With True Gratitude: Celebrating The Campaign for Governor's

With True Gratitude

Celebrating The Campaign for Governor’s

Thank you is an understatement.

It is with true gratitude that we say thank you for helping us raise $100 million during the With True Courage campaign. When we set out on this bold journey, we knew we could do it, but we didn’t know that we would. You made it possible.

Now, we could keep talking about how this is an amazing accomplishment and how we couldn’t have done it without you, but we know you would rather read stories about the impact of your gift.

So, we hope you enjoy the following pages celebrating our success in raising $100 million. Not because it’s the largest amount of money we have ever raised, but because of the difference it will make.

100 Million Reasons To Celebrate

3,630

ATTENDEES AT EVENTS DURING THE CAMPAIGN

5,100+

DONORS

$21M

GIFTED BY PARENTS OF STUDENTS AND ALUMNI

$72M

GIFTED BY ALUMNI

26

NEW ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUNDS

52

NEW SCHOOLHOUSE SOCIETY MEMBERS

Support is always in the budget.

Adeliza Rosario ’20 is many things — a curious student, tri-varsity athlete, Academy president, and dear friend. While at Govs, she demonstrated a deeply rooted love for the Academy, an honest thirst for learning, and a magnetic personality as she seemingly did it all. When she was awarded the 2020 Academy Prize, we celebrated her for her maturity and humility, moral compass, and service to others.

Adeliza was able to take advantage of all that Govs has to offer without worrying about affordability, thanks to financial aid from generous donors like you.

With True Courage helped us transform what financial aid looks like at Govs and, as a result, give more students the opportunity to enjoy the Govs experience, which will transform

the Academy in return. By growing our endowment for financial aid, we have strengthened our permanent commitment to meeting the financial needs of our students and families. Beyond tuition assistance, we’re also able to consistently provide additional support through the Access Fund, ensuring students can access the full Governor’s experience — like travel, athletics team gear, and off-campus dinners with friends. Financial aid allows us to cultivate a community of students who, like Adeliza, embody the spirit of Govs. According to Adeliza, “I am extremely grateful for the support I received at Govs. To those who give to support financial aid, you’ll never really know how much it means to someone.”

GROWING OUR ENDOWMENT FOR FINANCIAL AID

While Adeliza came to Govs with many passions, she discovered a new one in ceramics during her time here.

Building a better Academy.

Some of the most visible successes of this campaign came in the form of new buildings. Specifically, the new Alfond Center, a state-of-the-art academic building on the banks of the Parker River, as well as the Student Center, which was renovated and expanded by more than 4,000 sq. ft. But while these buildings bring the Academy’s campus into the future, their real power comes from the impact they make on students.

BILL ’67

AND PETER ’71 ALFOND COASTAL RESEARCH CENTER

Josephine DelGaizo ’24 has always had a passion for marine science and believes the more you learn about it, the more interesting it gets. The Alfond Center allows her to work hands-on in aquatic tanks to study living organisms. She’s currently pursuing an independent study with science teacher Mike Lefebvre in which she is creating a coral nursery. None of these experiences would have been possible without this new space. And when she tells her friends about the building, it turns heads.

PETER MARSHALL FRENCH

STUDENT CENTER

Will Wertz ’25 is a day student who uses the Student Center as his home base. For him, it’s an amazing place to socialize, learn, and connect. He plays ping-pong and pool with his friends (he always wins), and sometimes he tries to play the piano even though he’s not a pianist. The reimagined Student Center helps ensure that day students have a place to feel as much at home at Govs as boarding students do.

In addition to her scientific pursuits, Josephine is a senior captain and catcher

“I’m doing so many unique things. I get to work with real creatures. I get to talk to actual scientists. I get a lot of independence.”

“The Student Center is where I have a locker to keep my backpack and sports gear. It’s also where I study, socialize with friends, and meet with my advisor.”

WILL WERTZ ’25

JOSEPHINE DELGAIZO ’24

on the varsity softball team.

Beyond his success on the pool tables, Will is a violinist and a standout forward on the varsity basketball team.

“My students push me to be a better teacher, not just in the content I teach but finding new ways to deliver it.”

Supporting faculty is supporting students.

Everything we do is in service of our students, and no one believes that more than our incredible and tireless faculty members. The campaign focused on recognizing their hard work and enabling them to keep showing up for our students and pushing the boundaries of learning and growing on campus. And with the creation of the Bass Institute, our faculty is bringing experiential and place-based learning into the Govs academic experience.

GARY SATOW ASSOCIATE ACADEMIC DEAN AND HISTORY TEACHER

Gary brings place-based learning into his AP US Government and Politics classes by inviting local politicians to speak.

CULTIVATING OUR FACULTY

For Gary Satow, teaching has always been personal. But through the professional development opportunities afforded to him through With True Courage, that’s never been truer than it is today. “I’m a Japanese-American by birth, and my paternal grandparents were incarcerated during World War II, so I’ve known I’m not fully Japanese and not fully white for my entire life,” explains Gary. “There were wonderful people [at Govs] who encouraged me to really explore this part of my identity and share it with the school.”

So when the opportunity arose for Gary to attend the NAIS People of Color Conference, not once but twice, you helped Govs support him. After leading two workshops exploring the cultural destructiveness of incarceration on Japanese and Japanese-Americans, Gary realized this could be a learning opportunity for his students as well. Now his grandparents are on the syllabus, and his unit on Japanese Incarceration hits a little closer to home for his ninth-grade history students. The campaign also supported Gary to earn his M.Ed. from Vanderbilt University through the Independent School Leadership program in 2018-2019. It prepared him to transition into the role of Associate Academic Dean a year later. Facing the challenges and opportunities of guiding the trajectory of Govs students, now at an administrative level, Gary looks back on what he learned: “I think my training helps me manage those moments well.”

CARING FOR OUR FACULTY

Mike Karin P’08,’09,’12 has called Govs home for four decades, though since 2017, that “home” has looked a little different. Mike was one of three faculty members given the opportunity to move into new homes on campus, the development of which was made possible by With True Courage. The homes are an acknowledgment of some of our longesttenured staples of the Govs community. Mike, himself, has dedicated his career to every aspect of life at Govs — teaching mathematics and computer science, coaching boys and girls soccer as well as girls ice hockey, and even raising his own Govs alumni Tara ’08, Abbey ’09, and Matthew ’12 with his wife MaryEllen, former Govs Physical Education teacher, coach, and Athletic Hall of Fame inductee. And though his days of dorm parenting are over, he is still as much of a presence on campus as ever. His evenings are a bit quieter, however, as he provides academic support to students in supervised study hall.

As Director of the Bass Institute, Erika Mitkus is redesigning curriculum and forging community partnerships to incorporate principles of place-based learning into the Govs academic experience.

There are no words to describe

the impactyou made.

Every day at Govs, anything is possible.

Building a stronger annual fund is key to making a visible and lasting difference in the lives of our students. Like Miffy Wang ’24, for example.

The word “well-rounded” doesn’t do Miffy justice. She’s a head peer tutor, student organization leader, co-editor of the yearbook, and a dorm proctor. Miffy received national recognition as a first-place winner in the 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for her photo, “Marooned.” She also won the Harvard Book Prize, which is awarded to a member of the junior class who possesses a beautiful combination of intelligence, humility, and generosity. With great ambition throughout her time here, Miffy has impacted nearly every part of campus — just like The Governor’s Fund does.

The Governor’s Fund supports the full Govs experience for every member of our student community. We often call it our engine of opportunity. With the resources from our annual fund on her side, nothing will get in the way of Miffy making a difference in the world.

Miffy is not alone in her passion for the environment; she leads the Govs Green Initiative with Sophia Mikelinich ’24 and Todd Santos ’24.

GOVERNOR’S ATHLETICS

Winning takes courage.

Govs wouldn’t be complete without its tradition of athletics, and so neither would the campaign. We’ve long been playing like elite athletes. Now, we’re looking more like them, too.

The With True Courage campaign has impacted our athletic program in many ways, including our facilities and substantial funding for equipment, uniforms, and practice gear for every student. Win or lose, our athletes shine — even in rainy conditions, thanks to our new Alfond Class of 1967 Turf Field that

“Athletics matter because it’s where kids learn how to be tough, how to sacrifice for a team, and how to meet a goal together.”

CLAUDIA BARCOMB DIRECTOR OF AFTERNOON PROGRAMS AND ATHLETICS

allows us to play defense to unexpected New England weather. And with the addition of our new eight-lane Bennett H. Beach ’67 Track, we can now host major championships and compete with the best of them. As we deepen our investment in Govs Athletics, we build the confidence and performance of our student-athletes. You’ve helped us turn the heads of our competition and better showcase the athleticism and sportsmanship we’ve been bringing into every practice and game across every generation of Govs.

“A family-like atmosphere is often how I describe Govs to prospective families. Families thrive when they act together.

I am truly grateful to the Govs family members who believed in our vision, contributed to our success, and are invested in our future.”

PETER H. QUIMBY, PH.D. ’85, P’14 HEAD OF SCHOOL