Since 1918, Church Farm School has served young men from around the world with a first-class education. Once a school for boys of single mothers or clergy who balanced academics and athletics with farm work, today’s CFS is a leading private school for boys in grades 9-12.

Access to the program is subsidized by the school, with more than 85 percent of families paying less than $6,000 annually. In April 2019, after years of planning, ground was broken on Phase One of CFS’s Campus Modernization Project, which is now nearly complete.

The project, supported by a $6.5 million capital campaign appropriately titled “For the Boys,” is the first major construction project at CFS in 20 years, and its impact on student life will be substantial.

Buck Family Center for the Arts

The new Buck Family Center for the Arts, housed in the former woodshop/transportation garage and named for the generosity of the Buck family, retains the building’s classic architecture while adding an abundance of light and functionality for CFS’s vibrant arts program. Having all arts faculty and students under one roof increases collaboration within and outside of the curriculum, provides access to superior classroom and rehearsal spaces and technology, and frees up the first floor of the school’s existing Wilkins Science Building for a STEM Makerspace.

Greystock Addition

Greystock, the school’s main academic building that faces Route 30, has seen the biggest facelift. First and foremost, the building is now oriented toward the north, so that it is easily accessible from the new entrance road and parking lot. Highlights include:

• Hamilton Atrium featuring elevator to all four floors
• New Head of School, Admission, Student Life, Academics, College Guidance, Athletics, and Development offices
• Dining Center expansion including outdoor patio
• New high-tech boardroom and faculty lounge
• A variety of gathering spaces for students and faculty throughout the building

Safety and Accessibility Enhancements 

Perhaps not as visually stunning as the new Center for the Arts or the Greystock addition, the new entrance at Valley Creek Boulevard; expanded parking lot; walking paths; elevator and ADA-accessible ramps; and HVAC upgrades add critical safety and accessibility enhancements. Students, faculty, and visitors to Church Farm School of all abilities can safely enter and exit the campus on a quieter road, walk outdoors without navigating traffic, and access every floor of Greystock with ease – all in a newly climate-controlled environment.

CFS Board Bolsters Fundraising

The Capital Campaign supporting the campus modernization project received a large boost thanks to the dedication of its generous Board of Directors. With a $1.2 million gap left to clear in less than a year, the Capital Campaign Taskforce co-chairs and board members, John Bellis and Dick Gherst, proposed a challenge to their peers: that each board member consider making an additional capital pledge with the goal of raising an additional $600,000. The Board not only met the challenge; it exceeded it. The intention was also to use this challenge to leverage new gifts from community corporate partners. It is showing results, as the current campaign total is more than $6.1 million, with about $375,000 remaining to reach the $6.5 million goal.

If you’d like to support the campaign, please do so online by clicking here or reach out directly to Jon Knorr, Director of Development at jknorr@gocfs.net. Various naming opportunities are still available.

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