Foreword As part of Seattle Country Day School’s 50th anniversary celebration in the spring of 2015, many memories, pictures, and events came to our attention as the school researched and unearthed stories from its past. It is important to document, save, and preserve historical elements that help tell the SCDS story. This memory book is a bonus outcome from SCDS’s archival efforts over the course of our anniversary year. While not an all-inclusive historical account of SCDS from 1964 to the present, the book does recall many of our school’s traditions, events, and people. We hope the book rekindles fond memories and continues to inspire all who have been on campus to experience our unique learning culture. Michael G. Murphy Head of School December 2015
"As Seattle Country Day School celebrates its 50th year as an independent school, one essential cornerstone of our school has not changed—our commitment to missionappropriate students who are highly capable, keenly curious, motivated by the intrinsic love of learning, and enjoy the creative challenges of problem solving.” — Head of School Michael Murphy, May 2015
Table of Contents SCDS Through the Decades SCDS Celebrates 50 Years SCDS Mission and Traditions Inquiry-based Learning Science and Technology Language and the Arts Engineering Event Athletics Winterim Community Service Campus Events Global Awareness and Travel
1960s
Seattle Country Day School (SCDS) had humble beginnings in a church basement in Burien. It persevered and thrived, led by the vision of First Head of School Lucile Beckman.
1970s
SCDS relocated to Forest Ridge, then Temple De Hirsch before finally settling into its present location on Queen Anne Hill.
1980s
A 25th anniversary was celebrated along with the appointment of a new Head of School, Dr. Jayasri Ghosh. Class trips, Winterim, technology, and traditions began to take stronger shape.
1990s
Enrollment began to skyrocket, SCDS became a fully accredited member of the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS), and renovations of the math/science building took place.
2000s
SCDS celebrated 40 years, Michael Murphy was named Head of School, and A Place to Grow Capital Campaign began. The Middle School building was completed along with the driveway, greentop, and courtyard.
2010s
SCDS got its gym in shape, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) launched, the playground was fully renovated, and technology and fabrication tools advanced.
2015 SCDS celebrated its 50th anniversary as an independent school. The
annual Spring Concert and Leadership Recognition Dinner made way for a reunion weekend replete with an open house, author's showcase, alumni speakers, and an Ultimate alumni tournament.
"What we need to do in young generations is nurture that curiosity. Give kids the hands-on learning that they get at Seattle Country Day School that makes them life-long learners." Secretary of the Interior, Former SCDS Trustee, and Alumna Sally Roffey Jewell '69
"I feel like it was yesterday I was here swinging on the monkey bars in my Velcro shoes ... At SCDS learning was fun, it was exciting, and it opened your eyes to the world around you and the infinite opportunities to explore it." SCDS Alumnus Jeffrey Watson, MD '94
A newspaper clipping from the Seattle Daily Times published on December 26, 1965.
Mission and Traditions First Head of School Lucile Beckman had a vision for SCDS: to provide a safe, yet challenging place where like-minded students would be understood and nurtured. That goal remains steadfast today: to inspire gifted children to reach their potential through inquiry, curiosity, and wonder.
Grade 1 Teacher Sally Bauer shows a student how to use the telescope on the Dr. Jayasri Ghosh Rooftop Terrace, April 2014.
Inquiry-based Learning Using an inquiry-based approach, teachers set objectives, but it’s the students that figure out how to get there by building, acting, exploring, creating, and sometimes failing. Learning is often a kinetic experience in which lessons are learned as much with the body and spirit as with the mind. This method of teaching leads students to deeper mastery of the subject, and instills a lifelong sense of curiosity and selfconfidence.
Seventh grade students work on an experiment during Science class, 2003.
Middle School students rearrange their desks to promote inquiry-based discussions in Language Arts, 2014.
In the Technology Lab, students tinker with circuit boards, December 2013.
Science and Technology The Technology Program celebrates the spirit of inquiry, encouraging students to develop a “technological consciousness.� Technology at SCDS has come a long way over the past 50 years, from Commodore 64s to 3D printing on the Makerbot Replicator.
Students work on a project in paint, (date unknown).
Grades 4-5 Science Teacher Dr. Meredith "Doc O" Olson helps students measure shadows, (date unknown).
In a collaborative project between art and math, eighth grade students created a mural in the Middle School building inspired by M.C. Escher, March 2015. Students visited the M.C. Escher Museum in Amsterdam on their class trip.
Language and the Arts Language and the arts are core aspects of the Seattle Country Day School curriculum. Students begin learning Spanish, music, and art in kindergarten and continue to develop their skills through eighth grade. In an inquiry-based setting, projects cross subject boundaries. In 2015, eighth grade students created a mural using stencils created in the Technology Lab using math-based tessellations.
Art encourages students to explore current issues, Social Emotional Learning concepts, self-identity, and popular culture, 2015.
Students giggle during the third grade Hansel and Gretel trial, 1997.
Intermediate School students read a novel in Spanish and create tapas in class, November 2014.
Middle School students learn the guitar, 1998.
“It’s chaos during the Engineering Event. The way we structure it is very energizing and supportive—but with just a little bit of competition. And the kids love it." — Dr. Meredith “Doc O” Olson, Grades 4-5 Science Teacher
Engineering Event Since 1987, the Engineering Event has been the highlight of the year for many students. Students in grades 4-8 spend six weeks designing their rigs for the event using design criteria and specified tools, then adding their own materials. Students unveil their creations prior to Thanksgiving for parents and the school community.
A student makes a last-minute adjustment to her rig at the Engineering Event: Great Wheels, November 2012.
Students show off their rigs during the Engineering Event: Throwing Things—Historically and to Mars, November 1996.
A student learns how to spin a frisbee from Grades 7-8 Social Studies Teacher Mary Lowry, April 2014.
Athletics Seattle Country Day School encourages inquiry and selfdiscovery in the classroom and outside on the slopes, trails, greentop, and playing fields. "We want to expose kids to sports as part of a life-long learning process," says Athletic Director Chuck Lintz. "At the same time, we want our program to be fun and competitive so that students will sign up and play."
Students smile and play games during the AllSchool Picnic, 1995.
A student glances down while rock climbing during SCDS's off-site athletics program, 1994.
A third grade student races across the court during a basketball game, January 2015.
The boys basketball team poses for a photo, 1994.
Second graders wave while taking a break at the ice rink, 2004.
Winterim More than 30 years in the making, Winterim is one of the oldest traditions at Seattle Country Day School. For six consecutive Fridays during January and February, students, parents, and faculty head to the slope, trails, or ice rink.
Students show off their 12th man pride during Winterim, 2014.
Students prepare to ski the Snoqualmie Flats Trail with Grades 4-8 Music Teacher Susan Ellis, 1996.
A Middle School student smiles for a photo during a community service project, October 2014.
Community Service As part of Social Emotional Learning, students have the opportunity to participate in community service projects throughout their tenure at Seattle Country Day School. In Lower School, students create care packages for Seattle Children's Hospital and conduct park clean-ups. In Intermediate and Middle School, students dive deeper into service and have the opportunity to learn about the root causes of issues such as homelessness, hunger, and disability.
Middle School students pause for a game of chess while completing community service in Pioneer Square, March 2015.
A Lower School student helps spread mulch at Little Howe Park, 2004.
SCDS students pose with their grandmother during Grandparents and Special Friends Day, May 1997.
Campus Events Throughout the year, SCDS hosts several campus events to encourage students to learn about one another and themselves. Some longstanding traditions include Grandparents and Special Friends Day, the Culture Feast, the Halloween Parade, and many others!
During a first grade Culture Feast, students learn about themselves and their classmates, (date unknown).
Students show off their costumes during the Halloween Parade, 2001.
Seventh grade students pose for a photo in Washington, D.C., 2014.
Global Awareness and Travels SCDS has a long history of class trips in Intermediate and Middle School, which culminates with an international capstone trip in eighth grade. In 2012, SCDS started a new tradition —the “Big Reveal”—where Middle School students learned about their upcoming trips from staff instead of their parents. "We wanted them to really feel that they owned the trip; that they were the first to know about it. We could then build on that momentum and utter surprise,” says Intermediate and Middle School Head Dan Sweeney.
Students pose for a photo during a class trip to China, 1986.
Sixth grade students take learning outside during a class trip to the North Cascades Institute, September 2014.
Special thanks to Arnaud Gautier, Marjorie Osterhout, and the 50th Anniversary Committee for helping to capture the history of Seattle Country Day School.