More than 400 members of the extended Rivers community, including faculty, parents, and alumni, gathered together at Gillette Stadium on the evening of Tuesday, October 30 to celebrate the public kickoff of a $50 million capital campaign. Called FutureMakers: The Campaign for Rivers, it is the largest fundraising campaign in the school’s history.

The high-energy, festive event featured New England Patriots-themed door prizes, performances by the Middle School Chorus, the premiere of a student-centric campaign video, and presentations by Head of School Ned Parsons P’17; President of the Board of Trustees Harley Lank P’21; Trustee and Campaign Chair Dan Kraft P’12,’15,’21; and Louise Cummings ’98, a Rivers trustee and Rivers alumna. A gallery of photos can be viewed on Smugmug. The school has already raised $36 million toward its campaign goal, money that was raised over the course of the last two years during the “quiet phase” of the campaign. These early campaign gifts made it possible for the school to begin construction of the Center for Science and Visual Arts before the campaign went public. Particularly critical to that project was a $5.4 million commitment made by Weston resident Dan Revers P’15, a member of the school’s Board of Trustees and parent of a Rivers alumnus. In addition to funding the construction of the new Center, the campaign will be used to increase the schools financial aid budget, fund the development of innovative new programs, pay for the recently completed athletic turf field, and provide more funds for faculty support. “This launch of this campaign is a milestone moment for Rivers,” says Parsons. “We have a clear vision of where we want to go as a school and of the kind of innovative educational experience we want to be able to offer our students. It is an ambitious vision that will reshape our campus, enhance our ability to attract and retain the best teachers, and enable us to make our school accessible to a more diverse community of students. This campaign will provide the financial foundation to turn our vision for Rivers into a reality.”