Chase Groundbreaking Ceremony

Over 500 students, faculty, staff, parents, and VIPs gathered on the Brimmer field for a Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Chase Building addition on Monday, September 12, 2016. The event marked the start of the construction on the much anticipated addition which will house a new entry, dining commons, lobby, offices, college counseling center, classrooms, innovation space, Maker space, and state-of-the-art science labs.

Festivities began as hundreds of students and faculty filed out of the academic buildings after Opening Convocation and onto the field. A special construction sign with a large rendition of the Chase Building with the new addition declared “Opening Fall 2017.”  VIPs including the Board of Trustees, the Campaign Steering Committee, Division Heads, six student leaders from all three divisions of the School, representatives from Bowdoin Construction, and the architecture firm, Perkins + Will, sat on bleachers facing the field. 

Head of School Judy Guild began the ceremony with a brief welcome and then got right to the heart of it “As Head of School it is humbling to stand here to mark the construction phase of this project because it represents a major commitment from our community and over 60 extremely generous gifts and pledges. We started this campaign less than 2 years ago in the fall of 2014 and now, because of an amazing community that believes in the mission of this school, we have raised $6.6 million of a total of $7.5 million needed for this addition! I am confident that we will raise the rest of what is needed during the construction.”  

Board Chair David Kreisler then took to the podium for the official groundbreaking. Mr. Kreisler recognized many donors and volunteers including the Trustees, the Campaign Steering Committee, the Building Committee and community members who have named spaces in the new addition. “Four years ago we started this ambitious strategic planning process and campus plan, and we knew we were taking on something bold for Brimmer and May. We are here today with the end goal in sight and full confidence that our community will step up to donate the last $900,000 needed to finalize the building while we are under construction.”

With construction hats on and shovels in place, Mr. Kreisler invited three groups to the dirt to officially break ground. Ground was overturned by the first group including himself,  Head of School Judy Guild, Development Director Elizabeth Smith, Chair of the Development Committee Kenyon Grogan ‘76, Assistant Business Manager Carol Croffy, and a representative from Bowdoin Construction and Perkins + Will. The next group consisted of Judy Guild, Assistant Head of Academic Affairs Joe Iuliano, Lower School Head Thomas Fuller, Middle School Head Carl Rapisarda-Vallely, Upper School Head Josh Neudel, and six student leaders from all divisions of the School. Finally members of the Campaign Steering Committee were invited to break ground.

Afterwards, the students and faculty enjoyed a special ground breaking snack and returned to class for the official start to a very exciting School year.
As an inclusive private school community, Brimmer welcomes students who will increase the diversity of our school. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, or any other characteristic protected from discrimination under state or federal law, in the administration of our educational policies, admissions practices, financial aid decisions, and athletic and other school-administered programs.