A Record Night in a Remarkable New Space
The Benefit for Financial Aid, held on Saturday, April 25, was a evening our community will long remember, made all the more meaningful by where it took place.
Highlander Hall, our gymnasium reimagined as a music venue for the night, gave the night a backdrop that felt entirely right for what we were celebrating. We watched our community come together in a space that was clearly built for that purpose. Celebrating this inaugural gathering by raising more than $1 million for financial aid felt both remarkable and fitting.
In the week leading up to the event, we had a front-row view of what Highlander Hall has become in daily school life. We observed scholars meeting in the student union to work in study groups. We saw athletes practicing their dance moves and weightlifting. We watched artists practice and perform in our outdoor areas, and many enthusiastic servants assisted us at the party. The same spirit carried seamlessly into the Benefit, where that sense of fellowship expanded to include parents, faculty and friends.
Highlander Hall not only builds a closer student body, but it has also become an incredible event space to celebrate our beloved community of parents. After nine years at this school (we met when our children started kindergarten in 2016), we have experienced many special moments, but being part of the first Benefit for Financial Aid ever held in Highlander Hall was something we will take pride in and remember forever.
The energy in that room was strong, and there was a palpable sense of pride in the space, in each other, and in what this community is capable of when we come together around something meaningful. Highlander Hall is not just a beautiful building with wonderful amenities (everyone loved the A/C). it is a statement about who we are as a school and what we believe our students deserve.
As Chairs for the Benefit, we spent months conceptualizing what this event could look like in a space that finally matched the ambition of our financial aid goals. To stand in that room, watching our community show up with such generosity and enthusiasm, made every planning meeting, late night, decision execution, and early morning worth it. The building gave us room - literally and figuratively - to dream bigger.
As rising Upper School parents, we are keenly aware that our time at St. Andrew’s is limited. That awareness made the evening feel even more significant. Highlander Hall is not only for the students who are here now, but it is for every family who will join us in the years to come. We are so proud to be part of welcoming them into a space that reflects the heart and energy of our beloved school community.
Nine years in, our love for this community has only deepened. With Highlander Hall now at its center, we are excited to see how this community continues to grow and gather in the years ahead.
- Daphny Ainslie (Jorge ’30 & Joaquin ’33) & Janelle Demerath (Hadley & Lyle ’30)
