ISS Launches Largest Capital Campaign in School's History

More than 300 Indian Springs School students, faculty, alumni, and friends gathered on the ISS campus Friday to celebrate the public launch of the $20 million Campaign for Springs Eternal, the largest capital campaign in the school’s history.

At a ceremony that kicked off Alumni Weekend 2014 festivities, ISS Director Gareth Vaughan, Board Chair Libby Pantazis, and Campaign Co-Chair and alumnus Rusty Rushton ’74 announced that the school will begin construction this summer on new classrooms and will continue planning for a new dining hall and new arts center to support and enhance the excellence of all programs and student life at the nationally recognized boarding and day school for grades 8-12.

Vaughan revealed that because of the generosity of more than 100 alumni, parents of alumni, and current parents during the Campaign’s silent phase (September 2013 to early April 2014), commitments of about $15 million—75% of the fundraising goal—have been secured over the next five years.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be able to usher in this next chapter in Indian Springs School history,” said Vaughan. “The passion and dedication that we are witnessing from the ISS community will give our students the tools they need to succeed in an increasingly global world and provide our world-class faculty a state-of-the-art stage on which to shine.”

Lead gifts have come from Gillian and Mike Goodrich ’63, Cecilia Matthews and the Estate of Alan Matthews ’68, Mary and Rob Henrikson ’65, and parents of alumni Judy and Hal Abroms, said Pantazis. “On behalf of the Board, I offer my deep appreciation to those who remember the importance of Indian Springs School in their own lives, to those who value the role of the school in the lives of their children and grandchildren, and to those who continue to make it a priority,” she said. “You ensure the school’s place for future generations.”

The Campaign for Springs Eternal was created in response to Indian Springs School’s new Campus Master Plan, which identifies the need to replace or modernize aging buildings dating from 1952, when the school opened its doors. Prepared by internationally recognized architects ArchitectureWorks, LLP, of Birmingham and Lake|Flato Architects of San Antonio with input from a wide range of ISS constituents—Board members, alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, and friends—the proposed plan impacts a large portion of the school campus and comprises three phases.

The proposed plan includes a) modernizing the campus and classrooms to accommodate emerging technologies for greater flexibility and global connectivity; b) replacing the current dining hall with a new dining hall that includes an outdoor dining area, new appliances, and flexibility to accommodate groups of various sizes; and c) creating a new arts center that features art studios, an art gallery, and an outdoor art yard at the heart of the campus. Plan highlights include:

Classrooms
  • Removing 6 classrooms
  • Adding 15 new classrooms (for a total of 22)
  • Building a new administration building
  • Renovating the library
Dining Hall
  • Replacing the current dining hall with a new one
  • Getting new appliances
  • Creating outdoor dining
Arts Center
  • Replacing 7 existing classrooms with new ones
  • Removing 3 existing art studios
  • Building 5 new art studios
  • Renovating music practice rooms
Construction on the classrooms phase is scheduled to begin in summer 2014. The timing and details for the arts center and dining hall phases will be finalized by the Indian Springs School Board of Governors later this year as fundraising continues.

“The firms we’ve chosen absolutely recognize the unique character of the school—the new buildings will be beautiful yet modest and part of the natural landscape,” said Vaughan. “We will be honoring the original architecture and respecting our connection to the outdoors.”

Rushton, who is Associate Director of the University Honors Program at UAB, believes that "the learning environments we provide for our bright young students must be consciously geared toward the increasingly global reality in which we now live and work" and that, "for this to be the case, our curricula must reflect a serious engagement with interdisciplinary studies; our campuses—certainly our classrooms—must be able to accommodate new innovations in technology; and our administrators need to be watchful of trends in and possible opportunities for distance learning. Indian Springs has always been a haven for intellectual growth and exploration. The campus upgrades we're initiating will help us raise the physical components of our academic provision to the standard of our already exceptional program.”

Vaughan asked the entire Indian Springs community—alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends—to join together in making a commitment to the Campaign, which will continue through 2018. To learn more and view the short Campaign for Springs Eternal video, visit ISSspringseternal.org.
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190 Woodward Drive, Indian Springs, Alabama 35124
Phone: 205.988.3350
Indian Springs School, an independent school recognized nationally as a leader in boarding and day education for grades 8-12, serves a talented and diverse student body and offers admission to qualified students regardless of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Located in Indian Springs, Alabama, just south of Birmingham, the school does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, ethnicity, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, or athletic and other school-administered programs.

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