BrewsterConnections - Brewster Academy

2005-06 Annual Report
a message
From
the Head of
school
dr. michael E. Cooper
Head of School
In preparation for the annual meeting of our board of trustees, the chair of
the board’s strategic planning committee asked if I would prepare a graphic
representation of where we are with the implementation of our plan and to present
that as an update at the meeting. Being an advocate of the dictum, “a picture is
worth a thousand words,” I began the task of trying to pull together a visual
representation about how many of the initiatives identified in our plan had been
implemented. I was pleased, and surprised, to see just how far we had come in
such a short time, yet quickly realized we had a ways to go in some critical areas.
Once again it reinforced for me the importance of taking stock. That is our aim
here: to share with you what was accomplished this year and to look ahead at
what is planned for the future.
First and foremost, we ended our fiscal year with a balanced budget. Why is this
so important? Without adequate resources we could not continue to implement
our mission in the manner in which we have identified. This means not only were
we able to meet our academic program goals, we also were able to make sure our
physical plant was in the condition needed to deliver our program, house our
students, and add value to what we do. In addition, our expenses remained under
control, and we are continuing to examine ways in which we can sustain that trend,
a challenging goal given the price of energy, health care, and technology.
All that said, our fiscal challenges have not gone away. We aspire to make
continued improvements in our program and in the facilities that support it. Our
endowment remains modest in comparison to schools similar to Brewster, and we
maintain our stance that it needs to grow fivefold if we truly want to secure our
future. While a tall order, it is, nonetheless, a high priority. A result is the need for
an active fund-raising program.
There are a few highlights from this year that I’d like to mention, one of the more
significant being that we met the E.E. Ford Foundation four-to-one challenge by
raising $200,000, matched with their gift of $50,000, all in support of professional
development. In addition to the E.E. Ford Foundation challenge, a gift of $250,000
from one of our families, and an additional $25,000 from the New Hampshire
Charitable Foundation for the McDede matching gift challenge (now totaling
$50,000 for the McDede Fund), also for professional development, has put us well
on our way toward making a significant impact on this strategic initiative. The
need to increase funding to support our faculty in attaining the necessary skills to
address the needs of today’s learners, whether it is through a degree program or
workshop, is of paramount importance.
We also have spent the past year renovating and retrofitting the church property
we acquired. Our new assembly hall – Anderson Hall – is proving to be a huge
new asset for the school. When the renovations are completed we will be able to
seat just over 500. We continue to examine additional ways in which we can evolve
the hall into an even greater multi-purpose facility.
Our current and future students will feel the impact of your giving more and
more over time as the quality of our faculty and facilities continues to grow.
Thank you to the many who have supported our cause, not only in the realm of
professional development and facilities growth, but in all areas of philanthropic
support.
BrewsterConnections l Fall 2006