ACS Celebrates Transformational Generosity

ACS Unveils Cornerstone Partners Wall, Celebrating Transformational Donors

The American Community School of Abu Dhabi (ACS) unveiled its Cornerstone Partners Wall on November 11, 2025, during a special evening event at its new world-class Saadiyat Island campus. As a nonprofit school, ACS reinvests every dirham of charitable support into advancing its mission. Over the past five years, more than AED 25.4 million has been contributed to the school, including major gifts of AED 100,000 or more from the 39 benefactors now listed on the Cornerstone Partners Wall. Donors are recognized in chronological order based on when their commitments were made.

Families, alumni, faculty, friends, and members of the wider ACS community gathered for the unveiling, reflecting on the generosity and shared vision that continue to shape the school’s next chapter.

Monique Flickinger, ACS Superintendent, praised the profound impact of this support, noting, “The generosity of our Cornerstone Partners is transforming the ACS experience. Their support is helping us attract and retain outstanding educators, expand and innovate our programs, and create learning environments that inspire curiosity and creativity.”

The celebration took place on ACS’s new campus, opened in January 2024 and purposefully designed to foster innovation, collaboration, and global citizenship.

Attendees reflected on the school’s powerful legacy, including Matt Byrd, President & CEO of Hillwood Aviation, a Ross Perot Company. As a former ACS Board Member (2010-2012) and former ACS parent, he shared, “All four of my daughters, graduates of ACS, excelled at university and continue to serve their communities. They learned here at ACS what it means to be global citizens, to inspire others, to give back, to act with integrity, and to strive for excellence in all they do.”

Philanthropy continues to play a vital role in advancing ACS’s mission. While tuition covers core academic programming, charitable giving enables the school to elevate and accelerate opportunities for students and teachers well beyond what the operating budget can fund.

Serena Carnevale, ACS Board Trustee and Chair of the Institutional Advancement Committee, added, “The generosity represented on this wall fuels our ability to innovate, expand, and elevate the ACS experience for every student. Each name reflects a family or partner who chose to believe in ACS, to champion our mission, and to invest in the limitless potential of our students.”

Standing at the heart of campus, the Cornerstone Partners Wall is a lasting tribute to the donors whose leadership, trust, and vision strengthen ACS today, and ensure its mission endures for generations to come.