Introduction

As we see each day on the news, and as many of us have experienced firsthand, these are uncertain and difficult economic times. Certainly independent schools and non-profits are not immune to the effects of the economy. However, while many of our peer schools are instituting layoffs, making deep budget cuts or drifting from their mission to manage enrollment, Greenwood has thus far weathered the storm; in fact, we have never been stronger as a school, and each day we are making great strides into a promising and exciting future. I believe our enviable position is a result of an excellent and innovative program, a committed and deeply talented team of teachers and administrators, fiscal discipline, an unwavering commitment to our mission, outstanding leadership from our Board of Trustees and good fortune.

The Greenwood Program

Without question the transformations that our students realize each year are the most important events that happen at Greenwood. Our students' growth is made possible by a talented and highly skilled faculty who deliver individualized scientifically-proven instruction while creating a nurturing community, by the support from and working partnership with our boys' parents, and by our students' remarkable courage, resilience, and effort. It is inspiring and rewarding beyond words to see students experience success, gain skills and confidence, find their hidden talents, and develop strengths upon which they will build their futures.

The academic and enrichment programs at Greenwood have never been stronger. Greenwood continues to seek out and implement new research into the curriculum and invest in professional development (we have doubled our professional development budget over the last two years) to ensure our teachers have the most effective tools to empower our high-potential students. We strive to be the best school for this specific population of students, and we are relentless in our pursuit to find new and innovative ways to improve our methodologies.

For these reasons, Greenwood has been sought out and featured on the National Education Report, was the subject of a news special focusing on dyslexia by a Burlington, VT, based CBS affiliate, hosted VT Governor James Douglas, who offered his congratulations and robust support, and has been consistently recognized by educational consultants across the nation as the preeminent boarding program for intelligent and talented middle school age boys who face learning differences.

Enrollment and Marketing

Greenwood is a tuition driven school with 95% of our operating funds generated by enrollment. Excellent remedial and enrichment programming, retaining an outstanding and dedicated staff, record student retention and maintaining an unwavering commitment to our mission have helped Greenwood effectively manage enrollment in this economy. I am proud to report that we experienced an all-time high enrollment of 47 students (43 boarders and 4 day students) this year. In building this record enrollment, we also made very difficult decisions not to accept many applicants; for every current student, there was at least one student who applied but did not qualify for enrollment at Greenwood. While it is always very difficult to decide that a student is not ready for Greenwood, these decisions protect the integrity of our educational community and ensure that our students will find the success they deserve. I am also pleased to report that we have experienced strong admissions interest and activity throughout the fall and winter of this year, and we are well positioned to meet enrollment goals for the upcoming year.

Thanks to a donation of time and talent from website designer Peter Downie (www.wodumedia.com) and alumnus, Board of Corporator and art gallery owner Eric Weinberg (www.charest-weinberg.com), Greenwood has launched a new website. The new site is user-friendly, informative, and provides a fresh new look for Greenwood. Likewise, we are extremely grateful to current parent Neil Kraft and to the team at KraftWorks (www.kraftworksltd.com) who are redesigning Greenwood's print materials. Our new print materials will reflect Greenwood's current facilities and programming and offer a much improved presentation. With a new website and new print materials, we are better able better share the Greenwood story with the world.

Philanthropic Partners

Over the past 12 months, Greenwood has established relationships with two foundations that now sponsor enrollments for four students, while providing financial assistance for valuable prescriptive services (speech and language, occupational therapy, social pragmatics) to eight additional students. These foundations' investments have made Greenwood's life-changing program and essential services possible for students who would not otherwise have been able to enroll. Furthermore, we are aggressively seeking foundations and corporations to partner with our school, and with the foundations that currently support us, to help make the Greenwood program possible for more deserving families.

Thanks to The Ruth Lilly Philanthropic Foundation, Greenwood now has an endowment fund totaling $750,000. This endowment will ensure that the Greenwood program remains a viable option for future generations of high-potential students who are facing an educational crisis. In this economic climate, and with many of our peer schools losing a high percentage of their endowments, it is also important to point out that because of solid management and oversight by the Greenwood Board of Trustees, Greenwood did not experience any loss of endowment funds.

Successful opening weekend fundraisers over the past three years have allowed us to build a skateboarding park and bike jump park, establish an outdoor adventure program complete with canoes, tents, backpacks, snowshoes and a winterized lodge in the campus woods, integrate interactive SMARTBOARD technology in the Science and social studies curricula, construct an outdoor basketball court and purchase equipment that allows students to create and record music. These enhancements enrich the students' experiences, and we are grateful for the generosity that made these campus and program improvements possible.

New Programs

Our day student pilot program has broadened our impact and brought much to our community. Day students have been embraced by our boarding students; they spend time at Greenwood in afternoons and on weekends, sleep over in the dormitory on occasions and are very much integrated into student life. Furthermore, the addition of day students has helped create local opportunities for our boarding students. Day student families have hosted boarding students in their homes, offered special gatherings for our community, and the mothers of three of our day students joined the community as visiting artists who volunteer their time and talent to teach art classes.

Greenwood's Connect Program continues to offer extraordinary programs that combine service, learning and travel opportunities for non-traditional learners. Building from successful excursions to Alaska, New Orleans, the American Southwest and Mexico, five Greenwood students embarked on a service-learning trip to the Grand Canyon area during their spring break. Additionally, Greenwood once again partnered with the Cambridge School in New Jersey to offer a spring break Connect trip to the Four Corners area. We are proud of our students' commitment to community service and we look forward to offering future service learning trips this summer.

A New Partnership

Greenwood's partnership with Yellow Barn Music School and Festival has proven to be highly successful. Nine new classrooms and interior dorm improvements (including two new bathrooms) have been a significant benefit. Additionally, Greenwood hosted a Yellow Barn Fall Retreat in November which allowed our boys to interact with and receive two presentations from the Ariel Quartet which was gearing up for their performance at New York City's Carnegie Hall. Our partnership with Yellow Barn Music School and Festival is a shining example of what becomes possible when two non-profits collaborate; it is clearly a relationship that enriches both organizations.

Conclusion

With new partnerships and programs that broaden our impact, with over $1 million invested back into our current facilities, with an endowment that helps to secure our future, with a highly dedicated and deeply talented staff and with powerful new ways to tell our story and share exciting developments, Greenwood is well positioned to maximize opportunities that will lead to a promising future. I would like to take this opportunity to thank members of the Greenwood Family for their support and generosity that has helped us reach this position. However, what we can be most proud of is the fact that our collective efforts support the transformation of the lives that are entrusted to our care and ensure that our school will be a vibrant and flourishing leaning community that empowers future generations of deserving students