WCDS Opens Wilson Student Center
Westchester Country Day School celebrated the grand opening of the Wilson Student Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday. The small gathering, held on a faculty professional day and limited in attendance following health protocols for COVID-19, honored friends and families who helped make the new building possible. It is the first new construction on campus in nearly 20 years and the first of several projects to come in a master plan and campaign to expand student facilities.
WCDS broke ground on the Wilson Student Center in October 2019, and much of the construction was completed during the pandemic. The building, which includes a new 212-seat dining hall, opened on the first day of school, Aug. 26, and has been an integral part of the school’s ability to have all students in grades Pre-K through 12 learning on campus each day.
“When we started the master planning process five years ago, and even when we gathered in this very area a year ago to break ground, we knew nothing of what 2020 might hold in store for us. This building has been nothing short of a godsend,” said Cobb Atkinson, head of school. “It provides us with incredible new facilities to care for our students. We chose this project as the first because this is a building that will touch the lives of every member of our school community every day, and over the first quarter of our school year we have seen that happen.”
Watch the Ribbon Cutting Event
In addition to the dining hall, Wilson Student Center includes a variety of spaces intended to promote student wellness – a three-room health suite for the school nurse, a guidance office, a student commons for collaborative study space and meetings, a large kitchen, a private dining room for meetings, a senior lounge, and a patio for outdoor dining or classroom use.
“In a year that is filled with uncertainty, the Wilson Student Center has given us more physical space to social distance, and it has given the students a dedicated space just for us – to study, to collaborate, to build better friendships, and to enjoy,” said Mikey Schwartz, WCDS senior and student body president. “On behalf of all of the students, I would like to thank the people who helped make the Wilson Student Center a reality. Thank you for having the vision and the determination to construct this beautiful building that is sure to benefit Westchester students for years to come.”
Wilson Student Center is named for Fred E. Wilson and family for the first $1 million gift in school history. The family members are long-time supporters of Westchester, with Wilson having been among the community members involved in the initial plans for the school in 1966. Westchester was the first independent, college preparatory school founded in the Triad. The family has supported many facets of student life through the years and several members of the family are alumni.
“We are grateful to have this incredible new facility named in honor of Mr. Wilson and family, who have generously supported our school since the beginning through their time, talents and resources,” said Atkinson. “All of this was made possible by this generous gift and by parents, grandparents, former parents, alumni, faculty and friends, all of whom stepped up alongside us to make this building a reality.”
Westchester worked with architect WGM Design of Charlotte and general contractor Kirkland Inc. of High Point for the $3.4 million, 11,600-square-foot project. Key features of the design include 100 percent LED lighting, carpeting made from recycled water bottles, and an iWave ion generating air purification system.
Originally planned as a renovation of the school’s first gymnasium, the Cats’ Den, Wilson Student Center ultimately was built from the ground up. It is Westchester's first new construction in almost 20 years, but it is the first of several projects to come in a campus master plan and capital campaign for the school.
Also, at Friday’s event, Westchester announced the next project in the school’s master plan, a $12.5 million Westchester Forward: Campaign for the Arts and the construction of the Congdon Center for the Performing Arts. This project and the Wilson Student Center are being supported by a dollar-for-dollar match by the Earl and Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation.
"Westchester boasts a long and proud legacy in the arts founded on the fundamental understanding that the arts are an integral and powerful element of a child’s education. This new facility is designed with this in mind and will offer state-of-the-art facilities for our students to learn to act, sing, dance, and play," said Laurie Briggs, president of the Board of Trustees and mother of four WCDS students. "The Earl and Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation has incredibly agreed to match every dollar raised in this campaign dollar for dollar as they have done for the Wilson Student Center. Therefore, if we can raise $6 million, it will be matched with $6 million, and we will begin construction on this next facility."
