a word from the president Change has been the theme for the presidential candidates of both parties in this election year. They could have visited the PA campus for an excellent example of change for the better and to see how change can be managed effectively and with excellent results. In the 1990’s, I served on the PA Board and have spent little time on the campus since, except for going through the drop-off or pick-up line to deliver or retrieve my grandchildren. When I returned to the campus late this summer to assume my role as interim president, I was astonished by the complete physical transformation of the institution I knew as PA.
joe hatcher interim president
From two classroom buildings and a gym, PA has become a campus that feels more like a college than a school. In one summer, two separate physical plants that served different purposes became a single institution devoted to educating young people. In a remarkably short time, facilities were renovated and re-shaped to provide teachers who had long worked in cramped quarters with state-of-the art educational spaces. From a school where students from 3 to 18 had been elbow-to-elbow, PA has become a campus where Early Childhood, Lower, Middle, and Upper School students each have their own space—and yet the four entities comfortably share common spaces and interact productively. Seniors easily move to the Early Childhood classrooms to serve as senior brothers and sisters to the smaller children, but each age has wonderful classrooms designed for their particular needs—all on one campus. PA has made great strides in a very short period of time. For the first time in many years, the school has facilities that are worthy of the quality of the faculty and the academic program. There is still work to be done, but PA has made a quantum leap. You who are recognized in this annual report for your contributions of time, your work with our students, and your financial support have made these gains possible. The students of PA and all of us who work here on campus with them are grateful to you for your generosity. Yes, there is still work to be done, and we will be calling on you for additional help. We must continue to improve our programs, we must continue to grow the annual fund, and we must provide for additional capital needs. But much has been accomplished, and you can feel great pride in the “new” PA. Sincerely,
Joe Hatcher, Interim President
morgan jefferson ‘10 photo
2 | A Word From the President
katherine norwood ‘10 photo