Congressional School just received the school’s largest single gift in its 81-year history — the renovation of the school’s two swimming pools, which are the most significant capital improvements to the school’s 40-acre campus since the building of its gymnasium in the late-1990s. The donors are Edy Rameika, an alumna of Congressional’s class of 1986, and her husband Sean, who are the grandparents of two Congressional School students.

Congressional’s pool was built in 1964, but over the last several years the school determined that it was time to update it for future generations. Requiring thoughtful planning and considerable resources, Congressional positioned itself to begin construction in fall 2020. A swimming pool fund was developed, and the school raised two-thirds of the necessary funding. Congressional’s 2020 gala was earmarked to help close the funding gap, but when Covid-19 struck, gala funds were redirected, and the project was set to be delayed. The Rameikas were inspired to help the school and made a major gift to cover the remaining one-third of the required funding, ensuring the pool renovation could continue without further delay.

The new pool is designed to enhance the summer camp experience in addition to offering after-school swim lessons and integration into Congressional School’s physical education program. The heated pool will include a splash zone designed for all ages, a gradual beach entrance, water features, anchored pool float toys, a water slide, a diving board, and renovated locker rooms. Renderings of the renovations are available on the Congressional’s website at congressionalschool.org/campus-life/pool.