The Power of a Vision:
Concluding the Campaign
When The Power of a Vision began, we set an ambitious $12.5 million goal and identified three primary areas of focus: The Power of Place, essential renovations to our beloved brownstones; The Power of Opportunity, generous financial aid, scholarships, and academic support for our students; and The Power of a Teacher, competitive compensation and professional development grants to attract and retain high-caliber teachers.
The renovations are complete; and the recently established, endowed Hughes/Wharton Fund for Teachers will ensure ample funding for teachers' independent intellectual pursuits. Now, we must focus on creating opportunity for students. While this commitment has been central to the campaign from the start, it is important we examine and understand what it means to our community today.
With the call for significant change by alumni/ae, students, and the larger community in the wake of the new national activism for racial equity and justice, Commonwealth School finds itself at an important inflection point. Though programs and practices have been developed to serve and support students from all backgrounds, we recognize that we have more work to do if we are to fully live up to our founding vision.
Faculty, staff, and the Board of Trustees are committed to substantive action to strengthen and deepen the school’s approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Such efforts include dedicated financial aid for students of color, expanded social/emotional and academic support for students receiving aid and coming from the Dive In program, and the hiring of a full-time, experienced Director of Diversity and Inclusion.
This work requires resources.
To date, we have raised $12.1 million for The Power of a Vision campaign.
We are just steps from our goal of $12.5 million.
Funds raised in this final chapter of the Campaign will support Opportunity, the essential work to make Commonwealth a more inclusive and supportive school.
