Celebrating a Year of Impact and Community

“Lead With Belief.”

Our work here is challenging. Your lives are busy and complicated. We ask a lot of ourselves, and we ask a lot of our alumni. We do it because we believe in our students and their collective future. This is our starting point. We believe in our faculty and staff, we believe in our alumni, and we believe in Wayland Academy. So, we lead with that belief.

This Annual Report is an opportunity for all of us here at Wayland to share our gratitude with all of you and to honor your dedication—the foundation for all that we accomplish at Wayland Academy today.

Thank you for all that you have contributed to the Academy, and thank you for all that you continue to do to support our incredible faculty, staff, and students. Your belief ensures that Wayland will thrive for years to come.

It has arguably never been more difficult to prepare students for the future that awaits them. They are still recovering from the profound disruption to their education caused by the pandemic. Today's students must also navigate the constant flow of technology and media that can both accelerate their growth and fuel anxiety and confusion. It is hard to imagine what it must be like to be a teenager in 2025, when anger, fear, and violence seem to permeate society throughout our country and the world.

Simply put, the future, from our students’ perspectives, can look pretty daunting and a little frightening.

Our job is to create a vibrant, supportive environment where every student is challenged to pursue knowledge, build character, and live a life of impact—carrying the spirit of Wayland Academy wherever they go. We must give them reason to believe.

Fortunately for Wayland, we continue to attract remarkable young people from every corner of Wisconsin, the United States, and the world. Students choose Wayland because it offers the chance to pursue their boldest academic goals and dreams. But they also choose Wayland because they know that—no matter their background, beliefs, or curiosities—they will be seen, heard, and known. That sense of belonging is essential in preparing students for college and life beyond.

Make no mistake: our students are constantly pushed outside their comfort zone. They are asked to dive into difficult challenges, engage deeply with complex ideas, and resist complacency. This is hard work, and yet Wayland graduates leave our school with the confidence and the belief that a community like ours is both possible and necessary.

Looking ahead, I believe the next five years will be even more challenging than the last. But I also believe they can be pivotal years for the Academy if we remain united, focused, and resilient.

I will never forget the words of our legendary former trustee Dick Kimberly, who once said, “We have momentum! Never take that for granted. It’s hard to build and easy to lose. We have to believe!”

I speak for every member of our community when I say THANK YOU for supporting Wayland—Whether through financial contributions, volunteerism, connection, engagement, or even just following us on social media.

Wayland Academy continues to impact students and society because you believe it should. Because we all believe it must. And most importantly, because our students believe in all of us.

They are counting on us. And together, I know, we won’t let them down.