Mission of St. Francis School St. Francis School cultivates a joyful, compassionate, intellectual community that celebrates individuality and inspires independent thinking for life.
Vision of St. Francis School St. Francis School is the regional center of progressive learning where students grow into mindful, informed young adults.
St. Francis Today Since our merger in July 2012 the school has exceed expectations in all areas. Our newly formed joint Board of Trustees is leading the school forward boldly all the while faculty, staff and student morale is strong and student successes keep rolling in. Enrollment is up strongly, with the high school opening the 2013-14 year with its highest ever enrollment of 150, Goshen’s enrollment at it’s highest since 2008 at 251 students and our Preschool holding steady at 74. The Preschool is a valuable feeder to our Lower School and will be moving to our Goshen Campus for the 2014-15 year. Our Annual Giving Campaign also exceeded goals with 99% participation, which when combined with two successful fundraising events, provide needed support to the school’s operating budget. Today, our work as a progressive school is more important than ever: while maintaining a commitment to independent thinking, the arts, and hands-on learning, the school has established a Learning Resource Center, expanded its community service and environmental curriculum, embraced a comprehensive “peace education” program, and reached out to the wider community in unprecedented ways all while funding an ambitious need-based financial aid program. St. Francis School excels in creating a vibrant culture of project-based learning across its three distinct campuses, consistent and comprehensive in its progressive educational pedagogy for students from 2s to 12th graders. The school has been challenged to first, better connect and capitalize on the varied experiences across its campuses; and second, to establish facilities that better reflect the dynamic
culture of the school.
St. Francis’s Future In 2013 we begin a capital campaign that will address capital and programmatic needs decisively. This new campaign combines the dreams, the donors and the goals from the two prior campaigns which combined raised $3.1mm. To combine and guide those prior campaign goals St. Francis School has completed a Master Campus Plan with Lake|Flato Architects. Lake|Flato Architects, the AIA firm of the year 2004, is a national leader in the design of independent school environments, having collaborated in the programming, planning, fundraising, design and cost control process, encompassing more than a dozen campuses and over 50 new and renovated buildings. This Master Campus Plan will guide growth and serve school leadership for decades to come.
Master Plan Lake|Flato worked closely with St. Francis in 2010 to define strategic goals and a concept design for the Downtown campus. In 2013, Lake|Flato and St. Francis have broadened the design scope to develop a school-wide Master Plan for phasing and implementation of new construction and renovations at both the Goshen and Downtown campuses. We identified the following overall goals for the Master Plan: • Connectedness at every scale. Bridge the separate campuses both physically and programmatically so that they clearly identify as one School of Thought. The buildings should preserve, reflect, and sustain the school’s culture, connected by consistent fostering of learning and interaction. • Individuality. Leverage the distinct locations and unique characteristics of each campus as strengths, creating educational environments that grow and evolve with students, celebrating the students for who they are at each stage in life. Students and school culture come first. • Expressiveness. “Show off” St. Francis as a school that takes pride in its facilities, bringing them up to a level that
matches the school’s pedagogical success and that advances the visibility of the school as a leader in 21st century education. • Openness. Celebrate connections to the schools’ outdoor environments, embracing play and natural learning as vital facets of an interactive education. • Flexibility. Allow for multi-use spaces and enhance the learning process by utilizing 21st-century technologies in creative ways, knowing these may evolve with new generations of students. The school should consist of thoughtful, environmentally sustainable spaces that can adapt as needed by students. In pursuing these goals, the Master Plan represents a shared vision of the future St. Francis School, one in which the spirit of the school is “extroverted” through both the buildings and landscapes of each campus. It aims to shape dynamic new spaces while simultaneously energizing existing ones, creating vibrant learning environments both inside and outside.
Phase 1A Initial Steps Our merged board leadership has shown bold determination to immediately improve our student’s experience and facilities and has already completed the following initial steps of the campaign. • COMPLETED Facility upgrade (internal entrance, adding new classroom sound baffles, enhanced lighting, paint, new carpet, new exterior doors as needed, classroom furniture, green wall on the Downtown Campus and signage) - $350,000 • COMPLETED Downtown Campus parking Remove existing garage and create in its stead an environmentally conscious flat lot with historical referents to help it blend with the school building and the surrounding environs. Late in 2012 the Downtown Development Review Overlay (DDRO) Committee approved the emergency demolition of the former Brown Garage. Located adjacent to the current St. Francis School Downtown Campus building, the school-owned garage had become unsafe and in a state of disrepair. Currently, site plans call for the installation of a parking lot that will provide
close to one hundred (100) parking spaces for faculty, staff, students, and guests. The parking lot will operate around the clock, 7 days per week, and will generate operating revenue that will assist in offsetting the original property purchase. $500,000
Goshen Campus The Goshen campus plan strengthens the heart of its campus—the central area surrounding the existing school building—while making stronger connections to its beautiful acreage beyond, allowing for more organic interaction with nature and environmental focus in students’ everyday learning. This is achieved by upgrading and opening the buildings, reconsidering walking paths, and introducing more varied landscapes on the campus, all of which serve to connect the diverse spaces of the school. Roads and parking are similarly reimagined to allow for a slower, more landscape-oriented approach to the campus, and the future preschool building and independent performing arts facility are sited in order to complete the arrival circle, immediately enhancing the identity and character of the school for visitors. Also, importantly, the entry and main amphitheater in the existing building are envisioned as forming a more open and welcoming focus point within the existing school, architecturally opening up the building to the landscapes and community beyond.
Phase 1B Goshen Athletic Center $2.4mm Timeline: Under construction, completion in 2013-‐14 school year. As our Core Values affirm, “Healthy physical activity and a meaningful experience of the arts are essential to personal growth.” At St. Francis this translates to life-‐changing opportunities for dramatic performance, music, movement, as well as vigorous Physical Education for every student. An impressive three-‐quarters of our middle school students engage in interscholastic sports, and all take part in a growing outdoor education program before graduating. Currently, however, the school’s facilities are inadequate to accommodate our athletics programs. The thirty-‐four year old gym is in immediate need of a comprehensive renovation: the roof and floor must be replaced, the exterior walls repaired, and the storage area relocated (from the current loft) and expanded. Locker rooms for both visiting and home teams are required. In order to facilitate the much needed renovation of our current gymnasium, St. Francis School has contracted with architect Doug Pierson, managing partner of (fer)Studios, an award-‐winning architectural firm from Inglewood, California. Among (fer)Studios completed renovations is the Green Building, an environmentally forward-‐thinking and LEED Platinum certified design located in the rejuvenated NuLu district in downtown Louisville. The proposed re-‐design of the athletics facility will allow our athletic teams to practice simultaneously side-‐by-‐side and will offer a regulated playing court for home games. In accord with the school’s commitment to sustainability, construction of the new facility will incorporate the latest environmentally responsible practices, and the structure will feature the most efficient heating, cooling, and lighting systems available to us. The resulting building will not only express the school’s environmental values but also comprise an important part of our academic program: we are committed to “teach” the story of the new athletic center as environmental curriculum.
Phase 1C Theater and Performing Arts – Goshen $1.5mm Timeline tbd Fine Arts at St. Francis encompass art, music, and drama. The department distinguishes itself through its instructors, who are practicing artists. The faculty provides all students daily opportunities to express their creativity through a multitude of artistic mediums. The department strives to foster individual and group creativity in a safe and nurturing environment. Students are encouraged to create and display original artwork, write and conduct their own distinct musical compositions, and stage and perform a wide range of dramatic productions.
Student work is showcased and performed annually in a number of ways. Grandparent’s Day presentations include classic and original music and dance performances. Our national award winning drama program produces three shows each year in which students are involved in all aspects of the dramatic process from acting, technical work (including lighting and sound), costuming, program design, and even writing and directing. Our music program includes instrument and vocal instruction. For the last two years our students were selected to perform at the annual Kentucky Music Ensemble Association KMEA award show. In fact, this year, the number of our students chosen was one of highest in the state. Currently, the Goshen Campus theatre and performing arts facilities do not meet our needs. The major issues that need to be addressed are 1. Additional seating to accommodate larger audiences for our plays that routinely sell out, and for larger audiences like Grandparents’ Day and Graduation. 2. A back-‐stage area, storage, and tech space – currently there is no back stage, prop building area or tech space. 3. A more defined lobby space is needed. The fact that one walks into the theatre/lobby when entering the Campus, is not ideal. 4. A sound and visual barrier is needed for practice and performance. Currently theater and performing arts practices and performances are interrupted by guests, parents, and students entering the building. The prior plans for this facility called for a combined Athletic and Performing Arts building (APAC). However, in extensive interviews with faculty of both the Performing Arts and Athletic Departments it became clear that neither athletic nor performing arts curriculum would be served by a combined building. It is essential that we build facilities which serve curriculum – not the other way around. Therefore, Lake|Flato has completed a renovation of the existing theatre and lobby. This lobby and existing theatre is known as the “Main Amp” to students and faculty and is the true heart of the school building. This renovation will increase the size of
the stage/wing area, adding a back stage, create a set/prop storage and build area, extensive sound and lighting enhancements, and to provide space and functionality for indoor/outdoor performances. This build-‐out will allow for larger performances, music performances, school-‐wide assemblies, Grandparents’ Day, Class Day, Graduation, community events, concerts and lectures, and more. Not only does this design provide facilities which support both Athletic and Performing Arts curriculum it additionally creates a stunning entrance to the school, a welcoming lobby and is more cost effective than the prior APAC. Therefore, Lake/Flato has completed a renovation of the existing theatre and lobby. This renovation will increase the size of the stage/wing area, adding a back stage, a set/prop storage and build area, extensive sound and lighting enhancements, and provide space and functionality for indoor/outdoor performances. This build-‐out will allow for larger performances, music performances, school-‐wide assemblies, Grandparents’ Day, Class Day, Graduation, community events, concerts and lectures, and more. In the very long term, our Master Plan calls for a stand-‐alone Performing Arts Theater; however, for the foreseeable future, this renovation will meet all our Performing Arts needs. The design, renovation and build of this aspect of the Performing Arts Theater is estimated to cost between $750,000 and $1mm.
Phase 2 Downtown Multi-Purpose Student Life Center $7mm Timeline 2016-‐17 The Downtown campus plan similarly aims to strengthen the core of the school, in this case by establishing a “one school” feel that stretches between the existing building and the new facility adjacent. The school will better relate and present itself to its urban context with the introduction of a dynamic new entry plaza, a series of steps and sitting courts that spill out from the
new entrance lobby; this lobby is the major connector between old and new. Architecturally, the new facility is envisioned as a dynamic play of brick and glass that activate the street edge while expressing the student, community, and athletic activities within. Additionally, renovations to the existing building will continue this activation of the street and even more strongly tie together the experiences of both buildings. The Courtyard and Exterior Plaza In between the two buildings, we will create a true “green space” via a Courtyard Entry Plaza for the St. Francis community. This area will not only be a place to gather, but a location for outdoor science classrooms, outdoor classroom discussions, and reflection. It will also be the connector between the two buildings. In addition, it will allow for accessibility enhancements to the school.
Scholarship and Endowment Focusing on the People who make our school what it is... $2mm Our Students Our commitment to financial aid and scholarships is unlike any other, not only among local Independent Schools, but nationally as well. Our goal in providing financial aid and scholarships is to make a St. Francis education accessible to all who desire it and are academically deserving of it, as well as to have a student body that reflects the population of Metro Louisville. We do this because we truly believe that it is only in having a diverse student body that we can deliver on our mission of preparing students for college and life. Over 40% of our student body receives financial aid to attend St. Francis. The majority of the funds support students who receive the Talented Minority Youth Scholarships (for minority students who demonstrate high potential and have financial need) and the New American Scholarships (for students who are immigrants or the children of immigrants and demonstrate financial need). Additionally, our annual Merit Scholarship competition for High School students, and a new Middle School Merit Competition, ensure that the most talented applicants become St. Francis students. Currently 25% of our total operating budget is allocated to financial aid. In order to continue to offer the level of scholarships that we do each year, we need to significantly increase our scholarship endowment. Our short-‐term goal is $2 million, which would support scholarships for many students for years to come.
Your Role in Creating an Abundant Future for St. Francis School: Our goal is to become the educational leader in the region. St. Francis School has consistently led Independent Schools in providing scholarships to deserving students so that finances are never a barrier to a child receiving the best possible education, and in offering an innovative, engaging curriculum in a nurturing, supportive environment that encourages children and motivates them to achieve their dreams. To sustain this in the future, we need the best people we can attract to the school, facilities that match our education, and a substantially increased endowment to sustain our future. Your help is needed create an Abundant Future for St. Francis School, the School of Thought, and its students. Our goal is bold. Our goal is nothing short of becoming the educational leader in the region. Our goal is to serve our families and help every child find joy in school. Your help is needed to Create an Abundant Future for St. Francis School, its families and its students.
What is St. Francis School? St. Francis is an Independent, non-denominational, co-ed, preschool – 12 grade school founded in the progressive tradition and located on three campuses; Harrods Creek (Preschool), Goshen (K-8) and Downtown (9-12) with approximately 425 students. The origin of St. Francis School traces back to a Preschool established in 1948 by members of St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church in Harrods Creek. In 1965, the Rev. Stephen R. Davenport, along with supportive parents and friends, opened St. Francis School in the same location with the Rev. Frank Q. Cayce serving as headmaster from1965 to1975. Their goal was to fulfill a community need for an integrated, coeducational school that provided an innovative learning environment. In 1970, the school moved from St. Francis in the Fields Church to its present 64-acre site in Goshen, Kentucky, 22 miles northeast of downtown Louisville. Built in the innovative “open-classroom” style, the architecture includes small amphitheaters in each wing of the school and several raised classrooms called “pods.” In 1976 St. Francis High School was founded by Tom Pike, Assistant Head of School at St. Francis School, and a group of parents and Trustees from the Goshen campus. The downtown location was chosen in order to situate adolescents preparing for the real world in the midst of a busting urban area. Housed in the former Downtown YMCA, a National Historic Landmark building, the downtown campus epitomizes the urban progressive high school experience. In 2012 the Boards of St. Francis School and St. Francis High School approved the merger of the two sister schools to form the current Preschool – 12th grade St. Francis School. St. Francis School is characterized by challenging academics, personal attention, small class sizes, diversity, commitment to community service, student-centric extracurriculars, and outstanding teachers who are dedicated to their subject areas and to children age 2 through 18. In classes, in competition, and in service, St. Francis School prepares students for college and for life. St. Francis School aligns with the progressive school movement, which was founded by John Dewey and Francis Parker in the early 1900s; progressive schools were created as alternatives to the factory-like school model in
which one size fits all. Progressive schools are student-centered, community service-minded, diverse, experiential, and participatory, and require students to be fully engaged in the learning process. St. Francis School is fully accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States, and is a member of that and the following organizations: National Association of Independent Schools, Kentucky Association of Independent Schools, National Association for the Education of Young Children, the Kentucky Non-Public Schools Commission, Elementary Schools Heads Association, National Middle School Association, the Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education, and the National Association for Gifted Children. The school is one of 100 schools in the U.S. named a Confucius Classroom Network School for its Chinese language program. The Preschool is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, received a superior rating in the Kentucky STARS program and is recognized as an exemplary program by the Kentucky Department of Education.