Groundbreaking for Edward P. Evans Academic Center

The gift that made the building possible came from the Ned Evans ’57, who loved the school and wanted to give Eaglebrook a transformative gift. Headmaster Andrew Chase ’73 spoke at the ceremony, “In order to meet the needs of each generation of students, and to live up to our reputation as a leader in middle school education, Eaglebrook is always adding courses. In recent years, new and innovative science classes needed rooms and laboratories. An expanding world language program was looking for rooms. Math was offering more classes. The arts had outgrown studios and practice rooms. The entire school needed technology updates, the library needed room for books, research, and computer stations. The faculty needed an area to work and share ideas.

The 1950s were another period of change. My grandfather and his faculty realized that the school - with a student body of 165 - had outgrown its facilities. Two Evans brothers were students then. Ned graduated in the class of 1957, and his brother Shell in 1959. They attended classes in the small, dark and crowded rooms in the Bryant Building. A few years after Ned and Shell graduated, Thurston held a ceremony much like ours today to break ground for his Learning Center, an award-winning academic building, designed to meet the changing needs of the latter part of the 20th Century.

By the time my father was head of school, Shell became a trustee and he was on hand to witness the dramatic transformation of Eaglebrook’s ski hill. Eaglebrook’s winter carnival was the second oldest in the country and Eaglebrook graduates were Olympians. However, the trails were narrow and snow cover depended on the whims of nature. In Ned’s and Shell’s day, boys packed the hill on foot with their skis, a rope tow took them to the top of the hill or they climbed, and a trellis ski jump added an element of adventure to skiing. The school realized that if skiing was to remain Eaglebrook’s signature winter sport, change was necessary. In a ceremony much like the one today – except many were on skis – my father dedicated the Ski Area, complete with chair lift, snow making, groomer, and new and wider trails.

I’m sure Shell, who was my President of the Board, told Ned about Eaglebrook’s endowment needs about the academic concerns: the need for modern classrooms, larger performing areas and more labs, studios, and practice rooms. When Ned died in 2010, his legacy made possible another major transformation at Eaglebrook. Today students and faculty are enjoying the first stage of the Edward P. Evans Academic Center in newly renovated classrooms, library, and faculty area.

Today you are on hand to witness the next stage in developing the academic center that honors Ned – the start of construction on the Edward P. Evans Science and Arts Building, which will complete the Edward P Evans Academic Center. I am honored to be headmaster when this transformation of Eaglebrook is taking place and grateful to Ned and Shell. Our promise to you - students, faculty, parents and trustees - is to keep Eaglebrook a safe place where middle school students can grow and learn, where they can enjoy the fleeting years of childhood and where they – as alumni - can return to find the well-remembered beauty as they look out over the valley, walk a familiar trail to the rock or sit on the hillside at sunset.

And perhaps one of them will have a vision as Ned and Shell did, a vision that will once again transform Eaglebrook.”

See photos of the groundbreaking ceremony here. Watch Mr. Chase speak at the ceremony here, watch Mr. Scott Wise and Mr. Shell Evans ’59 speak here, and watch the actual groundbreaking here. You can also watch the entire groundbreaking ceremony here. Learn more about the project at www.eaglebrook.org/construction.