St. Paul private school gets $15 million gift

St. Paul Academy and Summit School announced a $15 million gift Tuesday for a new math and science center.

The gift from alumnus Hugh Schilling will fund a facility of about 39,000 square feet at the private school's 6-12 grade campus.

Head of School Bryn Roberts said the building plans include a greenhouse and a robotics lab. Roberts said the center will accommodate a new curriculum and a student population that has grown since current facilities were built.

"We've changed the schedule to allow for longer blocks of classes, time for deeper investigation of issues and more time on experiments," he said. "It's not just a shining bauble. We've put enormous energy and effort into determining what kind of curriculum and learning environment would be the best for our students."

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education lists the donation as one of the largest single gifts to a Minnesota private school in recent years.

Construction on the building is set to start in April. It's part of renovation plans for the school's entire 9-12 grade Upper School, which are expected to total about $38 million.