About the Alumni Foundation

Mission Statment

The Walnut Hills High School Alumni Foundation multifaceted mission is to, in partnership with the school administration, provide students with educational resources and opportunities to help them succeed in and beyond the classroom; provide faculty and staff supplemental educational tools and resources; facilitate alumni connection opportunities with each other, their alma mater, and to give back by sharing their time, talent and resources.

History

Shortly after the Centennial celebration of Walnut Hills High School in 1995, a small group of dedicated alumni gathered around a table with a shared conviction: the Walnut Hills experience was too important to be left to memory alone. What began as conversation quickly became vision.

That vision evolved through thoughtful planning and multiple phases of development, ultimately leading to the formal establishment of the WHHS Alumni Foundation. The inaugural Board reflected both the depth and breadth of the Walnut Hills legacy—30 graduates representing decades from the 1930s through the 1980s, united by a common commitment to preserving excellence and strengthening connections among Eagles everywhere.

Today, more than 20,000 alumni carry the Walnut Hills experience into communities across the country and around the world. The school’s distinctive classical liberal arts foundation, culture of rigor, and spirit of community create a lifelong bond—one so enduring that many graduates feel an allegiance to Walnut Hills that rivals, and often surpasses, that of their college alma maters.

The Alumni Foundation was created to steward that bond—honoring tradition, sustaining excellence, and ensuring that future generations of students benefit from the same transformation.

Inaugural Project

As their first charge, the Foundation Board completed a comprehensive needs assessment study that determined the overwhelming necessity to upgrade the original 1931 science facilities. After collaboration with all constituencies involved from students, faculty, administrators, parents, colleges and universities, what emerged was the vision of a world-class Arts and Science Center. The blend of art and science became a natural integration for our classical liberal arts curriculum.

Total costs were estimated to be $8 million for the building, $2 million for furniture and equipment, and $2 million for an endowment fund. Fundraising began at the Board level. This was a bold dream of raising private funds to make a major capital addition to an urban public school, and was to our knowledge the very first fundraising of its kind anywhere in the country.

The new building opened in October 1999 — two months earlier than projected and on budget! The state-of-the-art building is alive with enthusiastic students and faculty busy building robots, executing exotic computer designs, producing an astounding variety of creative works of art, and enjoying the interfacing of different learning disciplines.

The capital campaign for the Alumni Arts and Science Center was completed in October 2002 when the $13 million goal was exceeded. Since then our Foundation has inspired hundreds of schools across the nation to start their own foundations dedicated, as we are, to enhancing public schools in their areas and enriching the student experience.

Today

Stewarding Excellence. Securing the Future.

The Walnut Hills High School Alumni Foundation stands as a vital steward of the school’s legacy—impacting every level of the institution, from facilities and strategic planning to the awarding of college scholarships.

Through annual support and thoughtful long-term investment, the Foundation strengthens the daily life of students and faculty while safeguarding the enduring excellence that defines Walnut Hills. It equips classrooms with updated instructional resources, supports faculty growth and distinguished speakers, expands opportunities across fine arts, athletics, academic clubs, and student travel, and advances meaningful campus improvements. In doing so, the Foundation bridges the space between public funding and the level of distinction that has long set Walnut Hills apart—ensuring not only sustainability, but continued growth.

At the heart of this work are our alumni. Across generations, they give of their time, talent, and resources to sustain the school that shaped them. They mentor students through Junior Achievement, serve as Ethics Bowl and National History Day judges, volunteer at Chalk Drawings, and provide invaluable college and career connections. Their engagement reflects a living legacy—one generation strengthening the next.

The Foundation works in close partnership with Cincinnati Public Schools, the Cincinnati School Board, and community leaders to align vision with resources and strategy with opportunity. Together, this collaboration protects what is timeless while preparing students for a rapidly evolving world.

Looking forward, alumni leadership continues to build and expand endowment support—an enduring investment designed to sustain Walnut Hills for the next hundred years and beyond. This long-view commitment ensures that the tradition of intellectual rigor, opportunity, and character that has defined Walnut Hills will remain vibrant for generations of Eagles yet to come.