Millbrook Campaign Newsletter - Spring 2015

T h e

C a m p a i g n

Spring 2015

GOAL

$65 million RAISED TO DATE

$42 million

Campaign Report As the School turned into the new calendar year, the campaign total had

Millbrook is

“Better by Design” More than 200 alumni, parents and friends gathered at the New York Racquet and Tennis Club on November 4 at what was the best-attended school reception in memory. At this traditional annual event, the headmaster chose to talk about Millbrook’s mission, those thoughts and principles that evolved through the school’s history, and the long-range strategic plan currently being implemented. He said that what differentiates Millbrook from other schools is the forceful pursuit of its mission and that the progress that the school has made is rooted in a clear focus of where it wants to be. The phrase Better by Design captures both Millbrook’s aspirations and the clarity of objectives that emanates from careful planning and design in the broadest sense.

He pointed out that Millbrook is and will be Better by Design: • In Mr. Pulling’s vision, choice of location, and mission.

• In the clarity of the school’s mission.

risen to $42 million against its goal of $65 million.

The effort got underway in 2010, and in these five short years the following major improvements have been made to the school campus: •A fully renovated Barn with gold LEED certification. new West Dorm, a 44-bed girls •A dormitory that sits at the west end of campus with adjacent outdoor amphitheater.

•T he award-winning Frederic C. Hamilton ‘45 Math & Science Center. Mr. Hamilton recently donated the largest single gift in support of the school.

• In the ways Millbrook crafts a personal development plan for each student.

• A softball field and a new squash center.

• In the thoughtful, studied approaches the school makes to dramatically enhance its campus.

• The new Harris-Kenan language center.

• In the ambition of the strategic vision for Millbrook’s future.

Headmaster Casertano said,

“Mr. Pulling’s daring aspirations and remarkable vision for education began with the goal of preparing Millbrook graduates for college and for lives of meaning and consequence. This is exactly our goal today and remains embodied in our motto, non sibi sed cunctis.”

The headmaster concluded his remarks by mentioning the many capital and financial improvements achieved in recent years.

•A pproval to begin construction of a new dining hall to accommodate 300 students, to be completed by September 2016.

Of equal importance to the addition of buildings and other capital movements is the growth of endowment which—during Drew Casertano’s 25 years as headmaster—has moved from $7 million to $33 million, a growth more than double the rate of inflation made possible by prudent management and the addition of a number of substantial contributions.

Produced by Millbrook’s Development Office

845-677-8261 • www.millbrook.org

PROFILE:

Farnham ’53 and Anne Collins Interview by Robert Anthony ’65 and Nancy Stahl my teaching was the AP History course. The kids wanted to be there, wanted to learn and partake.

It was a wonderful time in my life.

Bob: What was it like being married and living in South Dorm? What were your special memories of that year?

Bob: You have been a student and faculty member and served on the Board of Trustees.

With this deep involvement can you say how Millbrook has influenced your life?

Farnie: There is no question that the school had a huge influence from the beginning. I was a student for five years. Those are the formative years in any young person’s life. Millbrook played a major role in shaping my character more than my years at Princeton. Ed Pulling had huge influence in those days. His leadership and strong personality dominated the school in every possible way, more so than any other headmaster with the possible exception of Drew.

Bob: What was your teaching experience like?

Farnie: I was hired to teach math. After a couple of years I switched to history. It was wonderful to see a student absorbing knowledge and thinking for himself. You want to stimulate curiosity and encourage inquiry. Students have come back to me for years and always spoken of the skills they learned more than the knowledge itself. This was particularly true in writing—I was a demon on writing. The cliché is that if you do it right, the kids just wag their tails they’re so happy.

It works—it really works. The culmination of

Anne: Farnie and I started in New Dorm (now Case) on the 2nd floor over a very vocal family, the Martins. Mrs. Pulling was very welcoming.

Sliding down the hill behind the dorm, all the way to the end of the football field—that was a special memory. Then we moved to South Dorm for 1½ years—a little less up and down stairs.

Our first child, Steve, was born while we lived at Millbrook. We were in charge of about 26 boys.

When they got noisy, Farnie would tell them to run all the way to the football field and back.

After that, there was no noise. We did not mind dorm duty at all and always said it was like being on a ship. We knew exactly the tremor and the noise level, and we knew when there was a little too much noise, and when it was too quiet.

Nancy: What is it like to now be a grandparent of a child at Millbrook?

Anne: Farnie and I feel it is very rewarding and we’re very happy she’s here. It’s important that as she grows up, that she’s very independent in making friends and getting involved in school life—especially today when some parents hover and there’s constant interaction. We do see her, but we’re not helicopter grandparents. She’s doing well, and she needs that independence. It’s the right school for her. The fit has been ideal.

Nancy: What have been your aspirations for Millbrook?

Farnie: Focusing on proper governance was a primary objective for the board when I joined in the early 1990’s. That has been accomplished during Drew’s tenure. One of the other things I felt

Preparing For 300 West Dorm Opens to Students • September 2, 2014

strongly about was that the school get bigger. As Millbrook closes in on 300, it will have a critical mass to be competitive with most schools of that size. Of course we will need to finish out the campus building program and increase endowment substantially. A favorite issue of mine is our real focus on the recruitment of stronger and stronger students and continuing to build a strong college list. The ambition for the school would be to continue in the direction it is going.

Nancy: What do you think is the most important message Millbrook should be instilling in its students today as they prepare to go out into the world?

Farnie & Anne: We think the most important message is to teach them to think independently and to not be overwhelmed by the incessant communications and messages we all receive. You want students to generate their own opinions and shape their own values. Social media and the 24-hour news cycle make this challenging. It creates instant responses, and provides little time to probe further and think more deeply. It’s true in foreign affairs, and it’s true in a lot of things.

Bob: What do you think Drew has achieved since coming to Millbrook?

Farnie: He developed a vision and put it into practice. When he came, we all knew that the school was not as strong as it should be. Through his leadership Millbrook is a much stronger school. He has taken us to a whole new plateau.

Part of this success is that he has been there for 25 years and he has brought his evolving vision into reality. The board has played a huge role in this, and the group’s support has been really significant in making all this possible. The whole story is a renaissance—from a very strong beginning in a small school in a different era. We see Pulling’s school now larger and part of a totally different socio-economic and philosophical era. The school is strong now, and I think it’s wonderful. Possibly 80 to 90% is Drew.

The first thing is that he stayed, and the second thing is that he is staying, and the third thing is that he is going to stay for a number of years more.

The Role of Annual Giving As a comprehensive campaign, the goal of $65 million includes monies for building and renovation, endowment, and annual giving.

Millbrook has a long and strong history of annual giving, which has a huge impact on the annual operating budget of the school.

According to Director of Advancement Nancy Stahl, “We never want to lose focus on the importance of annual giving. We think of it this way. Every $50,000 raised equals the return on $1 million in endowment, and it is not restricted and can be used at the school’s discretion.”

Last year the Annual Fund broke all previous records bringing in $1.8 million. Alumni and parent annual giving participation both increased: from 31% to 35%, and 86% to 93% respectively. Our ambitious goal for 2015-2016 is $2 million.

The Millbrook Campaign Student Life Master Plan for construction & renovation Projects Needed Barn Renovation: A gold level LEED certified student center

$4,000,000

Squash Center Expansion

$1,700,000

New Dormitory: a 44-bed facilty for girls, with four beautiful faculty homes

$8,400,000

Health & Wellness Center

$400,000

Dorm Renovations

$500,000

Dining Hall: state of the art 400-seat facility for a student body of 300 and faculty & staff

$8,000,000

New Maintenance Facilities

$1,600,000

Main Street Millbrook: renovations to Prum, passages to the new dining hall

$1,700,000

Zoo Improvements, including renovation of the Mill

$600,000

Flagler Chapel Improvements

$500,000

New Alumni/Development Center

$1,100,000

Campus Improvements: Schoolhouse upgrades, lighting, landscaping, safety and security

$1,500,000

30,000,000

Total

For Endowment

The program has been run with imagination and has been energized by some competitions. Last year Millbrook won the February Face-off, a challenge in which nine participating schools each aimed to generate the best young alumni participation. This year the competition is the Headmaster’s Challenge, which recognizes Drew Casertano’s 25 years of leadership at Millbrook. This is a challenge among the classes of 19902014, the winner being the class with the greatest percent of Annual Fund participation between July 1 and February 28th. To add excitement to the challenge, two young alumnae have initiated a $10,000 match for any new or increased gift given before the end of February.

up Next

Faculty support: professional development and salaries and benefits

$10,000,000

Financial Aid

$10,000,000

Program Initiatives & Innovation

$3,000,000

Campus Facilities & Maintenance

$2,000,000

25,000,000

Total

Annual Giving

10,000,000

TOTAL TO BE RAISED

65,000,000

Millbrook’s New Dining Hall

September 2016

Spring of 2015

New dining hall grand opening

March 2016 New maintenance facilities – phase II

March 2017 New alumni/ development center

“Tradition simply means that we need to end what began well and continue what is worth continuing.”

Quote by Spanish writer, poet, and playwright José Bergamín Gutiérrez

Traditions are very important to Millbrook School.

There has been a tradition of honoring our graduating classes by asking VI form parents to give generously to the Annual Fund and, by doing so, to reflect upon the importance of a Millbrook education.

In 2012 this tradition took a slight turn when the Advancement Office created a special gift committee chaired by Tracy and Joe Merrill P’09,’11,’13 and set a goal of $250,000 in order to name the terrace of the newly renovated student center after the class of 2013. Ninety-seven percent of the VI form parents participated in this special campaign, and we dedicated the terrace on Prize Night, May 26, 2013.

The following year the Advancement Office and the special VI Form Gift Committee, chaired by Larry Creel P’14 and Herb and Cinnie May P’14, raised over $300,000 towards construction of a beautiful new bridge at the entrance to campus—95% of VI form parents contributed. On the near perfect evening of May 25, 2014, the bridge on School Road was dedicated to the Class of 2014.

Why do parents give their time and effort to the VI form special gift fund? Herb and Cinnie May believe that Millbrook is the sum of its parts: “Everyone contributes to turn out young men and women of exceptional character and endless potential. Time and effort are equity, the same as money. It takes a village, and helping the school and the kids is priceless.”

The idea of creating a special gift in honor of the graduating class resonated with Larry Creel. “Millbrook has a very strong sense of community due to its size and culture. Bringing class parents together, along with the involvement of students, seems like a logical way to continue the community atmosphere.”

“Restricted giving is an opportunity to leave behind something tangible, a memento that lasts over multiple eras and reminds those who were there

and those to come of what was accomplished,” echoes Herb May. Both the naming of the terrace and the bridge serve as eternal connections to a place that became home to many of our students. Last year’s committee chairs did not overlook the metaphor of the bridge—a connection to the past and a path to the future.

Moving forward to May of this year, the VI Form Parent Committee, led

by Sue and Mike Stanley P’15 and Morten and Carolyn Arntzen P’15, will join other VI form parents to dedicate to the class of 2015 a much needed staircase connecting the Frederic C. Hamilton Math and Science Center, the Holbrook Arts Center, and the Abbott and Harris-Kenan Quad. The goal is to raise $250,000 and to achieve 100% parent participation. Sue and Mike Stanley like the idea of creating a special honor gift: “It sets a tangible goal that is both challenging and achievable. And, for those who have gotten stuck in that side parking lot not quite knowing how to access the campus, the practicality of the gift is perfect. Like the students’ years at Millbrook, this staircase symbolizes a stepping stone from one place to another.”

Morten and Carolyn Arntzen shared that they are extremely pleased with the experience their son, Christian, has had at Millbrook. “By contributing to the VI Form Gift Fund, it will help future students like Christian benefit in the same way.” Morten also believes that these special gift funds improve the infrastructure and help bind the graduates to the institution that gave them so much.

In Annual Fund campaigns for 2010 and 2011, the VI form parent participation rate was at 77%. Since the start of the special VI form parent gifts in 2013, the rate of participation for senior parents has risen to 95% or better. In line with participation, the dollar amount raised by this special committee has risen in increments of almost $50,000 over the past two years. We hope for the same upward trend with the class of 2015.

Not unlike other graduations, commencement 2015 will be the time to end what began so well for our VI form students. In addition, similar to other traditions of Millbrook School generosity, we will continue the tradition of the VI form gift that is so worthy of continuation.