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COURAGE: THE CAMPAIGN FOR EPISCOPAL
Always advancing our mission to prepare young people with the intellectual and moral courage to pursue lives of leadership and service, Episcopal High School is evolving with the world around us and within an educational landscape that demands distinction. Positioned to deliver an educational journey that no other school can, Episcopal publicly launched COURAGE: THE CAMPAIGN FOR EPISCOPAL in November 2022.
WITH COURAGE, WE WILL...
1. HARNESS THE RESOURCES AND GLOBAL CONNECTIONS OF WASHINGTON, D.C.
2. DRAMATICALLY INCREASE ACCESS TO FINANCIAL AID.
3. MAXIMIZE THE POWER OF RELATIONSHIPS AND COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY.
4. INSPIRE ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH RIGOR AND WELLNESS.
5. INVEST IN OUR COMMITMENT TO A WORLD CLASS FACULTY AND STAFF.
Supporting priorities set forth in the 2018 Strategic Plan, COURAGE is a $150 million campaign — the most ambitious in Episcopal’s 184-year history.
This is a defining moment for The High School. Our bold plans are only possible with equally bold support from our community. Our thanks to all the donors who have joined this historic effort to date!
DONORS: 660 PARENT (CURRENT & PAST): 196 ALUMNI: 378 FOUNDATIONS: 17
$115 MILLION RAISED $150 MILLION GOAL as of April 2023
OUR COMMUNITY GATHERS TO LAUNCH THE COURAGE CAMPAIGN
Special receptions in cities all over the map have been a wonderful way to celebrate the public campaign launch with so many of Episcopal’s alumni, parents, and friends. At each splendid venue, guests viewed the COURAGE CAMPAIGN launch video produced by alumnus Luke David ’93, learned about the campaign priorities from Head of School Charley Stillwell, and heard inspiring words from each of the generous hosts about the impact the School has had on them. In Palm Beach, John Townsend ’73 said that his years at EHS were among the most important of his life. It was moving to see how his sentiment resonated with the alumni in the room, whose class years spanned six decades.
PERSPECTIVES ON COURAGE
ASSISTANT HEAD FOR ADVANCEMENT CHRISTINA HOLT P’12 ’15 ’17
The Courage Campaign is bold, no question. Then again, so is the vision set forth in the strategic plan of fortifying the School’s ambitious mission for generations to come. Success in this campaign will be a major milestone towards ensuring Episcopal graduates will forever be prepared with the intellectual and moral courage that leads to impactful lives pursued with integrity and purpose.
What will it take to succeed? Unprecedented participation.
Over 660 members of the EHS family have contributed to COURAGE thus far, and we are immensely grateful for their generosity. The stage is set for the public phase of this campaign to have an unimaginable impact on our school’s journey towards an even stronger future, where the strength of community, the 24/7 teaching moments, the unique academic opportunities, and the care for our students’ physical and emotional well-being will be advanced in powerful ways that ring true to the values so cherished by Episcopal alumni across the decades.
Now we ask every member of our community to consider the impact you could have on the School’s mission and on the experience of students today and in the future. It is extraordinary to report that commitments in the $50,000 range and below already add up to almost $4,000,000. Many of those commitments are less than $25,000 each, paid over multiple years. It is both exciting and moving to see the incredible cumulative impact of the generosity of our community at every level.
Every contribution is critical; every contribution will bring us closer to success; and every contribution demonstrates our collective courage and commitment to a future for Episcopal that is even stronger than its past.
By supporting the Courage Campaign, you can help ensure that Episcopal High School continues to be a place where students are challenged to grow and learn, where faculty are supported and empowered to excel, and where our community is united in its commitment to making a positive impact on the world…with COURAGE .
The Courage Campaign is about generating support for Episcopal’s values which the School strives to instill in each and every one of its students. Episcopal is training young people to be the strong, smart, courageous leaders we need. By investing in the Courage Campaign, you are really investing in the development of these students and the positive impact that they are going to have out in the world after they leave Episcopal. -CRAIG DIXON ’93 P’23 ’26, EHS BOARD OF TRUSTEES
CELEBRATING OUR NEWEST SPACES
In spring 2021, Episcopal’s Board of Trustees made the strategic decision to begin construction simultaneously on three new buildings conceived as part of the 2018 Campus Master Plan: two dormitories and a health and wellness center. As a result, the School was able to minimize disruption to the campus, take advantage of low interest rates, and avoid what we now know would have been significant cost escalations in labor and material prices. Estimates show that the Board’s savvy decision saved the School approximately $5 million in interest and construction expenses.
Now complete, the deButts Health & Wellness Center, North and West Dorms, and the incredible new quad are already enhancing the vibrancy of student life on the Hill.
The heartbeat of boarding school happens in the dorms, and our new residential spaces are so exciting. With three faculty members and 36 students on each dorm, the ratio is a dream. Part of the excitement for both the kids and the adults is that those small numbers naturally build community. On both dorms, the full kitchens and huge common spaces also support community building because they are natural places to make memories and the kids really want to be in those beautiful spaces. -Mimi Schwanda, West Dorm Head
Being able to go buy groceries together and make dinner in the kitchen with friends for Saturday taco nights on dorm is the best! And, the new quad is always the best spot to play spike ball with all of those on North! -Omar Flores '23, North Dorm
THERE ARE THREE SIMPLE WAYS TO JOIN EPISCOPAL’S HISTORIC CAMPAIGN WITH YOUR GIFT OR PLEDGE SUPPORTING COURAGE.
1. ROLL CALL First and foremost, commit to supporting Episcopal’s annual fund, the Roll Call, by setting up a monthly recurring gift, committing to a five-year pledge, or making an increased one-time gift today.
2. CAMPAIGN PRIORITIES Make a pledge to support one of the School’s strategic priorities or an unrestricted donation that can be used in the area of greatest need.
3. LEGACY Secure the School’s future by including Episcopal in your estate plans, such as through your will or living trust, or by making EHS a beneficiary in your retirement plan.
BIG IMPACT BY THE NUMBERS
With so much more to come, COURAGE has already made a big impact at The High School.
72 STUDENTS living on a new dorm
2,300 COMPETITORS running on the new track
750 STUDENT-ATHLETES playing on the new field
12 NEW ON-CAMPUS residences for faculty
18 SCHOLARSHIP GRANTS funded by campaign contributions to the endowment
$5,000,000 in saved construction costs
For more information, to make a gift, or to schedule a call with a member of the Advancement Team, please visit episcopalhighschool.org/courage.
We are both graduates of EHS and both have long family histories at The Holy Hill. We are honored to be able to support the Courage Campaign and so thrilled that the school has chosen to invest in so many important areas to further strengthen the school now and to ensure a strong and sustainable future. AUGUSTA BROWN HOLLAND ’94 AND GILL HOLLAND ’83
Episcopal High School has been so meaningful in the growth and development of our three children. EHS gave them the skills and knowledge to handle all challenges that have been thrown their way. Their lifelong relationships with faculty and friends make it a very special place. We are proud to support Episcopal’s mission. TRACEY AND DAVID KURZWEIL P’17 ’18 ’22
