The 10^th Anniversary Campaign

Ensuring Our Future

Our Mission and Vision

Bishop Seabury Academy has a proven track record of excellence.  No school before Bishop Seabury Academy had ever been accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) within three years of its founding.  That success occurred in 2000.  Then in the spring of 2002 the Academy launched a capital campaign for a new campus.  That campaign garnered 2.7 million dollars, making it the most successful non-KU, private campaign in the history of Lawrence. 

How has Bishop Seabury Academy accomplished such remarkable success in its short history?  A singular commitment to its mission:  Promoting individual academic growth and character development through an excellent education rooted in moral principles. 

Bishop Seabury Academy was founded by individuals who wanted their children to be challenged and supported to fulfill their potential.  They wanted their children to be educated in an environment which taught and promoted ethical behavior.  They had a vision of a different kind of school, as evident in our Vision Statement: 

Bishop Seabury Academy will provide a supportive environment in which students are encouraged to explore their potential.  Therefore, the Academy will: 

-         nurture and challenge the intellectual curiosity and creativity of students through a core curriculum dedicated to the humanities, math and science, and foreign language;

-         be committed to each individual’s academic growth and spiritual awareness;

-         encourage participation in, and appreciation of, the fine arts;

-         advocate sportsmanship and support participation in competitive athletic programs;

-         promote a sense of responsibility for self and respect for others as members of the community.

The vision of Bishop Seabury Academy’s founders has become a reality.  It was embraced by the founding faculty and has been re-affirmed by the Trustees and faculty over the years.  Trustees and teachers alike are committed to making Bishop Seabury Academy a school which provides the best possible education and provides moral formation for the leaders of the future. 

As an Episcopal school inspired by the Judeo-Christian moral culture, the Academy is called to provide an atmosphere in which there is an appreciation for the diversity and values of all religious traditions and beliefs.  There is a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.  Ten percent of the annual operating budget is devoted to tuition assistance.  Currently, 22 % of students receive financial aid.  The result is a rich diversity in race, gender, religious tradition, and culture.  Equality is reinforced through the curriculum, dress code, assigned lunch seating, work duties and community service.

It is the commitment to excellence and the commitment to teaching students how to live in a community which promotes self-respect, respect for others, and the valuing of differences which makes Bishop Seabury Academy such a unique place.  These commitments are held in common by the parents, the Trustees, the Head of School, and the Faculty. 

A Growing School

Bishop Seabury Academy opened its doors in the fall of 1997 with 30 students in grades 7 and 8 in the former Kaw Valley elementary school one mile east of Lawrence.  The school now enrolls 125 students in grades 7-12.  In August of 2003, the Academy moved from its founding site into the former Alvamar Racquet Club at 4120 Clinton Parkway.  The new facility doubled our total space and allowed for significant improvements in both the academic and extra-curricular programs.  The school now has a well-equipped modern science lab, a gym with regulation basketball and volleyball courts, a large and attractive stage, and twelve large classrooms.  The location in the center of town on a major thoroughfare has increased our visibility and accessibility and has played an important role in our recent growth. 

The school has graduated fifty-six students who have been accepted to fifty-nine colleges and universities across the country.  The school now offers ten AP courses; nine varsity sports teams and six junior high sports programs; five dramatic productions per year plus a Variety Show and a highly competitive forensics program; a bi-weekly newspaper and a yearbook, and choirs for both upper and lower schools as well as a pep band and dance team.  Student organizations include the Student Senate, Student Vestry, International Club, Seabury Outdoor Society, and a variety of smaller special interest clubs.    

Growing Pains

Because of its success, Bishop Seabury Academy now confronts new challenges.  We need more classroom space.  We also need space designed for and dedicated to the arts.  The current visual art room is far too small and is completely inadequate for our art students and the different media in which they work.  The school lacks dedicated space for performing arts rehearsal, which hampers both the music and theatre programs.  It is also imperative that we upgrade the heating and provide air conditioning for the gymnasium-auditorium.  Even more importantly, the roof on the main building is currently six years past its expected life and is in the beginning stages of failure.  The City of Lawrence requires us to curb and gutter the parking lot.  Finally, we must turn our attention to the “little building” or “annex” which is located on the west side of the parking lot.  Not only is that building unattractive—many would call it an eyesore—it was also very poorly built and was not well-maintained prior to our purchase of the property.  The basement has flooded so often as to render it useless, the siding is rotting in several places, the roof leaks in multiple places, and there is no sprinkler system.  Although that building has quite a bit of space, these other issues render that space almost worthless in terms of student programming.  Given its poor construction and design, the Trustees have always considered that it would be far better to replace the building than repair it.

Bishop Seabury Academy challenges its students to pursue excellence and to explore their potential.  Our Vision Statement makes clear our commitment to the fine arts as a part of our core curriculum.  For our students to be the best they can be and discover all their talents, we must provide them with the facilities which allow that.  Therefore, when the Trustees adopted a new Strategic Plan in fall of 2006, addressing these space and maintenance needs was a very high priority.  As we look to our tenth anniversary and celebrate becoming a permanent part of the educational landscape of Lawrence, we must create the opportunities to increase the quality of our programs and continue to grow.

A Powerful Opportunity to Ensure the Future

As the Board of Trustees pondered our needs and considered undertaking a campaign to celebrate our Tenth Anniversary, an exciting opportunity developed.  A Seabury grandparent who supported the idea of a new building to house the fine arts and other academic programs offered a matching challenge grant of $500,000.  That is, the donor will match every gift pledged to this capital campaign up to half a million dollars—donors have the opportunity to have their gifts doubled!  This is a powerful pledge of support for Bishop Seabury Academy, for which the Board of Trustees is truly thankful, and it is with this pledge of support that the Trustees launch the 10^th Anniversary Campaign--ensuring our future and celebrating ten years of excellence!      

The purpose and scope of this Campaign will address the various existing needs and will put the school on a strong course to ensure our future.  The priorities will be to replace the existing “annex” with a new building which will contain a visual arts room, a performing arts room, and academic classrooms.  This new building will be built on the existing footprint of the annex and will create an architectural identity for our school.  In addition, the campaign will upgrade the existing main building with urgent roof repairs and climate control in the gymnasium.   The parking lot will be curbed, guttered, and repaved.   

The goal for the Campaign to Ensure the Future is $1,500,000, and the Trustees have identified the following projects: 

Ø      New Fine Arts and Academic Classroom Building               $800,000

Ø      Roof Replacement and Parking Lot Improvements                500,000

Ø      Gymnasium Heating and Cooling                                          100,000

Ø      Furnishings, carrying costs, contingencies                             100,000*

Ways to Give

 Gifts of all kinds to Bishop Seabury Academy will be gratefully accepted.  Bishop Seabury Academy is a 501 (c) (3) institution, toward which gifts are deductible for personal or corporate tax purposes to the fullest extent of the law.  The tax laws change from year to year.  You should consult your attorney, accountant, or financial manager to obtain accurate current information about tax deductions.  Pledges may be extended over a period of up to three years.   

Gifts of cash are the most common method.  Your check should be made payable to Bishop Seabury Academy. 

You may deduct the full fair market value and avoid capital gain tax with a gift of appreciated securities or other non-cash assets.   Registered securities with a gift letter should be delivered unassigned to Bishop Seabury Academy.  Stock or bond powers with your signature medallion guaranteed by your bank or broker should be sent separately.  Or you may instruct your broker to contact the Academy for instructions.  Do not sell securities prior to contacting the Academy in order to ensure your tax deduction.  Contact the Academy to discuss gifts of non-cash assets.  

Current life insurance policies you own and no longer need may be assigned to the Academy as owner and beneficiary.  Your tax deduction is approximately equal to the policy’s cash value.  The Academy will surrender the policy for its cash value.

Many corporations offer matching contributions for the charitable donations of their employees.  Please check with your employer to see if it has such an opportunity for you to multiply your contribution.  To the extent that your employer requires documentation to substantiate your contributions, we will gladly assist in the preparation of the documents.  Please contact Development Director Ellen Casagrande for assistance.

The Academy welcomes gifts in honor or in memory of someone you love.  The Annual Report and any public recognition documents will indicate individuals who are being honored in this way. 

If you have any questions about how to structure a gift or if you have any questions about the Campaign in general, please contact Campaign Chair Greg Silvers at gregs@eprkc.com or Head of School Don Schawang at (785) 832-1717

Naming Opportunities

New Building                $500,000 (successfully met)

Basketball Court           $100,000

Art Room                     $100,000

Music Room                 $100,000

Classroom                    $50,000

Individual Office           $25,000

(These opportunities are illustrative; other naming opportunities may become available as plans are finalized.)

All gifts of $10,000 or higher will be recognized on a major donors plaque.

Leadership 

Bishop Seabury Academy Board of Trustees

Beth Stella, President
Don Schawang, Head of School

Reed Dillon

Megan Edwards

Kim Gardner

Susan Gibbs, BSAP President

Stephen Hill

Bob Honse

The Rev. Jonathan Jensen

Teresa King

Armin Landis

The Rev. John Macauley

John Parker

Dan Sabatini

Todd Sutherland

The Rt. Rev. Dean Wolfe

Capital Campaign Committee

Kevin Barone

Chris Claflin

Reed Dillon

Megan Edwards

Stephen Hill

John Parker

Kelsy Schimmel

Greg Silvers, Chair

Todd Sutherland