Building Community Groundbreaking: Marshall Family Names New Building

During the Building Community Campaign Groundbreaking Ceremony, Greenhill School announced that their new Performing Arts Center would be named The Marshall Family Performing Arts Center in honor of the generous $10 million gift from the Marshall Family.
During the ceremony, the entire Greenhill community – students, faculty, parents, and alumni – gathered to celebrate the generosity of the Marshall Family and the start of construction for the new Performing Arts Center, updated and modernized dining facilities, expanded parking, and new athletics fields.Students, wearing white sunglasses, a symbol of the bright future ahead, convened on the northeast corner of campus, the site of the new Performing Arts Center. Special guests joining the ceremony included Todd Meier ’69, Mayor of the Town of Addison; Phillip G. Foote, Head of Greenhill School from 1976-1992; and Molly Fulton Seeligson ’60 and Will Fulton ‘68, daughter and son of Greenhill School founder Bernard Fulton.Head of School Scott Griggs welcomed everyone to the historic event, then introduced Tom Perryman ’81, Assistant Head of School, to share the importance of architecture on the Greenhill campus. Michael Manes, Head of Fine Arts and the longest-tenured Greenhill employee with 40 years of service on the Hill, followed Perryman. Manes shared the history of the arts at Greenhill. “I am thrilled that our students will be able to perform in a state-of-the-art facility, and I cannot wait to see what amazing creativity unfolds in the future for the arts at Greenhill,” said Manes. He then transitioned the presentation to student speakers to share their perspective on what the new buildings would mean to the campus.“During my time here, being involved in the arts has stretched my mind in ways I never could have imagined. It’s taught me how to be organized, accountable, creative, and expressive, all while having fun playing musical instruments, singing, painting and more,” said fourth-grader Johrdyn Tarpeh. Eighth-grader Lily Barnes echoed Tarpeh’s view, and senior Nick Kraus expanded on their points by noting that divisions would finally have a space where they could gather comfortably for assemblies and guest speakers.Head of School Scott Griggs then returned to the stage, asking E. Pierce Marshall, Jr. ’86, Chair of the Building Community Campaign, to join him at the podium. Earlier in year, the Marshall Heritage Foundation announced that it would be doubling its initial $5 million gift, giving a total of $10 million to the campaign, the single largest contribution in the School’s 64-year history.“The Marshall Family clearly believes in the vision of Bernard Fulton, Greenhill’s founder,” said Griggs. “With their deep ties to the School, and their incredible generosity, it gives me great pleasure to share with the Greenhill community, that the new building will be called The Marshall Family Performing Arts Center.”“Greenhill played an instrumental role in shaping me into the adult I am today, both professionally and personally,” said Marshall. “I know first-hand the magic of this community, and I am thrilled that our family, and many others, are coming together to ensure that our students will be able to pursue their passions in a space worthy of their incredible vision, creativity and talents.”As the students cheered the Marshall Family, Marshall and the campaign leadership including Peter Kraus, Board Chair; Will Rose, Board-Chair Elect; Gilian Baron, Building Community Groundbreaking Chair; as well as architects Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi; and Griggs, Manes, Perryman, and members of the Greenhill Administrative Team, picked up shovels with white bows for a ceremonial breaking of ground on the stage.The celebration closed with the Upper School Singers performing the song Home by Philip Phillips, and the entire school joining together for a boisterous rendition of Happy by Pharrel Williams.Thanks to the generosity of more than 100 donors, the school has already raised $37.7 million raised to date. The School still needs an additional $14.8 million dollars to complete this transformation project. For more information on how to participate in the campaign, visit www.greenhill.org/buildingcommunity or contact Julie Diaz, Chief Advancement Officer, at 972-628-5501.Building Community Campaign Background
Launched in the fall of 2013, the Building Community Campaign is the most ambitious campaign in the School’s history with a goal of $52.5 million. The project includes the construction of The Marshall Family Performing Arts Center with a 600-seat auditorium, a 150-seat studio theater, a dance and choral hall, a video and film production classroom, fine arts galleries and an expansive grand lobby. The project also includes refurbished dining facilities to create dining spaces for all Greenhill students, expanded parking, and two regulation-sized fields on the corner of Midway and Spring Valley Roads. Work started on the athletic fields on the corner of Spring Valley and Midway Roads in early March to ensure their completion by August 1, 2014. In May 2014, construction will start on The Marshall Family Performing Arts Center, which is slated for its Grand Opening with the start of the new school year in August 2015. The repurposing and redesign of Zale-Fields Theatre and Crossman Hall with the upgraded dining facilities will occur during the summer of 2015.