Reunited and Ready to Give Back

The All School Commons has firmly cemented itself as a new cornerstone of GFS daily life. In the Dining Hall, students and faculty meet up frequently; Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia and the Community Basketball and Enrichment camp enjoy lunch and fellowship out of the summer heat; and its long tables are just right for a range of community traditions, including our annual holiday dinner for residents of Stenton Family Manor, a shelter for unhoused families.

Art classrooms already feel lived in, with drawings and sketches tacked to every available surface—the rooms doubling as workshop space during MLK Day of Service and Alumni Weekend. And the new Greene Street entrance facing longtime partners at Pennsylvania School for the Deaf has activated a welcoming gateway between campus and our neighbors.

It’s this doorway, both functional and symbolic, that caught the attention of the Class of 1975 50th reunion organizing committee: Caroline West, Oscar Mertz, PR West, Betsy Lukens, Dorothy Cary, John Wellenbach, and Corey Stone. While the building wasn’t originally on their radar, observing how it is directly facilitating community shifted their perspective.

The ’75ers have always been geared toward social justice issues, and the committee, working closely with the GFS Advancement staff, began to investigate the best way to combine the class’s interest in access and equity with the support the school needs most. 

“As a class, we are very connected with Germantown; as students, we didn’t want GFS to be an island in the community, and we still don’t,” said Caroline West. “We began to see how the All School Commons is a meaningful connection point to the neighborhood.”

Oscar Mertz, who is an architect and planner, was attuned to the profound effects of the building and its new entrance onto campus. 

“The building is a physical manifestation of an open door,” he noted. “And, from a design perspective, how this project transformed the Smith Gym and added on so seamlessly—plus the complement to the Loeb—is amazing.”

Once the All School Commons was identified as the focus of the class's reunion gift, the committee got to work contacting classmates. Because the class has regularly met for five-year reunions (including a very well-attended Zoom 45th reunion in 2020), the outreach process was quite effective. The reunion committee members emphasized participation and partnered with the Advancement Office on leadership gifts to help maximize the impact they could have collectively and individually.

Thanks to the committee’s energy and a resounding group effort, the Class of 1975 raised $132,000 for the All School Commons.

During Alumni Weekend in May, the Class of 1975 had a strong showing for the opening reception on Friday night in the All School Commons, and a special Saturday morning breakfast in the Ella King Torrey ’75 Gallery, located in the front hall of Main. The classmates, including a number of honorary alumni, shared memories as they pored over an exhibit of yearbooks and curated archival materials.

Later that day, they gathered in an All School Commons classroom and Head of School Dana Week’s office for a Zoom meeting with classmates from as far away as Italy, Scotland, and California. 

PR West, who’s been involved with other ’75 reunion efforts, noted that while her class has always been ready and willing to rally around causes they believe in, there was extra gravity surrounding their 50th.

“Fifty is a big one,” she said. “You really take stock of what the school means to you and what you can give back.”

Learn more about our Picture This campaign and how to get involved!