2020–2021 REPORT ON PHILANTHROPY
FAR BROOK’S COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE Diversity, equity, and a commitment to social justice are central to Far Brook’s identity, community, and educational mission. Embracing our society’s broad range of experiences, perspectives, and ways of being and knowing creates the best learning environment for students and the most enriching community. As an independent, progressive school, Far Brook recognizes the complexity of its relationship to privilege. We expect of our community members – including our students, faculty, staff, Board of Trustees, and families – a clear commitment to: Intentionally build and support the diversity of our community and authentic relationships across identities and experiences. This fosters academic excellence, enriches student learning, and increases understanding. Far Brook promotes representation, diversity, and inclusion through curriculum development, admissions, hiring, professional development and leadership, student and parent groups, and events for the broader community.
Acknowledge privilege, name social inequities, and confront biases and historical misrepresentations. Our choices, from what and how we teach, to the ways we engage with each other, to where we allocate resources, aim to bolster students’ sense of agency, advance equity and social justice, and promote a sense of belonging for all. Support, in word and deed, partnerships with the broader community in ways that promote solidarity. This includes projects that respond to needs in the community, inspire action in situations of injustice, and strengthen our connection to the world beyond Far Brook. Our community members think critically, speak their truths, and nurture caring, respect, and mindfulness. Far Brook believes in our shared humanity and equips our students to imagine and create a world where equity, empathy, and kindness prevail. Adopted by the Board of Trustees in 2021.
Learn about all forms of oppression and fiercely defend the humanity of all people. We prioritize anti-racism, recognizing that racism has been a systemic barrier in education and society. Far Brook teachers develop curricula for all ages that explore essential questions about identity, family, community, power, and justice, providing mirrors for students’ own experiences and windows into the lives of others.
Dear Members of the Far Brook Community, We are pleased to share Far Brook’s 2020-2021 Report on Philanthropy. This annual report allows us to reflect on the year that has passed and share the highlights, accomplishments, and areas of growth within the School. For many of us, this past year was certainly memorable. We experienced two significant challenges: COVID-19 and the reflection and action compelled by the spotlight on systemic racism in our country. These interwoven challenges pushed and inspired us to be more thoughtful, empathetic, proactive, flexible, resourceful, and collaborative. The partnership and dedication of this community is inspiring. We are grateful for the ingenuity of our faculty and administrators who adapted to the realities of teaching during a pandemic, our families for their strong partnership, and our students who continue to inspire us with their resilience, compassion, intellectual curiosity, and good humor. We take great pride in Far Brook’s progressive roots, high academic standards, rich curriculum, and firmly held commitment to equity and social justice. We are encouraged by the generosity and support of the Far Brook community. We remain on firm financial ground, the School’s philanthropic spirit remains strong, and we are truly grateful. As we move toward the future, these ongoing investments in the School are imperative to our success.
Philanthropy 2020-2021 Giving: Thanks to the generosity of the Far Brook community, we received donations of $1,184,199, which includes The Far Brook Fund, the newly created expendable High School Tuition Assistance Fund, restricted gifts, and campaign gifts and pledge payments. Strength In Community, Far Brook’s Initiative for Students and Faculty: This major gifts effort was created to raise funds for Tuition Assistance, Scholarship, Faculty Endowment, and the new Faculty Fund for Innovation. As of June 30, 2021,we had surpassed the $2,000,000 mark in paid and pledged commitments. We look forward to continuing our work and completing this effort in the coming year. Endowment Growth: Due to the continued prudent financial oversight from the Board’s Finance Committee and the Business Office, the fair market value of Far Brook’s Endowment, as of June 30, 2021, was $9,568,284, and due to unrealized gains, grew by approximately 28% from the close of last fiscal year. As is common in independent schools, the money raised during the past year played a critical role in funding the operating budget of the School and enabling Far Brook to provide upgrades and safety measures to remain open, maintain academic excellence, and support our commitment to tuition assistance. In addition, the generosity of our donors allowed the School to provide unique educational opportunities for the community.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Our diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives continue to expand with meaningful opportunities for all community members. Highlights Included: 4 The adoption of the School’s new Diversity Statement: Far Brook’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice, created by the Board of Trustees ad-hoc Committee on Diversity in partnership with faculty, parents, and students. 4 Far Brook’s fifth annual diversity conference, Widening the Lens, was presented virtually. “Lift Every Voice: Centering the Student Experience in Building Anti-Racist Communities,” was an obvious choice of topic in response to the horrific events of the spring of 2020, and the disparities illuminated by COVID-19. We were thrilled to have Zerlina Maxwell–American cable television host, political analyst, commentator, speaker, and writer–as the keynote speaker. 4 Students and faculty participated in a Morning Meeting to observe the GLSEN Day of Silence, which honors the LGBTQ community and affirms our commitment to inclusion in school. An outdoor lunch was held for Junior High students to eat in silence and break the silence together.
4 Seven Far Brook Junior High students participated in a Middle School Equity & Inclusion Summit hosted by Gill St. Bernard’s School: “See Us. Hear Us. Empowering Students to be Change Agents in Their School.” 4 The Mid-Week Dialogue on Race offered parents an opportunity to gather weekly to discuss race and current events in a safe and supportive space. 4 We implemented a racial literacy curriculum in Grades K-8 including age-appropriate lessons and conversations with students. Enrollment Management and Marketing: The 2020-21 year was spent once again reimagining an applicant’s experience from inquiry to enrollment, refining an immersive virtual experience for families. The Enrollment Management team quickly adapted to a fully virtual platform and hosted five interactive open houses, a number of playgroups, and many interviews - all on Zoom. In the spring, we created an opportunity for newly admitted families to visit campus, and participate in a self-guided QR coded outdoor tour. These important and meaningful touchpoints served as a way for families to get to know us, and each other. All this work resulted in a record number of exceptional applicants - up by 60% for the 2021-2022 year and the highest enrollment in the School’s history.
Placement: We are proud of the Class of 2021 who are enrolled in a number of competitive New Jersey independent day schools and boarding schools in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Please see the Enrollment Management and Placement page list that also includes the colleges and universities where our Class of 2017 alumni are enrolled. Facilities and Operations: Ongoing maintenance of the campus and buildings is essential. As we prepared for students to return to campus last fall, our highest priorities were to keep our community safe and the Sschool open. With this in mind, we built and updated seven outdoor learning spaces, installed new air filtration systems throughout campus, performed weekly COVID-19 testing for the entire oncampus community, reconfigured the Nurse’s office, implemented enhanced cleaning protocols, and added a full-time staff member to the maintenance team. We also upgraded our technology to one-to-one devices for every student on the campus and air-conditioned Moore Hall and the Annex building.
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“Far Brook’s dedication to allowing children to pursue intellectual curiosity is unparalleled. I credit Far Brook with my ability to think smartly and creatively, dream big, and execute on those dreams.” -Haley Douds Holmberg ’02
This past fiscal year was one of tremendous growth and achievement. We are appreciative of our community partnerships and the support of the Far Brook mission. Our students are our hope, our future, and our promise. With deepest gratitude,
Amy Ziebarth Head of School
Marc Schwartz Chair, Board of Trustees
FINANCIAL REPORT We are pleased to report that Far Brook School’s financial position remains strong. Below is a summary of the 2020-2021 year.
Operating Revenue and Other Support
Operating Expenses
80%
Tuition and Application Fees (Net of Tuition Assistance and Tuition Remission)
11%
Tuition Assistance
12%
CARES Act Stimulus
6
%
Contributions
7%
Administrative
6%
Educational
6%
1%
Interest and Dividend Income
1
%
Other Income
Depreciation
4%
Buildings and Grounds
2%
Auxiliary Services and Activities
SUMMARY OF PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT We are profoundly grateful to our community of current parents, alumni, alumni parents, trustees, grandparents, faculty, administration, and friends who continue to give thoughtfully and generously to the School. Thank you for making the Far Brook experience possible for each and every student. Below is a summary of philanthropic support for 2020-2021.
$417,749 The Far Brook Fund
$345,475
Strength In Community: Far Brook’s Major Gifts Initiative for Students and Faculty
Imagine The Possibilities Campaign payments:
$195,700
$87,725
Additional gifts to the Endowment, to the Expendable High School Tuition Assistance Fund, 2021 Class Gift, Special Projects, Tribute gifts, and more
$84,250 Tuition Assistance
(not part of Strength In Community)
$50,800
Miscellaneous Pledge
$2,500
Widening The Lens Diversity Conference Corporate Sponsorship
Total Dollars Received:
$1,184,199
ENDOWMENT Far Brook’s Endowment totaled $9,568,284 as of June 30, 2021, representing an endowment per student of $42,150. Our Endowment provides regular income, through smart investing and prudent management, for School programs, tuition assistance, faculty development, facilities, and general needs. It ensures Far Brook’s long-term security and sustainability by creating support for future ventures and opportunities. A donor may add to these funds at any time.
$10M
$12,726
$202,722
1980
1990
$1,806,699 $4,317,936 $5,264,847 $6,738,468 $9,568,284
$9M $8M $7M $6M $5M $4M $3M $2M $1M $0
2000
2010
2016
2018
2021
DESIGNATED ENDOWMENT FUNDS Arts Endowment Funds Kramer Art Fund Fredda S. Leff Special Projects Endowment Polly S. Niebling Drama Fund Building Endowment Funds Milton H. Stern Endowment Fund The Ruth and Max Segal Family Library Endowment Fund Faculty Endowment Funds The Elliott Averett Family Fund for Teacher Benefits Faculty Endowment Fund Faculty Opportunity Fund Endowment for Teacher Benefits Moore Faculty Benefit Fund Scholarship Endowment Funds Mary Adams Scholarship for Mathematics and Science Edwin A. Finckel Scholarship for the Arts The Founding Families Scholarship Endowment Fund The George Bartol Scholarship The Hite Scholarship The James E. and Elizabeth Hughes Scholarship Endowment Fund William R. Johnson Scholarship for the Arts Barbara Jordan Endowment Scholarship The Koven Family Scholarship The Paula Levin Lower School Scholarship Fund Marks Student Scholarships The Opportunity Scholarship Fund for Excellence The Caroline Pfohl and Damien Ho Scholarship Carol Silver Endowment for Student Scholarships
Through Far Brook’s commitment to powerful immersive learning, insightful questioning, and an adaptive mindset, we are not only preparing our children to shape the future - we are preparing them to be the future. This is where The Far Brook Fund comes in. It has always been the anchor of philanthropy at Far Brook. Money raised is used immediately and not saved for future needs. It is the catalyst, enabling us to do what we do, with greater creativity, more opportunity, and direct impact. In addition to the daily operations of the School, The Far Brook Fund 2020-2021 supported our students and faculty through five key areas: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Tuition Assistance through the Wraparound Relief Fund; Community Health and Wellness; Faculty Development; and Technology.
We are grateful to our 316 donors who made 777 gifts, totaling $417,749. That was an increase of 15% over the previous year and 19% over our goal. THANK YOU! -------------------
“Far Brook provides a uniquely nurturing environment which truly develops the whole student. The question is - how could I not give to Far Brook?” -Nadine Burnett, current parent
The important work continues around Far Brook’s Strength In Community major gifts initiative. This campaign, for student tuition assistance and faculty development, has raised $2,022,613 in paid and pledged commitments. Gifts have come from more than 235 parents, alumni, alumni parents, and friends. Support of the Faculty Endowment Fund and the recently established Faculty Fund for Innovation, has allowed us to provide numerous grants to faculty – many providing flexibility to make decisions that impact our students immediately. With this support, we are reexamining and updating our Early Childhood block curriculum with a design thinking lens, streamlining Lower School learning support, and renovating our Greenhouse. The School’s newly created social justice trip to Selma, Montgomery, and Atlanta, which we hope to take in the near future, is possible because of the Faculty Fund for Innovation. This initiative continues through June 2022. -------------------
“Knowing that our support will help allow other children to experience the joy and magic of a Far Brook education made it an easy decision for us to give.” -Dore and Michael DuHaime, current parents
FAMILY, FAR BROOK, AND PHILANTHROPY The Cogan-Drew family has been connected to Far Brook for three generations. Meet Patra Cogan, mother of current parent Dan and grandmother of current Upper School student Thomas. Patra was a student for ten years at Buxton Country Day School, which became Far Brook School after its founder, Ellen Geer Sangster, moved the upper grades to Williamstown, MA. Patra’s mother was the Buxton Nursery teacher from 1935-1945. These relationships, memories, and shared experiences over the years have kept Far Brook at the center of the Cogan-Drew family’s lives and made it a philanthropic priority. Patra remains connected to and supportive of Far Brook and has visited for important celebrations. Dan and Thea, Thomas’ parents, serve as active volunteers bringing creative ideas and support to the community. We are thrilled that the Cogan-Drew family legacy continues! -------------------
“I donate to Far Brook School in remembrance of my mother, Gladys McElwee. l cherish memories of the ten years I attended Buxton, and I now enjoy hearing about my grandson’s experience as a 7th-grader at Far Brook.” -Patra Cogan, Buxton ’45 “We give to Far Brook because of the wonderfully positive impact this community has had on our son and our family. We go back three generations with Far Brook and we enjoy keeping that connection alive.” -Thea and Dan Cogan-Drew, current parents
Patra
Thomas
Dan
ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT AND PLACEMENT Number of Students.........................................227 New Students.....................................................63 Number of Families..........................................166 New Families......................................................40 Diversity - Students of Color........................... 47% Communities......................................................30
Secondary schools attended by the Class of 2021: Columbia High School Buxton School, MA Chapel Hill High School, NC George School, PA Immaculate Conception High School Kent Place School Millburn High School Montclair Kimberley Academy Morristown-Beard School Newark Academy -------------------
“I give to Far Brook because it was the cornerstone of my education and instilled in me a lifelong love of learning” -Emily Leonard Sheridan ’91
Far Brook’s Class of 2017 are freshman at the following colleges and universities: University of St. Andrews, Scotland Connecticut College University of Colorado at Boulder University of Notre Dame Boston College Boston Conservatory at Berklee Syracuse University University of Chicago University of Miami Emerson College Tulane University University of Virginia Indiana University Macalester College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute University of Michigan Brown University Southern Methodist University Northwestern University Wake Forest University Wesleyan University Georgetown University
2020-2021 VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP Board of Trustees Marc Schwartz, Chair Carmine Fanelle, Vice-Chair Chris Burns, Treasurer Doak Sergent, Secretary Bob Kelly Renee Sekino Wolfe Amy Ziebarth, Head of School Diane Bakst Alice Davison Greg Hoffman Jessica Howe Adam Keil Leah Kronthal Krissy Mannello Tanya Nicholson Miller Harsh Sule Amy Yin The Far Brook Fund Co-Chairs Tanya Nicholson Miller Amy Yin
Parent Community Connection (PCC) Leadership Team Keisa Anthony Robyn Bennett Katy Burns Wendy Doran-Paley Carolyn Elbert Jill Johnston Vani Krishnamurthy Tiffanee Mackey Neil Marks Rebecca Randall Darren Vengroff Eucabeth Williams Special thanks to the PCC Leadership Team for planning our first-ever virtual Fall Festival and other community events last year, supported by additional wonderful volunteer parents.
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“I give because it’s what I can do. Even the smallest amount. Because when I worry about the future and the world we live in, I feel compelled to do whatever I can. Investing in the education of our children and their children is what truly gives me hope.” -Mona Boewe, faculty member, curremt and alumni parent
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE Our purpose is to create a supportive and caring community that cherishes love of learning, creativity, and individuality, and that provides teachers and students with both support and freedom to take risks in order to reach their full potential. Implicit in our philosophy is the goal of bringing students to their highest level of academic and personal competency, both for their present and in preparation for their future education. In addition, we share a much larger purpose. We see Far Brook’s mission as a desire to use and to adapt the principles of progressive education and its philosophy of pragmatism for a changing world, and while valuing academic excellence and respect for nature, to instill a creative response to learning with great art, drama, music, and literature as models. Our approach to education demands that both students and teachers be active participants in a reciprocal learning experience. We recognize the role of metaphor, ritual, and tradition in children’s lives and the power of the arts in the learning process. Our curriculum is unified by interdisciplinary studies of thematic units and great historical eras, which allow children to relate themselves to the universe and to the history of mankind. A Far Brook education takes place in an environment of natural beauty and intimacy, where character and citizenship are valued as much as achievement, process as much as product. It is our desire to touch the lives of children so they may live life wisely and with great joy.
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“We give because Far Brook has made a meaningful impact on the educational journey and personal growth of our recent graduate, Elaniyah, that we will always cherish. We value the faculty’s commitment to providing a nurturing environment for our children.” -Koonam and Baiju Aurora, current and alumni parents “We give to Far Brook to help support the programs that enrich the students’ educational experience. Every little bit helps and we’re glad to play a small part.” -Eucabeth and Wesley Williams, current parents “I have been part of this community since 1998 - first as a student and now as a teacher. I give to Far Brook because of all it has given to me.” -Danyel Mayers ’08, faculty member
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