Alumni News | October 2020
Welcome to Alumni News
Welcome to the first edition of the new Fort Worth Academy alumni newsletter! Each quarter we will bring stories to our alumni and their families, both of who help keep our traditions strong. Your successes inspire students and teachers every year. Thank you!
Great Starts
Despite the disruptions caused by Covid, FWA maintained a steadfast commitment to reopening campus for in-person learning. After working tirelessly over the summer months and in consultation with our Reopening Task Force and the Tarrant County Public Health Department, we successfully opened our campus for in-person instruction on August 24, 2020. Of course, there have been many modifications made to our standard operating procedures, but they have all been worth the effort. It is a pure joy to have students back in the classrooms, learning and thriving on our campus - together. We know students need to be in school and we are very proud that we have found a way to give our students that opportunity. The singular goal of FWA remains providing an innovative, highly personalized, student-centered educational experience to all students.
Alumni Spotlight
FWA alum David Goldstein ('06) just celebrated another first day of school—this time as a 7th and 8th grade Spanish teacher at Jackson Middle School and Odyssey Program at East Sylvan (both Portland Public Schools). He's also his second year of an M.Ed. program at Portland State University. Congratulations, David!
What is Project Blaze?
Project Blaze, our effort to renovate and refresh the FWA Middle School, has enjoyed immense success! First, one of our families made a $500,000 challenge gift to our community. That challenge inspired another $500,000 in gifts from families and small foundations. Additionally, the Amon G. Carter Foundation pledged $500,000, the Ryan Foundation pledged $250,000, the Pangburn Foundation made a $100,000 gift and the Scott Foundation made a $75,000 gift. In total, we have raised $1,773,000 of our $2,500,000 goal. 
This summer, our Board of Trustees made the difficult decision to postpone the project because of uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. Now that school is back in session and our families are reengaged with our community, our fundraising efforts will resume. Our goal is to continue to seek support from our families, Fort Worth’s philanthropic foundations and other generous individuals to help us reach our fundraising goals by January 2021. Our hope is to begin construction on our project in the Spring of 2021 and complete it by the first day of school in August 2021.
Stay Connected!