Lower School Building Update: “What did you do at school today?”

“We watched a tree fly and chanted ‘Let’s Go Tree!’” 100 Days until Opening.

Adding evidence to my case for having the most fun and rewarding job at FWCD, I have been lucky to be a part of many exciting moments as we near the final stages of finishing our incredible new Lower School. Whether it’s giving current junior kindergarten and kindergarten parents tours of the construction last week or being in the “bleachers” with many of our Lower Schoolers watching Charles the Chinquapin Oak (“Chuck”) soar from the parking lot, over the building and into its designated home at the center of our new courtyard, I have had lots to enjoy as the School’s next Lower School building arrives on the verge of completion.

I love that students have found ways to share their excitement as well. As Chuck (the Chinquapin) took flight, for instance, the Lower School students erupted into a variety of cheers, highlighted by “Let’s Go, Tree!” chants. Meanwhile, some of us might have been holding our breath for a completed safe transit. 

That tree has been a part of our show-and-tell about the new building for over five years. It represents a wonderful symbol of the new building’s fundamental mission: to connect our Lower School faculty, staff and students inside the building with the beautiful environment of the amazing FWCD campus outside the building, every day in every way. The oversized sliding glass doors that open from the library onto the tree’s courtyard will give us regular access to a space where the entire Lower School community will be gathering regularly for decades to come.

Parents of our first through fourth graders will be invited to a preview tour of the new space on October 17. (See a separate communication from Advancement: You can sign up for a 5 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. timeslot. We will provide child care and pizza for school-aged students. We will need you to RSVP by October 11). Those parents will get a glimpse of the final touches still in progress as we approach completion.

The Advancement team would want me to note that, through October 15, there are still opportunities for all members of our community to secure naming rights for classrooms, offices and shared spaces.

If you cannot join an in-person tour, I hope you’ll enjoy one of these linked videos (extended version or short version) created pro bono by FWCD parent Travis Guba (On The Path Productions) to get a sense of where we are in the process with 100 days until the students’ first day (Monday, January 13, 2025) in the classrooms. We can all be extremely proud of the FWCD community’s support of this project, with more than 250 families participating. Of course, no tuition dollars have been used in the project, nor will they be used. The project is funded entirely by parents, grandparents, alumni, faculty, staff, Trustees and foundations designating their support for the Forward Together Campaign specifically. Please help us, in any way you can, to raise the number of families participating in the building beyond 250.