Ethical Culture Fieldston School ANNUAL REPORT 2012–13
charting the course
Throughout its 135-year history, the Ethical Culture Fieldston School has sustained a proud tradition and commitment to academic excellence, progressive education, and ethical learning. In 2012–13 we embarked on a strategic planning process that allowed us to engage in a community-wide self-study, giving us the opportunity to build on the school’s remarkable history and strengths while anticipating and planning for the many challenges that lie ahead. Our goal in charting the course for Ethical Culture Fieldston School’s future is to educate generations of students to pursue their passions and lead lives of purpose. In the coming years, we will continue to implement the Strategic Plan to make our vision a reality. Because of you—our parents, volunteers, alumni, faculty, staff, and countless friends—we are able to accomplish these goals. Your collaboration in our achievements, as well as our aspirations, is critical to our success. ECFS’s most valuable assets are our engaged students, dedicated faculty and staff, loyal parents, alumni, and friends. The Ethical Culture Fieldston School mission thrives
as students pursue ethical learning, develop skills, build lifelong relationships with peers and teachers, and prepare for positions of leadership and social responsibility. We rely on our supporters to be an active part of our community. This year, with your help, we received over $5 million in operating support, an increase of over $200,000 from last year. How can we pay tribute to the many philanthropic partners who generously recognize the importance of championing ECFS’s mission? We do so by cultivating a vibrant learning environment both inside and outside the classroom. I thank you for all that you do for ECFS and for your commitment to our mission. I look forward to another spectacular year of exploration and growth with all members of the ECFS community.
Letter from the Head of School
for the Future
Damian J. Fernandez, Ph.D.
Head of School
Annual Report 2012–13
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Setting
Strategic Priorities The 2012–13 academic year was one of strategic review and positioning for the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, involving two comprehensive studies of the opportunities and challenges facing our school. In January, the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) reaccredited ECFS for the next 10 years. The reaccreditation followed a yearlong self-study by the school and produced a wide-ranging series of recommendations. Guided in part by the NYSAIS study, we undertook an extensive review of the strategic priorities for the school, the first strategic review the school has conducted in more than 12 years. This work culminated in the preparation of “Mission Manifest,” a five-year strategic plan outlining our vision for 2013–18. (The report was sent to the community and is available at www.ecfs.org.)
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The strategic plan provides an ambitious set of goals for the school in the areas of excellence in progressive education, ethical learning and being, and nurturing and sustaining our resources, including our people, our buildings and grounds, our technology, the natural environment, and our financial resources. Like all things that ECFS does best, the NYSAIS and strategic plan reviews were an inclusive, schoolwide effort, involving hundreds of members of our community, including faculty, administrators, trustees, staff, parents, alumni, and students. Our sincere thanks to everyone who participated. We want to thank in particular Kate Reynolds, who led the accreditation effort, and the members of the strategic plan steering committee, co-chaired by Damian Fernandez, Bob Montera, and Tracy Chutorian Semler ’82.
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express our appreciation to all of the generous donors and volunteers listed in the pages of this annual report. Thanks to you, we raised the largest amount ever for our Annual Fund.”
Last October, we were forced to come to terms with the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy. ECFS was not spared the storm’s destruction, as many of our students, faculty, and staff were temporarily displaced. Others lost their homes or were without electricity for weeks. Fortunately, everyone at the school emerged safe, and the storm’s impact on the school’s facilities was minimal. In true ECFS fashion, right after Sandy made landfall in our area, the school started a Facebook group as a forum for the community to gather virtually, share service opportunities, and offer support to those in need. It is inspiring to see ECFS’s continued commitment, almost a year later, to assisting communities across the city and beyond.
This past year, the board of trustees devoted considerable time to the issue of financial sustainability, including carefully modeling the financial-aid budget to maximize both long-term accessibility and socioeconomic diversity. Together with the administration, we reviewed safety and security protocols, and continue to make improvements and enhancements in this area. We wish to express our appreciation to all of the generous donors and volunteers listed in the pages of this annual report. Thanks to you, we raised the largest amount ever for our Annual Fund.
Robert A. Pruzan ’81
Paul Schnell ’72
Co-Chairs, ECFS Board of Trustees
Annual Report 2012–13
Message from the Board of Trustees
We have already begun the challenging task of implementing the NYSAIS and strategic plan recommendations. We look forward to, and will need, the participation of as many people as possible from the community to meet our exciting and challenging strategic goals.
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supporting the
Mission
The 2012–13 academic year was one devoted to developing a five-year strategic plan and implementing the recommendations from the NYSAIS accreditation team. One of the key goals that emerged from the strategic planning process is the stewardship of ECFS’s financial resources, physical plant, and natural environment. The school’s commitment to financial aid and affordability remain as top priorities. This past year we awarded over $11 million in tuition assistance to our students. Also, this year for the first time, we included class trips in the tuition
for all grades. We closed the 2012–13 fiscal year with a balanced budget, while expanding the student-focused initiatives and programs, and professional development funding for faculty and staff. The unfortunate news of the past year—Hurricane Sandy and Sandy Hook—had a big impact on the operations of the school and gave us the opportunity to re-evaluate some procedures. We have increased the measures for redundancy in communications and technology and are actively exploring ways to keep the buildings running
Endowment
FINANCIAL AID
Annual Fund
2013: $70,527,000
2013: $11,000,000
2013: $3.91 million
2012: $65,280,000
2012: $10,200,000
2012: $3.71 million
2011: $65,184,000
2011: $9,987,000
2011: $3.40 million
2010: $55,571,000
2010: $9,335,000
2010: $3.24 million
2009: $49,515,000
2009: $8,099,000
2009: $2.93 million
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Investment Income $3,124,000 | 5%
Related & Auxiliary Programs $2,535,000 | 4%
Technology $1,671,000 | 3%
Related & Auxiliary Programs $1,162,000 | 2%
Interest Expense $1,537,000 2% Instruction / Pupil Support $25,532,000 39%
Administration / Operations $14,597,000 22% Tuition & Fees $56,194,000 | 85%
Total Operating Revenue $65,677,000
during power outages. We have stepped up our security measures significantly on both campuses, implementing access control systems at the lower divisions and increasing the security coverage across the board. These efforts will continue into the 2013–14 school year to assure the safety and security of our students and community. Over the summer, we completed some campus enhancements, including replacing the athletic field turf, and renovating the principal’s office and admissions suite at Ethical Culture. In our continued efforts toward environmental sustainability, the Ethical Culture campus has converted to diesel fuel, which burns more efficiently and cleanly. Electricity on both campuses is powered
Facility Services $10,116,000 15%
Promises to Keep $1,544,885 20%
Employee Benefits $9,641,000 15%
Annual Fund $3,906,260 50%
Programmatic Funds $986,378 13%
Endowment: $238,730 3%
Total Operating Expenses $65,677,000
Special Events $1,110,882 14%
Financial Update
Unrestricted Giving $3,824,000 6%
Fiscal Services $1,421,000 | 2%
Total Giving $7,787,135
by 100% green energy in part by purchasing renewable energy certificates. None of these financial and operational achievements would have been possible without the tremendous support and commitment of all of the committees of the board. Thank you to Caryn Seidman-Becker, audit committee chair; John Beres ’81, buildings and grounds committee chair; Nino Magliocco, finance committee chair; and Josh Nash, investment committee chair.
Michael Hwang
Chief Financial Officer
Annual Report 2012–13
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A community
Effort
Thanks to the generosity of the entire ECFS community, the Annual Fund once again garnered record levels of support. In total, ECFS raised a total of $5 million in operating support in 2012–13. The Annual Fund received over $3.9 million in gifts from 2,350 donors, in addition to over $1.1 million raised through the benefit. These results would not have been possible without the dedication of the many parents, students, alumni, faculty, and staff who partner with the Office for Institutional Advancement and Alumni throughout the year.
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PAVE Helps Drive Parent Participation to 79% Our PAVE (Parent Annual fund Volunteer Effort) representatives worked diligently throughout the year to garner support for the Annual Fund—writing personal notes, making phone calls, and sending emails. Their efforts resulted in 79% participation for parents. We are thankful to our many volunteers, as well as our parent donors, for helping to make this our best Annual Fund campaign to date!
Thank You to the Alumni Volunteer Network Once again, our dedicated AVN (Alumni Volunteer Network) volunteers stayed connected with alumni near and far through a variety of events and outreach efforts. Alumni returned to Fieldston for Homecoming, volunteered for Sandy relief efforts, sipped cocktails at Christie’s, participated in Inside the Classroom, danced the night away at the benefit, and turned out in record numbers for reunion. Throughout the year, our AVN volunteers emailed and called fellow classmates to support the Annual Fund, resulting in 20% participation from our alumni. Thank you to our alumni volunteers for their tireless efforts!
Thank you to all of our volunteers, and to all of the members of the community who generously support ECFS’s mission year after year.
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Loyal Oaks gave for the tenth or more consecutive year 6
20%
alumni participation ECFS Alumni Rise to Annual Fund Matching Challenge This spring, an anonymous donor offered to match up to $25,000 of alumni donations to the ECFS Annual Fund made from reunion on June 1 until graduation on June 12. Gifts from alumni poured in from across the country in response to the challenge. In less than two weeks, 102 alumni made gifts to the Annual Fund. In total, alumni gave $26,396 to the Annual Fund, $25,000 of which was matched by the donor. These additional gifts have directly benefited our students, faculty, and staff.
Alumni Reunion Success Fieldston alumni from classes ending in 3 and 8 turned out in record numbers for this year’s quinquennial reunions. Over 500 Fieldston alumni and their guests returned to campus for a gorgeous June evening filled with reminiscing and good times. Alumni toured the campus, enjoyed cocktails on the quad and dinner with their classmates. The 2013 reunions proved to be inspiration for many to give back, as all of our reunion classes meaningfully increased their Annual Fund participation and, in total, contributed $254,810.
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donors to the ECFS Annual Fund
NEW donors made contributions to the Annual Fund Class of 2013 Establishes Financial Aid Fund Before marching across the stage at graduation, the Class of 2013 worked together to leave behind a legacy that will help support future generations of Fieldston scholars. Every member of the Class of 2013 contributed to the Form VI gift, while 73% of the class’ parents made gifts. In total, the class raised more than $242,250 to support financial aid at Fieldston.
Fieldston Lower Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Reach 100% Participation This spring, ECFS issued a challenge to all of its families. Each grade that achieved 100% participation in the ECFS Annual Fund would win a Gym & Swim Party or Movie Night at Fieldston. Parent volunteers called and emailed fellow parents to encourage their participation. By June 30, Fieldston Lower’s Pre-K and K achieved 100% participation. We look forward to celebrating them at their parties this fall!
$427,665
raised for financial aid through the Big Give
1,079
A Night at the Eagle Room On Saturday March 9, 2013, the Eagle Room opened to rave reviews. Over 1,000 members of the ECFS community turned out to dance the night away while raising a total of $1.1 million to benefit ECFS’s mission. This year’s benefit paid tribute to New York’s iconic nightclubs of years past. The evening featured music by Fieldston’s jazz band, fabulous live and silent auction items, Lucky Dip prizes, and three raffles, including one for Jingle Ball tickets. At the conclusion of the live auction, the community came together to support a special auction for financial aid, the Big Give, raising over $425,000 to support tuition assistance. As always, the event was a wonderful celebration of ECFS's amazing community. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this year’s benefit our most successful to date!
Advancement Update
2,354
+215
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79%
parent participation
community members attended the Benefit Annual Report 2012–13
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Volunteer With Us Parents Parent Annual Fund Volunteer Effort (PAVE) Help us increase parent participation in the 2013–14 ECFS Annual Fund! PAVE volunteers are needed in all grades to garner support for the Annual Fund. For more information, please contact Kate Pfeffer, Director of Annual Giving, at (212) 712-6244 or kpfeffer@ecfs.org.
ECFS’s Annual Benefit Want to make March 8, 2014 a night to remember? Volunteer to help plan this year’s benefit! Please contact Courtney Archer-Buckmire, Assistant Director of Annual Giving, at (212) 712-6245 or carcher-buckmire@ecfs.org.
Form VI Gift Committee Have a student graduating from Fieldston this year? We hope you will join our Form VI Gift Committee to leave a legacy for your child’s class. For more information, please contact Sarah Danzig Simon ’96, Director of Major Gifts, at (212) 712-6277.
Alumni The Alumni Volunteer Network welcomes your time and talents. Please consider joining us in one of the following volunteer roles: Class Recorders
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Class Agents
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Alumni Benefit Committee
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Reunion Committee (this year, classes ending in 4s and 9s
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will be celebrating their reunion) To get involved, please contact Toby Himmel, Director of Alumni Relations, at (718) 329-7329 or thimmel@ecfs.org.