Conversations across the dinner tables were at the heart of the Founders and Benefactors Dinner on Oct. 22. Current students joined alumni, donors and school leaders at tables throughout Graves Hall, exchanging stories and experiences over an evening celebrating the generosity that makes a St. Michaels University School education possible for more young people.
Hosted by the Board of Governors, the annual dinner recognized the lasting opportunities created through financial aid and endowment.
“The Founders and Benefactors event honours those who laid the foundation for the school that we are so proud of today, and those who continue to move it forward,” said Anna Burton, Director of Advancement, in her welcoming remarks. “We gather to celebrate the power of the endowment that generates support for the long-term future of the school.”
Head of School Dr. Jeff Aitken offered an example from the school’s history: University School students helping to fund and build the Chapel in 1961. With encouragement and support, students took on something few would have expected to do during their school years.
“They discovered what they could accomplish, and who they could become, through an experience they might never have imagined for themselves,” Aitken said. “Which I believe is the most important thing a school can do.”
Giving Others the Same Opportunity
That same year, the evening’s keynote speaker Tom Rigos ’61 graduated from University School. A longtime benefactor and board member, he spoke about his gratitude for an education that shaped his life, and his commitment to making those possibilities available to others.
“This school then made a great impact on us in terms of our life, our character, our careers,” Rigos said, reflecting on the shared experiences he had with his brother, Jim Rigos ’60, at University School. “And we’ve been tremendously grateful since then to the school.”
He spoke about the opportunities students discover at SMUS, from academics and athletics to leadership and character development.
“They come here to really discover who they are, what their talents passions are and find out what they really do like. And in that process, they kind of discover the person they want to become.”
For Rigos, that individual impact is the reason to give.
“It makes a difference in their life. It opens doors that were closed, it allows them to grow, it changes their life, and that’s why we do endowment.”
In thanking Rigos, Shelly Berlin, Chair of the Board of Governors, reflected on his quiet but lasting influence over 27 years of service to the school. When he spoke, she recalled, fellow governors often wished they could have expressed the thought so well themselves. His remarks that evening offered another example of that ability to put a shared sense of purpose into words.
That same spirit of service and giving inspired alumni to create and contribute to three new Named Scholar awards introduced this year: the Gardiner Scholarship, the Class of 1993 Hann Award and the Hyde-Lay/Ibell Award. The funds honour Peter Gardiner, Bill Hann ’93, Ian Hyde-Lay and Simon Ibell ’96, carrying their influence forward through opportunities for students. There are now 34 Named Scholars at SMUS, with the Vivat Foundation’s stewardship helping ensure endowed funds can support generations to come.
Around the dinner tables, that future felt close at hand. Students and supporters exchanged stories, reflected on their experiences and shared hopes for what comes next. Those conversations gave a personal connection to the purpose of the evening: thanking the people whose generosity gives young people the opportunity to discover a path of their own.
