PDS Charging Forward – Ain’t No Stopping Us Now

Monday, September 21, 2015, was the day that history was made on our campus. With 750 attendees in the Mosack Athletic Center, we launched the public phase of our Charging Forward Campaign.

Charging Forward is a comprehensive capital campaign that supports an active and balanced learning environment with state-of-the-art facilities that positively impact academics and enhance student learning and improve school safety and security. The campaign will also double our endowment and grow the Annual Fund.

This is a remarkable period for our PD family. We are surrounded by folks who remember when Providence Day was a single building. We are surrounded by Charger Alumni, who are a testament to the transformational impact of a PDS education. Each day our current families — and especially our children — light up our lives in classrooms, the stage, and our athletic fields. I see grandparents who are the bedrock of our PD village.

We are guided and motivated by our beloved faculty and staff, who are the ‘secret in the sauce’ at PDS. They give their all in the classroom without fail, and they are also supporting the school philanthropically with overwhelming generosity.

Now is the hour! It is time to write the next chapter in our history. We will add 80,000 square feet of teaching and learning space. Our Admissions and College Guidance offices will be based in the new Campus Gateway building. A split-level parking deck will address student and pedestrian safety. Fiscal sustainability will also be bolstered as we increase our endowment and grow our Annual Fund. This will ensure that PDS will be able to offer a life-changing educational experience to future generations of students.

So, we are Charging Forward into a $27 million comprehensive campaign. The big reveal by our National Campaign Chair, Cathy Bessant, was amazing. The excitement was built step-by-step, drum roll, music,…we have raised over $15 million in the past two years.

The quiet phase was just plain old noisy; the public phase is here! Chargers will not back down, we will reach our goal as we do everything here: planned, supported, methodically and joyously, and must importantly, together.

You can track our progress on this transformational journey at pdschargingfor.wpengine.com.

Go Chargers!!!

Originally posted on September 24, 2015 on Dr. Cowlishaw’s blog.