Campaign Update
Campaign Update
Key Initiatives
Annual Dinner
Construction Projects
Lower School
Middle School
VAC Groundbreaking
Dining Hall
People and Programmatic Initiatives
Scholarship Breakfast
Health and Wellness
Coordination
DEI
Faculty Housing
More Information
RALLYING TOWARD OUR
$75 MILLION GOAL
Coming together as a community fully epitomizes how Greenwich Academy parents, alumnae, parents of alumnae, grandparents, faculty, and friends have rallied around the Leading the Way Campaign. This campaign, the largest in our school’s history, is all about fostering a strong community, and doing what’s best for the girls at every turn. Projects and initiatives that bolster world-class facilities, programs, and most importantly, our students and faculty, make GA the ever-evolving center of excellence that it is. We are deeply grateful to those donors who have supported the campaign to date, and to those who will join in this collective effort to reach—and surpass—our campaign goal and our vision for GA’s bright future.
RALLYING TOWARD OUR
$75 MILLION GOAL
Coming together as a community fully epitomizes how Greenwich Academy parents, alumnae, parents of alumnae, grandparents, faculty, and friends have rallied around the Leading the Way Campaign. This campaign, the largest in our school’s history, is all about fostering a strong community, and doing what’s best for the girls at every turn. Projects and initiatives that bolster world-class facilities, programs, and most importantly, our students and faculty, make GA the ever-evolving center of excellence that it is. We are deeply grateful to those donors who have supported the campaign to date, and to those who will join in this collective effort to reach—and surpass—our campaign goal and our vision for GA’s bright future.
CAMPUS-WIDE CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATIONS
- Lower School and Young Auditorium
- Middle School Extension
- Lower and Middle School Courtyard, Playscape, and Pond
- Expanded Engineering and Design Lab
- Upper School Courtyard
- Upper School Science Labs
- Dining Hall, Culinary Lab & Café
- Visual Arts Center with Dance Studio and
Performing Arts Center Lobby - Outdoor Learning and Gathering Spaces
- PC Building and CC Renovation
- Faculty Housing
PEOPLE & PROGRAM
- Innovative Curricula
- Outstanding Faculty
- Financial Aid
- Health and Wellness
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Leadership and Service Initiatives
- Coordination
- Center for Public Purpose
- Career Resource Center
- Sustainability
The Dinner
Must Go On
All of the traditional elements of Greenwich Academy’s Annual Dinner were there—the smooth jazzy tones of the Blue Notes to kick off the evening; an uplifting rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” by the Madrigals; Group IX advisories “serving” attendees a warm welcome; GA trustees and Head of School Molly King conducting the business meeting portion of the program including interactive vote casting and updates on the state of the school and the Leading the Way campaign; and a culminating video that inspires all! The only difference from past years was that this year’s dinner was entirely virtual. Coordinating so many moving pieces to go off without a hitch was no easy feat, but GA successfully began its 194th year with over 400 families tuning in, bringing to life the president of the school’s motto for the year, “We’re all in this together, GA!”
Watch the entire Annual Dinner program here
Click on green Image Gallery bars to open slideshow
Image Gallery: Annual Dinner Speakers
“The girls at GA are learning big lessons this year and lessons that will help them for the rest of their lives. GA is one of the oldest teaching institutions in the U.S. and the school has weathered all storms—and we will weather this storm. Our community of families and alumnae need a special call out—there is no stronger tailwind to push us through this storm than your support and you have over-delivered.”
—Tim Armstrong, Chairman of the Board of Trustees
“ALL of our students and faculty have never been SO appreciative of being on campus, teaching and learning where we belong. There are many changes to be adjusted to and managed but what do we trust, above all? That the spirit and character of the GA girls will lead the way. Thanks to the Class of 2021 for launching the school year with strong, positive leadership.”
“Community is our theme this year for GA. It’s the heart and soul of who we are. At our best, the GA community unifies, engages, motivates, inspires, includes, supports.”
“The Black Lives Matter movement galvanized the entire GA community: our students, faculty, parents, trustees, Black alumnae, and white and non-Black alumnae who identify as allies. We were (and are!) fully engaged in discussion, reflection, protest, and deep introspection, acknowledging the pain that too many had felt as part of their GA experience and asserting our commitment to be anti-racist.”
“The new Lower School is spectacular. The hallways, classrooms and gathering spaces are light and welcoming and open—truly an ideal environment for learning.”
—Molly King, Head of School
“We hope everyone will pitch in to make our collective vision a reality for GA girls of all ages…for GA girls of today and tomorrow. We hope to have our whole community—parents, alums, parents of alums, and grandparents participate in the coming year as we work toward our $75 million goal.”
—Andra Winokur Newman ’95, P ’28, ’32, Campaign Co-Chair
“Following GA’s strategic and master campus plans several years ago, and under then Board Chair Tom Dunn’s leadership, we devised a roadmap for achieving these ambitious goals to ensure GA remains at the forefront of providing a top-tier education for girls. And to accomplish these important initiatives, two years ago—at the Annual Dinner—we officially launched the Leading the Way campaign, a comprehensive campaign to support our students, our faculty, the curriculum, and our campus, with a goal of $75 million, the largest in the school’s history… It is truly amazing what can be accomplished when a community comes together.”
—Bart Osman WCK ’86 P ’15, ’18, ’22, Campaign Co-Chair
“I would like to recognize and thank the teachers and administration for preparing and welcoming our girls and the Brunswick Upper School back to campus during these extraordinary times.”
—Heather Johnson Sargent ’92 P ’21, ’32, Committee on Trustees Chair
“…despite these challenging times, The Academy is in a strong position of financial health that has resulted from great strides and disciplined decision-making over the past decade. This strength is due to our robust enrollment and continued high demand, a balanced operating budget, fiscal discipline, a large and growing endowment, and our community’s generous support of the annual fund.”
—Craig Packer P ’18, ’19, ‘25, Finance Committee Chair
View the Leading the Way Campaign Video:
New Lower School:
A Building as Playful as its Inhabitants
After a quick year of construction, the magnificent new Lower School, designed by Boston-based Ann Beha Architects, opened just in time for the start of the school year. The playful, open, and flexible floorplan has enabled the Lower School to function far better than in its predecessor, especially during these times that require social distancing. Replete with a gathering stairs, living moss wall, soaring exposed ceilings, wide hallways, collaborative spaces, and with bright, fun colors abounding, it is an inviting place for Lower Schoolers to call home.
Maximizing the building’s footprint and usage, the building also houses the stunning new David W. Wallace Library and Young Auditorium.
Take a Virtual Tour of the New Lower School
Click on green Image Gallery bars to open slideshow
Image Gallery: New Lower School
Ribbon Cutting: Head of School Molly King, Board Chair Tim Armstrong, Former Board Chair Tom Dunn, Campaign Co-Chairs Andra Winokur Newman and Bart Osman, Chief Financial Officer Andrea Sabitsana, and Lower School Head Jon Ross-Wiley ceremonially cut the ribbon to open the new Lower School.
Here is a recent article in the Greenwich Time about the new Lower School.
Middle School Renovation:
Capping Off the New Year in Style
GA’s LEED-certified Middle School already boasts many of the modern, bright, open, and light-filled features now held by its new Lower School companion. The demolition of the old Lower School, which was contiguous with the Middle School, necessitated an end-cap addition that presented an opportunity to bring both the building and its neighboring outdoor space to the next level. The addition will introduce a new collaborative learning center, science lab, art studio, and Group VIII lounge, in addition to an expanded library space. A new entrance that enables easy access for drop off and pick up, combined with outdoor teaching areas and shared courtyards and play spaces with the Lower School, will integrate the Middle School seamlessly into its natural surroundings while helping to create an overall campus layout that brings together all of the divisions in a planned layout that encourages community interaction and connectivity.
View the photo slideshow of construction progress to date. The building is scheduled to be completed in the spring.
Creating a Hub for the Arts
Breaking Ground on a New Visual Arts Center and Dance Studio
Construction is underway on a new visual arts center and dance studio, located at the site of the former dance studio. The inspiring and light-filled design incorporates drawing, painting, ceramics, digital arts, and film/editing studios with gallery exhibition areas and also includes an expanded lobby gathering space that will integrate with the existing Wallace Performing Arts Center to create a contiguous hub for the arts. Work began on the project this fall, and while we encountered more rock and ledge than anticipated, all is progressing on track for the scheduled completion in September. Moving the visual arts to this new location will free up much-needed classroom space in the Upper School to become: a new science lab, a dedicated computer science classroom, added office space, flexible classroom spaces, and an expansion of the existing counselor’s office to allow for multiple students to gather at the same time.
Check out photos from the groundbreaking ceremony, early construction, and conceptual renderings of the finished spaces.
Dining Hall Renovation and Culinary Lab/Café
Serving Up a Menu that Brings Everyone Together!
Plans are taking shape for the next phase of renovations, which include rethinking how we use the dining hall every day. With a goal of converting an under-utilized space into a centrally located, easily supervised hub for after-school activity, the renovated layout will incorporate space for study hall and clubs, and will become a flexible, multipurpose space that can also be used for events. New features will include: a main food-court style open serving and dining area with food stations and farm-to-table layout options; a sustainability center, with recycling, composting, and dish washing sections; and the addition of a culinary lab/café with demonstration space and teaching wall, which will integrate with and enhance our overall health and wellness curriculum. Stay tuned for more details and renderings.
A GA education is a great product, for which I am extremely thankful.
—Katrina Bell Sheehy ’00
Scholarship Breakfast
GA is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive student body through its financial aid program. The annual Scholarship Breakfast celebrates the generosity of those who provide financial aid funding and features keynote speakers who demonstrate the impact of a GA education.
Greenwich Academy’s Scholarship Breakfast is a longstanding and beloved annual event. While we were unable to experience this moving and special day in person this year, we were able to reach across to the West Coast to connect virtually with keynote speaker, Katrina Bell Sheehy from the Class of 2000.
So grab a cup of coffee and a croissant, and join us in watching videos from: Head of School Molly King, who will welcome you and share Katrina’s impressive background; Our featured speaker, Katrina, who will talk about her journey from GA to a stellar career as an engineer and product manager; Director of Enrollment and Financial Aid Nina Hanlon, who provides an overview of GA’s financial aid program; and members of the GA community who share their personal perspectives and belief in the importance of scholarship.
Health and Wellness
at GA
Instilling Confidence and Care in Self and for Others
“The guiding principle of Greenwich Academy’s Health & Wellness Department is the belief that wellness and optimal learning result from the integration of physical, psychological, and socioemotional wellbeing. It provides the girls with the information and skills necessary to support healthy decision-making and living.”
—Dr. Lauren Winston, Health and Wellness Department Chair
To support all aspects of a child’s development and experience at school as well as the collective needs of the whole community, GA has developed a health and wellness team, comprised of full-time learning specialists, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, athletic trainers, nurses, and a pediatrician. Coupled with a comprehensive and developmentally appropriate health/life skills curriculum, the team seeks to build girls’ resiliency, self-confidence, empowerment, and self-actualization. Learn more about the ways in which GA promotes health and wellness by hearing from the team, who gave a presentation to prospective families this fall and by checking out the GA Health and Wellness webpage.
Image Gallery: Health & Wellness
Upper School
Coordination Program
Greenwich Academy and Brunswick School have a unique, coordinated Upper School relationship. At its simplest, Coordination means that GA and Brunswick students can each take classes at the other’s Upper School. But this nearly 50-year partnership offers so much more. Scholarship, camaraderie, performing arts, sports, lunch—the opportunities for our two student bodies to learn with and from each other transcend and transform all spheres. Coordination makes it possible for GA girls to benefit from an augmented array of resources—faculty and facilities, as well as intellectual and social ones—while still enjoying the benefits of a small-school, all-girls environment. As so many members of our community will attest, it truly is the best of both worlds.
Our two schools have made it a strategic priority to continue to examine and build upon this important relationship and to further develop ways to evolve and enhance this partnership now and into the future.
This year’s Upper School Coordinate Program Open House was virtual. The video program, featured here, gives insight into the benefits of coordination.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
at GA
2020 shed a much-needed light on racial injustice in our country, providing the opportunity for Greenwich Academy to reflect on and face the complexities of diversity, equity, and inclusion in our own community, to accept responsibility to ensure a safe, supportive environment for all students in all we do, and to commit to being an anti-racist institution.
Click on this link to see how GA’s board of trustees has made a commitment to advance these efforts in tangible ways, and how GA is incorporating DEI initiatives into the fabric of daily life of its vibrant community.
The DEI Download
Under the leadership of directors Aisha Gawad, Savannah Strong, and their DEI team, The DEI Download is a monthly newsletter that highlights the myriad diversity, equity, and inclusion programming happening in all three divisions.
Aisha began the dialogue in its inaugural issue this fall: “Oftentimes, I think of us as a community of ‘doers.’ We are action-oriented; we like to find solutions and get things done. We are ambitious, and we are aspirational. It’s part of what makes this such a dynamic place to work and teach. But sometimes, it can be hard to check that impulse to act. I know that I can often get lost in my ‘to-do’ list, and I have to remind myself to pause and reflect on the bigger picture. When it comes to DEI work especially, it’s important not to skip reflection and go straight to ‘fixing’ mode. I was reminded of this as I was reviewing ‘Social Justice Standards: The Teaching Tolerance Anti-Bias Framework’… In it, Teaching Tolerance organizes its social justice curriculum into four stages: identity, diversity, justice, and action. Notice that ‘action’ comes last. Before I can do something about racism, for example, I have to understand what race is, I have to reflect on my own racial identity, the racial stereotypes I have inevitably absorbed, the way my own race affects my perceptions, ideas and behaviors. In other words, I have to start by reflecting on my own identity before I can jump to take action.”
With the DEI theme for the 2020–2021 school year of 2020 Vision: Examining Our Lenses and the focus of our programming for the entire GA community on identity work, Greenwich Academy is taking a thoughtful and necessary approach to addressing this important work.
DEI Discussions Start With Admissions
What better way to embrace topics and questions centering around diversity, equity, and inclusion at GA than to offer prospective families an opportunity to engage in conversation?
Check out the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Public Purpose discussion, part of a series of topic-specific discussions presented this fall:
I am so grateful not only for the opportunity to work in an amazing community, but also to live among the community, which allows more time to pour into the students, as they are the heart and soul of Greenwich Academy.
—Andrew Ghobrial
Assistant Director of Technology
Faculty Housing
Working and Living within the Community
Providing faculty with affordable housing options in close proximity to campus helps build community and is essential to the school’s ability to attract, recruit, and retain outstanding teachers. Four GA teachers and administrators reflect here on what living in faculty housing means to them.
Video: Andrew Ghobrial, Assistant Director of Technology
Video: Sarah Maliakel, Upper School English Department Chair
Video: Rebecca Ramos, Upper School History Teacher
Video: Jon Ross-Wiley, Head of Lower School
Campaign Committee 2020-2021
Andra Winokur Newman ’95, Co-Chair
Bart Osman, Co-Chair
Richard Chilton, Honorary Chair
Tim Armstrong, Chairman of the Board
Valerie Wayne, Annual Fund Chair
Michael Behringer
Paul Cappuccio
Alex Captain
Brian Carroll
Rex Chung
Kirsten Dzialga
Alexandra Hudson
Alexander Jackson
Marianne Cholnoky Kay ’75
René Kern
Susan Lehman
Alexa Raether Maddock ’92
Fayez Muhtadie
Joe Osnoss
Craig Packer
Greg Rogers
Heather Johnson Sargent ’92
Lauren Berkley Saunders ’92
Michael Schaftel
Alex Steel Scott ’00
Anne Day Thorp ’02
We need the entire GA community to come together in support of this campaign.
THANK YOU FOR LEADING THE WAY!
