North Cross School officially kicked-off a $6 million dollar campaign to build a new middle school that will meet the unique needs of middle school faculty and students and reinforce North Cross School’s ongoing commitment to being a school of distinction. The public announcement took place on Sept. 14 in Fishburn Auditorium.

The campaign, called Inspiring Minds: A Campaign for North Cross School, is being led by NCS parents George Cartledge III ‘82 and Elwyn Murray III. Thanks to the generosity of 100 percent of the Board of Trustees, 100 percent of the faculty and staff, and 50 other members of the NCS community, the School has already raised $2 million toward its $6 million goal.

The new building will replace the existing middle school and will provide an improved space for learning. At 19,200 square feet, the new building will offer 40 percent more square feet than the current one and will accommodate the plan to move fifth grade to the middle school. The building will be air conditioned throughout and will feature larger classrooms, three new science labs, a computer lab, a common gathering space for students to meet, and wider hallways with locker zones that provide more storage space for students.

The building will be an integral part of the School's effort to be a more responsible steward of the earth’s resources. Designed to meet the U.S. Green Building Counsel’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards, the building will be constructed in an environmentally responsible way and will be efficient in its energy use.

Its design will make the building itself an educational tool, and as such it will serve as an example to our students, families and greater community. It will be one of only three school buildings in all of Virginia to have a Silver LEED certification, the only one west of Arlington, and will be one of only 19 such school buildings in all of the South. It truly will be an emblem of North Cross School’s status as an educational leader.