THE FUTURE REMAINS AT HAND BUT PAUSED

THE FUTURE REMAINS AT HAND BUT PAUSED

It hardly seems possible to think of a time when we were not completely consumed by our current public health crisis. As an observer of this past winter’s Board of Trustees and Alumni Council deliberations prior to the Coronavirus outbreak, one clear and decisive message resonated throughout their assemblies: the future remains at hand. With the dawn of a new decade, there is much to celebrate on The Storm King School campus. The good health of the School’s balance sheet is still reflected in every facet of the life of the School, whether in-person or remotely. Early winter saw work begin on the Cobb House, home to the Allison Vladimir Art Center, marking the last of many deferred projects. As social distancing restrictions were relaxed, the much needed exterior work was completed and now complements the interior of this renowned fine art center; home to world-class instruction in painting, drawing, graphic design, fashion design, and film. We were grateful to have a strong and growing Storm King Fund for much of this work, as well as the disciplined fiscal management of our Board and management team. This past fall, the lighting system in the Henderson Dining Room within Orr Commons was also completely redone with energy efficient lights that enhance the stunning views of the Hudson Valley below and Catskill Mountains beyond. As we say goodbye to this past decade, The Storm King School can also say farewell to deferred maintenance.

The Cobb House, now the Allison Vladimir Art Center

As previously reported, in March, the School skillfully transitioned to an online/remote learning platform to ensure the health and well-being of the entire school community in the face of the approaching pandemic. Prior to pausing in-person learning, in January The Storm King School welcomed five new students to its community bringing our overall enrollment to a historic high of 195 students. Demand from around the world and across the nation was never stronger as the School also enjoyed a record number of admission applications that has translated into larger matriculations at every grade level. While not reflected in these numbers, it is important to note that those students who did gain admission (as not all do), are among the highest caliber seen in recent history. This is evident by the continued success demonstrated on our playing fields and courts, within the extracurricular programs such as Model U.N., within fine and performing arts, and above all, in our strong top-tier college and university placements. In the same light, the School’s stature among its peer cohort continues to rise as measured by rankings on multiple online national rating agencies– trends that will bode well for a bright future once we successfully navigate through these uncertain times.

Alumni Council

In a very short time, the impact of the SKS Alumni Council on both the School and its 3,000 plus alumni has been impressive. Through thoughtful discussions and planning, the various committees within the Alumni Council have successfully increased influence on alumni communications and participation at reunions, regional gatherings, alumni sporting events, and career encouragement. By this time next year, we hope to distance a little closer to resume the wonderful momentum created last year as we begin to plan for a 2021 Reunion Weekend extravaganza that will recognize and celebrate not only our alumni but also all things we cherish as a school community.

One of the highlights of the Council’s work this past year was the creation of two new SKS Alumni Awards, the first recognizing achievement in the arts including performing, fine, literary, documentary film, and cinematography. The second was created to honor SKS alumni devotion to the welfare of humanity and the world in which we live. As we gather again at next year’s reunion in June 2021, the Alumni Council will bestow its inaugural 2020 SKS Alumni Council Arts Award to Richard Wormser ’51 who among his many accomplishments is the creator of the PBS Peabody Award winning series The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow and American Reds. Throughout his career, his work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts as he continues to teach, write, and address a range of social justice issues through his medium.

When the School community can once again safely gather, the Council will present and celebrate its highest honor, the 2020 Alumni Council Humanitarian Award honoring its inaugural recipient, Amaha Kassa ’90. Mr. Kassa is the founder and executive director of African Communities Together (ACT) which serves as a national non-profit advocacy agency for African immigrants and refugees (www.africans. us). Mr. Kassa will be invited to campus to address the entire SKS community, once it is safe to do so.

As part of the Council’s ongoing work, this past March the second of an extensive three-part series of alumni surveys focusing on alumni experience, communications, programming, and philanthropic interest was conducted. The School has already benefitted from the Council’s first survey last year which asked a variety of questions in regards to our alumni experiences and the types of outreach and engagement most meaningful to them. The Council is confident these efforts will lead to increased alumni involvement, participation, and philanthropic support now and in the years to come. Overall alumni engagement has become that much more meaningful through the utilization of the data collected from these important surveys. In the meantime, The School, along with the entire Alumni Council would like to thank all those who participated in these critically important surveys.

Designs for the Future (Now More Than Ever)

At its January meeting, the Board of Trustees planned to gather at the Mohonk Mountain House to begin to imagine a Storm King School in the year 2032. As the public health crisis unfolded, it became quite evident that this gathering would have to be placed on hold as the Board and School’s Senior Administration huddled to skillfully manage the School’s transformation to virtual/remote learning while at the same time administering to the individual learning needs of our students. The dexterity with which this transformation happened will be remembered in the annals of SKS history as legendary. Mission-critical resources required to keep the School’s educational promise were rescheduled, redistributed, and repurposed so that the School could successfully complete a year like no other for its students, faculty, and staff. The lessons learned from this time have already begun to benefit Storm King as seen in our remote summer offerings, administrative systems, and virtual gathers and meetings for alumni, parents and friends. As the School continues to find its way forward this fall and into the academic year ahead, there will be a great deal more changes, challenges, and compromises as the School continues to navigate this unplanned social crisis. One thing is certain– that for 153 years our School has always seen its way through times of urgency and we trust that lessons learned will serve to strengthen the fabric of its core as we come together again on its beautiful mountainside campus in the fall.

A Historical Groundbreaking Paused

Last December the School signed with the architectural firm of Jack L. Gordon, heralding the first steps in the design and construction of our new Academic Center. Originally scheduled to be completed in 2022, this building will mark the first new construction on the Storm King campus in nearly 40 years and will eventually replace Dyar Hall with eight large, flexible classrooms and two STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) labs. In February, as the COVID-19 pandemic began to unfold, the Board and Administration recognized that the building program would have to be paused as the School dealt with oncoming crisis. With this unforeseen situation unfolding, the School postponed the new academic center’s June 2020 scheduled ground breaking and associated fundraising efforts as economic uncertainties enveloped the United States.

It is anticipated that once business travel is safe, the School will continue to host a series of regional informational meetings across the United States regarding the programs and construction of the new academic center. Additionally, in 2021, it is expected that the Storm King School community will see the first renderings of the new building as the building program restarts. Should the stars align for this much anticipated project, the School could host a historic groundbreaking as early as the 2021 Reunion Weekend. However, as the current crisis remains fluid, we continue to proceed with the understanding that the timeline for construction and the raising of the resources necessary for the academic center’s completion must align.

No indication of a new building on the SKS campus can go without mention of the resources required for its completion and the fundraising efforts that will resume. The first phase of the new Academic Center will cost approximately $5 million. While the School is seeking construction financing to ensure that the completion of the building is done expeditiously, it will also require the collective generosity of the entire SKS Community. Already, members of the Board, Alumni Council and select members of our community have made generous commitments to the project. In the next few months, you will hear a great deal more about how the School will leverage this initial generosity into a campaign from which the next great chapter of the School will be written.

The completion of the new Academic Center will mark the end of an extraordinary strategic cycle for The Storm King School. Not since the mid-1960s has the School been in such a strong position. One has just to look at the extraordinary investment Storm King has made in its physical plant, the growth in its enrollment, the stability within its leadership, the increased value of our endowment, or the acceptances of its students to top-tier colleges and universities. As we strategically find our way through the challenges posed by our current circumstances, Storm King will regain its stride and resume its strategic design for 2032 and beyond. In that time, The Storm King School will transform itself as it welcomes new leadership, new investment, and an entirely new generation of talented faculty and students. The planning for our future as we know it may appear to be paused, but it strategically remains an ongoing and important agenda item in our designs for the next ten years. We must think about what lessons we have learned and will continue to learn from this particularly challenging time. We must continue to embrace our concern for and dedication to the individual educational needs of our students, to the campus and the historical relationship it has to our surroundings. Above all, we must uphold the values we have held for more than 152 years of truth, respect, and responsibility for and to each other in our diverse and global community. These are the tenets on which to build the next decade, worthy of your dedication, and when the time comes, grateful for your ongoing investment.

On behalf of the entire SKS community, thank you for being faithful to the ideals on which we will once again write the next great chapter of this School’s life.