WEBVTT

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Good afternoon

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to all of our our wonderful Foxcroft
alumnae, our students,

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our trustees,
our friends, community members,

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faculty, staff, and families.

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I'm Dr. Lisa Kaenzig, and I have the honor to serve

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as Foxcroft’s Head of School.

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What a way to begin 2026.

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I am so grateful that you all have braved

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the impending weather

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and many distances, to join us on this

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absolutely extraordinary day
for this special school.

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Today marks another milestone,

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for me in my own
first year here at Foxcroft.

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It is extremely hard to believe
that it was just four months ago,

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that I had my installation ceremony

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with all my wonderful wild things

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over here in Miss Charlotte's Garden.

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My guiding goal as the Head of School here

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at Foxcroft is to maintain our tradition

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of growing our girls, who will serve
as our School's future leaders

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as they build the foundation
for the rest of their lives

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right here on our garden of a campus.

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I remain focused

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on the daily
lived experiences of our students

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in the classrooms, like those here
in this magnificent building,

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in the dorms, and all over our
uncommonly beautiful campus.

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Our girls of today,

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and for generations to come,
will continue to thrive

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and to grow as a result of this now

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completed center for learning in science,
technology,

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engineering, the arts, and mathematics.

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We managed through weather, materials,

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more weather, adjustments
to timelines, all of it.

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But the Mars STEAM Building is now ready.

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Now ready to plant the seeds of innovation

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and imagination in the hearts
and minds of our students.

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Four extraordinary women

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and their multi-generational gift
made this building possible.

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Victoria, Pamela,
Bernadette, and Charlotte,

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you have shown important leadership
and care for your alma mater,

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and you have set a powerful example
for our past, present, and future students

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with your strong
and sustained support for Foxcroft.

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It has been an honor to meet you
and to spend a little time with you.

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I look forward to spending more.

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And we all, as a collective community,

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cannot thank you enough for this tremendous gift.

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Please join me in helping to thank these great women.

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We truly cannot thank them enough.

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But we will keep doing so.

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And I see so many people wiping away tears
because this is an extraordinary moment

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for Foxcroft.

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How lucky I am to be here for this day.

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I am also grateful
to everyone in our community

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who contributed
to this extraordinary project,

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whether it was through a reunion class gift,

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naming a space in the building,
and our new community garden.

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Every contribution, large or small,

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helped this building root and grow.

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They all stand as a testament
what we can accomplish together.

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I thank you, and if I have not yet
had a chance to meet you,

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I look forward to doing so this afternoon
and in the days ahead.

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Each and every one of your stories
inspires

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and furthers
our work here at this very special school.

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I am personally so

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glad to have Marion Couzens here.

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Where are you, Marion?

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Stand up.

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Marion served our school officially for 27 years,

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but continues to give us
all such good guidance and support

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and I'm so happy that you could be here.

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Marion, of course, helped us begin
the Building for Our Future campaign.

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Thank you. Marion.

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I also want to thank our STEAM
faculty members

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who bring this building to life
with their impactful teaching

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and especially our students who fill it
with amazing girl energy every day.

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Literally girl energy.

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Get it?

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I also want to thank Tom Gorman, our Chief Financial and Operations Officer,

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and Hayley Munroe,
our Director of Institutional Advancement,

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along with so many other key
administrators,

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staff, and faculty members who helped
make this literal dream come true.

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We were delighted to welcome back
our 10th Head of School, Cathy McGehee.

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She returned to campus earlier
this month for a special mini —

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we all have a major, a major ribbon later,
but a mini —

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a mini ribbon cutting ceremony
with our students and faculty

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on the very first day of classes
in this extraordinary building.

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I so appreciate Cathy's leadership over 12
years

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through the launching of this campaign

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and the early imaginings of this space
for learning.

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Cathy is not able to join us today —

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sorry, I have to pause a moment here —
because she is on a wonderful adventure

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in Australia and New Zealand.

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With her husband,

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Dr. Read McGehee,
who also served this school so well.

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And I hope you'll join me

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in thanking Cathy for her work
in furthering this beloved school.

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Our students’ stories and dreams are at the heart
of what we all do.

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They form the foundation for our approach
to learning,

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the shaping of our curriculum,

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our residential experience,
and our plans for the future.

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Several of our students were able to participate in Project STEAM Build sessions,

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and one, Raqeeqah K.

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Class of 2029, recently shared,

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She said to me,

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“The Mars STEAM Building
isn't just a space for learning.

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It's a perfect example of what happens

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when creativity and technology
come together.

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Knowing that the same kind of tools

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and ideas we use in class
helped build the space where we learn

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makes it feel even more inspiring.”

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Well done.

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And you are right.

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Tools, technology, ideas,
and most importantly,

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people made this special building for our
school

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all come together.

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Thank you so much to our architecture firm
who we know affectionately as HCM

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but I'm going to read the whole thing.

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Hord Coplan Macht as well as Coakley
and Williams Construction

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for your partnership
in making this building come to life.

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Let's take a moment and thank all of them.

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You have helped to guide us,

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and I have particularly appreciated
the good advice,

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as well as the female leadership
on this project, which demonstrates

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to our students even more possibilities
for their own future.

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Our founder, Miss Charlotte, said,
“You cannot go back.

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You must go forward.

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You must help the future.
And you must take the fine,

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the splendid things of the past
for your standards.”

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Miss Charlotte set the standard for what

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girls could and should explore,

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and her splendid garden of ideas
and vision have grown over

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111 years of history,
tradition, and forward thinking.

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We here at Foxcroft
very much hope that you enjoy your time

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exploring our new Mars STEAM Building

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this afternoon and for many years ahead.

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I invite you all
to join us in the continued success

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and growth of Foxcroft,
as we all dream together of the next seeds

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we will all plant to continue
to grow this remarkable school.

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Please help us tell our story

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and let us celebrate all of what has been
and all that is to come.