Before the Internet had invaded American households, before “The Big Bang Theory” had made scientists celebrities, and before technology had become to offices what toolboxes are to builders, Jon Milikowsky ’98 had wired his house to enable his friends to play games on several computers at once. He had rigged up a system through the cigarette lighter in his parents’ car to enable himself and his siblings to play TV and video games on long trips.  And when he was still a teenager, he was spending summers teaching Foote teachers how to use computers.

He was a technological adventurer. Kind, smart, a mentor, and unendingly patient with those who were lost on technology’s highway, he was beloved by many.  Jon died in 2006 from complications related to bone cancer. Now, with the opening of the Jonathan Milikowsky Science and Technology Building, he will be remembered by all who pass through its doors.

Imagine Our Future: The Capital Campaign at Foote

“Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire.” -- William Butler Yeats

Click on the map to enlarge.

On September 8, 2012, the Foote School community celebrated the dedication of the beautiful Jonathan Milikowsky Science and Technology Building.

Above: Overhead view of the plans for the Jonathan Milikowsky Science and Technology Building from the southeast. Inset shows the donor recognition railing.

The 12,000 square foot building, which features state-of-the-art technology, includes:

• Science laboratories for biology, chemistry and physics
• Second-floor roof deck classroom to facilitate outdoor activities and cultivation of plants
• Technology Center
• Three eighth grade classrooms
• Ninth grade homeroom, a Harkness-style classroom
• A conference room
• Gathering areas and lockers for Grades 8 and 9
• Office space for middle school administrators

Foote renovated and adapted vacated spaces for new uses:

• Lower School science discovery room
• Lower School world languages classroom
• Redesigned and enhanced Learning Support Center
• Gathering areas and improved lockers for Grades 6 and 7
• Meeting rooms for grade and division meetings

Imagine Our Future, the campaign to fund the purchase of 3.8 acres of contiguous property, construct the new science and technology building, and renovate vacated spaces and the Middle School Building, was a terrific success, surpassing its $12 million goal in mid-June. Those who contributed during the three years of the campaign will be recognized with their names inscribed on a slim strip of stainless steel embedded in the railings in and around the new building. The railing will be installed in the spring of 2012.