Kolia O’Connor
Head of School
A Message from the Head of School
Dear Friends,
The 2019-2020 school year was filled with excitement and success, as well as challenge and disappointment. In the fall, we experienced the thrill of our athletic victories and a wave of early acceptances to college; in the early part of the winter, we enjoyed the Senior School’s remarkable production of Fiddler on the Roof. By early March, however, we were just hoping to be able to keep the school open to the start of spring break, communicating to our families in that week that we would have Virtual School for the two weeks following the break due to the coronavirus pandemic that was gaining momentum in the United States.
What a tumultuous time since then, but we were buoyed by the engagement of our students and the amazing creativity and commitment of our faculty and staff, who shifted to Virtual School and continued to deliver an outstanding experience for our students. We were supported in our work by a six-year foundation of being a 1-to-1 school, where each student in Grades 6 through 12 has their own laptop, and teachers have been trained in the principles of Blended Learning, which combines the best of online with the best of face-to-face instruction. This foundation enabled a relatively smooth transition to Virtual School, the mode of instruction we needed through the end of the year.
While some schools decided to end their academic year early, Sewickley Academy maintained our schedule through the last day, keeping students engaged and learning until the end. Grades 5 and 8 celebrated their Commencements virtually, and our Graduation for seniors was, at their request – and in hopes of an in-person ceremony – postponed until August 8, when each graduate received a diploma and an opportunity for pictures with their families.
This past year demonstrated the resiliency and adaptability of our school, as well as the loyalty of so many who stepped forward to offer assistance. The generosity of our donors and our volunteers, combined with the amazing dedication of our faculty and staff, meant that we were able to complete the year while missing nary a beat. For supporting the school, our students, and the faculty and staff who serve them, I want to extend to you my warmest and most sincere thanks. We truly couldn’t have done it without you.
With appreciation,
Kolia O’Connor
Head of School
Kate (Poppenberg ‘82) Pigman
Chair of the Board of Trustees
*Kate poses under the iconic arch during a Thanksgiving family scavenger hunt.
A Message from the Chair of Board of Trustees
Dear Friends,
I think it is safe to say that the 2019-2020 school year was memorable for reasons that we would rather forget. For the first time in our lives, the world stopped. However, as an alumna, a parent of an alumna, and the Board Chair, I write to share how proud we all should be of our school for its response to the global pandemic as a result of COVID-19.
The 2019-2020 school year’s story is not all about the pandemic, though. Before the shutdown, our students excelled in the classroom, on the athletic field, and on the stage. Panthers were selected for the PMEA Honors Orchestra and starred in the Pittsburgh CLO Academy of Musical Theater’s production of The Addams Family; our boys golf team and girls tennis team won WPIAL and PIAA Championships, and the National Merit Scholarship Program recognized eight seniors.
The school year changed drastically on March 13, 2020, when the school began spring break, marking the last time our students and faculty stepped foot on campus for the school year as the pandemic rendered stay at home orders from the governor. The school’s response reminded me of the words of Maya Angelou, who said, “If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” And we did change our attitude. The school’s quick reaction to modify our existing plans for Virtual School as a long-term solution to the pandemic’s challenges highlighted the dedication, talent, and selflessness of our faculty and staff to deliver a Sewickley Academy education in the best way possible.
Thank you for your support and your commitment to helping us keep Sewickley Academy an exceptional institution. With your support, our faculty and staff can keep our promise to deliver on our Mission to inspire and educate students to engage their hearts, minds, and hands to cultivate their full individual and collective potential in the service of a greater good.
Sincerely,
Kate (Poppenberg ’82) Pigman
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Mission Statement
Sewickley Academy inspires and educates students to engage their hearts, minds, and hands to cultivate their full individual and collective potential in the service of a greater good.
Core Values
Sewickley Academy upholds the highest ideals of honor, integrity, responsibility, respect, empathy, and kindness and the actions that flow from them.
Sewickley Academy is committed to the highest standards and expectations in academics, while recognizing the essential contribution of athletics and the arts, and the maintenance of an appropriate balance among the three.
Sewickley Academy is dedicated to being a community that represents and celebrates different backgrounds, talents, interests, and divergent yet informed opinions.
Sewickley Academy seeks to foster a deep understanding and appreciation of our connections with one another and those beyond our borders, as well as our obligation and responsibility to serve and lead inherent in these bonds.
Relationships for Learning
Sewickley Academy hires and develops outstanding faculty and staff who create vigorous educational programs that recognize students as complex learners and multi-dimensional human beings.
As a community of educators, we foster caring relationships that provide a foundation upon which students are guided and empowered to reflect on and strengthen their skills for learning, leading, decision-making, and personal growth.
Academy Facts & Stats
$2.4
million in financial aid
=
19
Varsity athletic teams
Student Body
Financial Aid
Recognition
Athletics
Alumni
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Kate (Poppenberg ’82) Pigman
Chair
Bradley Busatto ’88
Vice Chair
Kristen Hammel
Secretary
Tom Hewitt
Treasurer
Kevin Park ’95
Officer-at-Large
Douglas C. Allen ‘02
Rachel Lorey Allen
Janelle Aslam
(HSA Representative)
Ashley (Brown ’00) Birtwell
Michael Brocks
Kris Lightcap
Ngozi Maduka-Okorafor
Ryan Purpura
Ashvin Ragoowansi, M.D.
Pam Schlosser
Jenna Stevenson
Divya Thadani
Aaron Washington
Kolia J. O’Connor
(Ex Officio Member)
Financial Summary
| Operating Fund | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue and Other Support: | ||
| Tuition | 16,842,262 | 16,349,525 |
| Financial Aid | (2,328,072) | (2,335,505) |
| Net Tuition | 14,514,190 | 14,014,020 |
| Special Services / Other Income | 511,129 | 417,450 |
| Fundraising – Financial Aid Grants | 78,000 | 87,000 |
| Fundraising – Unrestricted Annual Giving | 482,622 | 1,887,722 |
| Fundraising – Restricted for Current Use | 497,018 | 438,800 |
| Fundraising – Special Events | 311,248 | 356,771 |
| Transfer from Endowment Fund – Program Services | 1,302,197 | 1,422,498 |
| Transfer from Endowment Fund – Debt Service | 380,460 | 334,601 |
| Transfer from Endowment Fund – Capital Expenditure | – | – |
| Total Revenue and Other Support | 18,076,864 | 18,958,862 |
| Expenses | ||
| Salaries and wages | 9,829,454 | 10,218,308 |
| Employee benefits | 2,308,724 | 2,320,347 |
| Educational and Administrative | 2,878,919 | 2,393,789 |
| Physical Plant | 1,245,102 | 1,204,070 |
| Interest Expense | 275,339 | 340,375 |
| Depreciation (non-cash expenditure) | 1,795,185 | 1,873,844 |
| Loss on Disposal of Assets (non-cash expenditure) | – | – |
| Total Expenses | 18,332,723 | 18,350,733 |
| Revenues in Excess of Expenses | (255,859) | 608,129 |
| Debt Retired | 500,000 | 465,805 |
| Net After Debt Reduction | (755,859) | 142,324 |
| Capital Expenditures | 830,574 | 465,038 |