PDS launches $7M campaign focused on community and outdoor learning

By Christin Yates, Special to The Daily Memphian
Published: February 08, 2026 4:00 AM CT

Presbyterian Day School has launched a $7 million capital campaign to reshape the center of campus to better support community, outdoor learning and student development.

The campaign, which has been in planning for about a year, was announced to families in January as construction began on the first phase.

About $4.6 million has already been raised during a quiet phase of fundraising, allowing work to move forward.

The project is divided into two phases. The first phase includes construction of a new dining hall located between the elementary and early-childhood buildings at the center of campus. The second phase will create new outdoor learning and gathering spaces along Central Avenue, including green space and a pavilion designed for daily use.

Brad Sewell, head of school at Presbyterian Day School, said the dining hall plays a critical role in shaping daily life on campus.

“One of the most important parts of the day is breaking bread together,” Sewell said. “How we dine together is really important for students and faculty.”

Sewell said students and faculty spend about 700 hours in the dining hall throughout their years at PDS. The new facility will double the space and bring in more natural light, creating an environment designed to encourage conversation and connection.

“There are so many studies on the importance of natural light,” he said. “We want students getting as much of that as possible.”

Sewell said the planning for the project was guided by a broader philosophy about how physical spaces influence students.

“We shape our buildings, and then they shape us,” he said. “What we do today influences boys for years to come.”

Outdoor learning is central to the second phase of the campaign. The planned outdoor area will stretch a quarter of a mile along campus, providing students with regular access to nature throughout the school day. A covered pavilion will allow classes and activities to move outdoors in a variety of conditions.

“Boys need to be outside,” Sewell said. “They need what I call ‘nature doses.’ Being outdoors is not separate from learning — it’s part of it.”

Milton Lovell, vice chair of the school’s board of trustees and chair of the capital campaign, said the project reflects both educational research and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“One thing we learned during COVID is how valuable it is to have space to learn outside and not always be in front of a screen,” Lovell said.

Lovell said PDS has incorporated outdoor learning for years but often in improvised ways.

“When my son was in second grade, teachers made do with what they had,” he said. “This project formalizes that approach and gives students purpose-built spaces for hands-on learning and collaboration.”

Lovell also noted the existing dining hall no longer met the school’s needs.

“It wasn’t conducive to learning or socialization,” he said. “This new facility gives the school more flexibility and a space that truly supports how students interact.”

Jim Witherington, board chair of PDS, said the campaign addresses what he described as the two biggest weaknesses in the school’s facilities: dining and outdoor access.

“This campaign takes those weaknesses and turns them into integrated strengths,” Witherington said. “You wind up with a dining hall with two wings, high ceilings and lots of sunlight that’s conducive to conversation between faculty and students.”

Witherington said the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces is a key feature of the project, allowing students to dine outside, hold classes outdoors and engage with one another in different environments.

“There’s a quarter-mile stretch along Central (Avenue) that’s underutilized today,” he said. “These will be significant improvements to the educational experience.”

Witherington, who has served on the board for seven years and previously served for six years in the 1980s and ’90s, emphasized the school’s long-term commitment to Memphis.

“We’re committed to staying in the center of Memphis and doing everything we can to help build the city and the next generation of leaders,” he said. “Our relationship with Second Presbyterian is important, and this project reinforces that commitment.”