Sandia Prep: About Prep

Welcome to Sandia Prep’s web site! We hope you’ll take time to browse through the site — we think it will give you a solid overview of our school.

	Rigorous academics
	Individualized college advising
	A no-cut athletics policy
	Activities that inspire self- discovery
	Advisors who guide and mentor students

These characteristics will become apparent as you learn more about us on this website. But the best way to learn about how we serve families and their youngsters is to visit our school, meet our teachers and students, and get a feel for the energy and caring that permeates our campus.

Dick Heath, Headmaster

Overview

Mission
Sandia Prep is an independent coed school with a college-prep program for grades 6-12 on one campus. The joy of learning and living is at the center of all we do. We provide a well-balanced program where the school, as an extension of families, supports the quest for human excellence and individual growth.

Accreditation & Membership
Sandia Prep is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) and the New Mexico Department of Education. Sandia Prep also is a member school of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).

	Campus	27 acres
	Enrollment	575
	Faculty & Staff
	- Faculty	64
	- Administrators	6
	Student/Faculty Ratio	10:1
	Average class size	15
	Endowment (as of July 31, 1998)	$1,900,000
	Tuition, 1999-2000	$8,600
	Financial Aid
	- Budget	$602,000
	- Average award	$4,816
	- Percentage of students who receive financial aid	19%

History

In 1958, Barbara Young Simms began to investigate the possibility of starting a girls day school in Albuquerque. In 1965, she secured land, established a board of trustees and formed the Sandía School, a nonsectarian school. In late January 1966, the Rev. Paul G. Saunders, an Episcopal priest, was selected headmaster and, later that year, the school opened. The year began with 75 students in grades 5 through 10 (grade 11 was added the next year; grade 12 the year after), and finished with 82 students.

In 1969, Orell Phillips served as interim headmaster while the school’s board searched for a new head. In 1970, Mose Hale became third headmaster. Three years later, Sandía School became coeducational. In 1974, Elton Knutson was selected as fourth headmaster.

The school began to refer to itself as Sandia Preparatory School during the 1975-76 academic year. Fifth-grade classes were discontinued in the 1985-86 school year. For the next academic year, Dick Heath joined Sandia Prep as its fifth (and current) headmaster.

Since its founding in 1966, Sandia Prep has grown from a girls’ school serving 82 students in three buildings to a coeducational institution serving 575 students in multiple buildings and facilities that fill a 27-acre campus. The first graduating class in 1969 consisted of six girls; this year’s graduates numbered 81.

Sandia Prep is "descended" from the original Sandía School, a private day and boarding school for girls founded by Ruth Hanna McCormick Simms (Barbara Young Simms’ aunt-in-law) in 1932. Its first year, Sandía School held classes for five students and one teacher in a private house where Manzano Day School is now located. The school was formed in part to help prepare girls for further study or college in the Eastern United States.

In 1937, the school moved to a new permanent campus (now part of Kirtland Air Force Base). Mrs. Simms commissioned architect John Gaw Meem to design the school complex in the territorial style. By 1938, the school had 75 students, nine of whom were boarders, and 18 faculty. In 1942, due to World War II, Sandía School closed. A number of alumnae from the first Sandía School actively participated in the organization of the current Sandia Prep School.

Giving to Prep

As an independent school, Sandia Prep relies on tuition, endowment income and gifts to the school for its income. Our trustees, parents, alumni and other friends contribute each year to the school’s Annual Fund, which helps to offset costs in the following fiscal year. Sandia Prep holds capital campaigns from time to time to raise funds for improvements to our program and construction on our 27-acre campus.

Annual Fund
We raise money every year to spend in the following year’s budget. This money is significant because it enriches the educational environment for students. In the past several years our annual fundraising has paid for computer upgrades, library materials, arts and sciences fixtures, sports equipment and classroom technology.

Gifts of cash, checks, transfers of stocks and bonds, and other types of donations may be made, including gifts by Visa and MasterCard — which you may do right here (See How to Give, below). For more information about our Annual Fund, e-mail our development director, Susan Walton.

Capital Projects and Campaigns
From time to time the school raises funds to build or remodel our campus. We have also begun a regular campaign of building our endowment funds.

Our last major campaign funded construction of a theater, addition of a photography room and remodeling of an art room and the college counseling area.

We welcome input from our families and supporters about future projects.

Planned Giving
Sandia Prep has a comprehensive planned-giving program and accepts gifts of bequests, life insurance, charitable remainder trusts, charitable lead trusts, retirement fund assets, charitable gift annuities and real estate.

A planned gift is any type of gift which entails some financial planning. Planned gifts are generally made from assets rather than income and are often considerably larger than outright gifts because they may be made when the donor no longer has need for those assets. Frequently a planned gift can result in substantial tax savings by reducing income, capital gain and estate taxes.

The director of planned giving works with the donor and his or her financial advisors to structure the gift that best meets a donor’s objectives.

Donors of deferred gifts, which are made now but may not be realized until some time in the future, receive special recognition through the Simms Society, named for the school’s founder. Members of the Simms Society are invited to a special recognition event each year and receive a gift in appreciation for their foresighted generosity. They are also listed in the annual report to donors.

Planned and deferred gifts may be made for a specific purpose or program. If not so designated, they will be added to the school’s general endowment.

For more information on making a planned gift to Sandia Prep, including brochures on the various giving options, please e-mail our director of planned giving, Christine Loew.

Endowments
Endowed funds are permanent funds which are set aside either for a particular purpose or for the general needs of Sandia Prep. Only the earnings on these funds may be spent; a portion of the earnings is reinvested in the fund each year to ensure growth of the principal, and increased earnings in future years. Once an endowment is established it lasts forever.

How Endowments Work
Suppose a donor makes a gift of $100,000 to endow a favorite program. The funds are invested and, in the first year, earn 10 percent, or $10,000. Half of the earnings ($5,000) are available to spend on the chosen program; the remaining $5,000 is reinvested in the endowment, raising the principal to $105,000. The following year it again earns 10 percent, which this time will be $10,500, half of which can be spent while the remainder is reinvested.

Endowed Funds
Besides the general endowment, whose income may be used wherever it is most needed, there are currently several endowments in the following areas:

	Financial aid
	Professional development (both for upper-school and middle-school teachers)
	Library
	Art
	Outdoor Leadership Program
	Music

Investment Policies
Endowed funds are invested according to the school’s investment policy, approved by the board in July 1998. This policy covers investment objectives, standards, risk tolerance, asset allocation, performance measurement and distributions.

The funds are managed by a professional management company and performance is monitored on a regular basis by the board’s investment committee.

For a copy of the investment policy, please e-mail our business manager, Renée Meadows.

Making an Endowment Gift
In order to generate a significant income stream, endowment funds require a large initial sum to be invested. This amount can be pledged over several years. Additional donations to an endowment can be made at any time.

The minimum required to start a new endowed fund is $20,000. For a named fund, the minimum is $25,000.

Anyone making the required minimum gift can start an endowment. Because of its permanence, it is important to ensure that the wording of the endowment terms covers future contingencies. School representatives work with donors to develop a mutually agreeable endowment document, which then becomes part of the permanent records of the school.

	Charge It — You can make a gift to this year’s Annual Fund and charge it on your Visa or MasterCard.

	Securities — You can give stocks or mutual fund shares to Sandia Prep and avoid capital gain tax. The value of your gift will be the mid-point price on the date the stock is transferred to the school. To make a gift of securities, please e-mail our director of planned giving, Christine Loew.

	Planned Gifts and Endowment Gifts — please e-mail our director of planned giving, Christine Loew.

Headmaster's Message

Overview

History

Giving to Prep