lead. build. transform.
The Holland Hall Campaign
Lead with us. Build with us. Change lives.
This is The Holland Hall Campaign.
Our Turn
A message from JP Culley, Head of School
Education is about change. Holland Hall has understood that truth since its founding in 1922.
At Holland Hall, we grow with our community. We respond to the needs of our students, our educators, and our families. We integrate new ideas, new research, and new practices. We prepare our graduates to flourish—and to help others flourish—in the world ahead. With humility and with integrity, we lead. We build new opportunities. We change lives.
Today, at the beginning of our second century, we’re called once more to change. We need a Middle School facility that matches the energy of our curriculum and the ambitions of our students and faculty. We need increased support for the people and resources at the heart of our work: for faculty salaries and student scholarships; for facilities that nourish mind, body, and spirit; and for the foundational Holland Hall Fund. That’s why we’re launching Lead. Build. Transform. The Holland Hall Campaign.
Holland Hall was founded by visionary, community-minded entrepreneurs—people who saw a need and met it, who believed in the transformative power of education. Now it’s our turn. Please join us.
Priorities
Lead in Middle School Education
$30 million
We’ll reimagine our Middle School facility—and be a national model for education at a transformative stage of child development.
In partnership with award-winning architects Lake | Flato, we’ll create a bold, inspiring Middle School facility that matches the dynamism of our curriculum. The transformed Middle School will feature more than 25 bright, spacious classrooms that promote collaboration and allow maximum flexibility; a state-of-the-art makerspace and design lab; and a multipurpose Community Stair that encourages social interaction and intellectual exchange.
Enhanced by an environmentally sensitive design aligned with current research in adolescent learning and development, the new Middle School will be an educational home that is worthy of our community: a space that matches its ambitions, anticipates its needs, and optimizes its experiences.
“By transforming our Middle School to embody current educational principles, we’re giving our educators and students the flexible, dynamic, uplifting spaces they need to do their best work.”
Jennifer Whisenhunt White ’89
Assistant Head of School & Middle School Head
At the Heart of Learning
Teaching Seventh Grade Science
Holland Hall Seventh graders perform three dissections a year in their science class, strengthening their learning with hands-on lessons. “Nobody wants to know about mitosis and meiosis,” teacher Hoa Lesselroth said after a recent sheep heart dissection. “You have to get students interested. You have to hook them. They need to be able to know what’s going on with diseases because that’s what they care about.”
So, for a unit on the organ system, the students paired up at their desks and got to work on the hearts. No lab stations, just pans and scalpels on desks, with parent volunteers close by to help supervise. When the students get to their systems unit, they’ll repeat the procedure with a rat dissection.
What they’re doing is working. But Lesselroth is overjoyed by the thought of the curriculum she could grow with a proper lab space, which will be possible with a reimagined Middle School space. “These kids right now are at that age where I think you can excite them about science,” she says.
Empower Our People
$2 million
We’ll increase endowment funds dedicated to the people who make Holland Hall a life-changing experience.
Educators and students are the heart of Holland Hall. We’ll increase endowment funds that help us honor their work. We’ll compensate our educators in ways that rival top peer schools. We’ll expand opportunities for them to refine and refresh their skills through professional development, leadership, and research. And we’ll provide assistance to talented, hardworking students with demonstrated financial need. We’ll continue to build a lively, varied, high-performing school community.
“Holland Hall encourages me—and every educator—to evolve: to collaborate with talented colleagues, to pursue professional development opportunities. That’s how we’re able to offer an exceptional education.”
Neil Bergenroth
Upper School Teacher & Pauline McFarlin Walter Master Teacher Chair
Strengthen Mind, Body, and Spirit
$3 million
Improvements to two critical facilities have deepened our capacity for reflection, connection, and competition.
Our education integrates mind, body, and spirit. Thanks to the support of generous donors, we’ve completed renovations to All Saints Chapel, expanding it to accommodate more than 400 people and outfitting it with state-of-the-art technology, lighting, and acoustics. And we’ve installed a new turf field—an affirmation of our commitment to excellence in every endeavor. With your help, we’ll add lights and seating, creating a welcoming space for fans, friends, and competitors.
“Both the expanded Chapel and athletic fields are training grounds for virtues like integrity and care for one another. The Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma is a proud partner in this vital project.”
The Right Reverend Poulson C. Reed
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma & Holland Hall Trustee
Sustain Excellence
$6 million
We’ll strengthen our investment in the Holland Hall Fund, which is the foundation of the work we do every day.
Gifts to the Holland Hall Fund allow us to do our best work today—and make ambitious plans for tomorrow. The fund is the foundation of our daily operations; it keeps everything—stages and studios, labs and offices, classrooms and playing fields—humming. Annual giving and special project support give us the flexibility to respond to new challenges, seize new initiatives, and ensure that every student has access to our enrichment opportunities.
“A Holland Hall education delivers exceptional value beyond tuition. Past generations invested for us; now, we must invest to ensure Holland Hall continues to prepare its students for a dynamic, global, digital future.”
Kelly and Rick Wilkerson
Campaign Co-Chairs
Access for All
Holbrook Lawson, a 1982 alumna and former trustee with deep family ties to Holland Hall, is enthusiastic about the school’s strategic plan and vision. “Middle school is a time of explosive growth,” Lawson said. “We envision a vibrant space, a hub of innovation, where students create and discover. My own children, all unique learners, found their footing here. They explored their creativity and cultivated their natural curiosity—experiences that shaped who they’ve become today.”
She emphasized the school’s focus on critical thinking, not rote memorization, as crucial in today’s complex world. “Analyzing, synthesizing, discerning truth in a world saturated with information—these are lifelong skills, especially crucial during those formative middle school years,” Lawson said.
Lawson passionately advocates for the arts, highlighting their role in shaping worldviews alongside athletics. “The Lead. Build. Transform. campaign strengthens Holland Hall’s ability to offer these enriching experiences,” she said, ensuring all students have access to diverse opportunities to find their passions and thrive.
Join Us
This campaign is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do what our founders and so many donors throughout the years have done: Lead. Build. Transform.
Contact
For more information, please contact:
Amy England
Chief Advancement Officer
(539) 476-8116
aengland@hollandhall.org
Diane Shen
Director of Development
(539) 476-8175
dshen@hollandhall.org
Campaign Cabinet
Thanks to our Campaign Cabinet members:
Co-Chairs: Patty & Bill Lawson and Kelly & Rick Wilkerson
Robin Ballenger ’63
Annie & Stephen Brady
Alissa & JJ Hurley
Eric ’00 & Shannon Green ’02 Richards
