When we launched FutureMakers: The Campaign for Rivers in October 2018 it was with both excitement and trepidation. This was our first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign, and therefore, we had no blueprint for success.

I’m proud and humbled by the enthusiastic response of our community so far. Thanks to the generosity of so many of you, we have raised more than $61 million to date—putting our full strategic vision within grasp.

Your donations have allowed Rivers to fund critical goals that further our bold educational plans, create exciting new academic opportunities for our students, and infuse our community with a renewed sense of pride. Two of our most visible achievements—the construction of The Revers Center for Science and Visual Arts and our new outdoor athletic complex—have propelled the reputation of The Rivers School to new heights. The incredible work our faculty has done to provide a quality education during the pandemic has bolstered our standing even further.

People outside our community are taking notice. And our commitment to an educational philosophy built around the concept of Excellence with Humanity is winning even more admirers. The dramatic increase we’ve seen in applications to our school this year is a testament to the way we teach and to our plans for our future.

While we have made significant strides in the five years of this campaign, we are not done yet. With fewer than five months before the conclusion of FutureMakers, we have $5 million left to raise—funds that will make possible exciting new initiatives, including the revitalization of our remaining academic spaces and the launch of the McCartney Scholars Program. (You can read about these initiatives in this issue of the campaign newsletter.)

To all who have taken us this far, I thank you for your generous support—and I hope, if you are able, that you will continue your support in the final months of the campaign. To those who have yet to give, I ask you to help take this monumental campaign over the finish line. By enabling Rivers to realize all of our ambitious goals, you make it possible for our students to realize theirs.

Ned Parsons

Head of School