The Stanwich School & Greenwich Reform Synagogue Reach Purchase Agreement

Posted March 16, 2012

The Boards of Trustees of The Stanwich School and the Greenwich Reform Synagogue announced today that they have reached an agreement whereby The Stanwich School will purchase the buildings and 11.5-acre property owned by Greenwich Reform Synagogue at 257 Stanwich Road in Greenwich. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The GRS Executive Committee unanimously recommends that its congregation vote in favor of the transaction. A Special Meeting of the GRS' congregation will be held on April 2, 2012 to vote on the transaction. The Board of Trustees of The Stanwich School has voted unanimously in favor of the transaction. Assuming approval by the GRS congregation, the boards of Stanwich and GRS have agreed to sign definitive contracts on April 3, 2012 and close the transaction no later than June 1, 2012.

Under the agreement, GRS will relocate its sanctuary and offices at the end of October 2012 (following the High Holy Days) to a temporary location. This will accommodate Stanwich's conversion of the sanctuary space back to its original gymnasium and theater construct. GRS will continue to use Stanwich classrooms for religious education purposes on Wednesday afternoons and Sunday mornings during the next three years, while GRS builds its new sanctuary and classroom facilities.

Greg Drennen, Chair of The Stanwich School's Board of Trustees, said, "This agreement will provide The Stanwich School with the clarity and security we have been seeking to fully control our destiny. We have long appreciated the strategic value of the GRS property and we fully believe this positive development will serve the best interests of our community, both near and long-term. The future will be firmly in our hands to ultimately build an extraordinary Pre- K through 12th grade co-ed academic and sports facility on a 37-acre campus in the heart of Greenwich mid-country. We wish GRS well as they embark on their pathway toward a permanent home for their congregation."

Bill Grad, Chair of Greenwich Reform Synagogue's Board of Trustees commented, "We are delighted that our agreement with Stanwich gives us the financial resources we need to build a new synagogue, and feel that this arrangement is in the best interests of both organizations. For the interim period, we will continue our cordial and cooperative relationship with The Stanwich School, sharing their classrooms for several years as our congregation builds its new permanent home. We will arrange for lovely temporary sanctuary space during this interim period. Of course, we will keep our congregation and the community apprised as the details of our construction plans are finalized."

STANWICH SCHOOL IS BUILDING!

Posted August 24, 2011

Dear Stanwich Community,

The day that so many have worked to achieve is here: STANWICH SCHOOL IS BUILDING! You will recall that last November I outlined the overall master plan for building our permanent home at 257 Stanwich Road. At that time our Board described a Capital Campaign and financing program that would allow us to start the first stages of this ambitious project. Trustees and many others have spent countless hours exploring various options that would allow us to make progress against that plan, with the resources available to us, in the shortest time possible.

Our first step toward achieving this goal will be the development of a new artificial turf athletic field near the entrance to our property along Stanwich Road. This field will be regulation size for soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse, so when it is complete, Stanwich School will be able to host home games for our teams. As part of this project, you will see dramatic enhancements to the roadside landscaping as well as site preparation work for the Upper School building that we will build at a later date. In the interim, we will use part of that cleared area as a new paved basketball court that will expand recess facilities for our primary and intermediate house students. All required approvals from the Town of Greenwich for this project have been received and construction will begin within the next week or so. We are excited for the work to commence and anticipate that the project will be completed by early December.

In planning this project, the Board and our school's administration and staff have worked with our construction manager, Turner Construction, to assure that the safety of our children is paramount. Turner has extensive experience in campus development work at schools and universities while they are in session. Among the projects that Turner has managed are recent construction done by Yale, Greenwich Country Day School and Brunswick. Every effort possible will be made to assure that disruptions to the daily routine of the campus are kept to a minimum, and where possible educational opportunities embraced.

Let me take this opportunity to thank those who have worked so hard to make this day possible:

• To the Parent Association for their support and for last spring's wonderful benefit that generated over $250,000 - that effort helped to get us a field.
• To the many Stanwich families, some who have come before us, who have graciously contributed to the Capital Campaign and the Annual Fund; thank you for your enduring faith in the Stanwich mission.
• To the faculty, staff, and all the parents that volunteer their time and energy to make Stanwich School the best that it can be.

We are taking our first step on an ambitious journey. The Board is committed to developing the full campus master plan and will do so in a manner that achieves our collective goals while remaining fiscally prudent. With the new field and related work, we will achieve a meaningful improvement to the facilities for our children and enhance our ability to draw new families to the Stanwich community. The Board has heard you and we ask that you continue your generous support to Stanwich as we take further steps forward.

Sincerely,
Greg Drennen, Chairman, Board of Trustees

Lucky 13 Benefit and Auction Raises a Quarter Million Dollars!

Posted May 20, 2011

On April 29, 300 parents and teachers gathered for the first-ever Live and Silent Auction and celebration of Lucky Year 13. Ingrid Winn, Jessie Drennen and Caroline Weiser chaired the Benefit Committee and delivered the most profitable single evening in Stanwich history.

Burning Tree Country Club was filled to capacity for the event. Guests were offered a "Stanwich Martini" when they arrived and spent the cocktail hour browsing and bidding on the 170 spectacular Silent Auction items. When the bidding finally closed, over $100,000 had been raised for the building project.

After dinner, entertainment began with an award-worthy video produced by Winifred Marion, giving the audience a personal glimpse into the hearts and minds of Stanwich students. Robert Boolbol, in his debut appearance as an auctioneer, wowed the room and raised another $100,000-plus by selling the three Live Auction items over and over and over and over. Finally, the "Battle of the Brians" pitted Brian-Miller-the-Teacher against Brian-Miller-the-Dad in an unforgettable karaoke competition. At last report, both Brians will be keeping their day jobs, to the great disappointment of fans and paparazzi alike.

The Board of Trustees and the Capital Campaign Committee extend the deepest thanks and most heartfelt congratulations to the many parents, teachers and children who contributed their time, talent, auction items, enthusiasm and generous spirit to make the evening such a smashing success.

Click to see pictures from the Benefit

Posted February 16, 2011

Dear Stanwich Community,

This is truly an exciting time for The Stanwich School. Our Board of Trustees has announced the appointment of Paul Geise as Head Elect to help lead Stanwich into the next chapter in our history.

Like a start-up company, we have a visionary founder in Pat Young, whose dedication to our school's mission established a solid and highly respected foundation. As we enter the next phase of our school's growth - to establish the only K-12 co-ed school in Greenwich and build a permanent facility on Stanwich Road - we believe our Board has found an energetic and creative individual to follow Pat.

Parent meetings with Paul have begun and we hope you will all take advantage of these opportunities to meet him. His experience is vast and he is eager to hear our thoughts and priorities for our children.

We are happy to report that the Capital Campaign has pushed beyond the halfway mark of funds needed to start construction. Over $8.3 million has been raised, with more than 30 new gifts coming in since the New Year. Thank you to those generous families who have already stepped forward to contribute. We are equally grateful to the many families who are making payments on their pledges to help us secure the cash reserves we need in advance of the bond financing.

Our Team Captains are working hard to help inform and educate all parents about the project. Rachel and Peter DaPuzzo hosted the Pre-K families, Anastasia and Nick Brien held a dinner for 2nd grade parents and more events are being planned.

We encourage you to attend these events to learn more about how we can build our campus on Stanwich Road. For example, did you know that you can make a pledge to the Campaign over three years? That is especially helpful when making a Leadership level gift. Are you aware that when donating stock, you can take the deduction for the appreciated price of the stock - not the purchase price - and not pay capital gains tax? Have you learned about our architects, the S/L/A/M Collaborative and their significant experience designing independent schools?

Momentum is certainly growing throughout the Stanwich community and the steady level of giving activity inspires us all to keep working hard to raise the money to build a permanent facility for our children.

Our goal remains to raise $15 million in order to launch a bond financing and begin construction of the new campus as quickly as possible. To make this happen, we need the commitment of all our Stanwich families. This is a truly exciting time to be at The Stanwich School and bring the campus project to fruition!

Sincerely,

Amy and Mark Carbone
Giovanna and Brian Miller

Parent Team Co-Chairs

Meet Our Architects:
The S/L/A/M Collaborative

Posted February 16, 2011

The S/L/A/M Collaborative is an award winning campus planning and building design firm that specializes in the unique needs of independent schools. SLAM's approach can be stated simply: The place where a student learns is more than an aesthetic amenity. It impacts the content and style of teaching and the opportunities for collaborative and interdisciplinary inquiry. It supports the values, sense of community and traditions that are an integral part of the independent school experience.

Among SLAM's distinction is its collaborative design and planning process that engages the entire school community to ensure the result reflects the school's mission, needs and aspiration. As a multidisciplinary design firm, SLAM project teams bring an approach that is tailored to the specific design needs of each independent school. With 30 years of experience on more than 50 campuses, SLAM has a deep understanding of the independent school and its role as a unique teaching and learning community. SLAM's portfolio features signature designs for an esteemed private school clientele.

SLAM's design philosophy is marked by a passionate belief that every campus and building must reflect the sense of place in which it is located. True design creativity results from achieving a balance between art, function, performance, and cost. Project team members synthesize the best of what's been done in the past with a dynamic vision of tomorrow's educational challenges and possibilities. Working closely with the client, SLAM designers oversee and lead the entire process of planning, design, construction-providing hands-on management, continuous oversight, and centralized responsibility through all phases- in order to execute a cohesive vision, maintain the budget and schedule, and ensure the project's ultimate success. SLAM planning and design promotes spontaneity, innovation and collaboration; encourages interdisciplinary study and problem-solving skills; accommodates changing technology; and most importantly, celebrates the value of learning itself.

For more information on The S/L/A/M Collaborative please visit their website at www.slamcoll.com

Posted December 15, 2010

Dear Stanwich Community,

At our all school meeting in November, I announced to the Stanwich community that for the first time in our history, the ability to build our permanent facility at 257 Stanwich Road to support our K through Grade 12 program is now completely in our hands. Through the gifts of many that have come before us, with an outcome that was far less certain, we are now able to see the path that will allow our dream to become a reality.

In November, I promised you that with the appeals now won, your Board would be able to be more open and frequent in communication with you. As part of keeping that promise, we are launching this Building the Dream newsletter to help keep you informed on our progress in fundraising, and the broader construction project. My commitment to you is to provide accurate and transparent communication as we work toward our goal.

To help us achieve our fundraising goals, a dedicated team of parents has volunteered to spearhead this effort. Co-Chairs Mark and Amy Carbone and Brian and Giovanna Miller are leading this effort. The parent teams will have families at every grade level that will reach out to you to further explain our project, and to ask for your help in supporting the Stanwich Campus Master Plan.

It is the energy and support from the Stanwich community that continues to be the true strength of our school. The commitment from our parents in supporting the mission of Stanwich is clear. I know that you believe there is need in our community for a values-based, co-educational Pre-K through Grade 12, independent school. I ask that you continue to spread the word about Stanwich and introduce new families to our community.

Stanwich now has the opportunity to see the dream become reality. I am sure that you can see that the need is urgent, and that there is light ahead. It requires that we all do our very best, and with your help, I believe that it will get done.

I wish you a safe and happy holiday break, and all the joy that this season can bring.

Warmest regards,

Greg Drennen

Let's Build It!

Posted December 15, 2010

The heart and soul of a school is its program, and the faculty and staff who execute that program. Facilities are there to support the program. At Stanwich, we understand that program comes first, and the school is committed to continuing our history of offering a program to children and families that is best in class.

After more than a decade of researching possible locations for a permanent home, all avenues have led back to 257 Stanwich Road. In November of 2005 Stanwich purchased 25 acres of land from the Archdiocese of Bridgeport, located on Stanwich Road. Stanwich owns this land, unencumbered and debt-free, thanks to many people whose children have grown and moved on.

Stanwich families have made it possible for the school to afford the extensive costs of the architects, engineers, environmental experts and lawyers that were employed to get us where we are today. Architectural plans for our buildings were commissioned and completed, and based upon those plans, the school applied for, and received, unanimous approval from every necessary Town of Greenwich agency and commission. Stanwich has received the permit from the state Department of Environmental Protection to build a waste water treatment facility, which is considered to be the "gold standard" of this technology, in terms of both efficiency and protecting our environment.

The school's facilities committee has been working for the past year with architects and engineers to complete the site plan for our campus. These are the detailed documents that define the entire infrastructure - roads, utilities, blasting areas and various other parts of the project.

Stanwich's building plan delivers a spectacular facility.

The new building will be more than 75,000 square feet, which is equal to the total square footage of our current Upper School facility, Stanwich East. Once built, this facility will have ample room for classrooms, science labs, a media center and more. It will also include locker rooms, a double gymnasium and an athletic field, allowing Stanwich to host home games for our athletes. It will include band/chorus rooms, a dance/drama studio, performing arts facilities, practice rooms and an art studio to support our thriving arts program.

For the first time in the Stanwich School's history, the ability to build a permanent facility to support the school's Kindergarten through Grade 12 program is in the hands of the Stanwich School community.

Stanwich has had a special, unstoppable spirit since its opening day, and soon there will be a values-based, co-educational, Pre-K through 12 independent school serving as a beacon to the Greenwich community.