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Head of School Douglas Hale and Board of Regents President David Frantz ’60. “We are thrilled beyond words for this transformational gift and the confidence that Deborah and her foundation have placed in us,” said Hale. “Because of their vision and generosity, young men and women from all walks of life will have access to an extraordinary education that will allow them to realize their potential.” “As a member of the Board, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Doug Hale for a number of years, and am inspired by his vision for Mercersburg as a leader in independent school education,” said Ms. Simon, who serves as a vice president of the Board of Regents. “This is a place where faculty are encouraged to experiment with new ideas and technologies to engage students more fully in their education.” The Simon gift will enable Mercersburg to realize one of its most important goals: to ensure that a Mercersburg education is affordable to every student the school admits. Mercersburg is committed to enrolling a student body that is not only ethnically and geographically diverse, but reflects the socioeconomic continuum. Currently, 32 percent of students receive need-based financial aid, and 49 percent receive a combination of merit and need-based scholarships toward tuition. “Deborah’s gift has shined a light on the Mercersburg tradition of a rigorous education and an egalitarian, student-centered culture as a model for secondary education across the country,” Hale said. “We are hoping her generosity inspires others to be part of the philanthropic tradition in secondary education, because an investment in our youth at adolescence is a powerful
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force for good.” “Mercersburg aspires to provide national leadership in experiential learning that weaves technology into the classroom,” said Hale. For example, on the heels of providing iPads for all students, in summer 2012, a number of Mercersburg faculty wrote, designed, and implemented their own e-textbooks for a variety of subjects including algebra, American studies, AP Latin, and writing music, aligning them with lessons and weaving interactive experiences throughout the curriculum. Ms. Simon is a daughter of the late Bess
What Students are Saying I am blown away by Ms. Simon’s love for the Mercersburg community and her desire to support the school so that future generations can have their Mercersburg experience. The experience of stepping outside your shell and trying new things is so hard to come by, and I am excited to know that so many future students will have these one, two, three, or even four years to do that here. —Meghan Peterson ’14, Greencastle, Pennsylvania
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Meshulam Simon and the late Melvin Simon. In 1960, her father founded Melvin Simon & Associates in Indianapolis, a company that he and her brother David grew to become Simon Property Group Inc., the largest real estate investment trust in the world. Active in supporting youth education, Ms. Simon is chair of the Board of Directors of the Simon Youth Foundation (www.syf.org), a public charity that operates in 13 states to provide financial and academic support to high-school students at risk of dropping out of school. The Deborah Joy Simon Foundation is a private foundation
I am truly proud of Mercersburg. The fact that an alumna of our school has such great attachment to the school gives me a genuine sense of community. The members of the Class of 2013 who graduated last year have told me that they still feel closely connected to Mercersburg and that they truly miss this place, and I believe that this $100 million gift represents the intimacy and the connection that the alumni feel toward the school. —Gun Ho Ro ’14, Daegu, South Korea