’s past, present, and future in spirited—and often sparkling—style. In this special year, Park’s unique culture of philanthropy evolved and strengthened with the launch of The SPARK Campaign. SPARK is visionary and bold, in both the transformative projects it funds, and in its prioritization of inclusive fundraising practices. I am delighted to celebrate the philanthropic gifts of all forms that made 2021–22 a banner year at Park.

FINANCIAL INVESTMENT

Last year, our community invested an astounding $9,477,483 in gifts and pledges to advance the mission and goals of The Park School. On behalf of our 561 students, thank you for this profound demonstration of your commitment to Park.

These results are anchored by the continued success of the Annual Fund, which raised $2,300,780 from 905 donors. Stakeholders representing every facet of the Park community stepped forward to provide critical, unrestricted operating support in a year that also highlighted exciting capital and endowment funding opportunities. To have exceeded $2.3M for the Annual Fund for the sixth consecutive year, during a bold capital campaign, is a significant accomplishment. Thank you so much.

I am thrilled to report that as of November 30, 2022—just over one year from its public launch—Phase II of The SPARK Campaign has raised $11,233,353 for exemplary academic spaces, athletics and outdoor learning, and to foster a deeper sense of belonging for all at Park. The SPARK Match for Community & Belonging, launched in conjunction with our 2022 Giving Day, invited the full community to advance the SPARK vision for Park’s future. With $500,000 in matching funds available from an anonymous family, a record-breaking 531 donors maximized their impact and joined together in support of the endowment initiatives within SPARK. Then, as the school year concluded, a second generous family stepped forward to offer $1M in matching funds for new capital commitments. To have two extraordinary, community-oriented matching opportunities in one year speaks to that unique culture of philanthropy. These families made their best commitments and structured them to inspire others to do the same. SPARK is a true community campaign and we are deeply grateful for every gift.

VOLUNTEERISM

Park is powered by volunteerism. Whether you led a Parents’ Association committee, staffed a table at Picnic at Park, called your peers to ask for their support of the Annual Fund, served on the Alumni Committee, or volunteered your time and energy in another of the myriad ways that Park community members do, you gave to the School in 2021–22. These gifts of time make Park, “Park.”

I’d like to especially recognize the leaders whose volunteerism laid the foundation for the phenomenal results shared in this Report:

• Development Committee Chair: Mark Dolins P’22, ’19 – We are forever grateful for Mark’s visionary, steadfast leadership of the Development Committee from 2018 to 2022. In partnership with Jessica Lutzker P’23, ’21 for much of that time, Mark led the successful launch, pause, and relaunch of the campaign while sustaining our strong Annual Fund performance during the complicated COVID years. Thank you, Mark!

• SPARK Campaign Co-chairs: Lesley and Harold Miller P’26, Julia Lloyd Johannsen ’93 and Pete Johannsen P’29, ’27, ’24, Susanna Whitaker Waters ’99, and Ashley and Jamie Harmon P’28, ’25

• Major Gift Committee Co-chairs: Ted Noon P’28, ’25 and James Benenson P’29, ’26, ’24

• Annual Fund Co-chairs: Colby and Jen Hewitt P’28, ’26 and Jim O’Keefe ’91 and Mina Roustaei P’25, ’23

• Development Anti-racism Task Force Co-chairs: Tiffany Hogan P’24 and Cary Williams ’09

• Alumni Committee Co-chairs: Miriam Posner Harris ’03 and Astrid Levis-Thorne Burns ’98 P’30, ’28

• Alumni Annual Fund Co-chairs: Anne Collins Goodyear ’84 and Daly Franco ’05

Please see page 36 for a further celebration of volunteerism at Park.

ENGAGEMENT AND CONNECTION

The last two years challenged our ability to stay connected as a community, but Parkies persevere. The 2022 February Fête is a perfect example. COVID caused us to shift the event to an outdoor setting in March. Nevertheless, over 100 Park alums embraced the opportunity to connect in person, despite the event falling on what would be the absolute coldest night of the winter. Your efforts to sustain your connection to Park—whether by attending events, submitting Class Notes, sharing your expertise with a Park class, or in any other way—are seen and appreciated.

On behalf of my treasured colleagues who served the Park Development Office in 2021–22— Bea Sanders, Jamie Byron, Audrey James, and Lauren Corvese—thank you for all the ways you gave to Park last year. Each day, your commitment and generosity reminds us what we can accomplish when we join together in support of Park’s mission and goals.

Sincerely,

Shannon O’Leary Director of Development

Picnic at Park is a treasured Park tradition which annually marks the opening of the new school year with a fun, outdoor community gathering. This September, families reunited at the picnic following a summer away from Goddard Avenue with an additional reason to celebrate—the opening of a phenomenal new facility! Funded by The SPARK Campaign, Park’s new turf field is an investment in Park’s whole-child program, supporting athletics, physical education, and recess. The turf surface will ensure greater playability in New England weather and help prepare our athletes for competition at the next level. Following remarks from Head of School Scott Young and a stampede of excited students, the picnic, and Park spirit, sprawled from the Main Field to Faulkner House with cornhole, bubble soccer, and ice cream, of course.

Scott Young welcomed the community and invited everyone to make their way to the new field—led by excited, sprinting students!

Kimberly Boyd, who has been the organizing force behind these major campus projects, celebrated the opening with her husband, Steve Boyd.