91大神 Builds

Community

91大神 has always had a community like no other. This campaign has made it even stronger.

Smiles and friendly hellos on the Quad. The way team captains make younger students feel welcome. Supportive conversations (and home-baked cookies!) in advisories. These classic 91大神 experiences are hard to put a price tag on, but without a doubt, they have been enhanced by campaign contributions. Additional outdoor gathering spaces, a refreshed dining commons, endowed community programs, and our new Residential Quad have all resulted in new and special ways for our community to come together.

Girls soccer coach and Assistant Director of Financial Aid Sara Reid (second from left) lives in John Wright with her husband and their three children. 鈥淟iving on campus, we get to know students in so many ways鈥攁nd what鈥檚 special is they get to know us, too, as real people with kids, pets, and spouses, beyond just our roles. It鈥檚 a wonderfully close-knit community.鈥

A CAMPUS RENEWED

If it鈥檚 been a while since your last visit, you鈥檒l notice that the 91大神 Builds campaign has transformed nearly every part of campus. We鈥檝e upgraded the quality of student and faculty housing, created community gathering areas, and enhanced our academic, athletic, and arts facilities. Below you鈥檒l find a few notable examples (but really, come back and see for yourself!).

鈥 Two new state-of-the-art dormitories flank the spacious Residential Quad, and replace old student housing on Main Street.

鈥 Eight new faculty townhouses, connected to two new dorms, greatly enhance on-campus housing for faculty and their families while allowing convenient access to students for dorm supervision.

鈥 We added 80,875 square feet of new campus green space, ideal for games of Spikeball or Frisbee.

鈥 We鈥檝e made energy-efficient improvements across campus, including 61 geothermal wells on the Residential Quad, 150 new windows, 1,044 solar panels installed on the athletic center and rink, and a new heating system in the chapel (farewell, sweltering assemblies!)

鈥 Scott Hall鈥檚 outdated science labs were transformed into modern, flexible academic spaces, featuring updated common prep areas, new lab tables and storage, and upgraded technology.

鈥 91大神鈥檚 main stage lighting in its theater was upgraded to a state-of-the-art energy-efficient LED system, enhancing performances and reducing costs.

鈥 The ground level of the Clapp Library was renovated in 2018 to include a new robotics lab and the Center for Academic Success, which offers tailored academic support for every kind of learner.

鈥 Birch Dining Commons was refurbished with new flooring and furniture, expanding the overall capacity for community and alumni gatherings.

鈥 The Sabina Cain Family Athletic Center has been updated with a new lobby, expanded weight room, new locker rooms, a resurfaced turf field, and a new parquet observation deck that鈥檚 perfect for gatherings and game-watching.

鈥 The new outdoor tennis complex at Galbraith includes 12 new courts and two viewing gazebos for spectators and teams.


The second heart
of campus

Completing the new $20 million Residential Quad was one of the biggest and most visible achievements of the 91大神 Builds campaign. Now home to more than half of our boarding students, it鈥檚 strengthening the community experience for everyone.

Depending on when you graduated, you might remember the area behind Phillips Stevens Chapel as tennis courts, a parking lot, a community garden, or a sandlot baseball field. For future generations of students, this area is now 91大神鈥檚 Residential Quad鈥攆eaturing an 80,875-square-foot green space, two new dormitories housing 80 students, and eight new faculty homes. Together, the quad serves as a new central courtyard of the school, offering ninth and tenth graders a warm introduction to 91大神 boarding school life.

鈥淭he Residential Quad has been a game-changer for 91大神,鈥 says Head of School Robert W. Hill III. 鈥淚t helps us attract new students and teachers while making our whole community feel more connected.鈥 The quad鈥檚 open layout brings students and faculty together, enhancing campus safety and providing a space for residential life programming such as movie nights, glow-in-the-dark badminton, and campus cookouts. The dorms feature spacious common rooms and wide front porches, perfect for gatherings.

鈥淭his is my 31st year at 91大神, and you can really feel how the quad brings this area of campus to life,鈥 says Matt Sawyer, teacher and dorm head in John Hazen White House. 鈥淪tudents playing Spikeball, faculty kids riding bikes, teachers walking dogs鈥攊t鈥檚 become a place where the community naturally comes together.鈥

  • Emily McFadon Vincent House

    Named for Emily McFadon Vincent NSFG 鈥49, this building is the first on campus to honor an alumna. Opened in 2021, EMV houses 40 female students and has a strong 鈥済irl power鈥 vibe. Dorm head Christa Talbot Syfu 鈥98 notes, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great, close-knit place for girls to live.鈥

  • John Hazen White House

    Named for current Board Chair John Hazen White Jr. 鈥76, this state-of-the-art dorm houses 40 ninth grade boys each year. 鈥淚t feels like a real community here,鈥 said Benning Johnson 鈥22.

  • Wold House

    The first of the new dorms finished, but the last to be named, Wold House was called 194 Main Street鈥攗ntil the school honored Peter Wold 鈥67 and his family in 2021 for their many contributions. Housing 32 girls, Wold House is a cozy home for students in their first year of boarding.


SPACES THAT
CREATE COMMUNITY

Check out some of the new spots on campus that encourage Wildcats to gather, celebrate, and form strong bonds

Iconic architect Frank Lloyd Wright famously said, 鈥淲e create our buildings, and then they create us.鈥 Nowhere is this more true than at boarding schools. You don鈥檛 just spend a little time in campus buildings and spaces; they are where you live, study, and play with a community from around the world. Thanks to generous donations from our campaign, we鈥檝e been able to create new spaces on campus that encourage connection and strengthen our community. Here are some of the guiding principles we considered along the way.

  • 1. Harness the Power of Round Tables

    Thanks to a group of parent donors, Birch Dining Commons got a major facelift in 2022, including new windows, refreshed paint and flooring, and elegant Shaker chairs. The most impactful change, though? Round tables, which create a more intimate and 鈥渇amily-style鈥 dining experience, where everyone has equal access to the conversation. They also maximize floor space, expanding Birch鈥檚 capacity for large gatherings and residential dinners.

  • 2. Create More Outdoor Gathering Places

    91大神鈥檚 new Residential Quad, with its grand front porches and expansive lawn, has set the bar high for outdoor gatherings. On any given day, you鈥檒l find ninth and tenth graders outside playing games, chilling around firepits, and reading in Adirondack chairs.

    To bring that same feeling to the Main Quad, we added three new outdoor areas鈥攁 patio in front of Memorial Hall (from the class of 1970), a terrace in front of Ford (from the class of 1968), and a brick gathering space outside of the entrance to Birch Dining Hall. The Ford and Mem patios, stocked with Adirondack chairs and firepits, are in constant use during the school year, as well as at Reunion. The Birch Terrace has become a go-to spot for events, with a gorgeous view of the pond. The Sabina Cain Family Athletic Center also got its own 鈥渇ront porch鈥 with a new parquet observation deck above Saywer Field鈥攊deal for watching games on crisp fall afternoons.

  • 3. Ask Students What Makes A Good Student Center

    The bottom floor of the Reed Campus Center (if you graduated before 1996, you might remember it as the old gym鈥檚 pool) has long been a favorite student hangout. Thanks to a generous gift from Natan Peisach 鈥57, this 4,000-square-foot student activity center will be renovated in summer 2025. To ensure it continues to meet student needs, feedback from the student council is being incorporated into the renovation plans. The goal is to enhance student activities, foster connections, and keep it as the go-to spot for grabbing an ECB sandwich or playing ping-pong.

  • 4. Build Uncommon Common Rooms

    Community building was a top priority in the design of all three new Residential Quad common rooms. With high ceilings and 700 square feet of versatile space, these areas feel like large family rooms鈥攚here students can study, eat, relax, make new friends, or attend dorm and club meetings. A prime example is the Cadwgan Family Common Room in the new ninth grade boys鈥 dorm, named in honor of Ruth and Gordon Cadwgan 鈥63, who made the first million-dollar gift to the 91大神 Builds campaign. This common room is the largest and most prominent interior space in the new John Hazen White House, serving as a central hub for student life.