Head's Letter

Over the summer, we began creating a phasing plan to implement capital projects based on institutional priorities and needs. The first phase included the partial re-roofing of the Upper School building, a reconfiguration of pick-up and drop-off areas for the Lower and Middle School campus, enhancements to security features at the entrance of the Lower and Middle School building, and the installation of new signage on both campuses to improve wayfinding and unify the school's graphic identity.

In the fall, we eagerly welcomed Lower School boys to what will become the Lower and Middle School campus. Their transition to the Slingerland Wing has been smooth, and we are already experiencing the benefits of streamlined operations, educational synergy, and enhanced opportunities for faculty collaboration.

Throughout the fall, the School’s Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership Team have deeply reviewed the school’s annual operating plan in response to enrollment trends resulting in cyclical budget deficits. Regrettably, the Capital Region has had a 14% decline in private school enrollment over the past decade, particularly among younger students, following regional birth rate trends.

This evaluation underscored the importance of completing our campus realignment by relocating Upper School girls to the Upper School campus and Middle School boys to the Lower and Middle School campus in the upcoming academic year, 2024-2025. While The Academies is fortunate to have a sizable endowment to help weather financial uncertainty, aligning campus spaces will allow us to respond to economic and demographic conditions more nimbly.

To facilitate this transition, we have identified essential projects for our next phase to welcome Middle School boys to the Lower and Middle School campus and Upper School girls to the Upper School campus in 2024-2025. These projects include reconfiguring boys' and girls' locker rooms in the Michael B. Picotte Fieldhouse and renovating the Lower and Middle School campus.

The next phase will include establishing a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Innovation Center and remodeling the Science Wing in the Upper School building. Securing funding for these projects is underway, and their completion will be based on philanthropic support to fund the construction of these exciting spaces while minimizing disruptions to our program and students. ​​To this end, some elements of our Upper School academic program will remain in their current locations beyond the 2024-2025 school year until we have renovated spaces.

As we navigate these changes, we are also taking a thoughtful approach to preserving the school’s history, traditions, and identity. After the initial work of the Senior Leadership Team in this area, the Board of Trustees has now taken this on as one of its strategic priorities. An ad hoc sub-committee of the Marketing and Enrollment Committee has been formed to further explore the school’s identity system, including colors, mascots, and naming conventions. This inclusive effort will involve all stakeholders and aims to conclude its work by the end of the current school year. The school’s Senior Leadership Team is also working through the logistics of how school traditions – such as chapel and morning meetings, student government, declamations, senior speeches, Bacon Bat, and House Day – will be expressed in our new footprint. The team is also working with a range of constituents to determine how we will continue to display the school’s proud history in each building.

I thank you all for your genuine expressions of love and support for this great institution. As we reflect on our school's two-century history, we see that change and evolution have been our constant companions. Such times have required the School’s varied constituents to unite and meaningfully engage with each other to allow our storied institution to continue its tradition of excellence. I trust that we will, and must, continue to take this longer view as we work through this pivotal moment in our school’s history. As it has for over two centuries, the road to success begins at The Albany Academies, as we continue to evolve while remaining the premier independent school in the Capital Region.

May 2024 be the best year yet!

Sincerely,