Construction Update
Construction continues on schedule for completion by June 2009 with the grand opening scheduled for September 2009.  The performing arts classrooms and black-box studio on the upper level of the building are nearly all framed in.  This area is now under cover and construction crews will be working throughout the winter inside this dry and (somewhat) warm space.

Steel components for the hallway and base flooring for the performing arts classrooms on the lower floor began arriving this morning.  As the steel is installed, the front of the building will begin to take shape.  By the end of December, students, faculty, parents and visitors to campus will have a very good sense of what the building will look like in its final form.

Campaign Update
Faculty members were among the first to step forward this fall and make pledges to the capital campaign.  In the Lower and Middle Schools, 100% of the school’s teachers have made a pledge.  In the Upper School, 93% have made a gift.

Many parents are getting on board too.  Their participation levels are currently: Lower School 49%, Middle School 37%, and Upper School 38%.

The very first gift to the capital campaign was a pledge from the Parent Association and the group took one step closer to delivering on that pledge last month when they raised more than $58,000 at the Wright Stuff rummage sale.

Teachers and parents have also been extremely generous in their gifts to the Annual Fund this year.  In the Lower School, 91% of teachers and 61% of parents have made gifts.  In the Middle School, 100% of faculty and 49% of families have donated to the Annual Fund.  In the Upper School, 95% of teachers and 50% of parents have given.

Click here to make your gift online.

Access to the Upper School is now limited to the east entry doors and science wing. The main sidewalk between the Upper School and Middle School is closed.

Visitors to the Middle School and Upper School will be directed to park in Lower School visitor parking and directed up the stairs between the buildings to the main Middle School entry or the Upper School east entry. Parking is still available along side the Wight gym.

Campus administrators expect that work in this area will be completed in August. The road and the main doors to the Upper School should reopen before school begins.

We celebrated the hard-working CWA maintenance staff at rummage this week, with the farmhouse crew providing treats of a southwestern nature for a yummy lunch. We eat well every week, but my favorite times are always the big potlucks.

Last week’s spring sale went well, and our thanks to everyone who stopped to look and shop. We raised nearly $1,000 and cleared LOTS of floor space (special thanks to those who toted away the bulkiest items!) We look forward to filling that space back up with lots and lots of boxes!

If you’re looking for some summer activity, Wright Stuff continues to welcome volunteers to the farmhouse every Wednesday for sorting and packing. Treasures fill the receiving room throughout the week and there are always opportunities for new folks to lend a hand. Stop by during the day any Wednesday and tell anyone in the farmhouse you’re interested in lending a hand! See you soon!

Click here to watch the entire student body join in making this event a great success in High Resolution or Low Resolution.

Click here to read Headmaster Rob Camner’s thoughts on the event.

And click here to check out photos of the event using the password posted on Get Wright Online!

This week we received many box-loads of collectable china and crystal, many of which you’ll fine at the big November rummage sale.

We also organized for next week’s garage sale by way of selecting and pricing an assortment of our larger items. We have items you’ll want for gardening, backyard entertaining, dorm room design, and outdoor adventures. Prices are unbeatable!

Stop by the farmhouse (gravel lot as you exit campus) on Wednesday, May 21, between 8:30am and 3:30pm and take something home!

The Winners’ Recital will feature individual performances by the six winners of the 2008  Beatrice Herrmann Young Artist Recital Competition, which was held at the University of Puget Sound on April 6.  Adjudicators for the competition finals included Harvey Felder, Music Director of the Tacoma Symphony, Leonard Richter, Professor of Music at Walla Walla College, and Charles Noble, violist with the Oregon Symphony.  The competition was open to musicians up to age 24 from the Puget Sound region.

The Winners’ Recital will be held at 7:00pm on Sunday, May 18, at Lagerquist Concert Hall on the Pacific Lutheran University Campus.  Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $5 for students.  For tickets and more information, call the Tacoma Philharmonic office at (253) 272-0809 or email info@tacomphilharmonic.org.  Information is also available at www.tacomaphilharmonic.org.

This competition was named in loving memory of Beatrice Herrmann, a long-time supporter and season ticket holder of the Tacoma Philharmonic, whose generous bequest provided for the creation of the recital competition.  The inaugural competition and Winners’ Recital is sponsored by Viking Bank.

The website features a list of the 39 (and counting!) alumni who have already donated to the Boundless Expression capital campaign.  There’s a Great Race going between the decades — alumns from the 70s and 80s are tied at the moment.  Stay tuned for more alumni campaign annoucements as we work our way toward 1,000 Voices for the Future of Charles Wright. 

Lunch was, once again, spectacular at the farmhouse this week. Tanya made her Russian pieroji, Laura made an Asian slaw, and Liz made a variety of chocolate chip cookies, which we enjoyed with ice cream. Our Wednesday break for lunch is one the highlights we look forward to every week.

We are preparing for our Second Annual Garage Sale, scheduled for May 21. This mid-week event, held in our warehouse, will feature some of our larger items, such as furniture (armoires, bookshelves, chairs), electronics (TVs, stereos, computer monitors), garden equipment (seed spreader, pots, trellises), children’s recreational items (soccer rebound, Little Tykes play structures, jogging strollers), and many other items. We’ll also have a rack of selected brand-new summer apparel.

If you have gently-used items to donate, please drop them by anytime. Our receiving room is marked with picture of a treasure chest. The door is always open and we stock tax receipts for the taking. Stop by rain or shine – we’re the last right-turn as you exit campus.

In an effort to stay ahead of escalating construction costs, the Board of Trustees has made the unusual but not unprecedented decision to begin construction on the new Language and Performing Arts Center before the entire $12.2 million has been raised that’s necessary to complete the building.  There is a lot more work to be done, but it’s really exciting for everyone on campus to see this project literally getting off the ground.