Be part of
The Well School's
history and future.
As we look toward the future of The Well School, we honor our history by remaining connected to the traditions of the past. Our school history is rich in beautiful traditions: Coffee Houses, Winter Gift Exchanges, Beach Days, and other special parts of our school year continue to build community and create memories.
One of our strongest traditions at The Well School is a spirit of giving and sharing: of time, of talents, of delicious food for events and supplies for classrooms, and of financial support when it has been most needed.
As a nonprofit organization, The Well School relies on financial support from donors and grants to fully cover our expenses for the year. While tuition payments support approximately 80% of our budgeted expenses, support from our community bridges the gap – allowing us to complete needed building maintenance, plan for the future, and meet the needs of our students through Financial Aid, improved programming, and increasing campus resources.
Our students and families come to us from all walks of life and for all reasons, but one thing is true for all families: they are looking for a school where their child will be safe and loved, and be able to thrive. One such family came to us all the way from Thailand…
My son’s name is Phattharanarin, but everyone calls him By. He has a small body, a big personality, and an even bigger heart. He started learning English in 2022. He’s Thai, and so he loves food and is a great cook. He absolutely loves soccer. He’s a great singer and dancer but don’t mention that I said so.
We always knew we’d be coming to America someday and so we spent most of 2023 getting him a US passport. What we didn’t know then was that things would change in a way that made it necessary to move fast. In February of this year, I learned that he and I would have to leave Bangkok and come to the US. What it meant for me was that I had to make a plan fast. What it meant for By was that he was about to leave everything he knew behind and start a new life in a place he’d never seen. It was hard.
We could have gone anywhere. We came here because of The Well School. I knew that we needed a place where he could feel safe and secure; where he would be accepted; where the community would support him as he worked with the challenges of a new place, culture and language; where he could build a foundation of confidence, friendships and knowledge that would serve him as he grew up. I knew school would be the center of that. I looked at schools all over the country. The answer was always the same: The Well.
It has been a huge success. After six months of instability and transition, By started at The Well this year with some understandable worries about how it would feel. From the time I picked him up on his first day, he has been joyful in a way I’d never seen him before. It’s only become truer as time has passed. He is confident, happy, curious, learning, active, and surrounded by friends. There is no doubt about why this is so.
The Well is a school without walls. Study and play flow together; the classroom is much bigger than the room that holds their books, including the natural world just outside the door and the athletic fields and the pond and the lunchroom and its tables that seem to sprawl across the property. Hands-on experience and book learning and discussion are merged into a single rhythm and seem to arise as much out of the students’ curiosity as out of a lesson plan. Community and friendships are a single thing, and every child is valued by everyone. And in a world in which there are often sharp divisions among people, my son has felt totally accepted from the beginning.
Students at The Well are seen. Sometimes at soccer games I’ve stood back and listened to the parents and staff and students talking about the game. It’s almost hard to believe how well known every kid is to everyone. I learn things about By, simply by listening to the other parents talk about him. And the children learn this way of seeing. They care about and for each other.
The culture of the school is motivated by honesty and compassion, together. Communication is open and strong. When there is a challenge in the group, they talk it through. They are learning to be confident in themselves and to respect others. And while all of this is happening, they are also learning math and science and the elements of a classical education, along with music and public speaking and theater. By will have a great advantage in high school.
I was worried about my son. In place of that, The Well has given me the gift of total confidence in his happiness, health and success as a person.
– Dennis Ferrill
We hope to raise $75,000 towards the present and future of the school with this appeal. Every single dollar raised goes directly to supporting the faculty, programs, and students that make The Well School, so special. Your gift, no matter its size, is integral to our continued success. It is with your support that we can continue to offer this well-rounded education that can literally be life-changing to students like By this year, next year, and in all the years to come.
WAYS TO GIVE:
Make a gift by credit card: click above to make a donation to The Well School online.
Make a gift by check: please make checks payable to The Well School with "Annual Fund" in the memo line, and mail to:
The Well School
36 Well School Rd.
Peterborough, NH 03458Venmo: @wellschool
The Well School is a 501(c)(3) organization. We gratefully accept donations at your comfort level. Your donation may be tax deductible to the extent allowed by law, EIN 02-6017362.
To speak to our Director of Advancement about restricted giving or legacy gifts, please call (603) 924-6908 ext 30, or email hhorgan@wellschool.org
Thank you for your support!