It all began with an idea. 

The Lockwood Family noticed that our backyard, particularly our athletic field, wasn’t in the best of shape. The field was often muddy and covered in puddles, and the ground was hard and bumpy. Soccer and lacrosse seasons were frequently cut short due to cancelled practices and games. And recess was often held indoors due to the state of our field after rainy weather. 

The Lockwood family recognized a need, had an idea, and began a conversation with our then-Head-of-School, Tim Delehaunty, about the benefits of a turf field at Tower. 
Here’s an interesting thing about ideas—when you share them, a few different things can happen:
    •    People can like your idea, or not.
    •    They may want to be a part of your idea, or not. 
    •    Or they may LOVE your idea and want to make it a reality. And that’s just what happened with this particular idea at this particular time.

Here’s another thing about ideas—sometimes when you share one, it can grow. 

That idea grew.

When Tim shared the idea of a turf field with me, Dean Sidell, teachers and others, the idea grew and grew. Soon it wasn’t just about a new playing field. We imagined all kinds of possibilities for this new backyard—new playgrounds, new places for learning, and new outdoor space for community gatherings. Lots of people had ideas for what this new backyard could be for Tower students and their voices made a difference.
 

Our community got involved.

So there we were. We had a need, an idea, new ideas and a wonderful family who wanted to help. But sometimes, when you want to transform an idea into a plan you need the help of lots of people. And that’s when the power of the Tower community came into the story. We spoke with a few more families about the idea and soon several other families jumped on board with their enthusiasm and desire to help. This was the turning point—this is when we knew the idea had become a plan.

It wasn’t always easy, but we realized that one of Tim Delehaunty’s gifts to us was how he brought people together around a shared vision for Tower and the new Backyard. It took many people to do this work; students, teachers, parents, grandparents, friends—more than one hundred community members joined in this effort; realizing the impact our individual gifts could have on the project. It’s the collective support from you all that makes great things possible at Tower.

As we enjoy this beautiful new Backyard, we’ll be reminded of the power of an idea to grow, and we’ll recognize what happens when a community comes together to support it.