Head of School Comments

Imagine was once again a huge success in every way!  I'd like to congratulate our fabulous Advancement staff, as well as our two Co-Chairs Jane Tierney (mom of Lily, a junior at the Downtown Campus) and Robin LeMastus (mom of Jackie, a sophomore at the Downtown Campus and a graduate of the Goshen Campus), for providing us with another stellar event this past weekend.  The art collection was wonderful and diverse, offering something for everyone, and our art sales at the event returned to previous levels (after dipping briefly last year, due in large part to the distance between the two rooms at last year's event).   The art at this event is what truly sets it apart and allows us to attract many patrons who are not necessarily directly related to the School.  Because this was our 18^th year, we have a history, and Imagine is now well known in the art patron community as one of the best art auctions in the region.  Being able to attract this broad audience means we can help spread the word about St. Francis and what makes us different.  The event was also once again truly first-rate in terms of its design and atmosphere.  I heard several people making comments like "I feel like I'm in Manhattan, not Louisville!" - a testament to the skill of our Imagine team.  Another aspect of Imagine's success was that the dinner once again sold out!  There were a number of people whom we had to turn away for dinner, but fortunately, this event offers the "dessert and art" ticket after dinner that allowed us to have more guests attend. 

We were honored to once again welcome Mayor Greg Fischer as our special guest.  He is familiar with SFS both as a Goshen Campus alumni parent and as someone who recognizes that the Downtown Campus is very important to Louisville's downtown development and the Broadway corridor.  He did a wonderful job when addressing our audience of helping to explain why SFS is so unique, as well as so important to our city.  He extolled our virtues in terms of promoting diversity and a broad worldview.  He also said that SFS was an excellent example of the three goals he has for the city of Louisville:  1) creating lifelong learners (this is what we are all about at SFS!); 2) fostering health and wellness, which we do by - for example - incorporating nature and the outdoors into Preschool, our PE and two recesses in Lower and Middle School, and making athletics accessible to all in Lower, Middle and High School; and 3) showing compassion, which is a major core value for us and which we accomplish in many ways, including by maintaining a diverse student body so that students learn to appreciate and understand others who are different from them. 

One of the things I talked about at the event was the reason we were there that night: our Scholarship Fund.  100% of the proceeds of Imagine go toward our Scholarship Fund.  Our scholarship program is one of the things that sets us apart from all other Independent Schools (as well as other private schools), particularly those locally.  Since our founding, we have always believed that anyone who was deserving of a St. Francis education should have access to it, regardless of their family's financial means.  We believe this not because we are altruistic, but because we believe it is only in having a diverse student body that we can prepare our students for today's truly diverse college campuses, as well as for life in the USA and the world.  One statistic that underscores the importance of racial and ethnic diversity (although we value diversity of all kinds) is that this year, for the first time in the United States, the births of babies of color outnumbered the births of Caucasian babies, and this will continue to be the case going forward.  We are truly one of the leaders in the nation in terms of understanding why we must have a diverse student body and that is why over 40% of our students receive some form of financial aid and 26% of our students are of color or foreign-born. 

For all these reasons, Imagine is an event not to be missed.  For those of you who were not able to attend this year, please mark your calendars next year.  You will be entertained and amazed at what a fun, exciting, sophisticated evening it is.  I would also be remiss if I did not remark upon the fact that we are one of the very few schools that puts on not one, but two, stellar events a year.  For those of you who have not yet attended "Our Good Earth" on the Goshen Campus, you are missing something as well.  The idyllic rural setting under the beautiful sky and gorgeously lit tent adds that "special something" to the evening, not to mention that the food is some of the best of any large-scale event around, as the "farm-to-table" local quality makes it even more delicious, as well as SFS mission-appropriate.   One more thank you goes out to our fabulous "Our Good Earth" Co-Chairs, Denise Ragland and Andi Hibbard - we couldn't have done it without you.