Oliverian School Annual Report 2022-2023

2022-2023

ANNUAL REPORT

celebrating twenty years of helping young people find their place in the world

A Message From

HEAD OF SCHOOL ABBY HOOD Dear Friends, As I reflect on the past year at our wonderful school, I am struck by the power of opposing forces. A tree's roots push deeper into the soil while at the same time its branches extend toward the sky. In fact, the branches we see arching over our heads are entirely dependent on the roots that spread beneath our feet. Meanwhile, the roots are nothing without the canopy of leaves above, feeding them.

This past year, with your help, we have nurtured the Oliverian tree. I don't mean a particular tree - not the oaks overarching the parking lot, peppering cars with acorns from time to time, nor the maples decorating the front of academic with their fall splendor, nor the birches along the walking path. I mean that we are rooting ourselves ever more firmly in our mission, our core values, and our pillars of adventure, stewardship, and the arts, while simultaneously growing our program and impact as we branch into the future.

That future sees us continuing to flourish in our beautiful corner of Pike, New Hampshire, and - among a number of initiatives - investing in new resources and opportunities to enhance our adventure, stewardship, and arts programs.

We look forward to sharing these initiatives with you as we introduce opportunities to be involved in building the resources and growing the impact of these powerfully transformative programs.

You, our supporters, represent the duality of the Oliverian tree. You are our past, our roots; each of you has been touched by the magic of the Oliverian School at some point in its 20 year history. And you are the key to our future, our branches, as you give of yourself - your time, your love, your generous donations - to ensure that Oliverian is here to meet the urgent need in our society for young people to experience acceptance in a changing world, to find community where they can thrive as individuals, and to tackle life's challenges with joy and resilience. I can't thank you enough.

With love and gratitude, Abby Head of School 03

A Message From

Chair of the Board

Peter Stevens

Dear Friends of Oliverian, It was nineteen years ago when I first visited Oliverian School on a brilliant day in May towards the end of the school’s first year. Like so many of us, I’d come to Pike at the invitation of Barclay Mackinnon, our founding Head of School. I thought that I might find some business here to help out my fledgling educational consultancy business, a venture I’d begun following a quarter of a century as Head of School at four different independent schools, two American international schools in Europe and two traditional schools here in the US. I sure did not anticipate what was to follow as, not uncommonly among Friends of Oliverian, I became hooked on this remarkable, feisty, creative and important school just getting going among the foothills of the White Mountains.

After a dozen years or so serving as the school’s college counselor and, at one point, acting Academic Director, I was invited to join the fledgling Board of Trustees under the dedicated leadership of former parent, board founder and close friend Jeanne Townsend. I’ve now had the pleasure and distinguished honor of serving as Chair of that Board.

It’s not often in a lifetime when one has the opportunity to work side by side with such dedicated educators and colleagues as I find on the Oliverian faculty, such wonderful and talented and hard-working young students, struggling to find their places in the world, and now such remarkable and selfless volunteer trustees. How fortunate I have been!

Like any effective and sustainable non-profit organization, Oliverian School counts heavily and joyfully on volunteer support, given freely in so many ways.This Annual Report shares much information about who we are today and why we are so strong and so important.We are grateful to all of you who support our efforts in so many ways: by caring enough and having enough faith in us to share your children with us; by offering financial support through direct cash gifts, programmatic support, gifts-in-kind, endowment commitments, and by standing by us through some tough times, some growing pains, some national emergency challenges, and of course through good times of excitement, achievement, and positive student growth. It’s quite a story!

Now, thanks to the spirited and loving leadership of Abby Hood, and the commitment of many on campus and on the board, we have an exciting Strategic Plan to help us enter our third decade with ambition, confidence and promise so that our beloved school, successfully finding its own place in the world, will be, simply, the best such opportunity in the nation for those families who need us. We anticipate nothing less.

Thank you for all you’ve done to help us get where we are, and thank you, too, for sharing our hopes and our vision, and for all your continued commitment and support. We cannot do it without you.

Most sincerely, Peter Stevens Chair, Board of Trustees

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A Message From

Founding Head Barclay Mackinnon

Dear Oliverian Families and Friends, It’s almost hard for me to believe that we are celebrating our twentieth year working with our amazing students and with you, their families. Hundreds of young people have joined us, over these past two decades, at our little school in Pike and the work we’ve done together has been life changing for students and faculty alike.

At times, twenty years seems almost like an eternity, but the reality is that Oliverian is still a young school in comparison to so many other New England boarding schools. So, the thought occurs to me, how do we nurture our young? How do we ensure that they grow to adulthood with the necessary tools to make a difference in their lives, as well as the lives of others?

That’s where all of us can help by acknowledging one another, and appreciating how much we mean to each other. At the end of every community meeting at Oliverian we do “appreciations!”

We take the time to thank someone or something for a kind action. Well, I’d like to take this moment in time to appreciate all our families and friends, past and present, for all you’ve done for Oliverian in furthering our mission to help young people find their place in the world. Please remember, our work is life changing, and we couldn’t do it without you.

Much love, Barclay Development & Alumni Relations Advisor Head Emeritus

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Core Values

Oliverian’s core values are linked in pairs which may at first glance seem to be in opposition, but in fact are mutually enriching. The perpetual effort to balance the two is where we find the greatest wisdom.

Acceptance & Change We accept and love each other for who we are We challenge each other to grow and improve

Joy & Discomfort We seek, savor, and celebrate joy in our daily lives We recognize the essential value of doing hard things

Individuality & Community We honor the individual and celebrate our differences and uniqueness We value community and balance our own needs with those of the group

Pillars

Adventure, Stewardship, The Arts Central to the Oliverian experience are our three pillars: adventure, stewardship, and the fine arts. Engagement in the pillars comes in the form of classes, extracurricular offerings, and all-school activities, enriching the lives of our students every day. In many ways, these pillars are the embodiment and the expression of our Core Values, and an essential way in which students find their place in the world. Through the Arts, we explore self-expression and creativity, learning to accept and love ourselves and others, while challenging ourselves to change and grow. Through Stewardship, we explore the tension between individuality and community, giving of ourselves in service to others and to the land, and in so doing, finding our own sense of peace and fulfillment. Through adventure, we build grit and resilience, pushing through discomfort and fear to arrive at both literal and figurative mountaintops of joy.

All of these experiences, taken together, make Oliverian Oliverian.

ADVENTURE We believe that an outdoor adventure education experience affords a powerful way to learn and grow academically, physically, and emotionally. Through our integrated outdoor education program, Oliverian students develop a better awareness of self, a deeper understanding of the world around them, and a capacity for reflective learning.

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Over the course of the year, students have climbed, hiked, skied, snowshoed, biked, caved, and paddled some of the best locations in New England and beyond including: Mount Moosilauke Iron Mountain John Wolter Trail Wachipauka Pond Oliverian Pond Glencliffe Trail Merriam Woods Connecticut River Lake Tarleton Boston Montreal Trail Flat Mountain

McCrillis Trail Everett Cave, VT Schoharie Cave, NY Howe Cave, NY Traino Karst Preserve, NY Camden Hill State Park, ME Blueberry Mountain Moose River, ME Waterville Valley Burke Mountain

With our Adventure Program, our students have hiked average elevations of 1200 feet, travelled an average of 5-6 miles per hike, and scaled some of the best rock formations this side of the White Mountains.

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STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship at Oliverian encourages self-exploration, spirituality, character formation, and integrity by allowing students to explore their interdependent relationships with others and with the natural world.

Students have engaged in approximately 5 to 6 miles of meticulous trail maintenance and cleared around 1000 sqare feet of brush throughout all four seasons!

This year, stud pits and hun friction, flint other pr

Our students have and are still building two outdoor classrooms in addition to maintaining our current Alex Townsend Outdoor Classroom

dents have built 3 fire ndreds of fires via steel, ferro rods, and rimitive methods.

The Oli Chickens

Our chickens are certainly earning their keep as they compost, till, weed, and fertilize our garden space. This past year, we collected around 3,650 eggs from our campus fowl!

THE ARTS

Students enjoyed a variety of off campus trips to local museums and art exhibits

Our Fine Arts program offered 36 classes this past year, providing opportunities to learn over 20 different art mediums and create hundreds of original pieces.

Fine Arts Course Highlights Comic Writing Ceramics Creative Movement Fashion and Textiles Film Production and Design Guerilla Filmmaking Jewelry Making Landscape Painting Movies and Music Music Appreciation Nature Art Painting Portrait Drawing Pottery Sketchbook Smartphone Photography Stop Motion in Motion Stuffed Animals and Sewing Video Game Design

for more student work, click here to view our online art gallery

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Oli voices Oliverian is not for everyone and not every student had the same goals when they were at Oliverian. Our son was enrolled at many (7) different, middle, and high schools before coming to Oliverian. At all the other schools our son did not feel a good sense of himself, or like he belonged, or could maintain friendships, and lost interest in going to school, was even afraid of it. Though Charles was an academic achiever, his/our goal was to feel comfortable at school in the face of his anxiety and depression as a goal of being comfortable in school attending class, making friends and one day, maybe, going to college. I’m always amazed that even though our son struggles daily with depression, he continues to grow so much from his experiences, 10th through 12th grade, at Oliverian. He learned so many valuable coping skills. Charles still keeps in touch with his friends from there, and sees them when he can!

-Jennifer Handler, Parent ‘20

I arrived at Oliverian back in 2018 as a quiet, nerdy, depressed, and anxious kid. I wasn’t sure what I was living for; the world was just one dark and lonely place. But then I met people like Brian, someone willing to sit with me at 11 at night because I felt unsafe. I met Abby and Julie who, time and again, role modeled strength, kindness, and selflessness.

They showed me that women can be both caring and empathetic, as well as strong and decisive leaders. And, I met Sharon, someone who showed me that I can change and grow and that people will still want me.

She showed me that to care about someone means to accept that no one can remain the same, and to not expect anyone to; she showed me that change isn’t bad. My life isn't perfect; I will always struggle with depression and anxiety. But because of the people at Oliverian, I know that I am not alone and I know that there is light in this world. Oliverian gave me the hope I needed to continue to struggle forward, and that is a gift I am forever grateful for.

-Bridget Anzelc ‘20

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Congratulations Class of 2023

This year, we celebrated the accomplishments of these fourteen remarkable young people. They are off to university, gap year programs, and the work force, and are sure to leave their mark on this world.

celebrating 20 years Join us as we travel across the country to celebrate Oli’s 20th Anniversary!

October 28, 2023 Washington DC January 27, 2024 Boston, MA February 24, 2024 San Diego March 9, 2024 Chicago

SAVE THE DATE Reunion 2024 July 20, 2024 Round out our 20th year as a community in Pike next summer!

ANNUAL FUND GIVING LEVELS GIFT OF STEWARDSHIP $10,000 and more

GIFT OF RESPECT $250 - $499

Margaret and Douglas Brenner P ‘14 Jeanne Townsend P ’08 Carol and Charles Webb III P ‘24

Lauren and Joe Adams Lisa Atkinson P ‘23 Maria and William Fox P ‘18 Marion Hampton P ‘17 Abby Hood and Jesse Mohr Alison and Jonathan Lampert P ‘17 Amanda Leath P ‘14 Lei Shen and William Liu P ‘22 Victoria and Thomas Oxholm Lisa and John Sanders P ‘09 Linn and Peter Stevens

GIFT OF TRUST $5,000 - $9,999 Linda Bourne P ‘22 Nancy Newberger P ‘06 Marina Seevak P ‘16

GIFT OF EXCELLENCE $2,500 - $4,999 Theodore Conklin III P ‘13

GIFT OF WISDOM $1,000 - $2,499 Winston Binch P ‘24 Karin Dauch P ‘23 Jamie Diamond-Schwartz and David Schwartz P

Theodore Haase P ‘13 Jennifer and Robert Handler P ‘20 Kerry and Barclay Mackinnon Susan and Kevin McAllister Cynthia and David Salisbury P ‘13 Karin and David Springer P Dana and Carl Weinberg P ‘14

GIFT OF ATTITUDE $500 - $999 Ann Caulkins and Kelley Anderson P ‘22 Dr. Emelia Pollak and David Benjamin P ‘08 Susan Binch G ‘24 Sandy and Richard Forrestel P ‘22 John Gehlsen P ‘23 Margaret and Richard George P ‘20 Sandra and Jon Kramer P ‘23 Rachel Barbour and Tom McConnell P Herschel "Buzz" Quillen P ‘09 Paige and William Roth P ‘18 Kristin and Donald Skor Susan and Dennis Vogel

GIFT OF DILIGENCE Any amount up to $249 Ashley and Dominic Bianchi P Ioanna Chaney Martha Chapo Renee and James Conway Sara Feinburg ‘10 Lisa and Tim Finstrom P Julie and Brian Gaffey P ‘23 Hillary and John Genga P ‘20 Jessica Godwin Lynn Harmet Robin Israel Susan Katz and Petr Mikhailovich P ‘22 Laura Kerkhoven Catherine Labianca P ‘21 Louise and Douglas Law P ‘08 Sheri Law ‘08 Allisyn Levy P Gayle Lynds Sharon McCallie-Steller Kimberly McManus Marilyn and Ethan Milley Francesca Quillen ‘09 Susi and Randy Richardson P ‘11 Sue and Wayne Scott John Sheldon Bethany and Robert Sosa Katrina and Paul Stone P ‘25 Melissa and Aaron Strobel Nate Townsend Adam Unger ‘11 Vajra and Greg Vogel Courtney Walsh and Samuel Levine P ‘22 William Sadowsky Family Foundation Eleanor Zappone and Mark McGann P ‘17

Names with a two-digit year denotes an alum of the school, names with a P denotes a parent of a current or former student, and names with a G denotes a grandparent of a current or former student.

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honorary gifts In honor of Julie Tracy-Prieboy Ashley and Dominic Bianchi P

In honor of Donnie Corbett ‘22 Linda Bourne P ‘22

In honor of Abby Hood

Jennifer and Robert Handler P ‘20 Melissa and Aaron Strobel

In honor of N. Sosa

Jennifer and Robert Handler P ‘20

In honor of Barclay Mackinnon Jamie Diamond-Schwartz and David Schwartz P

In honor of Brady Dragone ‘10 Sara Feinberg ‘08

In honor of Charles Handler ‘20 Jennifer and Robert Handler P ‘20 Robin Israel

In honor of Andrew Sanders ‘09 Lisa and John Sanders P ‘09

In honor of Olive Forrestel ‘22 Sandy and Richard Forrestel P ‘22

In honor of Perry Maltz Adam Unger ‘09

In honor Sara Hampton ‘17 Marion Hampton P ‘17

In honor Edith Bergman

In honor of Oliverian Faculty and Staff

in-kind gifts Lauren and Joe Adams Nancy Newberger Emily and James Solberg Dan Chamberlain Alison and Jonathan Lampert

Jennifer and Robert Handler P ‘20

Sandra and Jon Kramer P ‘23

memorial gifts In honor of Alex Townsend ‘08 Jeanne Townsend P ’08 Nate Townsend Lauren and Joe Adams Lynn Harmet Laura Kerkhoven

In honor of Tom Townsend P ‘08

corporate sponsor Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield

Jeanne Townsend P ’08

In honor of Margaret (Peggy) Doole Jennifer and Robert Handler P ‘20

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EXPENSE CATEGORY Personnel: $2,014,348 Programs: $589,199 Facilities: $464,800 Operations: $39,937

Total Expenses: $3,108,284

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We are proud to announce that in March 2023, Oliverian was selected as a recipient of a Schoolyard Action Grant awarded through the collective partnership of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's New England Field Office, NH Fish and Game, NH Project Learning Tree, and New Hampshire Audubon.

This grant allowed Oliverian students and staff to create a native garden on our campus. Together, with the guidance of a representative from NH Fish and Game, we determined the best location, identified which plants to use, collected materials from the local community as well as our own property, dug, tilled, spread soil and mulch, and planted our very own native pollinator garden.

To view Oliverian’s video application for this grant, click here.

28 Becket Drive #385 Pike, New Hampshire 03780 bsosa@oliverianschool.org 603-989-7028 www.oliverianschool.org