A co-educational private school for Preschool–Grade Eight

Philanthropy in Action

The Learning Commons opened its doors september 2022.

More than simply a renovation. A reimagination of academic and social-emotional learning at Far Hills.

Rendering of Entrance to Learning Commons

Rendering of the Learning Commons

 

As many of you know, the space known as the “Arcadium” sits at the heart of our school, literally and figuratively. It is an expansive space in the main corridor that has hosted everything from lunch tables to Extended Day programming to the Book Fair. It has been the true definition of a multi-purpose room for many years. However, like any well-loved and heavily used space, it has seen better days. 

Over Spring Break 2022, we began to overhaul the look and purpose of the Arcadium space—transforming it into a modern, vibrant, and interactive Learning Commons. This brand new Learning Commons will be designed for ongoing exploration and learning for students and teachers across all grades. The Learning Commons will also become the permanent home for all of our Academic Support and Enrichment programs, which are intentional and essential components of our curriculum. This includes our STEM/STEAM initiative, which will be led by a new Preschool–Grade 8 STEAM teacher. We are confident the addition of this faculty member will make a tremendous difference for our students and are in the process of hiring for this position. 

This project is more than simply a renovation. It is the reimagination of academic and social-emotional learning at Far Hills. The Learning Commons will be the beating heart of our campus and will visibly demonstrate Far Hills’ commitment to innovation and state-of-the-art teaching for all who enter the school. All Far Hills students will benefit from the incredible enrichment that will be provided in the Learning Commons.

The Learning Commons project is also the second phase of our Together We Build the Future of Far Hills Capital Campaign, which we launched in 2019. The first phase of the campaign resulted in the renovation of our three sciences laboratories and seven Upper School classrooms. The modernization of these spaces has had a tremendous impact on the teaching and learning environment, and we fully expect the same of the Learning Commons. 

We remain deeply grateful to the families who have made philanthropic contributions to bring these campus transformations to life. Their gifts are not merely donations; they are investments in the future of Far Hills Country Day School.  

This critical project is a physical manifestation of our desire to do just that as an institution, positioning Far Hills for continued growth and success.  

 

Learning Commons Facts

The Learning Commons includes

  • 6,142 square feet of learning and meeting space
  • 86-inch Promethean interactive panels
  • VEX Robotics for Preschool–Grade 8
  • Makerbot Method X Carbon Fiber Edition 3D Printer
  • Moveable furniture for flexible learning configurations
  • Larger access points for more robust wireless connections


The Entryway will includes

  • Two new breakout rooms for faculty and student use
  • A new Visitor Management kiosk

 

Questions?

Thank you Donors!

We thank the following donors for their generous support of our Campaign thus far.

Anonymous
The Brennan Family
The Corcoran Family
The Evans Family
Ms. Elizabeth Farr
The Ferraro Family
Ms. Lori Fitzgibbon
The Grippo Family
The Isgro Family
The Martin Family
The McCloskey/Novak Family
The Merton Family
The Meyer Family
The Miller Family
The Morais Family
The Muhammad Family
The Pardilla/Sumner Family
The Petillo Family
The Previdi Family
The Reale Family
The Reiter Family
The Ryan Family
The Sobel Family
The Sudler Family
The Thompson Family
The van Rooyen Family
The Vollero Family
The Volpe Family
The Welsh Family
The Westlake Family
The Zaiser Family