Saint John’s Preparatory School announces the largest gift commitment in its 168-year history, made by alumna Ann Marie Stock ’78 and her husband David Campagna. The couple’s transformative support has helped propel the school’s comprehensive fundraising campaign beyond its $10 million goal. Launched in April 2024, the Prep Forward – Our Time is Now campaign has secured more than $12.5 million to fund three distinct priorities: faculty, facilities, and financial aid. The Stock-Campagna gift will support student scholarships.

“I am a first-generation college student born and raised in St. Joseph who benefitted from scholarships at Prep,” said Ann Marie Stock. “I want to give back, making that possible for other students from Central Minnesota.”

Stock, a member of one of SJP’s first coed classes at Prep, credits the school with shaping her future. “Prep helped me believe that I was ‘college material’,” she said. “Prep positioned me to succeed in college and graduate school, which led to a fulfilling career in higher education. My years at Prep aided in the development of my intellect and my self-confidence.”

Currently a senior academic leader at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, Stock reflects and speaks often about education’s enduring impact. “A single course or faculty member can shape a student’s life. Education is the best investment we can make.”

The gift is a cornerstone of SJP’s campaign, which is focused on investments in faculty, facilities, and financial aid, ensuring the Prep experience is available to students of all backgrounds for generations to come.

Jon McGee, SJP’s head of school, expressed profound gratitude for the couple’s generosity: “Ann Marie and David’s extraordinary generosity is a powerful statement about the value of education and the mission of Saint John’s Prep,” said McGee. “Their gift will open doors for generations of students, particularly those who may not have thought a place like Prep was within their reach. It will transform lives—and in doing so, it strengthens our entire community.”

The Stock-Campagnas believe deeply in education as a tool for empathy and understanding. Campagna, an international business development leader in the energy sector, said “Prep excels at helping students from around the world make sense of people, ideas, and perspectives different from their own—and that’s more important than ever.”

Stock, a scholar in Hispanic Studies with an international reputation for her unique understanding of Cuba’s culture concluded, “Prep connected me to a place and a community, while helping me see further and beyond.”

The couple’s record-setting gift not only honors the past—it ensures a bold and inclusive future for Saint John’s Prep and the students it serves. “We hope others will join us in supporting this campaign because securing the future of Prep ensures that this remarkable school in Central Minnesota continues to inspire the next generation of thought leaders and engaged citizens of our world,” said McGee.

For more information on the Prep Forward – Our Time is Now campaign, visit sjprep.net/prepforward.

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Emiliana Cofell ’12 met Rebecca Hare ’11 in the halls of Saint John’s Prep in 2009 where they both discovered their love of poetry. Solo contributors to the school’s literary magazine, The Triangle, they didn’t become literary partners until the pandemic with Rebecca’s publication Between Someday and Right Now marking their first collaborative effort.  

“We didn’t stumble head over heels 

we looked hard at the world around us 

and saw a future in each other”

-Rebecca Hare ‘11 

Cofell and Hare are now preparing for the release of The Cage, the Depths, the Harbor, a collection of poetry and prose that seek “to share perspectives and build connections beyond confining walls and perceptions.” The collection includes “contributions from writers who are both currently incarcerated and non-incarcerated” with all proceeds to be distributed amongst the currently incarcerated contributors.  

Calling upon the Benedictine values of justice and respect for all people, Cofell and Hare cite the Rule of Saint Benedict reminding us that “your way of acting should be different from the world’s way” (Rule of Saint Benedict 4). “Our collaboration rejects isolation as a tool of incarceration” they write, adding that their work on The Cage, the Depths, the Harbor “challenges carceral punishment as a goal of the criminal legal system.”  

“From reaching out to friends for poetry and prose contributions, to transcribing handwritten submissions from our incarcerated authors, to editing and typesetting the final project,” the Prep alums worked side by side through every step of the publication process. “Both of us discovered our love for writing and poetry while at Prep” they write, noting that their “appreciation for poetry grew as we learned its historical use as a transformative catalyst for societal change.”  

Cofell and Hare extend their gratitude to the faculty of the Saint John’s Prep English department including Mr. Jeff Johnson, Ms. Dixie Boschee, Mr. Robert Erickson, and Mr. Paul Menard for sparking their interest in writing and literature.  

To get your copy of The Cage, the Depths, the Harbor, please fill out this . If you would like a copy but are experiencing financial hardship, please contact shiftcreativecollective@gmail.com for assistance.  

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