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| Contact: Karla K. Wigley, Director of Development
Office: (214) 353-5808
Email: wigleyk@esdallas.org
EPISCOPAL SCHOOL OF DALLAS ANNOUNCES MILESTONE
First $5 million gift in School’s history slated for Wellness
(Dallas, TX – January 22, 2008) The Episcopal School of Dallas has announced the largest single gift in the School’s history – $5 million from the Ross and Margot Perot Family – to establish the lead gift to construct the new Athletic and Wellness Center alongside a Dining Commons.
Founding Rector and Headmaster the Reverend Stephen B. Swann stated “The Perot family has been devoted to ESD for decades. This gift signifies their commitment for the future of our mission. I am profoundly grateful to the Perots for this gift.”
The Perot Family gift is a milestone for Episcopal School of Dallas. “The Perot’s dedication to our mission is nothing short of transformational for the life of our school and our ability to provide the best education possible,” stated Father Swann. “The Perot daughters were instrumental in the construction of All Saints Chapel. We are grateful that the family, once again, has stepped forward to help.” According to Suzanne Perot McGee, this was a natural fit, “It is important to support the institutions that have shaped our lives. No other institution will have a greater impact on the members of the Perot family, as 17 members of our family have been educated at ESD or its predecessor, the St. Michael’s School.”
Daryl Johnston, ESD parent and the Wellness for Life Campaign Chairman, leads the $30 million building project which includes two facilities: an Athletic and Wellness Center and a Dining Commons which will also house auxiliary offices. As of January 22, leadership gifts total $17.1 million.
The 60,000 square foot Athletic and Wellness Center will include a competition gymnasium, indoor running track, strength and conditioning, as well as cardio work-out rooms, sports medicine facilities, a multi-purpose dance studio, expanded locker rooms, a team room and coaching offices, campus bookstore, concessions, and equipment storage.
The new Dining Commons will provide a 400-seat dining room overlooking the school’s spring-fed quarry, an innovative kitchen and meal serving area, and offices for school auxiliary services. In the new facility, the innovative design will allow for a variety of food stations, including “scatter stations,” where students customize their selections from an array of choices, and “action stations,” where students watch their food being cooked, perhaps on an outdoor wood-burning oven. The kitchen will serve as a “laboratory” where students and parents can learn from nutritional experts and professional chefs. Parents and students may also have the opportunity to go online and preselect their menu choices. Nutrition-based curriculum will continue to be integrated into the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools, under the guidance of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center and the newly formed ESD Nutrition Curriculum Committee. The ultimate goal is to influence the community long after they graduate.
“We aren’t suggesting that we shouldn’t eat macaroni and cheese,” offers Mr. Johnston, ” We are saying that we need to pay attention to the quality of the ingredients that goes into our food and try to limit the amount of processed food we consume.”
Wellness for Life Program Initiatives
Four years ago, Harry Sheehy, Director of Athletics at Williams College, author and special consultant to ESD’s Committee for Athletics, boldly suggested to Father Swann, “Aerobic activity is just as important as spiritual and academic activity.” Rather than scoff at such an idea, Founding Rector and Headmaster, The Reverend Stephen B. Swann and the Athletic Strategic Committee, chaired by ESD parent Stephen Jones and Chief Academic Officer Rebecca Royall, embraced it. The basis for the current Wellness for Life initiatives grew from Sheehy’s review of ESD’s athletic and physical education programs and the Athletic Strategic Plan.
Sheehy’s initial recommendations, coupled with advisement and partnership with industry experts such as the Cooper Center for Aerobics and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center for Human Nutrition, serve as the foundation of the initiative. “Since we founded the School, ESD has partnered with parents, faculty, and community members to educate and equip students to achieve their highest potentials,” remarks Swann. “We are grateful to community leaders who continue to help us establish partnerships with internationally-renowned experts. For the first time ever, two of the world’s leading wellness authorities are partnering to develop a comprehensive health regimen. What we are doing with this campaign is groundbreaking.”
This collaboration confirms ESD’s belief that lifetime wellness, rather than athletics, is the cornerstone of a college-preparatory school. Everyone benefits from the development of lifelong habits of physical activity and nutrition.
Community Partnerships Educationally Advantageous
ESD is the first independent school in Texas to work with Dr. Cooper and The Cooper Institute to explore the role physical education plays in helping students achieve healthy bodies and excel academically. Healthy, physically active students are better learners, retain information longer, and have fewer discipline problems. Cooper’s extensive research, as well as information gleaned from anonymous ESD student data, is contributing to
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| the development of improved physical education programs and
activities. Focus is evolving from a purely group orientation to
individual orientation, where students measure their individual
progress against nationally-accredited benchmarks.
Earlier this summer, Father Swann turned to long-time friend of ESD and
founder of UT Southwestern Medical Center for Human Nutrition, Peter
O’Donnell, for guidance. Enthusiastic about the work and due diligence
already in place, Mr. O’Donnell quickly assembled a meeting with the
Center’s Director and Chairman of the Department of Clinical Nutrition
at UT Southwestern, Dr. Scott Grundy. In turn, Dr. Grundy, who is also
one of the world’s most quoted authorities on nutrition, gathered a
team of the Center’s top associates. Thus, a relationship, similar in
nature to the partnership ESD shares with Children’s Medical Center,
was formed.
Dr. Grundy spoke this fall at ESD’s Dads’
Partnership Breakfast. “In the State of Texas,” he stated, “more than
42% of fourth graders are overweight; as are 39% of eighth graders and
36% of eleventh graders. The trends are alarming. Studies indicate
that if we don’t get the epidemic of childhood obesity under control,
for the first time ever, the average lifespan of our children will be
shorter than our own. To reverse this trend, we have to teach our
children early. Nutrition and exercise need to become equal partners
in education.”
To develop the programs further, Dr. Grundy added
that the Committee is bridging relationships with other nutritional
experts throughout the United States and with organizations like the
American Heart Association. Ideally, the program created at the
Episcopal School of Dallas will be used as a model for the nation.
“Teaching
our children to make wise and educated decisions is the biggest gift we
can give,” Swann concludes. “The Wellness initiative is perfectly
aligned with the final component of our School’s motto: Erudito.
Religio. Disciplina. Education. Religion. Discipline. It is an
intentional commitment that I consider transcendent and Holy.”
Major Donors Making a Difference
In addition to the lead gift from Margot and Ross Perot, Sarah and Ross Perot, Suzanne and Patrick McGee, Nancy and Clay Mulford, Carolyn and Karl E. Rathjen, and Katherine Perot, ESD has received 28 gifts of $100,000 or more. These major donors include: $ 1 million, Mr. and Mrs. Louis A. Beecherl, Jr., the Episcopal School of Dallas Parents’ Association, Mr. and Mrs. Joe V. Fojtasek, Linda W. Hart and Milledge A. Hart III, the Stemmons Foundation, and Mr. and Mrs. Paul T. Stoffel; at $750,000 - $999,999, Anonymous (1) and Mr. Robert A. Nickell; at $500,000 - $749,999, the Buchholz Family Foundation and Mr. and Mrs. John R. Eagle; at $250,000 - $499,999, Mr. and Mrs. J. Kyle Bass, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert J. Besing, Mr. and Mrs. Donald J. Carty, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Colonnetta, the Falk family, Mr. and Mrs. William D. Felder, Mr. and Mrs. J. Stuart Fitts, the Romano family, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth L. Schnitzer, and Mr. and Mrs. Raymond E. Wooldridge; at $100,000 - $249,999, Anonymous (1), Mr. and Mrs. Frederick H. Benners, Jr., Mrs. Sandra L. Erwin, Mr. and Mrs. Daryl Johnston, Mr. and Mrs. Jason L. Nix, Mr. and Mrs. Patrick B. Sands, Mr. and Mrs. George A. Shutt, and Mr. and Mrs. David S. Watson.
L to R: Daryl Johnston, Diane Johnston, Paul Stoffel, Gail Stoffel, Ross Perot, Margot Perot, Rev. Stephen B. Swann, Suzanne Perot McGee, Carolyn Swann, Katherine Perot Flanagan
About the Episcopal School of Dallas
The Episcopal School of Dallas is an academic community whose mission is to prepare young men and women for lives of intellectual discovery, integrity, and purpose. The School develops the unique talent and potential in each student and embraces sound learning, discipline, and faith as essential elements of an educated conscience. Approximately 1,120 students attend ESD, Beginner (age 3) to 12th grade, with 390 students in the Upper School (9th – 12th grade). For more information, please visit www.esdallas.org or call (214) 353-5812.
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