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Darrow School Launches Capital Campaign

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NEW LEBANON, N.Y. — The Darrow School has launched a $7.5 million, five-year capital campaign called "Designing Darrow: The Campus Campaign."

The announcement was made at Reunion Weekend, held June 9–11 on the school's campus in New Lebanon, N.Y., at a reception and dinner attended by alumni, faculty, trustees and staff. As Simon Holzapfel, head of Darrow School, Bob Kee, chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Campaign Chair Brad Gardner noted in making the announcement, the campaign was kickstarted by an anonymous leadership gift of $2.1 million, the largest in Darrow's history, in February 2015.

That gift has already been put into effect with the creation of a new state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center (which opened in fall 2015); a completely renovated kitchen; the establishment of dedicated spaces for the Academic Mentorship and College Counseling programs in the library; the relocation and renovation of the school's Health Services Center; as well as the implementation of structural repairs, renovation of three student bathrooms, and energy-conservation measures in the most-used building on the campus, known as the Dairy Barn.

Additional donations, including a recent $1,000,000 gift made since the original $2.1 million gift, have pushed the total amount raised thus far to $5,200,000, 70 percent of the campaign goal. This has allowed for the creation of a faculty residence fund that is supporting extensive renovations in summer 2017, and in perpetuity. The fund is known as the James "Des" McCracken Faculty Residence Fund, and was named in honor of a beloved teacher who taught at Darrow for more than 40 years and passed away in 2014.

The centerpiece of Designing Darrow, Holzapfel said, is the Campus Core Green Space project, which aims to redesign a portion of the campus grounds in order to create a magnetic central green space that drives the life and culture of the School. The project includes dynamic outdoor learning areas; gardens; communal spaces; reconfigured pedestrian pathways and parking; and interpretive way-finding and signage. Darrow has partnered with Burlington, Vt., firm Wagner Hodgson Landscape Architecture for the design and execution of the Campus Core Green Space project.


"This is by far the most ambitious and far-reaching campaign Darrow has undertaken in its 85-year history," Holzapfel said. "We are incredibly fortunate to be entering the public phase having already secured 70 percent of our goal."

More information about Designing Darrow: The Campus Campaign can be found online, including the full Case for Support, the campaign video, ongoing progress, and completed projects.

First opened in 1932 as the Lebanon School for Boys, Darrow School, an independent, coeducational boarding and day school for grades nine through 12 with a post-graduate year available, is located at the historic Mt. Lebanon Shaker Village on the New York-Massachusetts state line. Darrow's small classes and challenging college-preparatory curriculum afford all students the opportunity for active participation in the learning process.

 


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Hoosick Falls Farm Awarded Animal Welfare Certifications

Staff Reports

HOOSICK FALLS, NY — The beef cattle at River and Rail Farms are now Certified Animal Welfare Approved by A Greener World (AGW).

The Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW label lets consumers know animals are raised outdoors on pasture or range in accordance with the highest animal welfare standards in the U.S. and Canada, using sustainable agriculture methods on an independent farm. 

Consumer Reports has rated Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW as the only "excellent" food label for animal welfare and verification, according to a press release.

?Siblings Lauren, Erin, and Matt Williams' beef cattle are also Certified Grassfed by AGW. Certified Grassfed by AGW is an optional, additional accreditation for Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW farmers and ranchers raising cattle, sheep, goats or bison according to the Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW high-welfare standards and a 100 percent grassfed feeding protocol.

Lauren, Erin and Matt Williams of River and Rail Farms began farming in 2022 when the siblings purchased the farm from the previous owners—a multiple-generation farming family who ran an organic dairy and diversified livestock farm. The Williams raise Red Devon cattle, a traditional livestock breed well suited to pasture-based management and known for their high-quality meat. The family chose to pursue Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW and Certified Grassfed by AGW certifications because they felt the programs best mirrored their exemplary animal husbandry practices and commitment to sustainability.

"We utilize managed rotational grazing to ensure both a healthy farm and high-quality traditional breed Red Devon beef, and we are proud to offer the very best products we can to our customers," Erin Williams said.

"In a marketplace crowded with misinformation and greenwashing, trusted third-party certifications like Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW and Certified Grassfed by AGW deliver real transparency for farmers and consumers," AGW Executive Director Emily Moose said. "We're proud to work with farmers and ranchers like River and Rail Farms to promote their high-quality products and sustainable farming practices."

Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW, Certified Grassfed by AGW beef from River and Rail Farms is available at area farmers markets along with directly from the farm, with pre-order online and pickup on-site. Check the AGW directory for details. For more information, visit tilldalefarm.com along with the farm's Facebook and Instagram page and contact Lauren, Erin and Matt Williams at riverandrailfarms@gmail.com and (717) 202-5842.

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