With over $4 million pledged or donated to Growing-Up – The Campaign for Ridgefield Academy, the school is now undergoing final solicitations in hopes of meeting the $5 million campaign goal. The solicitation process is expected to conclude in May 2010.

Members of the campaign leadership purposefully postponed solicitation activity last year due to the recent economic downturn to allow families to find their financial footing. “This has been a challenging time to solicit for charitable gifts,” commented campaign co-chair John Berisford. “No one could have predicted the economic downturn when we launched the campaign in fall 2007. But the need is still present, and we have been fortunate to have many dedicated families step up and support our efforts. We are hopeful that with the help of families who have yet to contribute, we will be able to reach our campaign goal.”
 

While the current economic climate may have slowed the pace of the campaign, it offered some substantial benefits in terms of cost savings for capital projects.  “Many of these projects were completed below estimated costs due to the current economic climate" commented Jim Heus, Head of School. "We now offer a much improved educational experience for all of our students thanks to the early success of this campaign.”

That success has come in the form of a six new classrooms for Upper School students, including a new Art room (complete with a Mac lab) for Middle and Upper School Students, a new conference room and faculty room, and the renovation of Hope Hall.

"The Art Mac Lab has been a wonderful addition to our Arts program,” commented Art teacher Jennifer Mazzucco. “The students are working on the "Movie 108" challenge and are very excited about the possibilities it offers. The contest challenges students to create an iMovie using 108 images and a limited time length of one minute and 48 seconds. Students can add their own Garageband music too! We are also currently using the Macs in 7th grade to create self-portraits in Photoshop to add to their sculptural "Self-Portrait Boxes. It helps to combine Graphic Art and Fine Art to give them a strong understanding of the limitless ways to express themselves in the art room." 

Development of the Art Mac Lab is part of our continued efforts to upgrade our technology and provide students with the latest tools.

The general endowment is the only remaining portion of the Growing Up campaign that has yet to be fully funded. Endowments are an important part of the financial picture for most independent schools and are used to maintain and improve the quality of the education the school provides. A classic use of an unrestricted endowment fund is allocating the interest or a portion of the interest generated by the endowment to partially fund teachers’ salaries, benefits, and professional development opportunities.

All future pledges to the campaign will be put towards fulfilling the school’s goal for endowment.

The Lynch House Music Room, formally an elegant ballroom, was once again filled with the sounds of music in a touching naming ceremony that took place on November 23, 2009.

Thanks to generous gifts to our Capital Campaign, we have completed the restoration of Hope Hall. Past photographs, conversations with the grand-daughter of the former home owner, John Henry Lynch, and some good old fashioned architectural digging provided architects, craftsman, and designers with insight on how the room could be restored to reflect its original beauty.

Upon its completion, the room was formally dedicated as Hope Hall in honor of Hope Allison Ciota, sister of parent and trustee Valerie Jensen and aunt to Oz (Class of 2015), Tigerlily and Rex Jensen (Class of 2017). A charismatic young woman with a love for music and theater, Hope was born with Downs Syndrome and has persevered through many challenges in her lifetime, commented her father, Don Ciota. Her love of music makes the naming of this space after her most appropriate and fitting.

As the school concludes its campaign activities, we are reminded of the many trustees, families, faculty and staff, grandparents and friends who have already supported this wonderful effort. “Because of the support of these families, we have been able to build and strengthen this school in ways that have touched each and every student in our community,” stated Jim Heus. “We hope that all of our families will consider the many ways in which Ridgefield Academy has enriched the lives of their child or children as they consider how they can support our campaign efforts.”

For more information about the campaign, contact Director of Advancement Kara Morgan at (203) 894-1800 x126 or email Kara Morgan.