Below is the announcement sent out to the Watershed community by Board Chair, Tracy Halgren P’19, ‘23 and Head of School, Tim Breen about the purchase of a permanent home for our school!
October 27, 2022
Dear Watershed Community,
It has been almost seven years in the making and Watershed School's Board of Trustees is thrilled to announce the purchase of a new building located at 5400 Spine Road | Boulder, CO 80301. This is Phase One of a new campus for Watershed School and we couldn't be more excited to share this news with you!
Flexible, inspiring, and creative, Watershed’s new space will better enable our school to implement our experiential, community-centered, impact-driven educational programs – the type of education students deserve. Further, acquisition of our own campus allows Watershed to move from a rent-based financial model to a model that offers long-term financial sustainability and a place for current students, future students, and alumni to call home for generations to come.
The acquisition of a permanent home for our school is a key priority of Watershed’s Strategic Vision. In addition to preparing financially and searching for the right site, Watershed School sought input from trustees, staff, students, alumni, families, and community members through architectural charrettes, meetings, and committee work in order to guide the search for a site that embodies the best of Watershed. Thank you to everyone who has engaged with this process! Thank you to the Site Committee, composed of past and present members of the Board of Trustees, current parents and staff members, for their tireless work. Thank you to the full board for their vision and persistence. Fundraising is ongoing, but we would not have been able to get to this exciting juncture without the generous support of our early capital campaign donors – thank you for your vital contributions.
What’s next? We will remain at 1661 Alpine until at least the 2024-2025 academic year. Phase Two of the new Watershed campus includes renovation of 5400 Spine Rd and the Site Committee is hard at work on the acquisition of additional space to make our campus complete. Fundraising for Phase Two is currently underway.
In the coming weeks, months, and year, we will seek input from students, families, alumni, and staff on renovations and will offer tours of the space. We are also working on ways to do some coursework and hold events at our new space before we fully move in. You can expect regular updates on progress with Phase Two, as well as invitations to participate!
Finally, thank you all for being part of the Watershed community. None of this would be possible without your ongoing belief in the power of a Watershed education.
In partnership,
Tracy Halgren, P’19, ‘23 Tim Breen, Ph.D.
Chair of the Board of Trustees Head of School
These architectural concept drawings explore aesthetic ideas for Watershed School’s new building.
