Celebrating Our Present

On Friday, October 15, 2021, Park officially launched SPARK— The Campaign for Park—an ambitious plan that builds on the founding vision for our campus to carry Park forward in its next 50 years and beyond.

“We believe that the best way to honor our past is with a clear and inspiring vision for our future—a vision already taking shape. As we embrace this vision for the future, we keep thinking about the hope and possibility it ignites, on so many levels. The fire for learning and the discovery we see in our students, the ways our teachers light the way forward, and the way our facilities and programs fuel growth— these are the things that drive us. It begins with a spark—that flash of possibility that inspires us all.” — SCOTT YOUNG, HEAD OF SCHOOL

SPARK is grounded in the power of studentcentered learning, and the large, flexible spaces that ignite inspiration and innovation.

EXEMPLARY ACADEMIC SPACES

To fully unleash the potential of our Upper Division academic spaces, SPARK transformed the first and fourth floors of the Main Building into 11 new classrooms and dedicated collaboration space. These new classrooms are illuminated by window-walls that look out to Larz Anderson Park. OPENED FOR FALL 2021

SPARK will invest $7.4 million in exemplary academic spaces for student-centered learning.

Fifty years ago, classrooms were fixed and the teacher was the center of teaching and learning. Today, classrooms must be flexible spaces that place students at the center and allow teachers to create academic environments that meet the varied needs of diverse learners. A flexible classroom facilitates many different modalities of learning—auditory, written, kinetic, and visual. Students are sometimes listening to a lesson, sometimes solving a problem by “making,” sometimes debating, sometimes journaling, sometimes presenting to peers. The teacher facilitates and guides, varying instructional methods from class to class and even within the same class period. When students, especially in the exciting middle school years, are given agency, choice, and opportunities for movement and differentiated learning, their engagement is much richer and deeper.

Student-centered learning happens best in spaces that support collaborative student engagement. In these spaces you might observe a student working one-on-one with the teacher at a white board, a small group discussion, or partner work. Technology is seamlessly integrated and furniture is movable to support this. Learning overflows to collaboration spaces outside the classrooms—spaces that also ignite greater cross-disciplinary opportunities, serving as the central hub connecting classrooms of varying subject areas.

Park's Makerspace will expand into a Maker Wing

The synergy between science and art has been proven to foster important creative and intellectual pathways for students. This new corridor, including three science labs and an art studio, will create more opportunities for cross-disciplinary STEAM connectivity for students in Grades 1–5.

In recent years, Park has undergone a “making” renaissance, recognizing the infusion of applied learning as an integral component of educational excellence. This renovation will move the Woodshop to neighbor the Makerspace, bringing together traditional and modern forms of “making” in a Maker Wing that opens onto the back terrace and Outdoor Learning Garden.

SPARK will reimagine existing art and Lower Division science spaces to establish a STEAM Corridor and a Maker Wing. OPEN FOR FALL 2022

ATHLETICS AND OUTDOOR LEARNING

SPARK invests in first-rate athletic and outdoor facilities to fuel our excellent whole-child program.

SPARK will invest $3.5 million in athletics and outdoor learning.

Building upon the successful introduction of indoor adventure equipment in 2019, a new outdoor ropes course will spark new opportunities for Park’s PE program. Incorporating high and low ropes elements, students will work independently and collaboratively to problem-solve and take healthy risks—a workout for the brain and the body. Located behind the pool house, the outdoor adventure equipment will join the turf field in re-energizing the west side of campus and better connecting students with Park’s full 34 acres.

The introduction of turf at Park will prepare our athletes to thrive at the competitive level at their next schools, while also extending the length of the training season, particularly in the spring when grass field conditions often delay the start of outdoor practice and competition. Throughout the year, all students will have increased field access in physical education classes and during recess, an important benefit to year-round outdoor learning.

Park has waited for the right time to invest in a state-of-theart turf field, now a staple of most independent schools. The time has come!

At Park, children develop their whole selves— intellectually, socially, physically, emotionally, and creatively. Program areas traditionally deemed “extracurriculars,” like physical education and athletics, are essential to cultivating well-rounded students, and people. We believe this so strongly that the academic schedule includes PE class for all students through eighth grade, long after most schools shift to a strictly after-school athletics program.

SPARK will build a competition-grade turf field, encompassing the current Faulkner Field and the Goddard Field, as well an outdoor ropes course to enhance the physical education curriculum and support social-emotional development. OPEN FOR FALL 2022

FOSTERING A DEEPER SENSE OF BELONGING

SPARK is a catalyst for community, belonging, and change.

SPARK will invest $500,000 to support educational testing for students with learning differences.

SPARK will invest $1.25 million in diversity, equity, and inclusion to foster a deeper sense of belonging for all at Park.

The cornerstone of Park’s program is academic excellence, affirming high standards of scholarship while encouraging each child to develop to their greatest potential. Students learn most effectively when they feel a deep sense of belonging, when they feel safe, known, and respected in an environment that prioritizes equity and inclusion, and when they learn from the differences in backgrounds and perspectives shared within their learning community. It is in Park’s deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, therefore, where academic excellence takes root.

Park has committed to an ambitious Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Implementation Plan, and an institutional priority of this breadth requires robust funding for optimal impact. SPARK will be the catalyst that moves our DEI goals from aspiration to reality with an endowed fund that will increase the DEI budget five-fold.

Neuropsychological and other educational tests are powerful tools that equip parents, teachers, and Academic Support specialists with the critical information needed to best support students with demonstrated learning differences. Each year, because of the significant cost and complexities of insurance, some Park families are unable to pursue testing for their children. The income from this new endowed fund will ensure that economic barriers do not prevent Park families and educators from fully understanding a child’s learning profile and what they need to thrive.

The SPARK Campaign is about all of us creating the optimal conditions for that spark of understanding, the spark we so often see in our students’ eyes.