Classes Begin in the Mars STEAM Building!

Head of School Dr. Lisa Kaenzig opened the ceremony with a welcome marking the importance of the moment, tying back to our school year theme of "Dream Big, Achieve Bigger." "This day is extraordinary, and it's part of dreaming," reflected Dr. Kaenzig, "dreaming from Miss Charlotte from the very early days of Foxcroft School, dreaming for generations of girls and faculty and administrators here, and by many, many members of the Board of Trustees... This vision, along with over 110 years of people here at Foxcroft School, made this happen today, and I'm so delighted that we're here."

Co-Directors of STEAM Education Dr. Lindsay Anderson and Julie Fisher also spoke before STEAM Club leaders Ariana A. ’26 and Maddie K. ’26 took the podium to share their excitement for the opening of the new building and introduce the morning’s special guest. 

“One of the reasons I chose Foxcroft was because of spaces like our Innovation Lab,” shared Ariana, “so it has been incredible to see how that collaborative space has grown from my visit when I was in eighth grade to my senior year and now seeing an entire building dedicated to innovation.” 

“We are so excited to use this building and start creating,” offered Maddie. “However, we know that a project at this scale begins with a vision. This building is a reality due to the dedication and leadership of our former head of school, who was truly instrumental in making this dream a reality. Please join us in giving a warm welcome back to Mrs. McGehee!”

It was only fitting that Foxcroft’s 10th Head of School Cathy McGehee, who was there at the groundbreaking back in April 2024, should be there to open the building for its first day of classes. After speaking about the importance of this new building not only as a continuation of Miss Charlotte’s vision for the School, but also as an embodiment of Foxcroft's educational philosophy, and thanking the many faculty, staff, and donors involved, she expressed her gratitude to those present, “Thank you for having me back. I'm grateful and thrilled to see you kick off your first day of classes in this beautiful building. It's been a dream for the better part of a decade! … Now it's time to cut the ribbon!”

After the ribbon-cutting, students had time to explore the building, where comments like “this is beautiful” and “so high tech” were overheard as they meandered through the hallways and classrooms before heading off to classes. Those in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Photography, AP Human Geography, and Calculus were lucky enough to continue their morning in the new building, as the rest made their way back to Schoolhouse.  

Foxcroft will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception for the wider community on Friday, January 23, at 3:30pm. If you would like to attend, RSVP at www.foxcroft.org/RibbonCutting. If you have any questions, please email rsvp@foxcroft.org or call our Office of Institutional Advancement at 540.687.4510. RSVPs are requested by Monday, January 12.