Southridge Capital Campaign Booklet - Jan 2023 update

When we founded Southridge 25 years ago, we had an ambitious goal: to create a school that would develop people who made a difference in the world. We did it by being determined, innovative, and visionary; by providing the teachers, curriculum, programs and culture that would help our students thrive and grow; and by fostering a community that could work together to accomplish great things.

As a school, we have never rested on our laurels – always being open to better ways and newer methods – because our students’ futures depend on it. We know that to remain at the forefront of education in a fast-changing world, we have to constantly ask ourselves,

Southridge is at a turning point. We are leaders in academic excellence who graduate remarkable students. But to move forward, to continue to evolve and grow our programs, and provide an exceptional educational experience, we must renew and transform our physical space.

Our Way Forward:The Campaign for Southridge is an inspiring, thoughtful, and fiscally responsible plan for upgrading our campus. It provides the next layer of support for our students and faculty, helping us to develop a new generation of thought leaders, change makers, artists and inventors. People who will make a difference in the world, whoever they choose to be, and wherever their paths lead.

"��a� �o ou� s�u�en�s nee� nex�? ��a� is ou� way fo�wa��?"

MESSAGE FROM DREW STEPHENS �e�� of �c�oo�

There is a reason Southridge feels different from other schools and – at its root – I believe it’s the way we come together for the common good. We bond over shared values, over our community’s desire to create an environment in which children can realize their potential, and take their skills and passions out into the world with confidence, clarity, and commitment.

For 25 years, Southridge has focused on developing the innovative programs and curriculum, talented faculty, and committed community that have helped our students succeed. It’s made us a leader in academic excellence, but more than that, it’s given our graduates the thinking skills, knowledge, creativity, and emotional intelligence they need to thrive and contribute in a fast-changing world.

As a school, our commitment to preparing our students for the future has never been stronger, and it is time to turn our attention to our physical environment. Southridge’s programs, curriculum, and culture are designed to support what we value most - our students. Our buildings, classrooms, and grounds need to do the same.

We are at a critical point in our history where our ability to deliver certain programs, and encourage our students to achieve larger, more ambitious projects, is limited by our space. As a community, we have never believed in settling for less; we have always imagined possibilities and acted on them. Indeed, Southridge only exists because a committed group of people were determined to provide a better educational experience.

It is time – once again – to act with that same vision and commitment. Our Way Forward:The Campaign for Southridge is a student-centred, proactive plan to expand and upgrade our campus. It will ensure that Southridge continues to be a place where ideas, passions, and connections flourish, in facilities that support the growth of the essential skills and character that will help our students achieve success.

Please join us as we write the next chapter in our story.

MESSAGE FROM NICK NURANEY Interim ��m�a�gn �����

My family joined Southridge almost 20 years ago – and it has been a wonderful community for us. My children, Jaedyn (Class of 2021) and Ilahyas (Class of 2018), each had rewarding journeys during their time at the school and we are tremendously grateful for the skills, lessons, friendships, and experiences they acquired during their years as Southridge students.

My wife Nimet and I believe that our children received the best education possible at Southridge. The care shown to them by the community and their teachers truly helped them to develop their interests and their personalities, along their differing paths.

I am honoured to act as the Interim Chair for the Our Way Forward campaign and to take over from Dr. San Bhatha, who dedicated many years to the campaign and to Southridge.

Southridge is a community of likeminded people who believe that the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. Southridge families have an important history of working together to accomplish extraordinary goals. Our original founding families believed in the idea of Southridge and put their treasure, time, and trust towards building the school that our students enjoy today. Today it’s our turn to believe and to come together to support the next stages of the school.

Our Way Forward: The Campaign for Southridge is an important milestone for our school and will position our students to continue to make a difference in the world.

I sincerely hope that you will join our family and the hundreds of others who have also supported the campaign thus far, in making a gift in support of this transformational endeavour for our school and community.

THE VISION

En�i�onmen� is ��e ��i�� �e�c�e�

Over the next 10-15 years, Southridge will be investing in multi-phased renewal and enhancement projects that are critical to our long-term viability and vision. Our Way Forward:The Campaign for Southridge supports the second phase of these projects and also includes additional support for student financial assistance.

Capital Projects

• Expansion and extensive renovations to the current Junior School building:

- The addition of an Early Learning Centre, purpose-built for Kindergarten and Grade 1 students

- The addition of a dedicated Student Services Centre

- An expanded Library and Learning Commons

- An expanded state-of-the-art Design Lab

- Additional music teaching space

• The creation of a Junior School natural playfield

• Additions and renovations to Senior School gymnasium and visual arts classroom

$1.75M Endowment

• Increasing our endowment in order to provide financial assistance to deserving students every year in perpetuity

REIMAGINING RECESS

“The new Junior School natural playfield will inspire imagination, spontaneity, curiosity, and creative play. Right now, we have three grass fields and a basketball area. Aside from the very busy play structures, the only options our kids have are open fields. Imagine a forested area with natural elements and varied terrain, where imaginations can run wild and recess is reimagined.”

Tanya de Hoog Principal, Junior School

STRENGTHENING THE MUSIC PROGRAM

“Having an additional, dedicated music teaching space would be amazing! It is challenging for students to practice in varied spaces around the school when the Great Hall is needed for other events. A bright and soundproofed space, designed with the needs of our students and curriculum in mind, would be a wonderful addition to our Junior School music program!”

Dr. Kevin Bespflug Junior School Music Teacher

SENIOR SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS

“We are always asking ourselves, ‘How can we improve? How can we do better for these kids?’ The answer to that now is improving their spaces. The changerooms, the visual arts area, team rooms, and gym storage…these will have a significant impact on the opportunities and experiences for our Senior School students.”

Brad Smith Principal, Senior School

CREATING VIBRANT LEARNING SPACES

“Modern schools need spaces that are flexible and fluid –that don’t lock them into singular activities. The co-location of the library, design lab and learning commons will allow students to collaborate, use technology, read and learn in an environment that can change and adjust with the needs of their classes and their projects.”

Steve Anderson Junior School Vice-Principal, Student Life

EMBRACING DIVERSITY

“The mark of a great student is not necessarily a child from a family with the ability to pay. The mark of a great student is a child with a strong mind and a good heart who shows up ready to contribute. Growing our endowment will allow us to continue offering financial assistance to deserving, missionaligned students and their families.”

Renée Lepp Director of Enrollment

INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE

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SUPPLYING RESOURCES ���i�iona� S�o�age

REIMAGINING RECESS �he J�n�o� Sc�oo� N��u�a� �l��fie�� 1 1

PROVIDING A STRONG START �he E���� Le��ning �en��e 2

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SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS S�u�en� Suppo�� Se�vices �en��e 3

CREATING A VIBRANT LEARNING SPACE �he L�b�a�� �n� Learning �ommon�

4

5

2

STRENGTHENING THE MUSIC PROGRAM

FOSTERING INNOVATION

INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE �enio� �c�oo� �m��o�emen��

8

CHEERING ON OUR KIDS �eno�a�ions �o �enior �c�oo� ����e�ics �aci�i�ies

9

SUPPORTING CREATIVITY ��u�io ��ace for �isual �r�s

REIMAGINING RECESS �he J�n�o� Sc�oo� N��u�a� �l��fie��

While Southridge’s current play area is ideal for soccer games and running, the wide-open space and playground structures don’t provide the kinds of materials, or variety of spaces that inspire curiosity, creativity and collaboration.

Currently, children who are interested in imaginative play gravitate towards the hedges. Our new playfield will provide an environment that reimagines recess, with natural landscaping and materials where students can build, plan adventures, learn to negotiate risk, and connect to nature. Our new field will also be used as an outdoor classroom, providing the resources and environment for experiential learning.

PROVIDING A STRONG START �he E���� Le��ning �en��e

Our current Kindergarten and Grade 1 classrooms are identical to those used by older, larger students. Located amongst the Grade 2-3 students, without access to safe outdoor space, or dedicated small group space, prevents us from being able to offer the very best early start.

The new Early Learning Centre will co-locate Kindergarten and Grade 1 students in a purpose-built space with classrooms and play spaces designed specifically for their needs. Flexible floor plans will allow teachers to customize their classrooms for learning and play, provide breakout areas for group work, and allow teachers to share resources and skills through team teaching.

SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS S�u�en�

Suppo�� Se�vices �en��e

Currently, we do not have enough office space for learning support in the Junior School; we have had to convert closets into spaces for working one-on-one with students. Similarly, the Junior School’s two counsellors must share a crowded space in a central location. The learning support teachers and counsellors do not have all of the resources, equipment, and references they need at their fingertips to help students.

The new Student Support Services Centre will provide a centralized hub, dedicated to learning support and counselling. It will support the emotional health and the learning path of our students with welcoming, comfortable, well-resourced spaces.

STRENGTHENING THE MUSIC PROGRAM

When the Great Hall in the Junior School is not being used for another purpose, it becomes a secondary teaching space for the Middle Years music program. The disadvantages are many: there is no storage space for instruments, the area is not soundproofed, opening and closing the wall takes away valuable teaching time, and it is not an ideal first impression upon entering the Junior School.

An additional music room on the lower floor in the new Junior School addition will allow students to learn and practice without interruption, store their instruments, and give teachers immediate access to teaching resources.

FOSTERING INNOVATION

The current Junior School design lab was built in the 1990s as a computer lab. Although it was retrofitted for design learning, it’s too small for our students to embark on large-scale projects. There is no room to store projects safely, nor is there space to leave them out in the classroom. The size of the space also means that the lab isn’t available to all students in all classes for a sufficient period of time.

Southridge students love design learning and we love the educational benefits it offers – creative problemsolving is where the real learning begins! Our plan is to expand the design lab and connect it to the library, so that students can flow back and forth during their creative process — from research, to design and build. We’ll also create breakout spaces for collaboration.

6

SUPPLYING RESOURCES ���i�iona� S�o�age

Storage is an ongoing challenge for our school. To date, the solution has been to add temporary storage sheds to the grounds, but a long-term solution is required. Our current archive space, which holds permanent student records and other important documentation, is full. For proper long-term storage, we need to create a professionally designed archive space.

New, purpose-built storage will give faculty, staff, and students easy access to the tools, resources, and records they need, and allow programs that have previously been limited by the lack of storage space to acquire new resources.

CREATING A VIBRANT LEARNING SPACE �he L�b�a�� �n� Learning Common�

Like many spaces in our school, built in the 1990's, the library was created as a dedicated space for books and silent reading, built only large enough for one class at a time. The new generation of libraries, are vibrant spaces for learning, collaboration, and research, which our students are challenged to do in the current configuration.

Expansions to our Junior School Library will connect it to the new design lab, provide much-needed additional space for collaboration, group work, and teaching, and offer comfortable seating for studying, reading, and research in open spaces filled with natural light.

CHEERING ON OUR KIDS �eno�a�ions �o �enior �c�oo� ����e�ics �aci�i�ies

While the number of teams, activities, and sports has increased in the Senior School’s athletics program, the facilities have remained the same. Our current change rooms are small, without enough private changing areas, showers, or space to store personal belongings. When outside teams visit the school, they meet in the cramped change rooms, on the court, or on the sidelines of the field. Due to a lack of storage space, the physical education department is limited in the new games and sports it can offer. If a sport requires equipment that must be stored, we are currently unable to offer it, thereby limiting our students' choices and the offerings in our physical education program.

The new plan calls for expanded change rooms with gender-neutral options, new team rooms, equipment storage, and showers and change rooms for faculty. Better positioned physical education office spaces will also be built, so that teachers can easily monitor students who are in the gym throughout the day.

SUPPORTING CREATIVITY ��u�io ��ace for �isual �r�s

The current studio space for the Senior School Visual Arts program is too small to allow for larger-scale projects such as 3D art. Storage space for art-in-progress is limited, and students must either keep their projects at home, or transport them back-and-forth to school.

We will expand the space, allowing students to store and access their work on-site, and embark on larger, more ambitious projects. The new studio will support advanced levels of artistic exploration, so that the artists in our midst can develop the interests and skills that will help them find their place in the world.

EMBRACING DIVERSITY ��io�i�izing �un�s for �in�nci�� �i�

Southridge was built to create a school community that develops young people who contribute to each other’s success – and the betterment of the wider world – regardless of financial standing. Our current Financial Assistance Program supports this commitment to economic diversity, but is limited by availability of funds. Currently, our endowment fund sits at $2.5M, and supports less than half of our students who receive financial assistance each year.

In order to ensure that Southridge remains a socio-economically diverse community and accessible to deserving, missionaligned students and their families, it is imperative that we increase our endowment and the availability of financial assistance. By increasing our endowment, we can provide financial assistance to deserving students every year in perpetuity.

TIMELINE

Over the next 10-15 years, Southridge will be investing in multi-phased renewal and enhancement projects that are critical to our long-term viability and vision.

Our Way Forward: The Campaign for Southridge supports the second phase of these projects and also includes additional support for student financial assistance.

PHASE 1

ADMINISTRATIVE ANNEX AND SENIOR SCHOOL RENOVATIONS

PHASE 2

OUR WAY FORWARD

JUNIOR SCHOOL EXPANSION AND SENIOR SCHOOL RENOVATIONS

�ime�ine SPRING 2019 TO SUMMER 2021

• Soil removal and retaining wall

• Administrative Annex and surrounding landscape

• SS Design Lab, SS Student Resource Centre, Alan Brown Great Hall interim renovations

�ime�ine SUMMER 2022 TO FALL 2023

• JS natural playfield

• Early Learning Centre for Kindergarten and Grade 1

• JS Student Support Services Centre

• JS Library and Design Lab expansion

• Additional JS music classroom

• SS gym renovations

• SS visual art expansion and renovation

PHASE 3

SENIOR SCHOOL EXPANSION AND RENOVATIONS

PHASE 4

CAMPUS GATEWAY, CENTRE BUILDING AND ATHLETICS

• SS Music expansion

• Science lab, drama, and café renovations

• Alan Brown Great Hall final renovations

PHASE

5

CENTRE BUILDING EXPANSION AND ENROLLMENT ENHANCEMENT

• New Centre Building: Gateway, Welcome Hall, Administration

• Campus pedestrianization, parking and vehicle access improvements

• Annex renovation

• Field relocation

• Food service expansion

• SS enrollment and grade configuration enhancements

Photo captured February 2023

WHEN engage� STUDENTS AND INSPIRED TEACHERS come �oge��e� IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO SUPPORT THEM -

magic HAPPENS.

WHEN THEY HAVE THE SPACE, TECHNOLOGY, AND EQUIPMENT FOR DISCOVERY, PRACTICE, CONNECTION, AND co��bora�ion – IDEAS, PASSIONS, AND SKILLS CAN FLOURISH.