News About the Home of the Upper School
Click the image above to watch a video message from Rob and Giselle—live from the new Home of the Upper School's 11,000-square-foot courtyard!
Dear SAAS Community,
In October of 1983, something extraordinary occurred: SAAS students and faculty walked into school for the first day. Why is that extraordinary? Because SAAS didn’t exist a mere two months before that first day of school. Thanks to a compelling vision, an entrepreneurial mindset, and audacious resolve, SAAS went from nothing to an idea to the first day of school in a matter of months.
This September, we’ll celebrate another extraordinary moment, fueled again by a compelling vision, an entrepreneurial mindset, and a community united in audacious resolve: the Home of the Upper School will be open and operational, uniting the SAAS campus on one block.
We want to say that again, to let it sink in: the new Home of the Upper School will open ahead of schedule and under budget. Construction will be completed in the next two months, and SAAS is in full speed ahead mode to move into the building over the summer and have it open for the first day of classes on September 4.
As with any major campus project, there’s excitement about the building itself, and there are so many new features to celebrate and look forward to: the expansive outdoor courtyard; the welcoming interior community and commons spaces; purpose-built spaces for innovations and entrepreneurship, including a wood shop, clean tech shop, and metal fabrication and welding lab; music production studios that open up for performances into the outdoor courtyard; abundant natural light and classrooms designed with project-based work in mind; a state of the art kitchen that will serve the entire campus…the list goes on and on.
But while the spaces themselves are exciting, the deeper excitement centers on the many ways in which the Home of the Upper School will be a catalyst for learning and growth. Our campus will become, more than ever, a hub of connection and community. The leadership and innovation that have characterized SAAS in the past will in new and important ways extend out from SAAS into the community, and from the present far into the future.
SAAS has seen its share of amazing musicals and productions, of state championships and of successful building projects over the years. And at every great production, there are the remarkable performances on stage and amazing performances off stage – music, lights, direction, choreography, and so much more. The same is true of this project – an experienced and talented group that represents the entire community has played a vital role in bringing the vision to life, and to opening the Home of the Upper School ahead of schedule and on budget.
Over the course of the year, we’ll have many opportunities to recognize the many, diverse, and meaningful contributions that have made this project possible. And we’ll have lots of opportunities to celebrate this powerful and exciting moment in the SAAS story. Look for more information about opening celebrations, including a Grand Opening Community Celebration on October 4.
We’ll continue to share news and stories that demonstrate the impact of the building as the year unfolds – the program enhancements and features that are the product of purpose-designed spaces, the increased sense of community for Upper School students and faculty in a campus that is centered around shared spaces, and the programs that don’t yet exist but soon will as the SAAS tradition of creativity and innovation continues.
And as we share those stories, we also look forward to engaging the full community in support of the project – while the construction phase will soon be over, fundraising for the Build Bold Campaign for the Home of the Upper School will continue throughout the year. Together, we can complete the Build Bold Campaign and meet our fundraising goals, just as the community has joined together in the past to support the SAAS mission and vision, and just as the community came together back in the founding of SAAS in the fall of 1983 to go from idea to vision to reality.
We are looking forward to all that’s ahead for SAAS at this exciting time. As always, please reach out directly to headofschool@seattleacademy.org with questions about the building and what it means for kids and community, information about the financing of the projects, philanthropic support, the Build Bold campaign, and the opportunities that this moment presents for SAAS.
In partnership,
Rob Phillips Giselle Furlonge
Co-Head of School Co-Head of School
Want to watch the building take shape in real time? Click the image above to view a construction livestream of the new Home of the Upper School!