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Approved 8.6.25
<br /> 111 inconsistency is moved through tonight,that it has the correct list of conditions. We are able to
<br /> 112 propose conditions based on state statute. This is part of the non-residential conditional district
<br /> 113 process. That's the conditional portion of it, and they are addressing needs that come from the
<br /> 114 project, so we can see it both here, and reflected in your packet. And then I'm going to turn it over
<br /> 115 to the applicant to go through their portion.
<br /> 116
<br /> 117 Karen Cumberbatch: Thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you,friends. My name is Karen Cumberbatch, and I am a
<br /> 118 head of school at Carolina Friend School. Thank you for hearing our request for rezoning,and 1
<br /> 119 am hoping to share just a little bit about who we are, how we have approached our orientation to
<br /> 120 being located where we are, as part of your understanding of what we plan to do. So, Carolina
<br /> 121 Friends School recently celebrated its 60'h anniversary. Peter and Martha Klopfer, our founders
<br /> 122 are pictured here, and Peter is here with us today. He and his family have been a part of the
<br /> 123 Orange County community for longer than those 60 years, and so it is with their guidance,their
<br /> 124 support,and their orientation towards respect for the land, good stewardship of the land that the
<br /> 125 school was founded, and that we have been participating as a school in Orange County for the
<br /> 126 last 60 years. For those of you that might not be aware, Carolina Friends School was one of the
<br /> 127 first intentionally racially integrated schools in the south and began in '64 with one Kindergarten
<br /> 128 class at Durham Friends meeting, and then grew grade by grade over what was formally Couch
<br /> 129 Road, and then became known as Friends School Road. You can see some of those early
<br /> 130 pictures there. One of the key things that has been true for the entire duration of our existence is
<br /> 131 an orientation towards sustainability, and being good stewards, so what you are seeing here is
<br /> 132 that some of the ways that we have sought to do that, and some of our current initiatives,for those
<br /> 133 of you that have known the school for some time,you will know that we have been known as a
<br /> 134 Quaker school in the woods. That has been really important to us, protecting the land its
<br /> 135 resources, maintaining the natural forested areas, and working the limit of environmental impact.
<br /> 136 Those have been priority since our origin, and as we've grown,we've consistently tried to maintain
<br /> 137 that focus, and so what you see here are some of the things that exist now. On campus,we
<br /> 138 regularly compost. We look really to how we can lower our impact through efficiency of LED
<br /> 139 bulbs, and maybe the most significant places our geothermal whenever we have been able,we
<br /> 140 have incorporated geothermal into our school buildings as well as solar panels. These are things
<br /> 141 that are just ingrained really in the school,and this comes as a part of our Quaker identity. Our
<br /> 142 mission says that we are inspired by Quaker values,we teach our children that it's possible to
<br /> 143 change the world, and so the enhancements that we are envisioning for the future,and over the
<br /> 144 coming years are meant to help us continue to do that and expand that for even greater impact for
<br /> 145 students and families who are a part of our community. The bolded elements that you see there
<br /> 146 are two core parts of our mission and philosophy statements, belief in the spirituality of life, and for
<br /> 147 us,that implies an effort to instill a sense of awe and reverence for nature. Responsible
<br /> 148 stewardship of all our resources, intentional teaching of a humble interaction with, rather than an
<br /> 149 arrogant attitude toward living things. These are part of our core values, and the idea of a belief in
<br /> 150 the value of simplicity, that includes for us an awareness of the oftentimes, lying between the
<br /> 151 necessary,and the frivolous, acknowledgment that our capabilities and possessions are gifts to be
<br /> 152 shared with others, a commitment to create a community learning structure that is sensible and
<br /> 153 devoid of structural trivia. We really tried to be mindful that whatever we are doing is in a way that
<br /> 154 is meant to really embrace these concepts, and so that is also part of this thinking as we are
<br /> 155 looking at the rezoning and additional growth of the campus. We have grown gradually over the
<br /> 156 years, and these are some pictures over the course of time for those of you that might have
<br /> 157 known us over time. In 1970,when the campus had approximately 210 students, by 2010 we had
<br /> 158 grown to 440 students, I know that doesn't seem gradual, but please remember that was over a
<br /> 159 40-year period,and here since 2017 to the present,we've been approximately 460 to 475
<br /> 160 students on the campus, and we're seeking to grow that a bit over time, over these next few years.
<br /> 161 So, let me see if I can switch to the video.
<br /> 162
<br /> 163 Karen Cumberbatch played a prepared video for the Board.
<br /> 164
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