Centennial Fund for the Future
In Phase I, we continue the rapid campus upgrades we started when launching the Road to 100 Strategic Plan. Taking the wall down between rooms 29 and 30, we’ll create a spacious Engineering and Robotics Lab. Imagine entering the school, with the new Mike Ricatto Lab on your left and a state-of-the-art Robotics Lab on the right. Here, students will take STEM to the next level with sophisticated technology, advanced computer science, and design using tools like 3D printers and laser cutters. This Phase also includes the reimagining of the Roberts Library. This is the heart of the school, and it is time to upgrade it, so it may serve as a future-focused media center where students learn 21st century skills using 21st century tools. Finally, to complement all this work focused on the future, this phase also includes the historic preservation of our original schoolhouse. The entrance and main hall, has welcomed students since 1927 and repairing it helps pay tribute to our past.
In Phase II, we will further enhance the large gathering common spaces of the Poll Dining Room and the Courtyard. We imagine a renovation of the Poll Dining Room that includes flexible seating, service stations focused on sustainability, and a new kitchen that includes a teaching area for students to explore culinary arts. Stepping out of the Dining Room, one enters a reimagined Courtyard where students and staff enjoy a peaceful sanctuary with four season seating and an outdoor performance space. The Courtyard will be decked and planted with an eye on ground water management and a focus on flora indigenous to Queens. In addition to these large communal areas, this phase will include upgrades to infrastructure and WIFI, the installation of Smart TVs in every classroom and tripling the number of devices for students and staff.
In the final phase of our campaign, we look again to common spaces. For generations, Garden has imagined a rooftop play space on the Lower Division building and we intend to bring this dream to life. More than just a playground, this area will include an outdoor science lab with partial cover, teaching station, and seating. This space, overlooking Travers Park, will serve multiple purposes with equipment for play and learning. Looking North from the rooftop, you find our next focus, a new pool. The pool was an important investment decades ago and it is time to replace it and enhance the area with new decking, partial covering for three-season use, and changing rooms. Then over on the other side of campus, we will wrap the campaign up by replacing the front playground, blacktop, and basketball court.
Campaign Giving Levels
| Visionary | $25,000+ |
| Change Maker | $15,000+ |
| Innovator | $10,000+ |
| Cultivator | $5,000+ |
| Pioneer | $1,000+ |
| Explorer | $1 – $999 |
To learn more about how you can contribute to the Campaign, contact Kat Sullivan, Assistant Head of School for Advancement by phone (718) 335.6363 or by email ksullivan@gardenschool.org.
Ways to Give to the Centennial Fund for the Future
Garden School accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Please click here to make your donation.
If you wish to donate by check, please make checks payable to:
Garden School
c/o Centennial Fund for the Future
33-16 79th Street
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
Many corporations offer matching gift programs that can double or triple the value of your gift to Garden! Many employers will also match contributions by spouses, retirees, and trustees. Please contact your HR or Community Relations department office for eligibility information and matching gift forms.
Securities such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds not only make a wonderful gift but the tax savings to the donor can be significant. If you are interested in donating appreciated securities please contact the Advancement Team.
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Advancement Team
Chris Herman, Head of School
Kat Sullivan, Assistant Head of School for Advancement
Jennifer Durst, Board Member, Development Committee Chair
Jefry Taveras, Communications & Advancement Associate
Garden School, is a registered 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization (Tax ID #11-1631783). Contributions made to Garden School are tax deductible as allowed by law. Unless otherwise noted, there was no exchange of goods and/or services in connection with this financial gift.
