The mission of The John Cooper School states in part that the school’s purpose is to enable students to become creative thinkers, responsible citizens and leaders, and lifetime learners.

In September, 2008, Cooper opened perhaps its most beautiful and awe-inspiring facility yet, our new Performing Arts Center. A facility where creativity abounds, the “PAC” provides state-of-the-art instructional and performance space in band, choir, dance, and drama, and it adds the “exclamation point” to a campus that now rivals those of the best independent schools nationwide as well as many small colleges. The result of the same prudent financial planning and management that was used for previous campus expansion, the PAC was built on the firm belief and faith that every Cooper family would support it financially, in addition to continuing to generously participating in the school’s other critical annual fundraising initiatives.

We have been very fortunate to have a small group of Cooper supporters contribute over half of the donations needed to achieve our funding strategy, and now we wish to graciously appeal to the school community at large, to complete our campaign and also help increase the school’s all important endowment fund. Every contribution to “Act 2,” the school’s second capital campaign since 2001, helps every current and future Cooper student become a creative thinker, responsible citizen and leader, and lifetime learner – in ways never before deemed possible. What better cause can there be for each of us to play a role in “Act 2,” and on behalf of the entire school community, I thank you in advance for taking part in this historic initiative.

This is a very exciting and dynamic time at The John Cooper School, and the Performing Arts Department is poised for a great leap forward. This bright new complex provides the resources and space to develop our students’ talents well into the future. My colleagues and I are honored to be here and to be a part of this excitement.

Our vision is quite simple – give students the opportunity to train at the highest possible level in their chosen disciplines, and teach them that first and foremost, we are an ensemble. This new facility allows our faculty to work in the same fashion.

We are now under one roof working together and encouraging one another. Unified in our work, we are able to lead by example.

The John Cooper School Performing Arts Center is a launch pad from which we will send young men and women into the world – inspired, confident, expressive and communicative.