Three Cheers for US!

Every gift matters. These three words mean more than their length may indicate. They are similar in that way to those other three words that have come to embody so much more than their definitions—the three words that ring throughout our classrooms and auditoriums and sometimes get carved in stone, our school motto: responsibility, loyalty, consideration.  

Members of the US community have taken this motto to heart—for 133 years now—and show it with their actions, in the best way they can, every day. This past year, so many also took action in response to the "every gift matters" refrain heard as part of our Annual Fund campaign. The campaign was a resounding success, made possible by each and "every" one of those gifts, whether it was a donor's first gift, or the latest in a long line.  

The 2022-23 Annual Fund campaign surpassed its financial goals but, just as importantly, demonstrated our community's belief in our mission, teachers, and the boys who we know and love. Along with providing competitive salaries for teachers, the Annual Fund also supports faculty grants. Teachers use these grants to pursue opportunities that contribute significantly to their professional growth and lifelong learning. In turn, they share this with their students back home and with other educators around the world. 

Elizabeth Chois, Lower School Spanish teacher, used a Barry Fellowship grant to travel to Peru. She trekked the mountain trails the Incan people first cleared over 500 years ago. Señora Chois spoke with Incan farmers, who live today much like those early ancestors, in their native Quechua language. Her experiences shaped her lessons for her students and the stories and photos she brought back sparked the curiosity of her students. "The experience was valuable on so many levels. Just one is that my students saw their own teacher in a different place, with different people, stretching her own understanding and continuously learning.” 

Lisa Ulery, Director of Technology and Library Services as well as Sophomore Class Dean, traveled to the 2023 International Boys' Schools Coalition (IBSC) Conference in Auckland, New Zealand this summer. Mrs. Ulery is part of an IBSC Action Research cohort, composed of educators from Canada, England, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, focused on helping boys cultivate healthy masculinity. She presented her research project, "We Belong to Each Other: Using Kindness and Affirmation to Foster Belonging in 10th Grade Boys." She shared, "It was amazing to work with our sophomores using targeted acts of kindness and affirmation to build connection and belonging in our school community. I loved working with our boys and with this international research group." 

Annual Fund gifts make these unique experiences possible, strengthening our teachers, their connections to our students, and to the global community. We thank our community for living the US motto and understanding the power of every gift.

The 2022-23 Annual Fund campaign kicked-off in a big way on Give Day in October 2022. Raising over $1 million, it was the biggest Give Day on record, with nearly 700 donors contributing. Led by Annual Fund Chair George Holt ’93 and other dedicated volunteers, the focus on increasing participation proved successful. Students joined in the Give Day excitement, holding a Spirit Day on both campuses. The Class of 2023 led the Spirit Day action and also showed their enthusiasm with their class gift to the Annual Fund, joining and building on this long-standing senior tradition. 

Our US community worked as one to achieve a record Give Day in the fall. In the spring, spirited competition, another great US tradition, was the Annual Fund inspiration. First up was the Parent Challenge. With pizza parties for the boys on the line, current US parents did not disappoint! With more than 425 gifts received over the three-day challenge, parents showcased their support of US and dedication to the incredible teachers who shape their sons’ educational experiences. 

The Young Alumni Spirit Challenge was up next, beginning right after spring break, and they came out in force to show their spirit for their alma mater. A trivia night of friendly competition was the central event of three days that saw an outpouring of support from graduating classes across the last 20 years. We are so grateful for our young alumni community and how they have maintained such strong connections to US. Blair Cathcart ‘06 knows how important these connections are, “Alumni engagement is critical to the health of the US community and challenges like this are an opportunity to keep alumni engaged with the school and with our classmates.” 

A decade's worth of alumni 20+ years out became a team for the Decades Challenge, and completed the trifecta of challenges. There was increased participation from every decade's team from 1940 onward, and it was a strong reminder of the dedication and commitment of our entire alumni community. Whether it was the pizza, the trivia, or simply Prepper Pride, the 2022-2023 Annual Fund had the highest parent and alumni participation rates of the last seven years! 

On June 30, US donors officially surpassed the $3.5 million mark for the year, demonstrating everyone's generosity and unwavering commitment to our school. 

Contributing to this strong finish were four Class of 2023 alumni interning in the Advancement Office, working with the Annual Fund team and volunteers. Positivity and enthusiasm carried these youngest alumni through hundreds of calls and dozens upon dozens of conversations with perfect strangers. Swapping US stories with older alumni was a highlight for intern Jordan Heiser ’23, “It was cool to talk with them. Even after all these years, they all had great things to say about US. They would stay on the phone with me for five or ten minutes just telling me stories.” 

These new alumni learned a lot during their time, and cold-calling is now a skill they can list on their resume, having honed it throughout the month of calling, and calling, and calling again. By the end of the month, they were experts in making that quick connection and inspiring many gifts of all sizes. Their work to reach out to so many alumni and parents in the final moments of our campaign was our now not-so-secret secret in helping reach this year's impressive participation rates. 

The commitment shown by each of University School's donors is a gift to the present and future of this community. We are doing something incredible together. Thank you to our most important donor—you!

Returning home. Reconnecting with friends. Recalling good times and significant moments. Reunions are wonderful for so many reasons! 

This year, like all others, the enthusiasm and gifts of our Reunion classes contributed greatly to the overall increase in alumni Annual Fund participation. The Class of 1973 and the Class of 2003 more than doubled their class participation rates as they celebrated 50 and 20 years since graduation, respectively. 

We extend a special thanks to the reunion committees of all classes—the zeal and zest that you brought to this year's campaign made a real difference!