The Sharon Academy, Leaving a Legacy Building a Future

he Sharon Academy is “ Tthrilled to publicly announce

FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN

2

BUILDING a FUTURE

PHASE

” – Michael Livingston

Ra $1 is ,00 ed 0 , So 00 0 Fa r!

LEAVING a LEGACY

the launch of PHASE 2 of our capital campaign!

We are making changes to our campus that best position our students for success. Help us reach our $2 million goal.

• Build a new science wing • Enlarge parking area • Improve safety features • Increase energy efficiency

THE SHARON ACADEMY IS THRILLED TO PUBLICLY ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF

As President of the Board, I am proud to announce plans for a new science wing addition to the school.

These classrooms will allow TSA to meet modern expectations for a vibrant high school that support the changing needs of students; and in turn help us to maintain full enrollment. The yurts have been a symbol of the fact that TSA is different, but today they are no longer safe, nor are they comfortable or energy efficient for much of the year.

With Michael Livingston’s retirement as Head of School, we have an opportunity to give Michael a huge, heartfelt thank you for his decades of extraordinary leadership of the school and his influence on students individually. Our collective gift to Michael is to raise the funds necessary to make a lasting testament – a building that provides our school with space to teach science for today's needs and future demands.

Michael's care for each and every student is so obvious. You can clearly see it at TSA's high school graduation; it feels so different from most school graduations. It’s now time that all of us thank him by contributing to his legacy. Michael would like to leave the school in a position to attract and serve students well into the future. We are not adding space to grow the number of students; we are adding space to create a more effective environment for learning by strengthening our science program.

To date, Michael and I have raised $1 million dollars in pledges toward a project we anticipate to cost approximately $2 million. Permits will be acquired this fall, and we expect construction to start in late spring of 2020.

TSA will continue to need your contributions to the annual fund each year. However, we hope that everyone who has had contact with TSA over the years will truly stretch to make an additional contribution to add the new classrooms. It is an excellent way to thank Michael for all that he has given to the students who have and who will continue to pass through TSA. Pledges paid over three years are welcomed.

As we continue to reach out to large donors and foundations, we hope to raise $500,000 from individuals and families during this nine-month public part of the building campaign.

TSA is a critical part of the educational landscape in the region; a school which has a profound impact on many students’ futures. Please join me to create this legacy thank you to Michael.

John H. Roe President, TSA Board of Trustees

LEAVING A LEGACY - BUILDING A FUTURE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN!

This campaign will replace our beloved but aging yurts with necessary classroom spaces to better help our students reach their immense potential. I hope you will consider joining me in contributing to this exciting opportunity. I would love to leave the school better positioned for the future.

TSA continues to experience many successes: • Enrollment is very strong. For the third year in a row we have brought in over 40 new students in grades 7-12.

• Interest and commitment from Upper Valley families is growing, making our learning community even stronger and more diverse.

• Many alumni stop by to visit with me and routinely report about the strength of their TSA education as they negotiate their adult lives.

We regularly reflect on the experiences of our alumni and their learning. This informs the work we do as we prepare students for the challenges of the future. We hear back from alumni that our science rooms lack adequate space, which forces us to make curricular decisions that are inconsistent with our pedagogy. It also pushes our project-driven curriculum into our hallways, which is increasingly untenable.

We want to make changes to our campus that best position our students for success. In keeping with important TSA traditions, our plans are modest and eminently practical; they are also well considered. This addition is part of a ten-year master plan.

We have identified the need to build three dedicated science rooms and a multi-use classroom space. These campus upgrades will coincide with modestly increased parking and a sprinkler system for the safety of the entire high school complex.

In 1996 TSA began as a dream for an emotionally safe and academically challenging learning environment, with 12 students.

Twenty-four years later we enroll close to 160 students in a very different world. Our goals, however, remain very much the same.

Please help us keep the vision alive.

With gratitude,

Michael Livingston Head of School

PHASE

1

REVIEW

PHASE 1 OF TSA’S FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR PHASE 2 We are so appreciative of the more than 500 donors who gave in phase one.

YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS ALLOWED TSA TO REACH AND FUND THE FOLLOWING GOALS:

student services staff development

scholarships

outdoor education

flexibility fund

have always felt that creating the right space for learning is critical. Having “ I enough space is important, along with a design that allows students to move about, meet in various configurations, take risks and try things out.

TSA is already doing so much that is right. Both of my children developed an appreciation and love of math and science because of TSA’s faculty, who knew how to teach creatively and passionately. If these teachers had more space and facilities, students like Annabelle and Paul could have better carried out their studies.

By creating this new wing, TSA is signaling its emphasis on STEAM education and offering an opportunity for the next generation of scientific leaders to get their start at TSA. We need scientists more than ever to work our way through the giant problems we face as humans on a warming planet. TSA is setting itself and its students up for success.

Lorie Loeb

”

Professor, Dartmouth College Computer Science Dept.

Director/Founder Dartmouth Digital Arts Programs Faculty Director/Co-Founder DALI Lab Former Member of TSA's Board of Trustees and Alumni Parent of Annabelle Roberts '12, Ph.D. Candidate, Behavioral Science, Univ. of Chicago and Paul Roberts '14, Software Engineer, Boston, MA

PHASE

2

LEAVING a LEGACY: BUILDING a FUTURE

currently “ Wutilizing e are space that was not configured for 21st Century Science educational needs.

”

Michael Livingston

OUR GOAL: $2 MILLION The existing biology and physics rooms are too small. We have cobbled together water and waste systems for these two rooms to accommodate science needs. Our limited space limits our curriculum so that it does not meet our pedagogical needs. For some larger science activities, the needs of our science classes are forced to complete their work in the hallways.

THE LEGACY Three new flexible, multi-purpose science rooms will include: • Space large enough for individuals and teams to move around comfortably and safely.

• Portable lab tables available for teams to work together safely, with space for: • Demonstrations and experiments • Sinks and ample power outlets • Dedicated biological and chemical safety equipment and storage units including improved ventilations systems in all labs.

One Additional multipurpose classroom space • Will provide sound insulation for potential music classes.

• Break out spaces will allow students and teachers to meet and work in small groups.

Enlarged Parking to accommodate student and staff vehicles during the school day. Event parking that will reduce the need to park on soccer practice fields.

Improved Safety and Energy Efficiency • Fire Sprinkler system • Climate efficient classroom spaces.

• 3-Phase electricity – allows for additional energy improvements now and in the future.

t's amazing how many TSA students have “ Igone into fields within STEM and other technical studies and careers. I believe this has to do with the ability of the faculty who encourage students to ask the right questions and to confidently go about searching for answers.

TSA’s holistic approach gives students opportunities to question, validate, and further diversify their ways of synthesizing information. I think this mindset transcends beyond the classroom and supports a learning style that can be applied to almost any field, STEM in particular.

With new science spaces and resources, student achievement will undoubtedly be higher than ever before. It is exciting to watch the next big step in the development of The Sharon Academy!

Danny Moore, TSA '09

”

B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Vermont (UVM) '13 Ph.D. Candidate, Mechanical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

WE’RE ALREADY HALF WAY TO OUR GOAL OF $2 MILLION! HELP US RAISE THE FINAL $1 million BY JUNE 30, 2020

NEW SCIENCE WING MOORE HALL (THE PIT)

GYM

Build a new science wing • Includes three new science labs for hands-on learning.

• These new classroom spaces will replace our yurts.

Our improved facility will address our most pressing programmatic, safety, and energy needs while expanding innovative and experiential education for our community of collaborative learners.

ecause TSA did not have fully established “ Bscience facilities when I was in high school, our science labs came from the surrounding environment. This instilled me with a passion for science and I am grateful for the creative opportunity. Once I started attending college, however, I realized I could have been better prepared for college level science courses.

New science facilities at TSA would provide more hands-on and engaging experiences and appeal to a wider range of learners.

One of TSA's greatest strengths is its ability to cater its curricula to students from all backgrounds and interests.

New laboratory science facilities will not only allow TSA to better serve its current student population, it will attract new students and provide a better foundation for careers in science.

�

Abby Dutton, TSA '13

Former student Rep. on TSA Board of Trustees B.S. Psychology/Neuroscience, Yale University '17 MD/PhD Candidate, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Is an independent middle and high school where students are known, valued and challenged.

We nurture intelligent, independent, and creative thinking to develop the compassionate citizens and leaders our world needs.

For more information please contact Dave Eastman, Director of Development at deastman@sharonacademy.net 802-763-2500 ext 226 Post Office Box 207, Sharon,VT 05065 www.sharonacademy.org