Board of Trustees News

Dr. Rebecca W. Bushnell ’70 CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

As I write this letter in early March of 2021, the entire world is reflecting on the past year when our lives were shaken by the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of us has experienced this crisis differently, and many have endured incalculable losses, but we have all suffered the disruption of the communities that sustain our lives. We see now that we took so much for granted when connecting with each other in person. At PDS, parents miss the casual chats exchanged when waiting for children at the school day’s end or on the sidelines at games, and the students have sacrificed so much of their normal social lives. Even the members of the Board of Trustees long for the chance to catch up over a meal or snack before we gather for our deliberations. These kinds of encounters help to weave that fabric that unites us.

Given the profound disruption of our lives together, it is remarkable that Princeton Day School has not just survived but also thrived. This issue of the Journal, along with the many news stories posted each week on pds.org, illustrates how the students, faculty and staff have adapted and innovated when facing considerable obstacles. Last summer the School’s indefatigable staff prepared the campus and installed the state-of-the art technology needed to create a safe teaching environment that meets the needs of all our students and families, whether in school or remote. While none of this new way of learning was easy, our dedicated faculty and our responsive and eager students made it work.

With the stress of adapting to this new environment, it is even more impressive that PDS has advanced its efforts to increase diversity, equity and inclusion with our “Facing Forward” initiative. Under the wise guidance of DEI Director Anthony McKinley and the rest of the Community and Multicultural Development Team, all members of the school are having important conversations about racism and bias, building a strong foundation for a future in which everyone feels truly a part of a supportive community. The Board of Trustees has also moved forward its work to contribute to this effort. Chaired by trustee and parent Christopher Bobbitt, our Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has already transformed how we approach identifying and recruiting new trustees, and will lead the Board to examine its own role in combating racism and discrimination.

I have been so impressed by the entire school community’s resilience and dedication as we have weathered these changes. In the midst of all this upheaval, we have raced forward to reach the finish line of our Thrive! Campaign in June. I have been moved by the willingness of our parents, alumni and trustees to support the School financially in this challenging time. When we return to campus to full in-person teaching and learning, and we resume all of those casual encounters that have turned out to mean so much to us, we will find a school transformed by the innovative spaces, programs and opportunities that this generosity has made possible. I certainly look forward to seeing many of you there, enjoying the bright and airy spaces of the new Athletic Center, celebrating the renovated libraries and the brand-new STEAM facilities in the Lower and Middle School, or simply immersing ourselves in the welcome bustle of halls full of students and faculty happy to be with each other again.

Rebecca W. Bushnell ’70

Board of Trustees

Ashley Aitken-Davies Sanford Bing h’87 Christopher Bobbitt Michael Bracken ’98

Marc C. Brahaney Rebecca W. Bushnell ’70 Carol Chiang-Li Kun Deng

Sejal Doshi Beth Geter-Douglas Georgia (Robin) B. Gosnell Thomas B. Harvey Rebecca W. Bushnell ’70, Chair Thomas B. Harvey, Vice Chair Jacob L. Silverman ’89, Treasurer Cynthia O. Linville, Secretary/Parliamentarian Ashley Aitken-Davies Sanford Bing h’87 Christopher Bobbitt Michael Bracken ’98, ex officio Marc C. Brahaney Carol Chiang-Li Kun Deng Sejal Doshi, ex officio Beth Geter-Douglas Georgia (Robin) B. Gosnell Anna Horner Joanne Liu, ex officio Amanda Maher Lee Maschler David L. Richter Lorraine Sciarra David R. Scott Paul J. Stellato Amrit Walla Zaidi John C. Wellemeyer ’52 Robert C. Whitlock ’78 William P. Burks, Trustee Emeritus Barbara Griffin Cole ’78, Trustee Emerita Marilyn W. Grounds, Trustee Emerita John P. Hall, Jr., Trustee Emeritus Herb Kendall, Trustee Emeritus Samuel W. Lambert III, Trustee Emeritus Edward E. Matthews, Trustee Emeritus C. Treby McLaughlin Williams ’80, Trustee Emerita Andrew M. Okun, Trustee Emeritus John D. Wallace ’48 PCD, Trustee Emeritus

Anna Horner Cynthia O. Linville Joanne Liu Amanda Maher Lee Maschler David L. Richter

John C. Wellemeyer ’52 Robert C. Whitlock ’78

HOW THE THRIVE! CAMPAIGN IS TRANSFORMING THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

“A thriving school is a place where students are joyfully engaged in learning, teachers are joyfully engaged in teaching and the spirits of innovation and purposeful tradition are alive. Each day unfolds in ways that prepare students for their futures.”

RENÉE C. PRICE, ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR ACADEMIC LIFE

FINANCIAL AID

A school full of talented, committed, engaged learners improves the experience of every student and every teacher. Financial aid is the tool that makes this possible. THRIVE! has enabled us to continue to welcome the most talented and deserving students to our School, regardless of their family’s financial circumstances. A strong financial aid endowment means that admission decisions are based strictly on a student’s individual strengths, talents and unique qualities. All families contribute some portion of tuition. Without this commitment to a generous financial aid program, the student experience at all grade levels would be completely different, because nearly one quarter of our current students would not have been able to enroll.

ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY FOR TALENTED STUDENTS THAT ENRICH OUR COMMUNITY AT ALL GRADE LEVELS

“We all thrive when we are able to enroll the most compelling students regardless of financial need.”

JULIE CUCCHI, DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION AND FINANCIAL AID

FACULTY SUPPORT

When you hear about an exciting new course that taps more than one subject area, and includes experiential learning and real-world problem solving, chances are its origins are in support from the Miss Fine’s Center. Established in 2014 by a generous endowment from Kenneth L. Wallach and Susan Schildkraut Wallach ’64, the Center advances the School’s mission to deliver excellence in teaching in an ever-changing world and has become a nexus for collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to teaching. Miss Fine’s Center not only shows our faculty that we celebrate their creativity and their drive, it provides the structure and resources necessary for both up-to-the-moment training and original projects that result in our unmatched academic offerings.

INSPIRING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT ATTRACTS AND RETAINS AMAZING TEACHERS

“Student agency has been elevated across the School. There are now so many ways that students are constructing understanding more authentically because faculty have the time, space and support to innovate.”

TARA QUIGLEY, DIRECTOR OF THE MISS FINE’S CENTER

THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

PROGRAM SUPPORT

THRIVE! has made it possible for us to lead in STEAM programming with an extensive interdisciplinary curriculum (with courses in science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics) and develop facilities in each division that make this kind of exploration and achievement possible: our best-in-class Wellemeyer STEAM Center and, to be completed this summer, exciting new purpose-built STEAM spaces in the Lower and Middle Schools. Every student is introduced to computer science and coding by Fifth Grade, and every Ninth Grade student participates in an inclusive STEAMINAR focused on interdisciplinary problem-solving. The presence of STEAM facilities, resources and dedicated STEAM coordinators means that faculty in every division have become involved, preparing students for lives in which all disciplines are applied collaboratively to create solutions.

INTERDISCIPLINARY INNOVATION AND REALWORLD PROBLEM-SOLVING THAT REACHES ALL STUDENTS

“Not only does a STEAM framework teach students how to think critically, problem solve and use creativity, it prepares students for college and careers in fields that are poised for growth.”

JASON PARK, SCIENCE DEPARTMENT CHAIR

STUDENT WELLNESS

Health and wellness education is a necessity; in times of crisis, it becomes crucial. We could not have known the difference it would make in the 2020-2021 academic year when, with support from a challenge grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation, we dedicated resources to developing and implementing a school-wide Health and Wellness Program under the leadership of a dedicated director. Ours is a curriculum that prepares students for life. From building social-emotional intelligence in the Lower School to digital citizenship in the Middle School and the peer leadership programs in the Upper School, investments in this curriculum empower students to help themselves and others and connect across grades. During COVID, these signature programs have proven to be invaluable touchpoints.

A CULTURE OF WELLNESS THAT CREATES HAPPIER, HEALTHIER CHILDREN AND ADULTS

“The growth of programming for Health and Wellness has shown everyone in our community how important it is to prioritize one’s own health.”

MARITONI CALON SHAH, M.D., DIRECTOR OF WELLNESS

ATHLETIC FACILITIES

We are only starting to realize the endless opportunities our spacious, state-of-the-art new Athletic Center creates for our community. It’s been used by students of all ages, from the Lower and Middle School students who use it every day for physical education to the varsity athletes. All students in Grades 3–8 may now opt to learn and play squash. We have fielded our first-ever Upper School girls varsity squash team and hosted on-campus home meets for the first time. Perhaps most importantly, the Athletic Center will be the first place in which our entire community can gather to share key moments, offering an unparalleled sense of community.

SPACES THAT SUPPORT GATHERING, FRIENDSHIP AND EVER-HIGHER LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE

“The Athletic Center has come to fruition as a welcoming space for all students and a game-changer for our program.”

KATIE FAY, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION