WILMINGTON — Nativity Preparatory School, the tuition-free all-boys middle school in Wilmington, has received a $1 million donation, the largest cash gift in the school’s history. Paul and Linda McConnell have made the commitment to support the school’s endowment to help secure its long-term future, the school announced April 14.
“As we look to the future of Nativity Prep, gifts like this allow us to think not only about today, but about the students who will walk through those doors decades from now,” Tony Alleyne, president of the school, said in a statement. “Paul and Linda’s extraordinary generosity helps ensure that our mission will remain strong and accessible for generations of boys who deserve the opportunity to thrive.”
According to Nativity Prep, the donation is “more than a milestone gift.” It is the foundational investment in a broader effort to grow the endowment. Nativity Prep officials said they will share more about this work in the coming months. Strengthening the endowment will help Nativity to balance the meet the immediate needs of today’s students while building long-term financial stability.
The McConnells founded McConnell Development in 1989. They have long supported Nativity Prep and have helped shape its growth, the school noted. In a statement, Paul McConnell said he and his wife believe that the school is an important asset to the Wilmington community, pointing to the success of its graduates and their acceptance into prestigious high schools and colleges.
“Every student, regardless of their financial circumstances, deserves the same educational opportunities,” he said. “We want to ensure, together with other donors, that this opportunity continues for all future students.”
Paul and Linda McConnell are longtime supporters of Catholic schools. In recent years, they have contributed to a capital campaign at Saint Mark’s High School and to tuition assistance and an innovation program at Ursuline Academy.
Nativity Prep opened in 2003 with 15 fifth- and sixth-grade students. Today, it has more than 50 students in fifth through eighth grade. It is a member of the NativityMiguel Network of Schools.
