Harbor Country Day School has opened a new three-story academic wing in St. James, the centerpiece of an ongoing $8.5 million renovation of its North Shore campus.
The 11,841-square-foot addition includes 11 new learning spaces, with classrooms for students in grades 5-8 and shared spaces for the entire school.
Among them are a library, STEAM center, music learning center, art studio, convocation hall and performance space.
“This is one of the most significant investments in Harbor’s nearly 70-year history,” said Garrett Bergen, vice chair of the school’s Board of Trustees and chair of its Buildings and Grounds Committee. “These new and upgraded spaces will allow us to expand our curriculum and create new opportunities for students, particularly in STEAM and the performing arts.”
The larger renovation project also includes an upgraded dining area, infrastructure improvements and an accessible elevator serving both the existing building and new wing.
The $8.5 million project was funded privately by current and former Harbor Country Day School families, alumni and trustees.
“This new academic wing represents an extraordinary investment in Harbor’s future and a powerful expression of support from our community,” Board of Trustees Chair Cynthia Wong Lippe said. “Generations of Harbor families have believed deeply in this school, and it is incredibly meaningful to see that commitment reflected in the spaces that will serve our students for generations to come.”
Families, faculty, administrators, alumni and local officials gathered Friday, Sept. 18, for a ribbon-cutting celebrating the opening.
Harbor Country Day School serves about 160 students from preschool through eighth grade.
The school was founded in 1958 by a group of parents who transformed a historic North Shore estate known as Tulip Knoll into classrooms. It has since expanded to an 11-acre campus in Head of the Harbor, primarily serving families from the Smithtown and Three Village areas.
In addition to its preschool-through-eighth-grade programs, Harbor operates an annual summer day camp on the campus.
Harbor Country Day School staffers, families and alumni celebrated the opening of the campus’s new Academic Wing at its St James campus on Sept. 18. (courtesy photo)
Your Long Island news, delivered.
Subscribe to the GLI Newsletter — its free
