Help us reach our Annual Fund goal by sending your Unrestricted gift in the enclosed

envelope or making a gift

online.

As we wrap up our 2011-12 Annual Fund, I ask that you consider making your gift to help us reach our goals -- as of April 17, 2012, we have raised $548,200 - 61% of our total annual goal. Reaching this goal and having a strong Annual Fund does many things for BRS: the mix of tools, experiences, and teachable moments students enjoy would be greatly diminished without a healthy and growing Annual Fund.

THAnk yoU to those who have given thus far - your gifts are already making a difference as we plan for another outstanding year in 2012-2013. Those of you who are considering making a gift (or who have never given), now is the time to make difference as our May 31st deadline is just around the corner.

your support provides a special margin of excellence for BRS boys - now and for years to come. But don’t just take my word for it; hear from those who know best - our talented and caring faculty members.

JC IgnaszewskiAnnual Fund Director

www.BlueRidgeSchool.com/onlinegiving

The addition of interactive white boards in classrooms, provided by Annual Fund support, helps our students interact with course material in a tactile manner: they can shift roots, prefixes, and suffixes around with the touch of a finger to make new words; contribute to, store, and share class lecture notes; write or sketch their understanding of the material on a larger palette; and review for tests with teacher-made question games (along the lines of Jeopardy or Concentration). We can also use the board for presentations that an entire class should see, as when we show our students how to navigate a college website to find the academic information that can directly affect their GPA.

With help from our donors and the Advancement team, I look forward to getting more great learning tools in the hands of our teachers and students.

Unrestricted Annual Fund gifts impact the EnTIRE School. These funds play an important role in the day-to-day operations at BRS: while tuition and other sources make up 90% of the money needed to run the School, Unrestricted Annual Fund dollars provide a crucial 6%. (The remaining 4% needed is drawn from the School’s endowment.)

How will your Unrestricted gift be used?

42% Salaries & Benefits21.6% Student Financial Assistance24% Facilities & operations7.7% Academic Programming3.7% External Affairs (marketing, travel, fundraising, enrollment, etc.)1% non-Academic Programs (student services, athletics, and activities)

The Annual Fund is always a useful and much-appreci-ated source of funds for the Science Department. This year I was able to purchase chemical-proof and impact resistant laboratory tables – perfect for what my ninth grade science class will put them through.

We are always happy to accept help to offset the cost of our model rocket program – about $700 each year. Boys in many classes design, build, and

launch model rockets in the spring. The smiles I see on faces as their rockets shoot into the sky are priceless.

The Annual Fund is not just money, it is learning experiences and memories. Mr. James Bourland

Science Department Chair

The Annual Fund helped our team travel to north Carolina during spring break to compete in the Brine king of the Spring Face-off Classic, a premiere high school lacrosse tournament.

The trip allowed our players to deepen bonds with their teammates, develop team chemistry, and compete against some of the nations’ top lacrosse programs. The trip offered great college recruiting exposure and the chance to visit and tour Duke University and the University of north Carolina.

The trip was a tremendous success on all fronts -- we returned back to campus with a 2-0 start to the season and great new memories.

Coach Kyle Gardner Head Coach, varsity lacrosse

Dr. Kevin Miller Associate Headmaster for Academics