Our community is coming together to create a world-class, 21st century campus at Fessenden. Flexible academic space for innovative learning. State-of-the-art athletic facilities. A transformed Arts Center where we will create, communicate, collaborate, and convene. With the support of our generous Fessenden families, we are developing a learning environment that is custom-built for our school’s distinctive, immersive 360º educational experience. Your gift to our Fessenden360 campaign will build and sustain our school as a place where boys discover the power of their ideas and abilities—and prepare to learn, succeed, and lead in tomorrow’s world. We cannot begin to imagine how far our boys’ talents will take them. But we know where it all begins.
Please join us. We’ll build the future together.
FESSENDEN360 DONORS HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO BUILD TOMORROW’S FESSENDEN: > Academics360: $4M raised to create the rich, multidimensional academic environment of the Ciongoli Center for Innovation which opened in 2016 > Athletics360: $6.5M raised to build state-of-the-art athletic facilities • In 2015, we completed the Class of 1985 Field, Kumin-Loring Field, Goss Track, and Goodrich Field • In 2017, we broke ground on the Roberts Family Squash Center
WE NOW EMBARK UPON THE FINAL— AND MOST AMBITIOUS—PHASE OF THE FESSENDEN360 CAMPAIGN: > Arts360: $12.5M to transform arts education at Fessenden > Annual Fund360: $1.8M goal each year of the Fessenden360 campaign for a total of $9M
Tomorrow’s world
needs creative thinkers and team players.
Fessenden has reached new levels of educational, institutional, and reputational excellence under our strategic plan. Visionary leadership, coupled with an extremely generous community, has made key achievements within Fessenden360 possible. Fessenden360 gifts will continue to help
Fessenden boys will need to be agile and creative. Fessenden boys will require perspectives that transcend boundaries. Fessenden boys will need to be proficient in the art of collaboration. The future is taking shape right now, in the mind of every Fessenden boy.
Fessenden boys grow into innovative, confident, and accomplished young men, full of compassion and integrity.
Tara Ciongoli P’21, ’23, ’25 PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD
A Fessenden education is rooted in a dynamic approach to learning that emphasizes project-based and passion-based learning. In our classrooms, on our playing fields, and in our arts facilities, our students are immersed in a 360o educational environment designed to educate the whole child. At Fessenden, our boys learn to compete, collaborate, and create—gaining skills that will last a lifetime.
OF TRUSTEES
Your gift will help us replace our current, antiquated arts facilities with contemporary studio, gallery, classroom, and performance spaces in the center of our campus.
WHY ARTS? A robust body of research reveals the positive impact of the arts on learning and cognitive development. > Research has linked music education with academic success and gains in focus, follow-through, and engagement. > Arts education has been shown to strengthen reading readiness, word fluency, and reading comprehension as well as greater mastery of computation and estimation skills— connections that will continue to build as the nexus between the arts and technology continues to mature. > Several studies show a correlation between engagement with the arts and higher SAT scores. > Arts education provides a vehicle for exploring and expressing emotions at critical developmental stages in boys’ lives—helping them develop the empathy they will need to carry them through school, work, and life. > A strong arts curriculum prepares boys to communicate with clarity and purpose, and improves their public speaking abilities, an invaluable life skill. At a time when many public schools are cutting their arts budgets, our strategic investment in the arts will make Fessenden stand out for families seeking a world-class education for their sons.
Arts360
Arts and culture are intrinsic to the education and lives of children. Children are born artists. And, as they grow, their talents take many forms.
My son had never done any form of acting or singing in his life prior to coming to Fessenden.
Some pursue careers in the visual or performing arts. Most channel the presentation experience, critical thinking skills, technical knowledge, and collaborative opportunities gained through a Fessenden arts education into successful careers in business, academia, medicine, and scores of other fields.
When we went to see his first play at the School, I was shocked. He sang and acted with so much confidence. I almost melted. Our world is changing rapidly, and the arts will prepare our children to navigate
Artistic experience yields confidence and competency that enriches every facet of our boys’ lives. Fessenden boys develop a nuanced, 360o view of the world through the opportunities for creative expression, cultural appreciation, and civic participation that are offered to them here on campus. The new arts facilities made possible by Fessenden360 will be designed with creating, collaborating, and convening in mind. They will integrate the arts into every academic discipline—just as art, music, and culture fold organically into every life.
Please join us in raising $12.5 million to create contemporary, technologically-advanced studios, and performing arts facilities for Fessenden.
that change.
Cheri Pereira P’21 M I D D L E S C H O O L PA R E N T
ARTS PROJECT AT A GLANCE Fessenden’s new Arts Center will consist of a major overhaul of our 35-year-old arts wing as well as a substantial addition. When completed, the space will feature: > a contemporary theater with 225 tiered, fixed seats, enhanced backstage areas, and a dedicated lobby to replace our current, rudimentary Performing Arts Center (PAC), which is a former gymnasium with folding chairs > state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems offering hands-on learning in production > a new, 110-seat recital hall that will double as an instrumental music classroom > a new gallery where the work of our students, as well as outside artists, will be formally exhibited, to be housed at the base of a completely renovated atrium with additional, illuminated display space > expanded and updated classrooms and studios for use by students working in two- and three-dimensional media, ceramics, printmaking, and woodworking > vocal classrooms and soundproofed rehearsal rooms for use by musicians individually and in ensemble
LET US CELEBRATE ALL THAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED — AS WE CONTINUE TO COME TOGETHER TO BUILD THE FUTURE OF FESSENDEN. The investments that have been made have elevated our aspirations for our boys. Your philanthropic investment in the final phase of the campaign will do the same, and will epitomize and catalyze the excellence of our 360o educational experience. CREATING Every boy at Fessenden will spend time creating in the lightfilled, expansive environment of our Arts Center. The facility will support an increasingly disciplined arts curriculum, encompassing digital portfolios, public presentations, and more. Students will gain a sense of confidence and accomplishment as they push beyond their comfort zones in all areas of performing and visual arts. COLLABORATING Capitalizing on the intersection between arts and technology, the new arts facility will work in synergy with the Ciongoli Center for Innovation. Students will gain technological proficiency through the arts—from creating digital music to exploring graphic design to understanding the science behind acoustics. CONVENING Our school community will gather in and around all of our new spaces for performances, events, and games to celebrate the academic, athletic, and artistic achievements of our students. We will also welcome members of the community beyond our campus just as we have in our academic and athletic spaces that exist because of Fessenden360 donors.
Academics360
A Fessenden education is rooted in tradition and infused with innovation. A Fessenden education encourages boys to see all sides of an argument or problem—and to cultivate meaningful relationships with classmates and teachers who will become lifelong friends and mentors. Your gift will sustain the 360o learning experience that Fessenden delivers during our boys’ critical first years of formal education—an experience that will be increasingly essential as they grow and move deeper into the 21st century.
Chris Bartel P’20 TRUSTEE AND CO-CHAIR, FESSENDEN360
Fueled by $4 million in philanthropic investment by Fessenden360 donors, the Ciongoli Center for Innovation opened in fall 2016. A new sphere of possibility in integrated, experiential learning opened with it. More than triple the size of Fessenden’s previous iLab, the facility offers 2,400 square feet of flexible, innovative academic space. It can accommodate three classes simultaneously, offering 21st century learning experiences tailored to each grade level. Boys unleash their creativity here, applying content knowledge drawn from across the curriculum. They gain confidence, learn resilience, and hone the technical, translational, and collaborative skills they will need to succeed in a rapidly evolving world. A rare resource among pre-k through grade 9 schools, the Ciongoli Center for Innovation has already set us apart and moved us forward. The new arts education environments made possible by Fessenden360 will further leverage the Center’s potential, as teachers and students blend its technological assets with new capabilities in video, live music, and other media.
Athletics360
Opportunities to collaborate with teammates, and compete against others and against oneself, are fundamental to the Fessenden experience. Fessenden’s athletic program has always been strong. It’s even stronger now, thanks to $6.5 million in gifts from generous donors to Fessenden360. ATHLETIC FIELDS AND TRACK
Two new turf playing fields—the Class of 1985 Field and the Kumin-Loring Field—along with the Goss Track and the Goodrich Field, a rebuilt grass field, have dramatically improved the quality of athletic experience at Fessenden. Risk of injury on our turf fields is significantly reduced, as is the need to cancel practices and games in the wake of rain. Our boys get on the field earlier in the spring and play later into the fall. Revenue derived from partnerships with local soccer clubs have been used to light our fields for night games and practices, offering our boarding students new evening outdoor activities. Our first-ever on-campus track is elevating the experience of our runners. In the past, our dedicated track and cross country teams practiced and hosted meets on the roads and walkways surrounding our campus. Our Goss Track fills our student athletes with pride and reflects the uncompromised quest for excellence that drives them.
SQUASH CENTER
Fessenden’s new Roberts Family Squash Center—made possible by Fessenden360 donors—will offer boys of all ages and skill levels the opportunity to play this increasingly popular sport right here on campus. The new facility will further bolster Fessenden’s competitiveness in the boarding school arena, both in the United States and internationally. With the advent of our new squash center, Lower School boys will have access to the sport through Fessenden’s physical education classes. Middle and Upper School boys will be able to focus on playing, rather than traveling to rented courts—ultimately improving their game. And boarding students will have another evening activity. Like our ice rink, gymnasium, and turf fields, our new squash courts will also create revenue-generating capacity to support improvement and growth of our school’s offerings well into the future. The athletic facility improvements funded by Fessenden360 keep both our athletes and our school competitive— delivering a winning blend of athletic achievement and school spirit.
Our athletic facilities, our innovation center, and our new arts education environments will come together to advance our commitment to educating the whole child—with uncompromising excellence—across the curriculum.
AnnualFund360
Supporting state-of-the-art facilities, and everything that happens in them. Books. Classroom technology. Athletic equipment. Art supplies. Hiring and retaining great teachers. Like every other independent school, Fessenden needs diverse sources of revenue—in addition to tuition—to provide the meaningful, high-quality education for which we are loved and respected. That’s why the final phase of our campaign invites friends to sustain and strengthen our Annual Fund. Fessenden360 will fund the capital investments our school needs—as well as the essential operating revenue needed to leverage those investments for maximum impact. A robust Annual Fund provides unrestricted gifts that directly support our faculty and students. It is the lifeblood of our school, touching every aspect of our students’ lives, and it is the means through which we may offer a new extracurricular activity, fund teacher professional development, or enhance a classroom by addressing a pressing need or fulfilling an important request. This vital source of unrestricted revenue represents 7% of our annual operating budget. The Fessenden experience is dramatically enhanced by this additional $1.8 million collectively given each year by our generous parents, alumni, grandparents, faculty, staff and friends.
Your Fessenden360 gift, earmarked for our Annual Fund, will find its way into every corner of school life. It is perhaps the most powerful investment you can make in Fessenden.
Fessenden360
Join us as we come together to achieve something extraordinary. We will come together in our new Arts Center, on our athletic fields and squash center, in our Center for Innovation, and in every space on our campus that is touched by our Annual Fund.
This campaign connects our entire Fessenden
We will come together, through this campaign, to build the future.
and all of our families and friends. Your gift will
Please join us.
in a continuously evolving
community—boys who live and learn on campus today, those who have grown up and taken this unique educational experience out into the world, safeguard our school’s excellence and relevance educational landscape.
Your generosity will honor the traditions of the school we love, and realize our shared hopes and aspirations for tomorrow. Sol Kumin ’90, P’25, ’26 TRUSTEE AND CO-CHAIR, FESSENDEN360
Fessenden’s new Arts Center will demonstrate our respect for our boys’ talent and potential. By giving our students enhanced visual and performing spaces, they will be able to explore the wide possibilities offered through our arts curriculum, inventing new ways to express themselves. There has never been a more exciting time for Fessenden boys to grow and connect, acquiring the creativity and critical thinking skills they need.
Spencer Williams DIRECTOR OF THE ARTS