OUR CAMPUSES

BB&N is, unarguably, much more than the sum of its buildings. It is a single school that has capitalized on the unique personality of each of its three campuses to match the evolving needs of children as they open the doors to adulthood. The strength of our community and the striking quality of the academic and artistic work that spills out of our classrooms are a testament to what talent, patience and imagination can achieve despite physical constraints.

However, the limitations of our buildings – especially at the Upper School – threaten to hamper our performance. As we learned from building the Nicholas Athletic Center, strategic investments in facilities can truly transform the life of the school. The time has come to make more room – room for learning and studying, rehearsing, experimenting, creating, performing. Room for asking a question or greeting a friend without getting jostled in the hall! Room enough for the truly wonderful work our faculty and students can do, together.

“If you go all the way through BB&N as a student, changing campuses is a wonderful part of the experience. As you move from the Lower to the Middle School, and then on to the Upper School, it feels as if you're moving to a new school each time. Each campus offers a different experience – and I think that's very special.” - Patricia (Tish) Biggar, Former Administrator/Athletic Director (Parent '82, '86)

Our Challenge: Making More Room for Learning

$26 million to create inspiring new spaces at the Upper School

Through our last campaign and in recent years, we have almost completed important improvements on both the Lower and Middle School campuses, from the Lower School's Science, Technology and Music Building and an upgraded 2-6 library, to the “Big Room” and expanded science, art and community spaces at the Middle School. But as our comprehensive master planning process revealed, our most pressing needs today are at the Upper School. The enhancements will be profound and transformational – and they will require financial participation from across the entire BB&N community.

With 33,000 square feet of additional space and 36,000 square feet of renovated space, the Upper School building improvements and expansion will feature a new theater, a new dining center and student commons opening onto a central courtyard, new classrooms and science lab, and a new front entrance, along with extensive new space for the visual and performing arts, faculty, and student interactions. By replacing the Upper School's current linear arrangement with a more circular one, the new design will allow the corridors to function as new community spaces and create a new “heart” to the school.

Beyond these significant new facilities and a crucial sense of “elbow room,” the Upper School campus stands to gain something absolutely vital to the future success of the school: welcoming spaces that give students, faculty and staff room to come together. As a salute to the potential of those spaces and the strength of our community as a whole, we must come together in the same spirit now to make it happen.

“I've seen the dynamic learning that occurs in the Upper School between students and teachers, and between the students themselves. Not only will the improved, modern spaces help further our academic programs, but the creation of more common areas will be an invaluable benefit to the well being of the community.” – Dr. John M. Knapp, Upper School Director