TA News

Pictured (l to r): Pril Hall, trustee of Thetford’s Farm Trust; Jane Francisco, representing the Frances Barrows Fund; Beckie Gray, ’59; John Brown, Director of Buildings and Grounds; Barbara Smith, ’58; Carrie Brennan, Head of School; Patty McIlvaine, Director of Advancement; and Caleb Crossett, ’25.

We hosted a small ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 19 to celebrate the new wheelchair lift installed this summer and thank the project’s funders. A couple dozen community members, including alumni, current and former trustees, students, parents, and staff, gathered to mark the important milestone of making our campus more fully accessible.

In her remarks, Head of School Carrie Brennan shared that “At TA, we have a long history of expanding and modernizing campus resources over time and an equally strong commitment to meeting the needs of all students. This project was a double win.”

Lead funders were recognized – and will be remembered on the project plaque. Herb and Beckie Gray ‘59, the Thetford Farm Trust, Barbara Godfrey Smith ‘58, the Keane Family Fund of NH Charitable, and the Frances Barrows Fund all gave generously to the project. 

The spotlight was also on TA senior Caleb Crossett who talked about his challenges navigating the building in the past (during his 7th through 11th grade years) and his excitement at having a new part of the school open up to him now that the lift is installed.

Reaching across the generations and representing the classes of 1959 and 2025, Beckie Gray and Caleb Crossett did the honors of cutting the ribbon to much applause.

For more background on the annex project and summer construction, check out our news post from August: thetfordacademy.org/2024/08/whats-going-on-in-the-annex.