Boys at the Heart: The Campaign for Fenn

Boys at the Heart the campaign for fenn

welcome

The Campaign for Fenn, like Fenn itself, has boys at its heart.

One of my greatest pleasures is starting my day at Fenn each morning, watching boys joyfully at play and genuinely engaging with teachers—knowing that each boy looks forward to his day at Fenn. In my eighteenth year here, these glimpses of Fenn life continue to inspire. They are daily reminders of the power of this community, bound together by our shared values of honesty, respect, empathy, and courage.

Each boy knows he has a meaningful place at Fenn, and thus feels confident in striving to discover his talents and to grow into a young man who can make a positive difference in the world. Like the boys we serve, Fenn looks to the future with optimism and imagination. The education of boys is at the center of all we do. We are currently engaged in an ambitious effort to ensure our mission for years to come, and we call this ambitious endeavor Boys at the Heart: The Campaign for Fenn.

As all students and alumni know, Fenn’s motto since our founding, Sua Sponte, is a moral charge for every boy to accept responsibility for his own education and to serve others, reminding us that “It is in your hands.” In the spirit of Sua Sponte, the Campaign calls on parents, alumni, and friends personally to take part in securing the present and future of Fenn.

Your generosity will support sports fields worthy of our boys’ athletic efforts, a modern library that spurs boys’ love for reading and research, a meeting hall that comfortably accommodates the entire Fenn community, and an enhanced endowment to provide scholarships for worthy and talented boys and support and mentoring of our exceptional teachers.

I have faith that every member of the Fenn community will join with us, investing in the education of Fenn boys now and for decades to come. The future of boys and the future of Fenn are indeed most worthy of our support.

JeRRY wARD HEADMASTER

pLan oVerView

A vision for Fenn– and for boys.

Just as Fenn’s program focuses on educating the whole boy, this ambitious effort provides capital, endowment, and operating support for every area of life and learning for boys at Fenn.

The initiatives supported by this effort, totaling approximately $25 million, are rooted in Fenn’s historic values and mission.

This effort will provide the facilities and resources needed by Fenn students today, and sustain the unique community of learning where generations of Fenn students have prepared for successful and fulfilling lives.

academic Leadership ongoIng

meeting & performance haLL FALL 2011/WInTer 2012 This new building will accommodate the school community’s daily gathering at All school meeting and support the personal growth that our students gain from their participation in school leadership and performing arts.

LiBrary summer 2012 A new library will bring reading and the exploration of digital information to center stage on Fenn’s campus—and provide a library sized appropriately for our student population and for Fenn’s robust print collection.

new endowment for faculty and curricular innovation will allow Fenn master teachers to mentor the next generation of faculty and continually advance Fenn’s curriculum to meet the evolving needs of boys. operating support ongoIng ongoing support of the Annual Fund, as well as unrestricted endowment gifts, will support the things that Fenn does best today—as we build new programs, facilities, and services for the future.

Loop road & north campus improVements CompLeTed This project alleviated traffic congestion in the heart of campus and provided much-needed office and meeting space, as well as a reconfigured soccer field.

schoLarships ongoIng new endowment for scholarships will help us ensure that Fenn’s student body represents the broad range of cultural perspectives and experiences reflected in the world today.

turf fieLd sprIng 2011 This new-generation artificial turf field will provide a durable, safe, and, for the first time at Fenn, regulation-sized playing surface for football, lacrosse, and soccer.

campaign overview

This vision will be accomplished thanks to you.

Boys at the Heart: The Campaign for Fenn is your opportunity to truly make a difference in the lives of boys today—and for generations to come. Your capital and annual gifts during the Campaign period will have a lasting impact on every area of life at Fenn: Reshaping our campus while maintaining its distinctive warmth, scale, and character.

Providing new resources for learning and teaching. Strengthening our academic program. Enhancing our community through ongoing investment in our community of teachers and students.

By late 2010, fueled by excitement generated by an unprecedented $5 million matching challenge gift, we had raised more than twothirds of our $25 million goal in support of the largest and most comprehensive campaign in Fenn’s history. But much remains to be accomplished, and there are many exciting opportunities for you to participate in helping us to achieve Fenn’s vision for boys.

accompLished to date

new endowment

The generosity of parents, alumni, and friends has fully funded many of the projects outlined in the vision for Fenn’s future, including offices, parking, a loop road, and a reconfigured soccer field in north campus, as well as construction of a planned new turf field. The north campus improvements have created opportunities in central campus for exciting new projects that will build on the spirit of simplicity and boy-focused design that have characterized the development of Fenn’s campus for more than 80 years.

our goal is to increase endowment by $5 million.

Your unrestricted endowment gifts will provide a strong financial footing by increasing our total endowment to a level that, through skilled management, is necessary to sustain Fenn in the future. new studentcentered endowment initiatives included in this goal will increase funding for scholarships and for academic leadership by our faculty.

As a board member at Fenn, observing the impact Fenn has on the lives of the boys who are here today, I am often reminded of the role Fenn has played in my life. This is where it all began for me. Fenn gave me early confidence in the classroom, on the field, and amongst peers which stayed with me into high school, college, and working life.

annuaL fund support

Vinnie Lynch ’64 TrusTee And CAmpAIgn Co-ChAIr

a chaLLenge to create new spaces for Learning and community A new meeting & performance hall, a central campus green to replace a parking lot, and a new Library will transform the center of Fenn’s campus and enhance the daily lives of boys at Fenn. An anonymous donor has provided a $5 million matching gift opportunity—the largest single gift in Fenn’s history— to make it possible for Fenn to speed the construction of these important facilities.

The $1 million contributed each year to Fenn’s Annual Fund is equal to the yield of a $20 million endowment with a 5% annual draw. And like endowment, Annual Fund gifts touch on every area of Fenn’s operation. Your continuing support for the Annual Fund is essential during the Campaign period—and all gifts to the Annual Fund during this period will count towards the comprehensive Campaign goal.

I want to help the school realize this vision out of personal gratitude for the strong foundation Fenn provided our own boys, but also because Fenn does a great job preparing boys who honor community values and are caring and active citizens. The kind of future we can expect to have will very much depend on such young men. nancy BeauLieu Fenn pArenT, TrusTee, And CAmpAIgn Co-ChAIr

meeting & performance hall

Creating a new heart for Fenn’s campus.

We strive to prepare boys, as our mission statement reflects, for a lifetime of learning and leadership.

We know our students, and we encourage them to take risks. You see the essence of this in All school meeting. We don’t hold cosmetic awards ceremonies to build “self esteem.” We gather every day to share with one another. True confidence emerges when boys discover who they are, know that they have something to share, and have the time and space to show what they’re made of. derek Boonisar, AssIsTAnT heAdmAsTer And heAd oF upper sChooL

community

performing arts

green space

The new meeting & performance hall will accommodate the entire Fenn community— and our extended family of parents and friends for All school meeting, performances, speakers, and special occasions.

As Fenn’s performing arts program has flourished and grown in size and quality, it has outgrown the physical space and technical capabilities of the current meeting hall. The new meeting & performance hall will accommodate the many dramatic and musical performances each year by boys in all divisions, and an entire wing will be devoted to Fenn’s extensive vocal and instrumental music program.

A new campus green on the site of a former parking lot deepens the new england village character of Fenn—and expands the outdoor space available for students to make their own.

liBrary

Building a vibrant center of learning.

central location

the right siZe

a place to gather

print & digital

The Library’s new location will make Fenn’s eclectic and lively collection, developed with boys in mind, more accessible and visible every day.

by more than doubling the footprint of the current Library, the new Library will provide urgently needed space to comfortably accommodate reading, studying, research, and use of Fenn’s extensive and diverse print collection.

expanded library classroom space and group study rooms where boys can collaborate on research will create an environment more conducive to quiet reading and exploration.

The new Library will be designed to accommodate the changing nature of information resources in the 21st century—allowing Fenn to continue to balance books with digital materials.

When a boy dives for the third time into a book that he loves, he’s visiting with a near-and-dear friend. my favorite part of my job is getting to know each boy, discovering what he’s passionate about, and helping him find books that he can connect with, books that will expand his world, books that will keep him reading. lisa francine, LIbrArY dIreCTor

ENdowmENt

Securing the future of Fenn.

KEEPING FENN FENN Fenn is a place like no other—a strong endowment will ensure that a Fenn education remains available to future generations of boys.

There is a difference in Fenn boys. You may not see it until years later—when your son is president of his high school class, or when it becomes clear that his ethical compass points straight north.

In a world with so much unhappiness and failure, here’s a group of young men who are happy, competent, confident, and caring.

This is a place worthy of our support. paul and maggie parisi, pArenT Co-ChAIrs oF boYs AT The heArT: The CAmpAIgn For Fenn

supporting teachers and students

providing a strong foundation

gifts to Fenn’s endowment will support the teachers and students who are at the heart of Fenn—through scholarships and funds to facilitate academic leadership.

Though we’ve doubled our endowment to nearly $17 million in a dozen years, much more is needed to provide a sustainable resource for Fenn’s future.

how to give

Making your gift to boys.

There are opportunities for everyone to put Boys at the Heart through the Campaign for Fenn. We will be reaching out to all members of the Fenn community in the coming months to share more information about how you can help us complete the most ambitious and comprehensive Campaign in Fenn’s history.

Please contact us if you are interested in planned giving options, named and tribute gifts, or gifts of securities, or if you would like to discuss specific giving opportunities within the Campaign.

Design: Philographica, Brookline, MA . Copy: Kim Carlin, Baltimore, MD. Photography: Amos Chan, New York, NY

Tom Hudner ’87, Director of Advancement 978-318-3520 thudner@fenn.org

The Fenn School

516 Monument Street

Concord, Massachusetts 01742

978-318-3600

www.fenn.org