March 9, 2021
BALTIMORE, Maryland – Calvert School, a coeducational independent school serving Kindergarten through Eighth Grade, is pleased to announce the public launch of the Calvert 125 campaign: Foundation for a lifetime in honor of the School’s founding year.
This ambitious fundraising campaign began with a $12.5 million goal, and with its initial successes and in response to the challenges brought by COVID-19, it has expanded to $14.5 million. The fourth capital campaign since Calvert opened its doors in 1897, Calvert 125 will have a transformational impact on the School.
Faculty excellence and the student experience are at the heart of this campaign. The priorities of this historic effort will expand opportunities in teaching and learning, sustain need-based financial aid, and support a new athletic center.
Led by Ben ’52 and Wendy Griswold, Calvert 125 launched virtually today, March 10, with an online event that welcomed more than 200 registered guests.
“When we first planned this campaign, we had no way of knowing the road that lay ahead with COVID-19 and our successful work in bringing our children fully back to campus this school year,” Head Master Andrew Holmgren said. “This campaign calls on us to identify who we are as a school and who we will be in the next century for our students.”
As Holmgren described, the campaign will allow the School to:
Prepare future leaders by endowing the Institute for Leadership & Purpose;
Provide a Calvert education for all deserving children by strengthening financial aid endowment;
Provide Calvert’s faculty the resources they need to ensure Calvert’s students receive the best possible education and respond quickly to today’s most urgent challenges, including COVID-19; and
Build a dedicated athletic facility for the first time in Calvert’s history.
“After careful consideration and years of planning, the Board unanimously approved launching a capital campaign to solidify Calvert’s position as the leader K-8 education in the Baltimore area,” Board of Trustees Chairman Ward Classen ’71 said.
Early Support
More than 100 donors made financial commitments of $10,000 or more in the less than two years leading up to the public announcement, representing a vote of confidence in the School and the direction it is taking. Because of this early progress, Calvert will – for the first time in its history – have a dedicated athletic center. Groundbreaking took place at the launch event today, and construction will begin this spring.
Jack Luetkemeyer ’53 generously provided a $2.5 million matching challenge gift to build the athletic center. In recognition of this extraordinary gift, the new building will be named the Luetkemeyer Athletic Center. It will include an indoor turfed space, 10 squash courts to satisfy the demands of Calvert’s most popular sport, and a student and faculty training center.
In recent years, Calvert has increased financial aid and established an endowment for the Institute for Leadership & Purpose. Early investments in the campaign provided critical operating support that allowed Calvert to be the only school in the Baltimore area to provide a full year of in-class learning during the global pandemic.
Looking Ahead
The entire Calvert community, including current and former families and more than 3,300 alumni from around the world, are invited to help the School reach its ambitious goal of $14.5 million. With the approach of Calvert School’s 125th academic year, Calvert 125 will seek permanent funding for the major initiatives the School has taken to improve the student experience and ensure that a Calvert education remains available to students regardless of their families’ financial resources.
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For more information, please contact Sarah Walton, Calvert School Director of Development, at 410-243-6054, ext. 141.
