George School has received a $100,000 matching grant from The Edward E. Ford Foundation to support the building of a sustainable new academic facility on campus. Encompassing a learning commons and library, the building is being designed to earn gold-level certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, the national standard for environmentally friendly building design, construction, and operation.
"We are delighted to receive this grant," stated Head of School Nancy Starmer. "As an outgrowth of our commitment to Friends testimonies, George School has always been concerned with environmental stewardship. Now we are pursuing an ambitious new goal in this area—that of moving towards a position of leadership in environmental sustainability. As we align our practices with this ideal in all areas of school life, the plans for our new learning commons and library serve as a powerful illustration of the environmentally responsible future we envision. The grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation will help us to realize that future."
The building will contain a library, five classrooms, and a learning center. It will include several educational components that faculty can easily incorporate into lessons about environmental sustainability. Among the green features are the following: a geothermal heating and cooling system, rain gutters that direct storm water to rain gardens to maximize the return of storm water to the soil, a roof planted with vegetation to provide greater insulation and to absorb rain water, and gauges throughout the facility that reveal the amount of electricity and water being used at any given moment.
The Edward E. Ford Foundation issues grants for the purpose of encouraging and improving secondary education provided by independent schools in the United States. Under the terms of George School's grant, the Edward E. Ford Foundation will provide $100,000 on a matching basis, providing one dollar for every five dollars that the school raises for the facility.
The fund-raising campaign for the new building is underway, with a Green Six-City Tour taking place this fall. During the tour, alumni and friends of the school will gather to learn about the architectural plans at events in Boston (September 20, 2007), Philadelphia (September 27, 2007), New York City (October 11, 2007), San Francisco (October 23, 2007), Los Angeles (October 25, 2007), and Washington DC (November 8, 2007).
About George School
Founded in 1893 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), George School, a rigorous coed boarding and day school for grades nine through twelve, educates students from eighteen states, thirty-two foreign countries, and a variety of ethnic, racial, religious, and economic backgrounds. Through its commitment to diversity and the Quaker values of equality, integrity, and peacemaking, George School inspires students to be led by their own truths while respecting and appreciating opinions and beliefs different from their own.