As the Irving and Muriel Fischer Academic Center rises on campus, The Storm King School is also building something equally transformative: a new vision for how students learn.

That vision received an important endorsement this spring when The Storm King School was awarded a $50,000 Traditional Matching Grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation, one of the nation’s leading supporters of innovation in independent school education.

The grant will help launch the Storm King Experience, a signature academic initiative that brings together experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, leadership development, environmental science and research, and real-world problem solving. Just as importantly, it will help furnish and equip the new Academic Center with learning spaces intentionally designed to support Storm King’s next chapter of teaching and learning.

“A great learning environment does more than house classrooms—it inspires curiosity, collaboration, and discovery,” said Head of School Lisa Shambaugh. “The E.E. Ford Foundation grant is helping us imagine how these new spaces will be used every day by our students and faculty. The furnishings and resources supported by this investment will allow the Fischer Academic Center to become a dynamic hub where the Storm King Experience comes alive.”

A Building Designed Around Learning

For nearly 160 years, Storm King has been shaped by its remarkable setting—where classrooms extend into forests, mountains, rivers, and the communities surrounding its campus.

The new Academic Center is building on that tradition by creating spaces specifically designed for the future of education. It will provide students and faculty with flexible, collaborative environments that support inquiry, creativity, and hands-on learning.

The E.E. Ford Foundation grant will provide furnishings that transform classrooms into environments where learning is active rather than passive. For example, students will gather around movable tables to tackle design challenges in the Innovation Classroom, prototype ideas in the 3D Printing and Technology Classroom, and engage in thoughtful discussion around a Harkness-style seminar table. Faculty will also benefit from collaborative workspaces that encourage interdisciplinary planning and innovation.

Rather than simply filling rooms with furniture, the grant helps define how those rooms will be used. Every space has been thoughtfully designed to encourage curiosity, collaboration, creativity, and problem solving—the very qualities the School seeks to cultivate in every graduate.

From Exceptional Programs to a Signature Experience

Storm King has long offered meaningful experiential learning opportunities. Students have conducted research in nearby Black Rock Forest, explored the Hudson Valley as a living classroom, collaborated across disciplines, and pursued hands-on projects that connect academic concepts with authentic experiences.

The Storm King Experience will build upon these longstanding strengths by creating a cohesive framework that connects experiential learning across every discipline.

Central to the program will be the appointment of a faculty member to take on the role of Director of Experiential Education, and who will lead faculty in developing  project-based curriculum, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and ensuring that experiential learning becomes an intentional part of every Storm King student’s educational journey.

Bringing the Strategic Plan to Life

The launch of the Storm King Experience is integrally connected to Enduring Strength, Limitless Possibilities: The Storm King School Strategic Plan 2025–2030, particularly its commitment to Innovate and Elevate through distinctive academic programming.

Together, the new Academic Center and the E.E. Ford Foundation grant bring that vision into focus. The building provides the physical environment, the grant equips those spaces for innovative teaching, and the Storm King Experience establishes the academic framework that brings them to life.

Together, they represent a significant investment in the future of Storm King—one that supports faculty creativity, empowers students to become active participants in their own learning, and reinforces the School’s commitment to preparing graduates who are thoughtful, adaptable, and ready to make meaningful contributions in college and beyond.

A Community Effort

The E.E. Ford Foundation award is call to action for the Storm King community. The $50,000 awarded is a matching grant, requiring the School to raise an additional $50,000 to unlock the Foundation’s full investment. Those matching gifts will help complete the furnishing of the new Academic Center, support faculty professional development, and establish the Storm King Experience as a lasting academic distinction.

As construction continues and the new academic center prepares to welcome its first students, the building is already becoming more than a new campus landmark. It is a symbol of the School’s confidence in the future where innovative spaces, inspired teaching, and transformative experiences will come together to shape generations of Storm King students.

With the support of the E.E. Ford Foundation and the generosity of the Storm King community, that future continues to take shape. 

To learn more or to donate, please contact Director of Development Sarah Fulton at 845-458-7522, sfulton@sks.org.