Among the new faces at Woodberry in September 1961, when members of the class of 1965 arrived as new boys, were Elinor and
The Sixth-Form Parents’ and Grandparents’ Gift is in its seventeenth year and has raised nearly $8 million for capital projects and endowed funds since its inception. The dual goals of $500,000 in pledges and 100 percent parent support have been met in seven of the last eight years. This year, the parents and grandparents of the class of 2021 continued this positive trend in record-setting fashion by raising $1 million towards the newly established Class of 2021 Endowment for Tuition Assistance.
The dollar amount raised is the highest to date for any senior parent gift, surpassing the class of 2020’s record of $690,000, but the true highlight of this story is the establishment of a perpetual legacy honoring the graduating class. This scholarship will soon begin supporting new Woodberry students who would not otherwise be able to attend the school, and it will continue doing so into the future. The parents and grandparents of the class of 2021 also hope the graduates will, in time, support the fund with their own gifts, expanding its impact in the years to come.
Liz and Walker Simmons, parents of Walker Simmons ’21 and Eli Simmons ’25, co-chaired this historic campaign. A graduate of the University of Virginia in 1993, Walker is well known around Charlotte. As a partner at Pamlico Capital, Walker’s investing efforts are focused in the services, software, and communications industries. He also serves on the advisory board of the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia and has served as board chair for Alexander Youth Network. Liz serves as development chair for the Renaissance West Community Initiative in Charlotte. She is on the board for a number of different organizations and remains very involved in various fundraising efforts throughout the city. It became clear that Liz and Walker, with their innate desire to serve others, were the perfect choice to spearhead this campaign. As fundraising began last fall, Liz was pleased to find that the rest of the committee members wanted to help Woodberry close the gap between the need the admission office sees each year from applicants and the endowed scholarships available to help families who cannot afford the school’s full tuition. Each year there are roughly a dozen boys who cannot be admitted to the school because tuition assistance funds have been exhausted. “It was very gratifying that we were able to unanimously decide on tuition assistance so quickly,” Liz said.
One million dollars and a little over a year ago, Liz told Director of Parent Engagement Matt Hastings that she thought the class of 2021 could exceed its fundraising goal.
“I’m a little bit competitive when it comes to this kind of thing, so if you tell me the goal is $500,000, then I’m definitely going to feel the need to exceed that,” she told Matt.
And while the class certainly beat its goal, reaching the $1 million mark would not have been possible without the steadfast support of the other twelve parents who served on the committee. Matt, the father of Jack Hastings ’20 and Henry Hastings ’24, also played a major role in the campaign’s success. “Matt keeps saying he doesn’t want me to keep giving him so much credit,” Liz says, “but he was very effective at this. He was instrumental in communicating the importance of this year’s senior parent gift, handling much of the necessary outreach, and positioning the various committee members in just the right spot where their success would be inevitable.”
Matt says tuition assistance is crucial to preserving Woodberry’s unique culture. “Woodberry’s culture is at its best when it resonates in its student body. As such, we seek to admit new boys each year that understand our mission, seek to commit to and grow gratefully through it, and foster it in each other. Tuition assistance allows Woodberry to admit the best boys, regardless of their financial circumstances, which in turn nourishes the cultural legacy of the school and those in its care.”