4 minute read
HEAD START
Remarks from Head of School Georgia S. Zaiser
This edition of Pages captures the spirit of Far Hills Country Day School; we are a school community that remains true to our values and mission while constantly evolving and changing to prepare our students “for success in the modern world.”
With our return this fall, we have managed to take our school spirit to the next level. Our Pep Rally captured the unbridled enthusiasm of being together as a community. We hope that the recap you’ll see covered in this edition of Pages will inspire you to join us for future events.
You’ll see as you flip through that we are truly fortunate to be surrounded by such a wonderful group of families who care deeply about our school and the future of our students. Your partnership is invaluable to everything we do. Of course, Far Hills Country Day School would not be the school it is without its dedicated, professional faculty and staff. We’re delighted to share with you what our incredible faculty and staff have been up to in the Notable Faculty and Staff section of this edition.
A school that is not continuously moving forward is a school that is falling behind. We have accomplished so much since our last edition of Pages was published. Read about our one-of-a-kind mountain bike trail and refreshed tennis and pickleball courts on page 6 to see why they have quickly become some of the students’ favorite additions to our expansive 54-acre campus. Experiential learning is a hallmark of a Far Hills Country Day School education and these new additions offer more transformative places where students stretch to and beyond their comfort zone. In this edition, you will find other exciting news, including Chris Merton’s successor as Board Chair, Joe Ferraro. The board continues to keep the mission and vision for our school on the cutting edge. They unanimously support the great work we are doing with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and look forward to the future.
As it becomes clear in this issue of Pages, Far Hills Country Day School remains a vibrant learning community steeped in both tradition and innovation.
Enjoy and be well.
Georgia S. Zaiser Head of School
GO FALCONS!
The Far Hills community came out in full force on Friday, October 1, 2021, for our All-School Pep Rally. The seasonably warm evening provided a beautiful canvas for fun on our Athletic Fields. There were games, dancing, food trucks, and so much more, including a high-spirited introduction of our fall sports teams and (drum roll, please) the introduction of our new Falcon mascot! The energy was the perfect kickstart to the 2021–22 school year!
Student Government President Zachary “Zach” Freed '22 inspired the crowd with his speech. Gabrielle “Gabbie” Derilus '27 (left), pictured with Charlotte Macy '28 (right). Pictured left to right: Mia Vartuli '23, Laurel Donovan '23, Makayla Dye '23, Valentina Reale '23, Ava Pardilla '23, Schuyler Abramson '23, Audrey Mishima '23, and Ellie Maeda '23. Cousins Benjamin “Ben” Sobel '27 and Kellan Sudler '30. Eleanor “Ellie” Cusimano '22 (pictured back) and Cameron Weil '22 (pictured front right). Pictured left to right: Blake Evans '22, Colin Brucker '22, and Jacob Zentner '22 lead the soccer team in. *Photos 2, 4, 5, and 6 courtesy of Laura Pedrick.
Pictured here is the final design concept from the design team after many revisions to perfect the costume before it made its way into production.
THE NEW AND IMPROVED FALCON MASCOT UNVEILING
BEFORE AFTER
Mother Kristen O’Donnell and her youngest daughter Lilyana are photographed with the old Falcon and then with the new Falcon.
At our All-School Pep Rally, our community met a new and improved familiar face. Our well-known and loved Falcon received a makeover and made its grand debut in front of our faculty, staff, current students, parents, and alumni community. The unveiling of the new Falcon mascot was well-received by our entire community, and the students couldn’t run over fast enough to show our new Falcon some love. We worked with a design team and mascot company to create the new costume from scratch. When working with the designer, they considered our color palette and brand to make the new costume unique to Far Hills. No one will ever have this costume or one close to it. How cool is that?!
Special thanks to the Class of 2021, who donated a portion of their legacy gift to help bring the new mascot to life. We are looking forward to building so many new memories with our community and the new and improved Falcon.
Our community was all cheers as our new Falcon busted through the banner at our Pep Rally. Photo courtesy of Laura Pedrick.
Director of Upper School Emily Seelaus (left) and Head of School Georgia Zaiser (right) posing with the new Falcon.
