By: Vic Monaco
HIGHTSTOWN Peddie School, transformed by the largest gift ever to secondary education in 1993, has received the second largest gift in its history $20 million.
Half of that money will fund academic programs, including the creation of a "world class" Asian studies curriculum. The other $10 million is earmarked for athletic center expansion and renovation, with the school needing to provide a matching amount for that purpose.
An anonymous alumnus, grateful for his experience at the school, has asked that $10 million of his gift be used to recruit, retain and support high-quality teachers and strengthen the school’s commitment to interdisciplinary teaching and experiential learning.
"The need for students to understand the world and particularly Asia has never been greater," History Chairman Peter Kraft, who will help develop the program, said in a press release. "As the economies of China and India burgeon, and Japan and the Koreas play an increasingly large role in geopolitical affairs, it is critical for Americans to understand these nations’ pasts, present, and futures. Equally important is an appreciation for Southeast Asia and the diversity of countries like Indonesia and the Philippines, which are experiencing both financial growth and religious conflict."
Specifically, the school is looking to hire two new teachers one for language and the other for history with the latter having a background in Asian studies, according to Peddie spokeswoman Susan James.
The school said the donation will not only provide funding for the new teachers but will allow the school to offer competitive salaries, professional development and support of educational innovation in all areas of the school.
The press release only mentions the athletic funding in passing. But Ms. James said half of the $20 million donation is a "challenge gift" for the Ian Graham Athletic Center with the donor providing $10 million and the school needing to raise the same amount.
"The donor is most excited about the academic program," she said. "We were planning to renovate the athletic center anyway but he wanted to help us jumpstart that effort."
The center was built in 1972. The athletics fundraising includes plans for a new swimming pool and possibly squash courts but not for a new hockey rink, Ms. James said. The school boasts numerous Olympic swimmers including gold medalists Nelson Diebel (1992) and B.J. Bedford (2000). With an endowment of $260 million, Peddie School serves students in grades 9-12. The independent prep school draws students from 25 states and 22 countries.
A $100 million endowment gift from philanthropist and 1927 alumnus Walter H. Annenberg ensured that the school would maintain one of the most generous financial aid programs in the country, according to the school.
The Asian studies program builds on the foundation of Peddie’s 16-year-old language curriculum and will integrate history, language, culture and the arts, according to the release. The school was one of the first to embrace Chinese language studies in 1990 and since then has doubled enrollment in those classes.
The new program also will strengthen Peddie’s longtime commitment to foreign travel and underwrite student and faculty trips to China and the region.
"Prep schools are too often accused of being insular and Euro-centric places," Head of School John F. Green said in the release. "At Peddie, we’re committed to providing our students with an education that will prepare them for the world they will inherit. This requires that our school recruit and retain outstanding teachers and develop innovative programs that both train our students and expose them to the languages and cultures that will better position them to lead in an increasingly small and interdependent world."

