Holy Comforter Episcopal School has always built bridges to the future. In many ways, that is education: creating a path forward for those who follow us. It is a path we as adults will never again head in quite the same way, a path leading to destinations we may never see. For just those reasons, we believe the bridge under our children’s feet should be strong and wide. Our bridge has been. So many parents have chosen Holy Comforter Episcopal School and so many children have journeyed across it, that now we build it for new generations to come. The time has come to prepare HCES for the future. Your vision can create a better future - for our children. Amen!
OUR VISION
THE BRIDGE BUILDER
An old man going a lone highway, Came, at the evening cold and gray,
To a chasm vast and deep and wide. Through which was flowing a sullen tide
The old man crossed in the twilight dim, The sullen stream had no fear for him; But he turned when safe on the other side And built a bridge to span the tide.
“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near, “You are wasting your strength with building here; Your journey will end with the ending day, You never again will pass this way; You’ve crossed the chasm, deep and wide, Why build this bridge at evening tide?”
The builder lifted his old gray head; “Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said, “There followed after me to-day
A youth whose feet must pass this way. This chasm that has been as naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be; He, too, must cross in the twilight dim; Good friend, I am building this bridge for him!”
- Will Allen Dromgoole, a female southern author and poet
“A Bridge to the Future” campaign brochure.
AMBASSADOR COMMITTEE
John & Elyse Gallegos, Honorary Chairs
Alana & Paul Adrianse
Amanda & Brewster Bevis
Kristen & Donny Barstow
Katherine & Jamie Boland
Cassie & Scott Brooks
Lauren and Chase Carpenter
Ashley & Chris Chaney
Jenny & Chris Coker
Gina & Mike Coffas
Rachel & Dave Cone
Angela & Hayden Dempsey
Shea & Dillon Everidge
Lindsey & Jay Farrell
Christian & Jaime Moretz
Jennifer & Ken Granger
Tiffany & Cory Green
Amelia & John Griffin
Becca & Matt Hale
Nazarre & Chuck Holcombe
Melissa & Mark Inglese
Jenna & Logan Lewkow
Becca & Stephen McDaniel
Paige & Patrick McKee
Ksenia & Bill McKinney
Kristin & Hector Mejia
Handley & Brad Mikec
April & Lance Mitchell
Megan and Holden Neal
Sara and Travis Santos
Danielle & Josh Shelton
Suzanne and Matt Solomon
Tassie & Mike Sheridan
Eileen & Ben Stewart
Jennifer & Ben Turner
Amy & Clay Wells
Lindsay & Mike Whelan
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Rohan Joseph, MD
Randi Mackintosh
Ashley Ross
Robin Vernon
Tom Derzypolski
Skylar Zander
Adrian Crawford
Rick Malphurs
Greg Ungru
Kelly Jaap
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Lauren Carpenter
Chris Corum
C. Adrian Crawford
Tricia Culbertson
Dr. Frank Fincham
Rev. Fr. Allen Hill
Kelly Jaap
Rohan Joseph
Meghan Kennedy
Peter Klekamp
Gail Knight
Alexis Lambert, Chair
Randi Mackintosh
Pam Marsh
Logan McFaddin
Jane Menton
Heath Miller
Kathryn Rippee
Darby Scott
Rick Wagner, Ph.D.
Amy Wells
Lindsey Zander
OUR HISTORY
our first seventy years
Established in 1955 as an outreach ministry of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church, the school was originally founded as a preschool and kindergarten program, catering to the needs of young children in the local community. Its early mission was to provide a nurturing, Christian-centered foundation for learning.
During the 1960s and 1970s , the school steadily expanded its enrollment and programs, adding additional grade levels to meet the growing demand for quality private education in the region. As the school gained a reputation for excellence, it began to attract families seeking a holistic approach to education that combined strong academics with spiritual and character development.
The 1980s marked a period of significant development for Holy Comforter Episcopal School, as it continued to grow in size and scope. By this time, the school had firmly established itself as a respected institution within the Tallahassee community, offering an education grounded in Episcopal values.
A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE 1996-1999
In 1995 , our parents and students expressed a desire for a middle school, 6th through 8th grade. Increased demand for Lower School space also brought the strong message that we needed to enlarge our school facilities. Both the parish and the school decided to relocate and purchased the initial 40 acres on Fleischmann Road .
The Middle School was established on the new campus in 1997 , with the completion of the Bell Tower, Smith Hall, and Field House .
I was part of the team charged with the task of expanding HCES from a K-5 school (with its limited capacity of some 200 students) to a PK3- 8th grade school. With the help of a professional advisor, the Land Committee was told that HCES needed at least a 40 acre site to accomplish its expansion goals. The Land Committee found the existing site, which was not on the market; and, after lengthy negotiations, entered into a contract to purchase the initial 40 acres, with two options to acquire up to 100 more. In short, HCES bought its present location, now consisting of some 85 acres, from a land owner who had never before sold any of its real estate holdings and who did not have the selected site “for sale.” Needless to say, it was a most difficult task, which could only have been accomplished with “divine guidance.”
– Jim Brewster, Alumni Parent and Grandparent. Long-Time member of the Finance Committee
OUR HISTORY ...continued
MARCH TO THE MILLENNIUM 1999-2002
In 2002 , the entire school body moved to our beautiful new campus. With this campaign, the Media Center, additional acreage, 2 classroom buildings (including Hill Hall) and the administrative building were completed.
FIELD OF DREAMS 2004-2007
In 2004 , Jane and Steve Menton and Julie and Everitt Drew began the 3rd Capital Campaign to build the Student Center , a multipurpose space that houses a full-size gymnasium with music and art wings. As Jane recalls: “The building was initially planned to be placed in the open area outside of the Field House. As the architectural planning and site work got underway, Everitt and the Board saw that there was an opportunity to move the location and place the Student Center exactly opposite our iconic Bell Tower, where it would unite the campus design.” This important aesthetic decision brought together the distinctive campus configuration we enjoy today, featuring a colonnade of beautiful brick buildings embracing a spacious grass courtyard. The new location also enabled the placement of the baseball and soccer fields.
BEYOND THE BRICKS 2007-2012
In the Fall of 2012 , the Knight STEM Building opened. The resource-rich science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) facility, the Knight STEM Building was the first and only one of its kind for an independent school in the area, dedicated solely to STEM-based hands-on learning for students in grades PK-8. The building itself incorporates environmental best practices and serves as a teaching tool, which features 2 fully-equipped science laboratories and a Lower School STEM classroom. With project-based learning, students develop critical thinking and problem solving skills, which encourage imagination and productivity. Six tennis courts were also built and dedicated in 2011.
COMPLETE THE COLONNADE 2016-2023
In 2019 , HCES opened The Commons Performing Arts Center and Cafe a building featuring a performing arts center and stage, state of the art technology and a full service cafe and kitchen. This building was the final building to complete our beautiful colonnade. The Crusader Bowl is built, providing a full size field with lights for use by our soccer and football programs. The venue also features a full grass track utilized by lower and middle school athletics.
70TH ANNIVERSARY CAPITAL CAMPAIGN
Holy Comforter Episcopal School seeks individual, corporate, grant and community support to build an 8-lane collegiate track with a state of the art surface for running and field events. The facility will include cross lanes for track meets, a high jump, long jump, pole vault and discus pad for track and field events.
Elyse and John Gallegos, who had been part of the Holy Comforter community for one year, are the lead benefactors of the track and serve as Honorary Chairs of our Capital Campaign. Supported by an Ambassador Committee, a Development Committee, and our Board of Trustees—which transitions annually with the school calendar—we launched fundraising efforts in the Spring of 2025. These efforts include small gatherings to engage parents in the campaign, continuing the legacy of parental support that has shaped Holy Comforter Episcopal School for the past 30 years as our current campus has grown.
The Gallegos Track
Additionally, Holy Comforter Episcopal School seeks funding for a stormwater pond, a requirement by the City of Tallahassee that must be completed before the track’s construction can proceed. Any remaining funds will be allocated to the Commons Building, a space used by each and every one of our students each and every day.
For the past six years (2019–2024), proceeds from our annual school Gala - our largest fundraising event benefiting both the school and our students - have supported the Commons Building.
JOIN US
PHILANTHROPIST
$200,000
Naming opportunities include Campus Buildings/Halls, such as Smith Hall, Hill Hall and the STEM Knight Hall
BENEFACTOR
$100,000
Naming opportunities include fields such as the Upper Soccer Field and Football Field
GOLDEN CRUSADER
$75,000
Naming opportunities include Tennis, Baseball and Softball Fields
SILVER CRUSADER
$50,000
Naming opportunities include Beach Volleyball Courts, the Music Room, the Art Room, Pole Vault, High Jump, Long Jump, Discus areas
BRONZE CRUSADER
$35,000
Naming opportunities include classrooms and offices
CRUSADER
$20,000
NEW Naming opportunity in the entrance of the Commons surrounding the Bell Tower Art Installation
PATRON $10,000
Naming opportunity of the columns around the campus colonnade and track lanes
DONOR $5,000
Naming opportunity includes outdoor chapel pews
WAYS TO GIVE:
• A pledge can be made over a 5 year period to be paid on the date and time annually, as determined by the donor.
• Gifts of Stock and other alternative Giving Methods to be discussed individually.
• Multi-Generational Gifts - Customizable to including parents, grandparents and extended family.
• Donor-Advised Funds, Family or Corporate Foundation Gifts, Matching Gifts and Corporate Gifts.
All forms of personal and corporate gifts are accepted and tax-deductible for Capital Campaign Gifts.
