PDS Announces Campaign for Boyhood: A $7M Capital Campaign

We are excited to share an important milestone in the life of Presbyterian Day School, one that reflects our bold commitment to shaping boys of integrity, compassion, and service. Today, we are pleased to announce the Campaign for Boyhood, a $7 million campus capital enhancement project designed to expand opportunities for learning, connection, and community both indoors and outdoors.

For over 75 years, PDS has been dedicated to creating an environment where boys can thrive. This project represents the next step in that vision, ensuring our boys have the spaces they need to explore, build relationships, and experience hands-on learning every single day.

What’s Coming: A Two-Phase Transformation

Phase One: A New Dining Hall in the Heart of Campus

Construction will soon begin on a bright, modern dining hall designed to be much more than a place to eat. The new space will include two expansive, light-filled wings that double our current seating capacity and create a true hub of student life. The design fosters community and connection.

All told, a PDS student will spend more than 700 hours in the dining space during his time here. This new dining hall will transform our current space into a bright, intentionally designed environment that supports our boys’ dining experience and provides direct access to the outdoor learning commons.

Phase Two: Outdoor Learning Commons

Additionally, we will introduce a new outdoor learning commons featuring outdoor dining areas, a pavilion, and a learning garden. These Commons will be larger than all of our indoor gyms combined and will create meaningful opportunities for boys to learn through exploration, hands-on engagement, and time spent outside—a hallmark of the PDS approach to education.

Strengthening Our Foundation

These enhancements also reflect our deep and longstanding partnership with Second Presbyterian Church. These efforts improve shared spaces while building on the strong foundation that has supported generations of boys at PDS.

Thanks to incredible generosity from early supporters and the Board of Trustees, we are thrilled to begin this project with more than $4 million already committed. It will take all our families’ support to close the gap and make all of these new spaces a reality. We look forward to partnering with each PDS family to bring this vision to life.

Our Commitment to Boys Continues

This project is being led by trusted Memphis firms—Grinder, Taber, & Grinder as general contractor and The Crump Firm as architect—under the direction of Walt Reed, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, who brings deep experience in educational and civic design.

Above all, this campaign is a testament to who we are: a school that believes deeply in the promise of each boy and works every day to equip him to become the man God created him to be.

Thank you for your continued partnership, trust, and enthusiasm. We look forward to sharing more in the months ahead as we build a campus that will serve boys for generations.

Brad Sewell
Head of School

Milton Lovell
Campaign Chair

Jim Witherington
Chair of the PDS Board of Trustees