Church Farm School held a campus dedication ceremony on Saturday, October 16 to celebrate the completion of its $15.5M campus modernization project. The project was supported by the Capital Campaign “For the Boys,” which raised $6.7M, more than $200,000 over goal. The dedication ceremony, part of Parents’ Weekend 2021, featured prayers by Head of School The Reverend Edmund K. Sherrill II, music by the CFS Choir and remarks by Board Chair and President Matthew Burns P’10 and Student Body President Frangel Soriano ’22. A ribbon-cutting ceremony included two families who lent significant financial support for the project; Peter Hamilton representing the Hamilton family and Caroline Buck Rogers representing the Buck family. You can view the full photo gallery from the ceremony here. Videos are on YouTube.
The project, which broke ground in spring 2019 and was completed in summer 2020, has transformed the school in three key areas: functionality, accessibility and safety. The school’s entrance is reoriented to the south through an addition to the school’s main academic building, Greystock Hall. The addition, with the Hamilton Family Atrium as its centerpiece, houses the Head of School and Admission offices, a Dining Center expansion and terrace, an executive boardroom and an elevator, making the building fully ADA-compliant. The tunnel beneath Route 30 connecting the south and north campuses now enters directly into a new Student Life area, one of many new gathering and collaboration spaces that were part of the project. Another significant enhancement is the conversion of a former transportation garage and woodshop into the Buck Family Center for the Arts. The bright, modern building features state-of-the-art spaces in support of the program, which includes choir, band, digital photography, piano, music tech, clay, painting and much more. Finally, a new road, Shreiner Way, creates an entrance and exit from the school from Valley Creek Boulevard. Designers for the project were Voith and Mactavish Architects and Chester Valley Engineers. Construction was provided by H.L. Wiker Inc. and CH&E Construction, both of Lancaster, PA. Watchdog Project Management oversaw the project.
Says CFS Director of Development Jon Knorr, “Exceeding your Capital Campaign goal in any given year is always a great achievement. Exceeding it during a pandemic is nothing short of extraordinary. This is a statement by our donors who truly believe we are preparing young men to lead productive and fulfilling lives. We are particularly grateful to our Board of Directors and our Capital Campaign Taskforce, led by co-chairs John Bellis, Jr. and the late Richard Gherst.”
“The ‘wow’ factor of the many new and exciting spaces is evident in the eyes and skip in the step of our students. From the new Buck Family Center for the Arts and Hamilton Atrium that welcome all into a new entranceway, to the Gina Bissell Student Center and other spacious gathering spaces, we are taking great delight in the educational opportunities these spaces will provide to connect us more deeply and vibrantly. Church Farm School is blessed by a community supporting our students’ future, and we are exceedingly grateful for this profound belief and remarkable gift,” says Head of School The Rev. Edmund K. Sherrill II.
Church Farm School is fully open for the 2021-2022 school year, with 100% of its faculty, staff and students vaccinated. The private boarding and day high school for boys is now accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Learn more about the school and its mission of providing a financially accessible college prep education to high-achieving young men at www.gocfs.net.