Our History & Traditions

OUR HISTORY & TRADITIONS Charlotte Country Day School

75 YEARS AND COUNTING Since our founding in 1941 as the area’s first independent school, Country Day has been leading the way in education. We have always been a community of leaders and doers, who are continuously looking forward. Our history—whether shaped seven decades ago or just last year—is chock-full of “firsts.” It’s also filled with traditions that bind us as a community through our shared experiences and sense of purpose. Then, now, and always, we are Country Day Ready!

HOW IT ALL STARTED In the spring of 1940, our founding headmaster, Dr. Thomas Burton, rallied Charlotte leaders around a visionary new concept in education—the independent day school. On September 22, 1941, Charlotte Country Day School opened its doors with 18 students in a leased home on Morehead Street. By the start of the 1945–46 school year, our fledgling school for grades kindergarten through eighth had grown to 56 students and moved to a new six-acre site on Sardis Road. In 1960, Country Day moved to its permanent home on Carmel Road with six buildings on 30 acres; and in 1962, graduated its first class of 15 seniors.

Throughout the sixties and seventies, Country Day continued to grow in enrollment and build on our reputation for educational excellence and well-rounded student experiences in the arts, athletics, and community service. We took another leap forward in 1980 through a merger with Carmel Academy that allowed Country Day to establish a second campus specifically for Middle School students, and our enrollment stood at more than 1,500 students. At that time, our previous mascot, “the Rebel,” was retired and we became “Buccaneers” donning green and gold.

The eighties and nineties ushered in another era of innovative thinking that brought many educational “firsts” to Charlotte and continues today for a diverse student body of more than 1,660 students in JK–12. We are proud of our long history of offering students an unsurpassed opportunity to prepare for the future—an opportunity grounded in the strength of tradition and shaped by generations of visionary leaders.

OUR SEAL 1960

1981

Current

Our school seal has evolved over the years since we first adopted it in 1960, but two elements remain constant:

THE ACORN The acorn has a special place in our school seal for a very important reason. An acorn only appears on a fully mature oak tree; therefore, it is considered a symbol of the patience needed to attain goals over a long period of time. It represents perseverance and hard work. Just as it takes water, sun, and air for an acorn to grow into a strong tree, it takes the care and commitment of dedicated teachers, coaches, and parents over many years to help our students grow into fine young adults.

The acorn symbolizes the intentional way in which our students are Country Day Ready.

THE MOTTO Fortitudine Ac Pietate = With Courage and Reverence

BUCS PRIDE!

WHEN IT COMES TO ATHLETICS and Buccaneer pride, our school community is all in. Maybe that’s because the school fields 72 sports teams, for grades 7–12, with an average of 90 percent of our students participating in some form of organized athletics on the Middle School, junior varsity, or varsity levels. Or, because the Boosters Club hosts multiple Spirit Nights for all grades, and the Alumni Association organizes athletic reunions for our alumni.

Maybe it’s because of our fun traditions, like the Pink Posse (senior girls who go all out to cheer on their Bucs) or the Chain Gang (faculty members who get creative and make “moving the chains” at football games a sight to behold). Or maybe we get so excited to be Buccaneers because we are often playing in state championship games— we’ve earned 125 state titles and counting in our school’s history.

For all these reasons and more, we bleed Country Day green and gold!

Every year, we play varsity football against Charlotte Catholic for the Cook Cup, in honor of the late John Cook, the Bucs’ coach from 1959–1985.

“As a member of the lacrosse and football teams, I learned the true meaning of honor, courage, and commitment. Without these two programs, I would not be the young man that I am today.”

–Sheppard Wilson ’15

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Cook Cup Game | September 2

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Homecoming Football Game | September 30

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GARDENS AND GAZEBOS

FRESH AIR, BEAUTIFUL GARDENS, and outdoor gathering spots beckon from the other side of many doors on Country Day’s Cannon Campus. For our youngest students that means the playground is just a few steps away and they get lots of physical activity throughout the day. They may also have story time in the Imagination Garden or help grow vegetables for others in the organic Community Garden.

For older students, the Gazebo area is a favorite gathering spot for hanging out, eating lunch, holding club events, and studying with friends—much like a small, college campus. There are many other garden areas with benches and tables for gathering, plus a wide-open green for relaxing between classes with a game of corn hole or Frisbee.

A PLACE OF THEIR OWN Down the road at Bissell Campus, Middle School students get plenty of outdoor time too. A butterfly garden and McAlpine Creek, which wraps around the campus, are integral components to the curriculum. The climbing wall and tetherball courts are popular lunchtime activities, and students have their own outdoor fields and courts for daily PE and athletic team matches.

While Cannon Campus has grown substantially since 1960, we remain a school committed to integrating the outdoors on purpose.

What you won’t see are locks on the lockers. Honor is a way of life. We respect each other and we respect other people’s stuff.

READY TO SERVE

EVERY APRIL, the entire Upper School—students, faculty, and staff—takes a two-day break from the rigors of academia to host the Special Olympics Mecklenburg County Spring Games. This definitive Country Day experience has been happening since 1983 and is just one example of the engaged citizenship that every student experiences, in multiple ways, during the course of the school year.

Other longtime service traditions include hosting a lunch for the homeless before Holiday Break, mentoring Rama Road Elementary students as a Big Brother/Big Sister, raising funds to support cancer research at the Lacrosse Jamboree, supporting preschoolers at the Learning Collaborative, collecting canned goods for Second Harvest Food Bank, making pottery bowls to support Hospice, and crafting homemade cards and growing vegetables for Friendship Trays.

Country Day’s commitment to service began with second graders who sold war bonds in 1942.

“Without fail, Country Day students walk out of Special Olympics with the desire to love wider and love better.

We have a new confidence to get outside of our comfort zone, a gratitude for what we have been given, and a compassion for those around us.”

–Megan Lewis ’13

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Soup Bowls for Hospice | October 25 Special Olympics | April 19–20 Global Days of Service | Stay tuned for details

THE PLACES WE GO

From discovering North Carolina’s Outer Banks to hiking the Great Wall of China, getting out there is a cherished Country Day tradition. The overnight adventure begins at the end of fourth grade when the popular Oceanography Club explores the Carolina coast. In Middle School, the entire grade takes part in either School in the Woods or School at the Beach—a mix of learning, risk-taking, class bonding, and well, Middle School silliness.

And every August, just prior to the start of school, seniors kick off their final year with a camping and rafting trip.

Beginning in Middle School, students can further their global experiences by taking part in service and academic programs through study trips and exchanges with our sister schools around the world. Swim with the dolphins in Costa Rica, ride a camel in Morocco, tutor children in South Africa, discuss politics with Cuban citizens, serve as a diplomat at the Model UN conference in Paris, hone your artistic skills in Tuscany. These are just a few recent experiences. Where will we go next?

The late Dolly Hickman, a Country Day teaching legend and innovator in experiential learning, created School at the Beach and School in the Woods in the 1960s.

“The Italy Arts experience succeeded in educating me about the culture and history of Italy, as well as what it is like to be a foreigner in a different country. This knowledge will stay with me throughout life and help me in educating others.”

–Madison Mahoney, Italy Arts 2013

YOU KNOW YOU’RE A BUC IF… Some of our longest-held traditions are just plain fun! Your Country Day experience isn’t complete until you’ve taken part in these traditions.

A VISIT TO THE HEAD OF SCHOOL’S HOME In December, all Lower School students visit the Head of School’s house to help decorate two trees with their handmade ornaments celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. They also sing songs and enjoy a gingerbread cookie.

The tradition started in 1992 with our tenth Head of School Margaret Gragg Bissell.

Our eleventh Head, Mark Reed, continues the tradition and has added a new one for seniors.

On the last day of classes in May, seniors return to the Head of School’s house to enjoy a cookout on the lawn, sign yearbooks, and reminisce about their time at Country Day.

SPIRIT WEEK “We’ve got spirit, yes we do! We’ve got spirit, how ’bout you?” That chant and others will be stuck in your head after three days of rallies, costumes, decorations, and dances take place to determine which Upper School class has the most spirit. It’s a week for giving back too. On the first day of Spirit Week, students collect canned goods for Second Harvest Food Bank and then head to community partners around Charlotte for a day of service.

Lower School also takes part by making their own contribution on Can-Do Day. And Middle School students show their immense spirit through activities like Decade Day, March Madness, and the Student/ Faculty Basketball Game.

Started in 1968, Spirit Week was going strong in 1989.

BIG SATURDAY It’s called Big Saturday, because, well, it’s big and it’s always held on a Saturday in April. Started by the Parents’ Association in 1961, the event has evolved and grown over the years, but what has remained constant is the fun and fellowship enjoyed by children and adults, alike. A typical day at Big Saturday includes games and prizes, carnival rides, a talent show, a bake sale, a car raffle, an art show, and the extremely popular International Food Pavilion, in which Country Day families prepare delicious dishes from their native countries.

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Big Saturday | April 22

It’s always fun to see how clever our creative teachers will be!

LOWER SCHOOL HALLOWEEN PARADE Country Day’s longest tradition—it started in 1948—is a fun time for kids of all ages.

The parade route weaves through Cannon Campus as parents, grandparents, and friends cheer on little princesses, pirates, sports stars, monsters, book characters, and more. Upper School students take part too. Aquilifer Service Club members lead each class and band members provide the parade music.

Something you don’t see anymore—plastic masks.

THE JK–12 EXPERIENCE

There are so many ways to take part in school life.

Here’s a brief list of things to do that make the Country Day experience so special: • Get a hug from the lunch ladies.

• Gather with friends at the Holiday Breakfast.

• Eat lunch at Moe’s a LOT your senior year—because you’ve finally earned senior privileges.

• Have your parents walk you to your classroom on the first day of Lower School—everybody does.

• Try out for a big part in your Lower School grade-level play (and don’t worry if you don’t get it; there’s always next year).

• Meet a foreign ambassador and ask great questions at a World Affairs Council luncheon.

• Try a new activity in the After School program.

• Stay up late after prom at Casino Night.

• Join an academic club, like Odyssey of the Mind, Science Olympiad, or the Debate Team.

• Attend an NCISAA championship game—there will be lots of opportunities.

• Order a “Valentunes” from the Upper School choir to sing to your crush on that special day.

• Offer a kind word to someone who is having a bad day.

That’s what Bucs do.

• Learn how to juggle with your dad at the Middle School Fathers’ Coffee.

• Try not to blush when your grandparents gush over your work on Grandparents’ Day.

What Traditions Do You Remember?

Share your favorite Country Day traditions.

Online:

charlottecountryday.org/CountryDay75 Social:

Tag your posts #CountryDay75 E-mail:

CountryDay75@charlottecountryday.org

• Remind your parents to get to the used textbook sale early!

• Visit the campus store and get your Bucs spirit wear.

• See if you can get a butterfly to sit on your nose—we raise Monarchs on both campuses.

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Parent Speaker Series | Oct. 6, Nov. 15, Feb. 22 Holiday Breakfast | December 16 Annual Art Show Reception | February 17

COMMENCEMENT

After all the rigorous coursework, extracurricular activities, service outreach, global connections, and lifelong friendships created, the graduating class is Country Day Ready to walk across the stage to accept a hard-earned diploma. Before that though, seniors commemorate a job well done with a week full of activities with classmates and family. It begins with the Baccalaureate ceremony and a dinner hosted by the Alumni Association, followed by awards ceremonies, community service, a leadership development experience, and a special lunch at the Head’s home. For many students, a final arts performance or championship athletic matchup may also be part of the week.

Then, on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, seniors are ready for the pomp and circumstance. As they process into Bruton Smith Athletic Center, their proud teachers applaud their efforts. The Head of School presents top student and faculty awards, and the Speaker for the Class (chosen by classmates) reflects on their time at Country Day. After commencement exercises, the graduates pour on to the lawn to celebrate with family and friends. A supper follows in the Lineberger Quadrangle as twilight falls.

Our first graduation ceremony in 1962.

SENIOR CLASS GIFT Before graduation, the senior class collectively donates a present to the campus. Past gifts include picnic tables and benches for the courtyard and new furniture for the Senior Lounge, as well as donations to campus departments, organizations, endowments, and the Annual Fund.

Alumni from many decades reconnect with friends, teachers, and coaches each spring during Reunion Weekend.

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Alumni Reunion Weekend | April 28–29

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Commencement | May 26

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ED YO U ’R E IN V IT

ALL-SCHOOL CONVOCATION & 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 9 AM BELK STADIUM, CANNON CAMPUS RECEPTION FOLLOWING FOR ALL GUESTS

Help us celebrate 75 incredible years! We hope you will join us for this very special community-wide celebration for everyone connected to Country Day. Our special guest speaker is Margaret Gragg Bissell, who served as Head of School from 1992–2009. Students, faculty, and staff will also recreate the aerial photo taken during Country Day’s 50th anniversary year.

RSVP: charlottecountryday.org/cd75celebration

Share your stories: You can take part in our yearlong celebration no matter where you are in the world or how you like to engage and communicate: Visit charlottecountryday.org/CountryDay75 for more details.

Tag your social posts #CountryDay75

Our Newest Tradition The All-School Convocation, which started in 2012, brings the entire academic community together to look forward and set goals for the year. The senior class holds hands with junior kindergarten and kindergarten students as they walk in together. The class also presents an oak sapling to the youngest grades, which is planted on campus to represent the growth they enjoy as Country Day students.

8/2016