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Foxcroft Academy's new $7 milllion dormitory project!

2008-05-18 15:27:03

Foxcroft Academy’s current boarding program has its roots dating back to the school’s earliest years in the 1800’s, including a small dormitory and boarding homes which were in use until the late 1930’s. Plans are now under way to build a new on-campus dormitory that will house 48 students and provide housing for 6 faculty members and their families.

In 1995, with a demographic projection of a 40% loss in student population in Piscataquis County, Trustees re-initiated its boarding program with an emphasis on international students. Thirteen years later the boarding program has grown from 5 students to over 40 students, even as the local student population has shrunk from 467 to 349.Even with the sharp decline in locally tuitioned students, the Academy has been able to maintain the breadth and quality of its academic programming for all students thanks in part to the growth of its boarding program. In addition, the boarding program is providing the school and the larger community with a more diverse population as students from countries such as Japan, Egypt, Korea, Brazil, China, Jamaica, Taiwan, and Russia attend Foxcroft Academy for their high school education. These students and their visiting families also provide significant support to the local economy as they shop, visit local restaurants and involve themselves in local organizations such as the YMCA.

For the past thirteen years most boarding students have been housed in three small residential style dorms supervised by dorm parents. At the same time, some students have preferred a host family living situation and the Academy currently has 16 students living with 9 host families. The three residential style dorms, which are leased properties, house 5 to 11 students each. The distance from campus as well as the age of these stately homes which are in constant need of costly upgrades including those necessary to meet various code requirements, make these accommodations less than ideal as the Academy works to develop a nationally recognized program.

Trustees, recognizing the current academic, cultural and financial benefits of the boarding program, as well as the need to ensure its ability to grow a quality program, voted at its January 2008 board meeting to build a permanent on-campus residence for students. Since 2005, Trustees and administrators had been informally studying various models for housing students. In 2007, Scott Simons Architects of Portland was engaged to develop a preliminary dormitory model. Eight months later the Trustees, working with a Project Committee made up of Trustees, faculty members, parents, and community members, have decided upon a model around which construction documents are currently being developed. This $7 million project will be funded over 30 years by revenues from the boarding program.

The dormitory will be located on the hill behind Oakes Field and in front of the large grove of red pine trees. The dorm will have two floors and two wings, one wing for girls and one for boys. Each wing will have 3 faculty apartment units attached to it with faculty members carrying responsibilities for the supervision of their particular wing of students. The preliminary start date for construction is spring 2008 with completion anticipated in winter 2009. Once construction begins, their new website will carry progress of the construction work through all of its stages. Be watching!

To learn more about the boarding school program at Foxcroft Academy click here.

Posted by lina