SJS News

Make A Difference for Generations of Saints

In 2014, Saint James School launched its most ambitious fundraising effort, the Make A Difference Campaign, and now, nearly a decade later, the School looks to celebrate the end of the campaign in December 2023. With $47 million raised to date, several gifts in the works, and your continued support, we hope to surpass our $50 million goal.

“The response of the community to this campaign has been extraordinary, and we can only be humbled and grateful. Many alumni, past parents, and friends have taken this occasion to generously support and improve the School,” said Father Dunnan.

This generosity has allowed us to transform the campus and enhance the student experience in every way—arts, athletics, academics, and an increased financial aid budget—thanks to a stronger annual giving program and growing endowment. 

Completed capital projects include the Rocca and Young Faculty townhomes, which help Saint James to be competitive in the increasingly challenging hiring market for highly-qualified and committed faculty, and the Pohanka Fine Arts Center, the new home for music and visual arts. This visually-stunning new building is fully open for its third year, and our students are now learning, rehearsing, creating, displaying, and performing in bespoke facilities every day.

We also look forward to completing our remaining capital projects, which include the Turner Athletic Center, the Stockton Smith Fieldhouse, the new boys’ dormitory (Dunnan Hall), and renovations in the Cotton Building.

Turner Athletic Center
The rapid progress of construction on the Turner Athletic Center and the adjoining Stockton Smith Field House has created palpable excitement among the students as they see the new buildings begin to take shape, now fully bricked on the outside. Construction is progressing in two stages. The first stage is to build the new performance gymnasium and indoor turf field as well as the area that will connect the buildings with the existing Alumni Hall. That area will contain the new lobby, concessions, athletic offices, public bathrooms, physical therapy rooms, and the visiting team locker rooms. 

This first phase is expected to be done by the end of May, at which point the second phase will begin, where we renovate and repurpose the existing Alumni Hall. These renovations will include a practice basketball/volleyball gym, a new wrestling gym, and new locker rooms for the Saints. This is expected to be done when school begins next fall, and we are excited that thus far construction has been running on schedule. 

We are also happy to announce that the new performance gymnasium will be named the Barr Gymnasium in memory of Dave and Betty Barr, longtime fixtures in the SJS community, by four generous donors. The Stockton Smith Fieldhouse is named in memory of Stockton Smith, past parent and trustee, by his family. We are close to our overall goal for this project, but we still need additional support to fully fund these spectacular new facilities.

Dunnan Hall
Construction on the new boys’ dormitory is expected to begin this spring with the building expected to be completed and open in time for the start of school in August 2025. Lead donors to the project have asked that it be named Dunnan Hall to acknowledge Father Dunnan’s 32 years of service to the School. The dorm will include 34 beds, two faculty apartments, and one faculty townhome. The construction of Dunnan Hall will ease overcrowding in Claggett Hall and make the living experience much more pleasant for boys in both dorms. There are several naming opportunities still available.

Cotton Building
The Cotton Building is undergoing exciting renovations that will bring it into the 21st century. A state-of-the-art Fab Lab headlines this exciting project. The Young Fab Lab will be built where the current boys’ locker room sits, and will serve as a modern hub for technology and innovation on campus. A new dance studio, and a complete overhaul of Kellam Auditorium, including curtains, LED theatrical lighting, and a fully digital audio/visual system, are also underway. This renovated and transformed building will be a thriving center for the performing arts and technology for decades to come!

Endowment
Saint James set an ambitious goal of $12 million in new funds for the endowment in order to protect the School against the rapidly rising costs of providing a world-class education, with about $2 million to go to meet our goal. Planned giving is a growing area of support where we have received many new commitments, including pledges and bequests. It is particularly exciting to note that we have raised nearly $50 million in gifts and pledges for this campaign with up to $25 million in additional bequests for the endowment. Your gift will help to ensure that a Saint James education remains in reach for all qualified students for generations to come.

We look forward to celebrating your generosity in helping us reach this record-breaking milestone at Alumni Weekend in April!