The Facilities Department, under the leadership of Director Chris Farrow, has wrapped up another busy summer of campus updates and upkeep.

Following the successful completion of the Olander Center for Student Life at the A.E. Finley Activity Center earlier this spring, members of the department worked to complete two other exciting projects on the other side of the campus green over the summer break.

One very special project completed this summer is Izzy’s Playground, a gift to the school from parents Geoff and Courtney Brock in memory of their daughter. The playground now includes numerous colorful benches, several activity stations and three bright-yellow slides built into a grassy slope — as well as an entirely new area of exploration and adventure in the now-enclosed wooded area by the Lower School dining hall.

Enjoy this video tour of the playground, courtesy of Farrow:

Another project that has had the finishing touches added over the summer is the Holding Garden Stage. Nestled in the shade of the towering oak trees behind the Lower School, the stage provides a lovely venue for student performances, speakers and other gatherings. Ravenscroft’s own master carpenter Charles Riddick designed and built the stage in a radial configuration inspired by tree rings. See Farrow’s video of the construction of the stage, below.

In addition to these two big projects, the facilities team completed approximately 300 work orders encompassing everything from relocating classroom and office furniture to repairing and replacing HVAC units. They also:

• Prepped the fifth-grade center for use by summer camps

• Completed annual bus and golf cart maintenance

• Installed acoustical tiles in the Lower School Fine Arts Center

• Reconfigured the Upper School Café into a dedicated student lounge

• Oversaw a fiber-optic bore and connection improving our networking infrastructure and providing greater redundancy

… and much more!

Thank you to Ravenscroft's amazing Facilities Department for their hard work and dedication over the summer!

Drone footage of the construction of the new stage in Holding Garden