@FCDS Newsletter - Winter 2025 by Forsyth Country Day School

@ FCDS

A Note From Nathan INTERIM HEAD OF

SCHOOL

Dear Furies,

Happy 2025! I’m so optimistic for what’s ahead at Forsyth Country Day School this year I thought it would be fun to highlight just five things I’m looking forward to - my Top 5 for ’25

1) FCDS’s 55th anniversary

This year, FCDS celebrates 55 incredible years of Fury! We’re so grateful to our founders, teachers past and present, alumni, students, and families for making the past 55 years so special.

2) Our new website

Coming soon...FCDS.org 2.0! A new website might not SOUND like the most exciting thing, but when we unveil our new look - dynamic, beautiful, and easy to interact with - I think you’ll love it as much as we do

3) Innovating Classrooms For What’s Ahead

This exciting initiative strives to make our learning environment the best it can be for our students. It’s not just the furniture in the room, which should be adaptable and allow for student choice - it’s the lighting, technology, safety features, and more We’ll need your help to make this vision a reality

4) The best colleagues I’ve ever had FCDS’s faculty and staff have always been first rate, and my current colleagues are the best I’ve ever worked with Watching them teach, coach, and lead our students every day is a joy

5) The privilege of leading this community

When I attended FCDS, I never thought I’d find myself as Interim Head of School I’m so grateful for the opportunity to lead this community! I’m looking forward to making sure that every decision I make supports our learners and is always in their best interest!

Best Regards, Nathan Battle

Collaboration By Design

By Eliza Moore, FCDS Marketing & Communications Intern and Winston-Salem Fellow

As Forsyth Country Day School prepares its students for what’s ahead by designing innovative concept classrooms, we checked in with past FCDS Board Chair and alumni parent Stan Jewell to hear how he’s revolutionizing his own workspace and why it’s so important for schools to do the same

StanJewell

PastFCDSBoardChairandAlumniParent CEO&PresidentRenfroBrands

Stan Jewell vividly recalls the moment he understood the profound impact a workplace environment has on company culture. Early in his career, he worked at an office where he didn’t feel like his coworkers were connecting. “My problem was that everybody went into their office, closed their door, and worked all day. You’d only come out for lunch in the restaurant,” Stan said.

When his team moved to better office space, he used the change in scenery as an opportunity to challenge company culture. Stan replaced the standard furniture with sofas and armchairs and painted the back wall with whiteboard paint. “My boss came down the next Monday or Tuesday and he said, ‘What is this?’ And I said, ‘This is my office,’ and he said, ‘This isn’t an office; there’s no desk,’” Stan recalled.

Instead of backing down, Stan rose to the challenge. He decided to rebrand his office as a collaborative space. He outfitted the space with a refrigerator, coffee, and free snacks, and opened the doors for anyone in the company to come and work. He was thrilled when people came pouring in.

Now, as CEO and President of Renfro Brands, a sock manufacturing and design company, Stan works hard to intentionally create spaces that promote creativity and collaboration. “The environment is a big part of culture, but the attitude and the way people behave is an even bigger part of the culture,” he said.

His vision is evident in the modern design of Renfro’s downtown Winston-Salem office. The original 1980 design was a traditional, partitioned office space that fostered what Stan called an “old-school, closed-door culture.” To change this, he partnered with the team at STITCH Design Shop in 2019 to transform Renfro’s space, preserving the building’s original character while incorporating modern design principles. “I tried to create a space where people would want to come, not feel like they had to come, and a place where once they get here there’s flexibility in your day and how you can work,” Stan said.

“The workday, just like the school day, contains a variety of learning opportunities and needs,” Stan said. “Providing a flexible and diverse learning environment results in greater productivity.”

Today’s updated office has several central meeting spaces, a cafe, rotating showrooms and design studios uniquely branded to suit different clients, and floor to ceiling windows with stunning views of downtown. Offices located in the middle of the floor have one wall made of glass facing the windows, creating an open, collaborative space. “Everybody’s got a right to the light,” Stan joked. He wanted to remove many of the natural hierarchies and segmentation that occur in office spaces in order to build community across different disciplines. “I think if people naturally encounter others, they’ll interact,” he said.

Stan sees the benefit of adopting this same approach to the way we think about classroom learning “The workday, just like the school day, contains a variety of learning opportunities and needs,” he said. “Providing a flexible and diverse learning environment results in greater productivity.”

How Modern Classrooms Prepare Students For What’s Ahead

When FCDS began designing its concept classrooms, flexibility was a top priority. The classrooms were designed based on research that shows that adaptability and mobility help students take ownership of their learning. The moveable furniture allows students to switch easily between individual and group work. Elements like durable furniture, natural light, relaxing color schemes, portable technology and writing spaces, and limited distractions all contribute to creating an environment that fosters focus and emotional wellbeing.

In addition to promoting engaged learning, these features also prepare students for careers in the workplaces of the future.

“A lot of the modern workspaces that our students will find themselves in are highly collaborative Setting up these experiences and opportunities for them now allows us to meet their needs for the future,” said Associate Head of School for Teaching & Learning Dr. Michelle Klosterman.

If you ’ re interested in learning more about Classrooms For What’s Ahead, please contact Andy Clifton, Director of Philanthropy & Community Engagement, at 336 978 3941 or andyclifton@fcds org

Talking the Talk: How FCDS is Having Better Conversations Every Day

In 2024, Forsyth Country Day School trained every faculty and staff member in Better Conversations Every Day (BCE), a program created by the Center for Creative Leadership. “Through Better Conversations Every Day training, we’ve learned skills like active listening and asking powerful questions that help us become more intentional about how we talk to one another,” said Interim Head of School Nathan Battle

FCDS teachers agree Rachel Warner, an academic coach in the Johnson Academic Center, felt that the training created a safe space to share and be vulnerable. “I really liked the part where we were assigned to listen to facts, feelings, or values. In our day-to-day lives, we don’t typically listen for each of those things separately, but I think it was a great exercise to help us practice doing so and see the value in slowing down and digging deeper. I think all the skills that were practiced can be used right away, which is one of the things that makes this training so wonderful and impactful.”

Fifth grade English teacher Robbyn Szvetitz concurred. “BCE has helped me have more productive conversations by helping me recognize how to be a better listener and be a sounding board for others to work through stressful situations,” she said “It has also given me a framework for staying solution-minded when managing tough situations myself.”

Language development specialist Abbey Ansel also enjoyed BCE training. “The whole program was

exceptional and helpful. I loved the opportunity to connect with others on a deeper level and learn from one another,” she said.

“Research shows that improving the quality of conversations improves culture and leads to positive outcomes for all of our students,” Nathan said. “Building community in this powerful way is really at the core of what Forsyth Country Day School is. We build relationships with one another by having meaningful conversations and truly sitting down and listening ”

“We’ve learned skills like active listening and asking powerful questions that help us become more intentional about how we talk to one another.”

Dr Bert Ellison, Director of the Niblock Center for Intentional Living, leads a Better Conversations Every Day training

Celebrating Performing Arts at FCDS

The performing arts are electric at FCDS! From preschool drumming to the Upper School play, there is a space for every student to express themselves! In addition to our orchestra and choral concerts, FCDS presented The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition (MS), Community Garden (US), and will perform The Little Mermaid (US), Seussical KIDS (LS), and Puzzle Puppy (K-1) during second semester. With music and theater specialists in all divisions, students can grow in their craft from age 2 to senior year!

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