DEVELOPMENT UPDATE
what “advancing brimmer” means in 2022 By Elizabeth Smith, Director of Development
T
wo years ago, Brimmer and May’s Board of Trustees and Administration launched our Strategic Priorities 2020 & Beyond to share the roadmap for advancing the School’s future. Since that time, it has been amazing to see the progress we have made and the determination to move the School forward in the midst of a pandemic. This has taken the form of vastly improved faculty compensation, DEIB-focused initiatives and programming, health and wellness programming, and a new playground, to name a few. For our alumni, the students and faculty relationships and the culture of Brimmer as a place where students are known well and challenged to reach their best is alive and well. We are moving ahead, always with our eyes on the prize – retaining and recruiting the best faculty who will continue to develop innovative curriculum; empowering our students to contribute to an inclusive community and enrich each other’s perspectives; and enhancing our collective experience of community.
28
Spring 2022
Brimmer Magazine
We are grateful that, as of February, we have already raised $900,000 for the 2021-2022 Annual Fund with high levels of parent and alumni support. With your help, we are on our way to another recordbreaking fundraising year, and we couldn’t be more grateful to our community for prioritizing Brimmer and recognizing that your philanthropic dollars stretch far here. We hope to be significantly over the $1 million mark by June 30th as the community continues to give our Board and Administration the flexibility to pivot and make decisions to fund initiatives and programs School-wide throughout the year. A strong Annual Fund speaks volumes about the Brimmer experience and guarantees continued excellence for today’s students. Remember, you have until June 30th to make a contribution to the Annual Fund – all gifts count, and all gifts matter.
Although we had to cancel our NYC Alumni event in January and our Florida Alumni trip in February because of the Omicron surge, we plan to return to in-person parent and alumni events this spring, even if they look a little different. We are looking forward to an outside, tented Auction on our Middlesex Road field on Saturday, April 23. Plan to join us, in raincoats if needed, for The Lawn at Brimmer, where safety and can-do attitudes will be our uniforms of choice. There will be fire pits, games, food trucks, drinks, and silent and live auction items. There will be an online component as well, so our Brimmer community can participate from afar.
Above: Grade 2 teacher Angela Park with her students; At Top Right: Upper School Math Teacher Pete Slaski helps student with Algebra II; At Middle Right: Dr. Matt Gallon teaches Grade 6 Science; At Bottom Right: Andrea UnderhillCurtin teaching Middle School English.
