Darlington School launches $75 million Ever Forward Campaign

Darlington School officially kicked off its Ever Forward Campaign Thursday evening at Coosa Country Club, inviting alumni, parents, grandparents, friends and supporters to help shape the next chapter of the school’s future.

The $75 million comprehensive campaign focuses on five priorities that will strengthen the Darlington experience for current students and generations to come: Educating Scholars, Supporting Faculty, Inspiring Artists, Empowering Athletes and Enhancing Campus.

Thanks to the early generosity of members of the Darlington Community, school leaders and volunteers have already raised $56.9 million toward the goal during the quiet phase of the campaign.

“For the past several years, we’ve been quietly working toward an ambitious vision for Darlington’s future,” said Head of School Brent Bell. “During that time, we’ve had the opportunity to sit down with many members of our community to listen, to share our plans, and to invite people to be part of what comes next. The generosity we have experienced has been extraordinary, and I am deeply grateful. But we haven't had a chance to sit down with everyone, and that's one reason tonight is so important. Tonight, we get to invite our entire Darlington Community into this next chapter to help propel us Ever Forward.”

Bell emphasized that the campaign is rooted in Darlington’s long-standing commitment to preparing students for meaningful lives and an ever-changing world.

“For more than 100 years, this school has honored its traditions while continually looking ahead – always asking how we can better prepare our students for lives of thoughtful living, learning and leadership,” he said. “That is what Ever Forward is about.”

The campaign priorities include:

• Educating Scholars — $15 million: Establishing an endowment for financial aid and scholarships to help make a Darlington education accessible to bright and motivated students. Currently, Darlington awards approximately $6 million in scholarships and financial aid annually to more than half of its student body.
• Supporting Faculty — $15 million: Building an endowment for faculty and staff compensation to strengthen the school’s ability to recruit, hire and retain exceptional educators and provide competitive compensation and campus housing opportunities.
• Inspiring Artists — $5 million: Establishing a Fine Arts Strategic Fund to support faculty stipends, resources, equipment and student-centered opportunities that enrich the fine arts experience.
• Empowering Athletes — $5 million: Establishing an Athletics Strategic Fund to provide ongoing support for coaches, resources, equipment and opportunities that help student-athletes thrive.
• Enhancing Campus — $35 million: Reimagining Upper School facilities through a combination of new construction and renovations. Plans include a new academic building with 17 state-of-the-art classrooms, collaborative work centers for faculty, and an expansive dining hall with outdoor seating. Additionally, renovations to Porter Hall will create upgraded and expanded spaces for fine arts and the MakerSpace.

Together, the priorities are designed to enhance the people, programs and places that make Darlington distinctive.

“Everything we are talking about tonight – scholarships, faculty, the arts, athletics, and our campus – is ultimately about creating opportunities for students,” said Bell. 

After recognizing the many alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends who have already contributed to Ever Forward, Campaign Co-chair Gordon Smith (’71), who also serves as chairman of Darlington’s Board of Trustees, reflected on the support that made his own Darlington experience possible and encouraged the community to continue that legacy.

“If you look around this room tonight, there are hundreds of different Darlington stories. Different generations. Different experiences. Different reasons we love this place,” Smith said. “But there is one thing that connects all of them. Someone believed in Darlington’s founding principles and invested in Darlington before we got here. Someone believed that the students who came next were worth investing in. And now, it's our turn to invest in Darlington to ensure the Darlington of the future can deliver the education of the future.”

The kickoff event also featured remarks from Campaign Cabinet members Terri Pierce, current parent, and Mike Hudson (’94, LD ’18), science teacher, as well as Student Body President Rayan Noor. 

Noor, a senior boarding student from Tanzania, announced that the Ever Forward Campaign has raised $56.9 million to date and invited the entire Darlington Community to participate.

“You’ve heard a lot tonight about Darlington’s future – about our teachers, our students, and the spaces where we learn and grow,” Noor said. “And as a student, I can tell you that all of those things matter. Darlington has given me opportunities I never could have imagined, and what excites me about the Ever Forward Campaign is knowing that the opportunities we have today can be even greater for the students who come after us.

“Tonight is really an invitation for all of us to keep moving Darlington forward,” Noor continued. “If Darlington has meant something to you as a student, parent, alum, grandparent, teacher or friend, we hope you’ll be part of what comes next. Every gift, at every level, helps us get closer to our goal and makes a difference for students like me and for the Tigers who will come after us.”

The evening concluded with the Darlington Concert Choir singing the school’s Alma Mater, whose refrain inspired the campaign’s name: “Forward ever be our watchword, conquer and prevail!”

Darlington welcomes gifts of all amounts to Ever Forward. Campaign commitments may be fulfilled over a period of up to five years, and planned gifts and naming opportunities are also available.

For more information, please visit www.darlingtonschool.org/everforward or contact Julie (Wilson) Lucas (’97), chief advancement officer, at jlucas@darlingtonschool.org.