Photo by Ben Gebo
Photo by Ben Gebo
Photo by Peter Aaron/OTTO
Photo by Peter Aaron/OTTO
TOGETHER WE THRIVE!
Dear Friends,
Guided by our mission and supported by generous donors and devoted volunteers like you, Miss Porter’s School continues to thrive in what can only be described as a year of boldness. Marked by a continued commitment to becoming an anti-racist institution through our partnership with the Disruptive Equity Education Project; reopening our campus to full in-person learning amid a global pandemic; providing more intentionally inclusive community experiences for all students through the affinity and alliance groups’ initiatives; and seeking new perspectives through the voices of our volunteers.
Whether it was demonstrating leadership through volunteering or with financial support, you stepped forward as members of the Miss Porter’s community to advance our deepest commitments, support opportunities across every program, and create new possibilities for all that we aspire to become.
Each page of this report highlights your individuality, passion, and genuine commitment to our learning community that distinguishes us from other schools. As you read, I hope you will be reminded of the powerful impact your support has in providing a transformative experience for our students, faculty, staff, and Ancients, alike. Your gift matters, but more importantly, YOU matter.
With gratitude,
Christine M. Pina Chief Advancement Officer
Being Resourceful Started with YOU
Since our founding, Miss Porter’s School unites tradition with innovation to provide an exemplary education to young women. Generation after generation, our potential is defined by our ability to articulate how young women think, how young women learn, and why gender matters. Within our legacy lies our future, unmistakable in all that is made possible by the generosity of so many like you, willing to support what hasn’t changed over the decades –that our students pursue their life goals informed, bold, and resourceful.
The history of Ancients’ support offers incredible evidence of the power and impact of philanthropy on Farmington. During the 2020-2021 fiscal year, our strength was due in no small part to the generosity of donors and volunteers, like you. Your steadfast commitment to investing time and resources to MPS served as the cornerstone for our school community remaining deeply engaged in the rich and rewarding work of learning together. Most notably this year -
Your gifts to the Annual Fund allowed the flexibility necessary for our faculty and staff to respond with resourcefulness that ensured our students receive an outstanding education amid the challenges of a pandemic. Most decisively, making the campus safe enough to confidently reopen with in-person learning took priority. At an initial weekly cost of $53,000, your support helped to provide COVID-19 tests for our entire school community as we welcomed students back to Farmington in September 2020.
When you designated your gift to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, you made an immediate impact toward our commitment to becoming an anti-racist institution. Gifts of nearly $42,000 this year launched our work with the Disruptive Equity Education Project (DEEP), creating intentional programs to support Ancients as we reexamine our history to enlighten the future of our community.
MPS families were not immune to the financial losses suffered by so many throughout the pandemic. The 2020-2021 academic year saw an increased need for tuition assistance. People like you, who earmarked their 2020-2021 Annual Fund gift for financial aid provided over $366,000 for tuition assistance – immediately impacting many students’ access to a MPS education.
Taking Stock of What Matters – Your Voices
As a supporter of Miss Porter’s School, you know what matters most here –our bond of common trust, our focus on our students’ potential, and living up to the ambitions of those who made possible the Porter’s of today.
In FY 2021, nearly 300 volunteers committed to sharing their wisdom, expertise, and enthusiasm for the power of a womencentered network.
and Deana calls Staten Island, New York her home. Deana began her volunteer commitment in 2008 serving in a variety of volunteer capacities, and Saba, who now serves on the Alumnae Board as co-vice president, has volunteered on class reunion committees throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
FY 21 IN NUMBERS
Total # of volunteers encompassing the following categories:
Volunteer participation at MPS is not just nice or helpful, it is significant to who we are as a community. It is because of our dedicated volunteers that we continue to advance the mission of MPS. You are our primary ambassadors, sharing and showing the value of a Porter’s education to young women across the globe. Your energy is powerful!
Volunteers like the Alumnae Board’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Committee CoChairs, Deana Jones Jean ’99 and Saba Brelvi ’91 whose service and commitment demonstrate the power of contributing new perspectives, building confidence, and leading the future.
Deana and Saba, Ancients living worlds apart, have fostered a closeness through a shared voice for an inclusive school community. Saba resides in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
As founding Co-Chairs of the DEIB Committee, Saba and Deana’s Farmington pride is evident through their committee’s work toward helping MPS better recognize the contributions of all Ancients. This Committee has developed a series of training sessions called the Foundational Series. The series supports Ancients interested in learning about and fostering an inclusive community with authentic conversations about their own experiences.
Both women agree that working closely as DEIB Co-Chairs and with the rest of the Executive Committee was an incredible highlight in 2021. Noting a significant accomplishment this year, the two Ancients speak passionately about the What’s in a Name Series
Launched with the support and guidance of Dr. Darnisa AmanteJackson of DEEP, the series will undeniably leave an enduring impact on the way its participants examine their own identity and now view and engage in shaping a changing world. This commitment to an expansive view of the Ancient experience is an extraordinary example of how your volunteer voices bridge the gap between rhetoric and action.
“I love that my relationships from Porter’s are timeless, and that no matter how many years pass, whenever I reconnect with an Ancient, we immediately fall right back into where we left off years prior. It’s an amazing feeling!”
–DEANA JONES JEAN
’99
“It is somewhat of a mystery to me why I feel such a connection to Ancients who attended the same school I did many years earlier or later than me. We didn’t have the same experiences and we didn’t know the same people - we simply occupied the same physical space many years apart. But somehow, there is still a very special kinship, and I love that.”
–SABA
BRELVI ’91
Investing in Tomorrow
Miss Porter’s School’ s endowment, our most longstanding asset, has a deep impact on our ability to fulfill the school’s mission. Established and maintained primarily by your contributions, the endowment fosters financial stability, and most significantly, unmatched opportunity for students and faculty today and well into the future. We are grateful for all of the support we received this year and look forward to working with Ancients, families, and friends to continue to build this crucial resource.
As MPS moves forward, your endowment contributions are essential to achieving the financial flexibility required to make important investments in our school, including:
Endowed scholarships that make up 35% of our total financial aid budget help to attract the academically highest-caliber students from across the globe and enroll a socio-economically diverse student body.
ENDOWMENT SPENDING:
Our Mission Statement in Numbers
RESILIENCE
A B A B
Life for Porter’s students, faculty, and staff has undoubtedly been marked by COVID-19 and its harsh effects. Though we have been in an immediate and intense process of change these last two years, our students responded with a grit that reflects the community that supports them – including YOU!
This year, our school faced a substantial challenge - how to fully and safely reopen our campus during a worldwide pandemic. It involved considering every aspect of health and safety for all members of our community; the continued integration of innovative technology to meet the needs of every student; and reinventing our daily schedule and routines while offering our full curriculum and remaining committed to our mission.
During this unprecedented time, your commitment to MPS has truly shaped the response to changes at Farmington – thank you!
“As a nurse at the Colgate Wellness Center, it was crucial to provide ongoing care for our students. Being a parent of an Ancient and a senior, responding to the call of the school through donations was more practical and relevant than ever to my husband Donald and me. The need to provide PPE and COVID-19 testing to better care for the wellbeing of our community became front and center. Needless to say, it was just wonderful seeing students back in the community!”
by
You Ensured Boldness in the Face of Adversity
Photo
Ben Gebo
You Made Space to Create Impact
In FY 2021, your support allowed us to make great strides in improving our physical spaces. In addition to renovating Main, your gifts made impactful transformations at:
“Main was the heart of my experience at MPS in the early '80s: where I interviewed as a nervous 13-year-old; where I lived my first year and learned to knit from my House Director (an activity I still love today); where I made lifelong friends as we lingered over Sunday brunch and shared our dreams; and where I always rushed to each morning to see the posting of the day's exciting activities. I am so proud of the work that MPS has done to remain a beacon in girls' education in this rapidly changing world. Thus, I knew I wanted to be a part of the Main project. Though I had high expectations, the building's beauty, efficiency, and admiration by the girls have far exceeded them.”
–CLAIRE THEOBALD ’84
Total giving to all priorities
Gaines Dance Barn Porter Road Loop
Colgate Wellness Center