GCDS News, August 2022

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

In preparation for our final Board of Trustees meeting this June, I took a peek back at a planning document I wrote for a board meeting in 2017. At that time the board was actively debating the idea of adding an Upper School and they were looking for what we might anticipate in terms of enrollment and staffing. In that document, we had a hopeful projection that in September of 2022 we would reach our full enrollment (450 in the Upper School and 1450 across all grades) and be fully staffed (225 faculty and 100 staff). At the time, that pie in the sky thinking represented an ideal we hoped we might reach.

As we close the 2021–2022 school year and prepare for September 2022, I am humbled to report—we did it!

We will open the Upper School fully staffed and fully enrolled in September, reflecting a strong demand for the program we have built and aligned, Nursery–Grade 12, in three short years. Additionally, we announce in this issue

that we have been granted NEASC Accreditation as an N–12 school, our senior graduates “crushed it” in terms of college placement, our athletic teams won championships before we even had a full senior class, our middle schoolers produced amazing work and performances, our elementary divisions guided our youngest as they began their educational journeys, and this was all done while never losing sight of that “secret sauce” that makes this school so special.

This year-end edition of GCDS News captures so much of the joy that is seen on campus across all ages. I hope you feel what we have the honor to witness every day!

Happy summer and we can’t wait to see you in September!

Adam C. Rohdie

GCDSNEWS

Greenwich Country Day School

P.O. Box 623, Old Church Road

Greenwich, CT 06836-0623 www.gcds.net

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Adam Rohdie

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

Kim Eves EDITOR

Moina Noor

PHOTOGRAPHY

ChiChi Ubiña, Ariana Lubelli-Brown, Katie Christy, Jen Donnalley

MAGAZINE DESIGN

Foogoo Communications Design

MARKETING GRAPHICS

Kirsten Bitzonis

Please share your comments, address changes, and inquiries GCDSNews@gcds.net

Send Alumni News and Photos Liz Orum Duffy ’98 Director of Alumni Relations liz.duffy@gcds.net

GCDS News is published four times each year and is distributed to alumni, GCDS parents and grandparents, faculty and staff, and friends of the school. All rights reserved.

Greenwich Country Day School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin or any other category prohibited by law, in admission policies, scholarship programs, athletic and other school administered programs.

On the Cover: (Back) Logan Murphy, Max Konigsberg, Rory Ashmeade, Devin Kwarula, Sophia Urbina (Middle) Shannon Hart, Vaughn Shannonhouse, Kate Salomon, John Breitfelder, Alex Perl (Front) Janet Orozco, Jackson Castelli, Mackenzie Ross, Will Hollander, Charlotte Fischer

Cover Photo: ChiChi Ubiña

Congratulations Class of 2022!

“It’s a community unlike any other, where I’ve always felt heard and included.”

— Senior Class President Jackson Castelli ’22

FRONT: Kat Coppola, Zach Sternberg, Camille Jordan, Harrison Cole, Katherine Sternberg, Jack Reisner, Janet Orozco, Jackson Castelli, Mackenzie Ross, William Hollander, Charlotte Fischer, Tessa Loverro, Rowland Robinson, Kayla Richards MIDDLE: James Fiore, Caroline Hart, Ben Offit, Georgia Mann, Cooper Johnson, Shannon Hart, Vaughn Shannonhouse, Kate Salomon, John Breitfelder, Alex Perl, Lemar Fulmore, Coco Motoyoshi, Christian Estock BACK: Jack Bertrand, Alex Sherriff, Emily Moloney, Billy Barratt Heitmann, Ella Brahmst, Justin Roldan, Logan Murphy, Max Konigsberg, Rory Ashmeade, Devin Kwarula, Sophia Urbina, Quinn Brahmst, Andrew Weindling, Jamaal DeGraffenried (Not pictured: Peter Pauley, Ben Shi)

1 Alumni Speaker Ryan Elissa MacLeod ’91

2 Janet Orozco, Sophia Urbina, Katherine Sternberg 3 Jackson Castelli and family 4 Logan Murphy, Ella Brahmst, Jamaal DeGraffenried

5 Head of School Adam Rohdie, Zach Sternberg

Resilience & Optimism Define this Year’s Graduates

I came to GCDS with a mentality to seize the day. Instead of shying away from new experiences, I threw myself at any and all opportunities,” said Jackson Castelli, who started at GCDS as a sophomore and became senior class president.

As Jackson embraced the school, GCDS embraced him back. “It’s a community unlike any other, where I’ve always felt heard and included.”

While addressing 42 classmates, family, friends, and faculty members at Greenwich Country Day School’s commencement ceremony on May 20, Jackson said that the Class of 2022—only the third Upper School senior class—has left an indelible mark on the Stanwich Road campus.

“It took this amazing group of people to create the culture that now embodies what it means to be a Tiger at the Greenwich Country Day Upper School. This is a special group that was able to lift each other up, and grow from a significant challenge,” he said referring to the COVID pandemic. “This resilience contributed to a newly developing culture and is something we leave behind for other classes to strive toward.”

Earlier during the ceremony, an invocation was delivered by Debbie Kerrick, Chair of the Performing and Visual Arts Department, who is retiring after 33 years at the school. Alumna Ryan Elissa MacLeod ’91, former U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy Officer, then passed on life lessons to the Class of ’22 (see story on page 8).

Selected by the senior class as faculty speaker, Jeffrey DeTeso, Director of Wellness and Student Support, told the students, “The choice for what happens next in your life is always yours.”

Mr. DeTeso advised students to think small and tackle one thing at a time, choose to be brave and take risks, find their space where they can be authentically themselves, and choose to have an impact with compassion, curiosity, and a sense of connection.

Head of Upper School Dr. Chris Winters expressed admiration for the students’ rebelliousness. “You showed us that we can discuss politics, identity, race, our differences, and our similarities with civility and respect. Please continue to rebel against the current winds of division.”

Dr. Winters gave seniors this parting advice, “Challenge thoughts, consider more than your own limited perspective, be grateful, find a way to listen more, and love with an open heart. Be a leader for peace.”

Before awarding the graduates their diplomas, Board of Trustees President Vicki Craver reminded the students that many faculty members, coaches, and administrators helped them to reach this milestone. “This is your opportunity to thank all of those who have been by your side along the way.”

Head of School Adam Rohdie closed the ceremony by sharing the parable of the chopsticks, which tells the story of two versions of a banquet, one in heaven and one in hell. In hell, guests only try to feed themselves and can’t because the chopsticks are too long. In heaven, they feed each other across the table and thrive.

“I was reminded of that story by the 40 students sitting to my left,” said Mr. Rohdie. “You see, this class has found themselves in the most unique of circumstances—circumstances that no class has ever gone through before nor will ever go through again.”

The Class of 2022 took a leap of faith joining a new high school, and just as they did, a global pandemic shut it down, he said. In addition, a social justice movement, an environmental crisis, and nations at war were the backdrop of the students’ high school years.

“Yet challenge after challenge, this class responded with optimism, courage, passion, and resilience,” said Mr. Rohdie. “You all have fed and nourished each other month after month, year after year.”

ALUMNI SPEAKER

Ryan Elissa MacLeod ’91 Find Ways to Serve Others

Former military pilot and intelligence officer, Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Ryan MacLeod ’91, returned to the Greenwich Country Day School campus to address the Class of 2022, continuing a time-honored tradition of having a member of the alumni community share their wisdom with graduates.

Ms. MacLeod graduated from GCDS in 1991, where she was a varsity soccer and lacrosse player. After GCDS, she attended Greenwich High School, and then went on to Boston College where she played both women’s ice hockey and lacrosse, and graduated in 1998 with a B.S. in Geology and Health Sciences.

After a brief stint in finance, Ms. MacLeod commissioned as an Ensign into the US Coast Guard through Officer Candidate School in May 2000, and went on to earn her Wings of Gold as both a Naval and a Coast Guard Aviator days after the 9/11 attacks. During her service as a military pilot with both the Coast Guard and Navy, LCDR MacLeod logged thousands of flight hours and deployed around the globe for search and rescue, law enforcement, humanitarian, and military logistics missions. LCDR MacLeod was a USCG C-130 Hercules aircraft commander out of Saint Petersburg, FL, when Hurricane Katrina decimated the Gulf Coast in 2005. Her efforts in Katrina earned then LT MacLeod an Air Medal for meritorious achievement in aerial flight.

In her post-military life, Ms. MacLeod worked for the Department of Defense (DoD) as an intelligence officer, served as a DoD liaison to Navy SEALs in Virginia Beach, and earned an M.S. in Leadership from Embry-Riddle, while raising her son and moving numerous times in support of her husband’s military career.

The following are excerpts from her remarks:

An Uncharted Path

The path I chose wasn’t one I’d considered growing up. I don’t remember seeing female pilots in commercial cockpits, and I hadn’t heard a lot about women in military service or aviation roles outside of a few WWII heroes, some notable astronauts, and of course Amelia Earhart. I craved adventure and exploration, and wanted to travel and experience more in the world—becoming a flight attendant seemed a perfect fit, until my dad inquired if I’d consider flying the plane. I’d never dreamed such a fascinating job could be a possibility until that conversation! So I looked into flight training options, settled on the military route in a time of relative world peace, and applied to Coast Guard Officer Candidate School (OCS) in May of ‘99 with a newfound dream of becoming a Coast Guard Pilot.

There were many times when I wanted to quit in those first weeks of military training; many times when I choked back tears. When I reached a breaking point, a wise and compassionate instructor reminded me that worthy goals take grit and determination to achieve, discomfort is only temporary. I resolved to refocus and apply myself fully to my pursuit. I graduated from

THANKS TO THE FOUNDATION OF SELFBELIEF AND COURAGE DEVELOPED THROUGH EXPERIENCES AT GCDS, I KNEW I HAD THE INTELLIGENCE, DETERMINATION, AND COORDINATION TO TAKE ON NEW AND DIFFICULT THINGS TO ACCOMPLISH A DESIRED OUTCOME.

LCDR Ryan MacLeod at the 2009 Inaugural Parade (left) and in the Arctic Circle with a C-130 Hercules aircraft

1 Emily Moloney, Head of School Adam Rohdie

2 Jack Bertrand, Kat Coppola, John Breitfelder

3 Camille Jordan and family 4 Billy Barratt Heitmann, Ben Offit 5 James Fiore, Quinn Brahmst, Harrison Cole

HIGH SCHOOL AWARDS

Sulger Fellowship Award

The Aldin Horowitz Sulger Fellowship Award recognizes the student or students who have continually demonstrated a special generosity of spirit to others in the community. Rather than simply selecting the student most likely to succeed, the recipients are the students most likely to help others succeed. This year’s award was presented by Head of Upper School Dr. Chris Winters.

ZACH STERNBERG

When I think about this recipient, I imagine a sunny day and a country song. . . . Anyone would want to be his lab partner, his teammate, and to sit with him at a lunch table. Indeed, this student’s kindness, his good humor, his good sportsmanship and humility as a teammate make him the definition of a Sulger Fellowship winner.”

—Dr. Chris Winters

Personal Achievement Award

Recognizes personal and academic growth or achievement as well as consistent effort devoted to academics.

BILLY BARRATT HEITMANN

This student doesn’t merely value community—he creates one wherever he goes. This is especially powerful given the fact that he joined our community in particularly difficult circumstances, moving to Greenwich from Panama during COVID. The impact this student has made on our school in such a short span of time is a credit to his resilience, his intelligence, and his care for those around him.” —Dr.

Chris Winters

The Head of School Award

Recognizes the student or students who best embody the core values listed in the Greenwich Country Day Mission Statement and have “discovered and developed what is finest in themselves and have achieved the highest standards in their studies, in their play, and in their character.” This award is voted upon by the entire Upper School faculty and presented by the Head of School

RORY ASHMEADE

“

Her natural leadership comes from the happy alchemy of disarming humility and the joy in finding excellence. Whether in advanced classes like CSX or Multivariable Calculus or in the jazz band where you’d think Charlie Parker himself was improvising a solo. She is consistently able to do the right thing without sanctimony or the need for recognition.”

—Head of School Adam Rohdie

GEORGIA MANN

She creates excellence and meaningful work that speaks to her interest in bettering both herself and the broader world. A wise and natural leader and collaborator, she runs many clubs with consistent care, energy, talent, and integrity. She’s a talented performer and we have all laughed and cried and danced in the aisles with her. She is a faithful friend and a champion of all around her. She works tirelessly to make this school and the world a better place.” —Head of School Adam Rohdie

TESSA LOVERRO

Along with her deep and demonstrated passion for learning, this student radiates kindness and caring. Her interest in psychology and mental health led her and a few friends to start Rising Tide—a club that published thoughtful tips in a newsletter, collected valuable data on student mental health, and ran various activities meant to bolster students’ well-being.” —Dr.

Chris Winters

1 Head of School Adam Rohdie, Tessa Loverro 2 Maisy, Andrew, Cooper, Liz, and Sawyer Johnson

3 Mackenzie Ross, Caroline Hart

4 Lemar Fulmore and family 5 Kate Salomon, Shannon Hart 6 Jack Reisner 7 Georgia Mann and family

THERE WERE SO MANY TIMES WHEN I WANTED TO QUIT IN THOSE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF MILITARY TRAINING; MANY TIMES WHEN I CHOKED BACK TEARS. WHEN I REACHED A BREAKING POINT, A WISE AND COMPASSIONATE INSTRUCTOR REMINDED ME THAT WORTHY GOALS TAKE GRIT AND DETERMINATION TO ACHIEVE, AND DISCOMFORT IS ONLY TEMPORARY.

OCS with distinction, and orders to my first choice of duty assignments—Naval Flight School in Pensacola, FL.

It took just under 3 years from my initial decision to pursue a career as a military pilot to be qualified to fly my fleet aircraft, and was well worth all the time it took. I enjoyed flying for many years as both a Coast Guard and Navy pilot, logging thousands of flight hours around the globe, earning an Air Medal for meritorious achievement in aerial flight during Hurricane Katrina, and enhancing my role and reach in intel circles. A career in aviation fulfilled my desire for travel and adventure, and the reward of saving and safeguarding lives was immeasurable.

Military life isn’t easy, and it’s not for everyone. It worked out well for me. But success looks different to each of us—define and decide yours for yourself. And don’t be afraid to venture to the beat of your own drum if it feels right and inspires you, even if it surprises others. The magic of every journey is that you stitch together experiences without realizing you’re doing so, and eventually look back to see a beautifully and uniquely woven tapestry spread out behind you.

A Life of Service

Many people were called to service after September 11th. I felt enormously proud to be in uniform already, resolute in my decision to serve, prepared to respond however needed. The pride that comes with service in whatever capacity or shape it takes is not an arrogant one, but one that fills you with a sense of unrivaled purpose and contribution. I’d feel that pride a few more

times in my career when my efforts helped save people’s lives, enabled others to be recognized and promoted, exonerated my aircrew from trouble in foreign countries, and provided the critical connection for intelligence nerds and field operators to successfully execute missions together. I feel that same pride now in the volunteer work I do with student athletes.

Your Head of School and I share a guiding principle, “to whom much is given, much is required.” I chose a career of service to our country over other options time and again because I find the work meaningful, rewarding, and fulfilling. But you can find ways to serve others in your life without making a career of it. Make it a habit to give back or pay forward in your communities by taking time out to volunteer, coach, mentor, or tutor. The practice is uplifting, and the residual feelings will keep you centered and grounded, which is invaluable when life overwhelms you.

The Value of a GCDS Education

There were more uncertainties than assurances when I started my journey, and I’m appreciative now more than ever for the role that GCDS had in enabling that first step and the ones that followed. Thanks to the foundation of self-belief and daring developed at GCDS, I knew I had the intelligence, discipline, coordination, and guts to take on new and difficult challenges to accomplish a desired outcome. Similarly, GCDS has prepared you to a level you may not yet appreciate for a full, rewarding life in any direction you go. It has instilled you with fortitude and resilience, and set you up to be productive, creative, and flexible— traits already apparent in your class’s ability to forge ahead with your education and activities in the COVID Era.

My favorite aspect of GCDS’ curriculum is that the exposure and challenges provided help students identify and cultivate individual strengths and interests. Even in weakness, no one is left to fall behind. The value of a GCDS education extends beyond academic preparation to lasting life lessons in leadership, teamwork, integrity, and accountability to develop young women and men of character, fortitude, and conviction. You and I both benefitted from richer experiences and amassed more knowledge in our formative years here than most Americans will in a lifetime. That is a gift worth reflecting on—what you choose to do with this advantage it is up to you! )

Christian Estock, Kayla Richards

1 Sophia Urbina and family 2 Rory Ashmeade and family 3 Coco Motoyoshi 4 Devin Kwarula and family

5 Max Konigsberg and family

Focusing on FIT & FULFILLMENT GCDS College Counseling

By Andy Ramirez, Director of College Counseling

It’s hard to believe that just three years ago, the GCDS Upper School senior class consisted of only 12 pioneering students and families who, intrigued by a unique and innovative academic model, placed their trust in the Country Day experience and our college counseling vision. Prior to the opening of the high school, we assured families that colleges and universities understood our high aspirations, both in terms of our academic standards as well as the personal qualities GCDS wished to cultivate in our graduates.

As we reflect on these last few years, we are proud that we’ve helped students present themselves as individuals who value the acquisition of knowledge as facilitated by our dynamic and rigorous academic program, and who accept the responsibility of employing their education in service of our greater society. Whether a student has been at GCDS since nursery school or joined partway through the high school experience, our students are able to discover themselves and their interests and passions. Since our opening, we’ve regularly received feedback from our colleagues on the college side that while they appreciate GCDS’s opportunities for academic achievement, they are equally impressed by our sustained emphasis on values such as respect, integrity, and compassion, to name a few.

During the college counseling process, which formally begins during junior year, we empower our students to ask deep, meaningful questions about fit and fulfillment as they research

Associate Director of College Counseling Courtney Kipp and Director of College Counseling

Andy Ramirez

Our matriculation list is a testament to who our students become by the time they graduate: joyful learners, community builders, and young people with a strong sense of self and a deep desire to make an impact on the world.

schools and build their college lists. We strive to meet each student where they are in their process, understanding that no two students are the same.

The senior class of 2022 was our largest cohort yet, and each of our 43 graduates approached their college processes with intentionality. We met frequently with each of these students, beginning in junior year with individual and family meetings to kick off the process and with “big picture” presentations during Seminar about the college landscape and pieces of the application process.

By the time the students began their senior year, they frequented the College Counseling Office, eager to get feedback on their college essays or ask questions about Early Decision. As is customary in all aspects of GCDS life, we in the college office employed a student-centered approach to get to the heart of what motivated each senior academically, allowing them to take stock of their strengths and areas for growth in the classroom. We asked pointed questions such as “What academic elements of your Country Day experience would you like to preserve in college?” and “Why were you able to connect with a particular faculty member?” We saw these seniors nearly every day in Seminar and were able to get to know each student individually, which allowed us to help them add colleges to round out their lists. When appropriate, we helped students and their families navigate the constantly evolving financial aid landscape.

Our ultimate goal is to ensure that by the spring of senior year, each student feels confident in and excited about their college options. Our 2022 matriculation list represents a wide variety of schools, with vast differences in size, geography, school culture, and academic focus. These institutions have bought into our academic model and embrace our vision of a successful GCDS graduate. More importantly, our matriculation list is a testament to who our students become by the time they graduate: joyful learners, community builders, and young people with a strong sense of self and a deep desire to make an impact on the world.

The Team

Like all aspects of the GCDS Upper School, our college counseling office has also evolved considerably during these last three academic cycles.

Part of the founding design team of the GCDS Upper School, ANDY RAMIREZ has worked in both college counseling offices and undergraduate admissions offices, including at Princeton, Bowdoin, Princeton Day School, and The Dalton School, where he was Director of College Counseling. A college athlete himself, Andy has had significant experience guiding prospective student athletes through the recruitment process. As a Seminar teacher, Andy guides students through the college process with expertise, care, and insight.

Last summer, COURTNEY KIPP, E d .D., joined the college counseling team. Courtney has already brought invaluable admission experience from her time working in the Boston College, Providence College, and most recently, Northeastern

University admissions offices. GCDS families have benefitted immensely from her student-first approach and extensive higher education expertise.

Last month, ABBY WEISS joined the GCDS community after completing her master’s at the Harvard School of Education. With a fully enrolled senior class of 120 students, we are excited to bring Abby’s experience as a former admissions officer/assistant dean at Oberlin College, Case Western Reserve University, and most recently, Stanford University into the fold.

KATE DEMMERLE supports our team as College Counseling Assistant. From scheduling meetings to handling document processing and uploading credentials to applications, Kate is the backbone of the College Counseling Office.

Class of 2022 Acceptances & Enrollment (Bold)

American University-Paris

Arizona State University

Binghamton University

Boston College (3)

Boston University

Brown University

Bucknell University

Clemson University

College of Charleston

Colorado School of Mines

Columbia University

Connecticut College

Creighton University

Dartmouth College

Drexel University

Eckerd College

Elon University

Emerson College

Emory University

Endicott College

Fairfield University

Florida Atlantic University

Furman University

Georgetown University

Gettysburg College

High Point University

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Howard University

Indiana University Bloomington

Jacksonville University

Johns Hopkins University

Lafayette College

Lehigh University (2)

Lewis and Clark College

Louisiana State University

Manhattan College

Manhattanville College

McGill University

Michigan State University

Muhlenberg College

New York University (Stern)

Northeastern University

Northwestern University

Norwich University

Pace University

Princeton University

Quinnipiac University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Santa Clara University

Southern Methodist University

Spelman College

Stonehill College

Suffolk University

Syracuse University

Temple University

Tulane University

Union College

University of Alabama (2)

University of California-Berkeley

University of California-Davis

University of California-Irvine

University of California-Los Angeles

University of California-San Diego

UCONN (Storrs)

University of Delaware

University of Denver

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

University of Michigan

University of Mississippi

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

University of Notre Dame

University of Pittsburgh

University of Rhode Island

University of Rochester

University of San Francisco

University of South Carolina

University of South Florida

University of Southern California

University of St. Andrews (Scotland)

University of Tampa

University of Texas Austin

University of Vermont

University of Virginia

University of Wisconsin Madison

Vanderbilt University

Villanova University

Wake Forest University

Washington and Lee University

Wheaton College

Yale University

“

CELEBRATIONS END-OF-YEAR

Country Day students celebrated the end of the school year with Moving Up ceremonies and an End-of-Year All-School Assembly. Over the course of a week, faculty members and family cheered on students moving up to new divisions with inspirational messages. The Grade 2 Moving Up Ceremony took place on June 7; the Upper Elementary School ceremony for Grade 5 was on June 10; and the school year ended on June 14 with the All-School Assembly and the Grade 8 Moving Up Ceremony.

You are on my mind when the days start and end,” said Head of Middle School Flynn Corson to eighth-grade students at their Moving Up Ceremony on June 14.

Yet, Mr. Corson said he does not worry about this class, in spite of myriad challenges that this class has had to face during their years in the Middle School.

“Because I believe so deeply in what you have learned about community and citizenship during your days in the Middle School, and because I have seen you so freely love, support, and rely on each other, and because you have been shaped and nurtured to this point by incredible teachers and families, I am not worried at all. Not even a little,” said Mr. Corson, who showed the audience of family and friends an exuberant video of eighth graders dancing together in unison as a class at a recent party.

Eighth-grade students Dylan Ever and Maisy Johnson were selected by their peers and the Middle School faculty to deliver Tiger Talks for the occasion. The talks were preceded by the Grade 8 orchestra playing “Gap of Dunloe.”

Head of School Adam Rohdie recounted a story about a donkey that slipped in the mud and fell into a farmer’s abandoned well. Pessimistic about the chances of the donkey surviving, the family started to fill the well. Each time they threw a shovel full of dirt onto the donkey’s back, the donkey would shake it off and step up.

“This story is actually the perfect story to encapsulate this eighth-grade class,” said Mr. Rohdie. “Your middle school experience was far from easy. Yet through it all, you could have given up, you could have let down, yet you never did. Whatever came your way—you shook it off and you stepped up. You never lost your joy for school, your joy for your friends, and joy for your teachers.”

Eighth-grade advisors called the names of their advisees and shared two adjectives describing them as Mr. Corson and Mr. Rohdie presented the students with Certificates of Completion. Grade-Level Deans Mark Milostan and Morgan Withrow emceed the ceremony.

GRADE 8 MOVING UP CEREMONY

“WHAT TAKES THIS SPECIAL PLACE TO THE NEXT LEVEL IS THE PASSION THAT SO MANY OF US IN THIS COMMUNITY BRING TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY. WHEN I THINK ABOUT IT, PASSION AND ENTHUSIASM ARE AT THE HEART AND SOUL OF EVERY SINGLE DAY HERE AT GCDS. WHETHER YOU’VE BEEN HERE FOR ONE YEAR OR 10 YEARS, I’M PRETTY CONFIDENT THAT YOU’VE ALL FELT THE IMPACT OF THIS ENERGETIC COMMUNITY.”

—Dylan Ever, Grade 8 Speaker

1 Erin Dixon, Luke Dixon, and family 2 Devon Anderson 3 Ethan Farias, Demitrius Farias, Keith Farias, and family 4 Dylan Ever 5 Chloe Sneddon

6 Lila Malone, Head of School Adam Rohdie, Head of Middle School Flynn Corson 7 Charlie Moloney, Polly Welch, Emma Heffer, Catie Martinez

“I’D SAY THAT EVERYONE IN OUR CLASS HAS SOMETHING THAT THEY ARE GUNG HO ABOUT, TOTALLY HEAD OVER HEELS FOR. THAT IS WHAT MAKES OUR GRADE SUCH EFFECTIVE LEADERS AND WHY WE WERE ABLE TO COME TOGETHER AND RAISE THE SPIRIT OF THE GCDS COMMUNITY.”

—Maisy Johnson, Grade 8 Speaker

MIDDLE SCHOOL

AWARDS

The Community Spirit Award

This award recognizes those eighth-grade students who have not only taken advantage of all that Greenwich Country Day School has to offer, but who have given of their energy, effort, and friendship, on a consistent basis.

Luke Dixon

Maisy Johnson

Kate Chandra

Mia Secko-Thompson

Felipe Miguens

Sarah Goldstein

Sarah Lukes

Cooper Taylor

Ells Wydra

Bianca Amen

The Personal Achievement Award

This award recognizes those eighth-grade students who have experienced significant personal and academic growth during the course of their time in the Middle School.

Sophie Patchen

Mimi McDonnell

Mia Stark

Zafran Kocyba

McCrory Niblock

Skylar Dreas

Ellie Riess

Sloane Creech

Farrah Weiner

Sofia Salazar

Cate Auerswald

Steele Barhydt

Lila Malone

Charles Branch

4 Dylan

and

5

Amortegui, and families 6 Holden Vintiadis, Leo Zhao 7 Sofia Salazar 8 Niels Kjaernested, Adam Rohdie, Flynn Corson

1 Maisy Johnson 2 Kit Knapp, Kate Chandra, Irhan Iftikar, Hayden Santry, Harrison Thompson 3 Lily Breitfelder, Louise Renwick

Ever

family

Felipe Miguens, Gabriel

1 Rose Creech and family 2 Charles Branch 3 Bianca Amen, Seth Delany, Lulu Wills 4 Mia Secko-Thompson, Head of School Adam Rohdie 5 Jack Scully and family 6 Lola Habul, Cameron Hendrickson 7 James Higgins, Elizabeth Higgins, and family

8 Avery Vittone and family 9 Cate Auerswald, Sarah Goldstein, Sarah Lukes 10 Sadie Goldstein and family

11 Chloe Sneddon, Claire Harty, Taylor Jones, Chiara Andrade, Devon Anderson

ARM IN ARM CLOSING THE SCHOOL YEAR

All GCDS students, Nursery through Grade 12, along with faculty and staff gathered together on the Old Church Road fields for the End-of-Year All-School Assembly. Head of School Adam Rohdie officially “moved up” students in Grades 2 and 5 to their next division. The eighth-grade ceremony was held later that day. He also acknowledged, to the roaring applause of the audience, members of the faculty who were departing GCDS after decades of service. The community, swaying arm in arm, enjoyed musical numbers from each of the divisions. A GCDS tradition concluded the annual assembly—high school juniors gave baseball caps to the Nursery students in a moment of connection between the school’s soonto-be oldest students and the youngest ones.

Grade 2 Moving Up

Lower Elementary students and faculty members gathered on the Old Church Road field for the Grade 2 Moving Up Ceremony. After singing songs, secondgrade teachers shared the special traits of their classes. Mrs. Maza presented the Grade 2 art project, which will be displayed in Molinari Hall. Teachers and students then applauded the second graders as they walked toward the UES building and were welcomed for a tour by the faculty.

Grade 5 Moving Up

Grade 5 teachers shared their fondest memories of the year with students and everyone sang the school song at their Moving Up Ceremony. Third and fourth graders lined the hallways and “clapped-out” and cheered for their fifth-grade classmates as they walked out of the Upper Elementary building.

1 Mae Roach, Anna Rubenstein, Matias Salazar, Henry Schwefel, William Sachs, Clara Ziebarth 2 Stewart Fox, Rosie Puntereri, Piper McCall, Frances Fazzinga 3 Millie Caffray, Assistant Head of Upper Elementary Nina Basinet 4 George Loverro, Felix Brant, Justin Royal 5 Sophie Pless, Chloe Cranston, Marina Vintiadis

Projects & Performances

Upper Elementary School Seussical Jr.

Congratulations to our Upper Elementary Chorus on their delightful production of Seussical Jr. The wacky, whimsical world of Dr. Seuss came to life with beautiful singing, dynamic acting, and joyful dancing to the delight of the audience. Bravo to all of our young performers on a spectacular show! 1 Anna Rubenstein, Meadow France 2 Corbin Gray, Morgan Trepp

3 Sophie Pless, Avery Davis, Chloe Cranston, Frances Fazzinga, Connor Trepp 4 Marina Vintiadis, Jane Pecorin, Josie Meyers

5 Ryan Walmsley, Stewart Fox, Samantha Packard

Poetry Boxes Grade 1

First graders wrote poems and illustrated drawings about colors as part of their poetry unit. To extend their learning, they partnered with the Creativity Lab and created personal Poetry Boxes by engraving their poems and drawings onto cardboard using a Glowforge laser cutter. “Each project is special and the display of the entire grade’s poetry is just stunning!” said First Grade Teacher Liza Suter.

Projects & Performances

Upper Elementary School

SPRING CONCERT

On May 18, UES Spring Concerts celebrated students in the concert band, jazz band, orchestra, and the chorus, including our Grade 4 & 5 performance of Seussical Jr

1 Hannah Rodriguez, Georgiana Platsis 2 Major Warren, Lorenzo Corsano-Leopizzi 3 Clarinets: Colt Goodner, Silas Bailey, Julian Atkins, Matthew Cassin, Jake Schwefel Flutes: Harley Rosenbaum, Carolyn Vanderbilt, Amanda Raezer

SPRING CONCERT Middle School

The Middle School Band culminated its very successful year with three outstanding performances in the Spring Concert Series. They performed selections from their performance at the Annual Connecticut Music Educators Conference and from the Music in the Parks Festival where they won a Superior rating and 1st place.

1 Luke Dixon, Leo Zhao, Grace Moloney, Scarlett Li, Cayden Ever, John Flavell, Ben Schuessler, Julian Toub, Holden Lupo, Kevin Politi, Grayson Kruse, Gabe Amortegui, Nico Della Pietra, Mateo Sandhu, Felipe Miguens, Henry Wise 2 Grace Moloney 3 Harrison Thompson and the MS Choir

Projects & Performances

SPRING CONCERT Upper School

The Upper School Spring Concert, which took place on May 25, showcased the music of students in the concert band, jazz band, orchestra, and choir. 1 Andrew Weindling 2 Ellie Hochberg, Ben Gross, Emily Moloney, Adam Nedzamar

History Thesis Research Project

The History Thesis Research Project is a major project that all eighth graders undertake as a signature part of their final year on Old Church Road. Students choose a topic to explore, in consultation with their teacher, based on their own interests, and dive into primary and secondary sources, using our library resources, databases, and other materials. As they learn about their topic, they work with their teacher to construct an original, compelling argu-

ment about the significance of their topic in the context of broader 20th-century U.S. history. They ultimately produce a substantive piece of original historical writing and deliver oral presentations to their classmates to discuss the findings of their research. A selection of students from across the grade were chosen by their teachers as finalists, and these students presented at an assembly to the entire grade level and their advisors.

Class of 2026 Project Finalists: Chiara Andrade (Columbine School Shooting), Ethan Farias (Hurricane Andrew), Mateo Sandhu (Dot Com Bubble Burst), Emma Heffer (Iran Hostage Crisis), Farrah Weiner (Live Aid Benefit Concert), Lily Breitfelder (Spielberg Movies), Ellie Riess (Woodstock), Devon Anderson (Space Race)

FAREWELL TO PILLARS OF GCDS ARTS

The following remarks were shared at a retirement reception on June 8

KERRICK DEBBIE

CHAIR OF PERFORMING & VISUAL ARTS

By Shaun Kelly Middle School Humanities Teacher

Debbie’s elixir as a teacher includes a heady mixture of such elusive attributes as communication, listening, collaboration, adaptability, empathy, and patience. Her dynamic classroom presence, her value in real-world learning, and her lifelong passion for education set her apart. Her rare ability to coax, prod, nurture, and inspire her students and colleagues to do the impossible was also self-evident and unique.

The bottom line is that Debbie always cared, and everyone who’s worked under her guidance has known it at an instant. The Kerrick Magic was real.

Of course, Debbie is astonishingly good at going with the flow and making the best out of something. Her musical productions were nothing less than an unremitting exercise in fulfilling the potential of every cast member, stage crew member, and faculty production team. While she continually emphasized the concept of “team,” Debbie was the architect, the motivator, and the captain of the ship. To her eternal credit, she also had the self-confidence to encourage others to pitch in with their ideas. It’s absurd but here was an English and history teacher suggesting that she try a certain show tune for a musical review in 1/4 time. She did, it worked, and it says much more about her than it does about me. The prototypical dreamer, Debbie is also an enduring pragmatist. A decided noncomplainer, Debbie has always gone with what she had—and has invariably made the most of it.

On a personal level, how can I properly thank an individual for a million laughs? While I did not help Debbie with over 90 reviews, shows, and musicals from the winter of 1989 to the spring of 2022 “for the laughs,” humor invariably framed our days together. Our dearly departed friend and colleague, Pat Redfield, so yearned to listen to Debbie and me on a headset during one of our shows that we relented, and as a parting gift to Pat when she retired, we provided her with an extra headset so that she could listen. Like all of you, Pat had marveled at how Debbie could seemingly bang out a complicated tune while conducting a small orchestra even as she also tossed a panoply of looks to a small battalion of actors on stage all the while simultaneously chatting on her headset to me. “The musical was great as always,” Pat said when she gave me back the headset at the end of the show, “but you and Deb have a comedy act that is impossible to beat!”

And so, DBK, thanks for the laughs, the great times, the absolute brilliance of you, and how your, our little team was among the best-darned things that existed at Greenwich Country Day School over the past three decades.

Peter Preston, Rose Moye, Eliot Spencer, Shaun Kelly, and Deb—we were all family, but Debbie Blake Kerrick was inevitably the commander of our ship.

O Captain, Our Captain, we will miss you more than you will ever know.

FAREWELL TO PILLARS OF GCDS ARTS

DAVIS KATHY

ELEMENTARY & MIDDLE SCHOOL GRAPHIC ARTS TEACHER

By Peter McKenna Upper Elementary & Middle School Woodshop Teacher

Our time together in the Arts Department began in 2000, when Kathy began at GCDS. The print shop was known as the “Howard Bliss Print Shop,” after another long-time GCDS faculty member, and was located in the basement of the former Upper School. At that time, the Upper School computer graphics lab was in its infancy and Middle School students still used trays full of type (which were tiny metal letters) that were set into large, antique platen presses named “Old Man” and “Big Mama.” They printed note cards and stationery with this historical, and somewhat risky, process. We have come a long way since then!

For the past 22 years, Kathy has overseen a tremendous amount of change in the graphic arts field and has inspired her students with projects that are original, challenging, and that capture their imaginations. Making sports posters, board games, candy wrappers, cereal boxes, and Gatorade bottle labels are just a few of Kathy’s past projects and, most recently, the fifth-grade students have been printing birth certificates for the newly hatched chickens in Ms. Molyneux’s Science class.

In addition to being the Graphic Arts teacher, Kathy was the co-editor of Spire (yearbook) for several years and for 21 years took on the huge task of assembling the end-of-year Orange Books for every Lower and Upper Elementary grade student, a compilation of a year’s worth of work for each and every one of those students. For years, Kathy also printed all the student

diplomas, graduation awards, and numerous invitations to various school events.

On a personal note, I have really enjoyed working with Kathy on countless GCDS projects. Her originality and vision enabled us to combine our talents and skills to collaborate on several fourth- and fifth grade student projects, including clocks for cancer patients and bird nesting boxes for Tod’s Point. Together, we have also made tables for fundraising auctions, lamps for GCDS retiring community members and, with the help of Drew Bridge, have turned many Art Show visions into actual reality. Kathy’s creative talents also go well beyond the classroom. She is an accomplished photographer and her photographs were chosen by the Friends of Greenwich Point to feature on last year’s holiday ornament.

It is difficult to summarize 22 years into one short speech, but Kathy, we thank you for your dedication to the students of GCDS, for your thoughtfulness and goodwill as a colleague and for your commitment to bringing creativity and art to our entire community.

UPPER

By Debbie Kerrick Chair of Performing & Visual Arts

From the very first rehearsal together, I knew I had found a soulmate in Rose. We spoke the same language. We could finish each other’s sentences. We were both demanding but did it with love. Rose could hear a musical phrase and turn it into movement that made sense. She was quickly able to assess each student’s ability, and would lovingly push them out of their comfort zone to discover new and beautiful ways to move. Our shows reached new heights, with Broadway-esque dance breaks that rivaled most professional theater productions.

But for those of you who know Rose, you know it is not just about dance. I can speak to this firsthand as a mom whose children continued to dance all throughout college. My message was always, “I don’t care if Mrs. Moye teaches basket weaving, I am signing you up!” And that is because spending time with Rose is an opportunity to learn about excellence, it is about character, it is about being part of something larger than yourself. It is about passion, about planting a seed, it is about possibilities and it is about never giving up.

And Rose has done just that with the hundreds of children who enter her dance studio each week. You can witness this at the GCDS Walkathon each year, where 200 dancers take the field to kick off our Homecoming weekend, at halftime for our basketball games, at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Breast Cancer Alliance Walk, the Memorial Day Parade, and of course at our yearly Dance Showcase. From our littlest “Cubs” to our Upper School company “Ambush,” Rose has created magical opportunities for every student each step of the way, and their memories will last a lifetime.

MOYE ROSE

DIRECTOR OF THE DANCE PROGRAM

A true testament to this amazing teacher was the beautiful ribbon-cutting and dedication of the Rose Moye Dance Studio on June 3. The number of dance alums who were there to thank and celebrate with Rose was truly astounding, and the studio will be a living legacy to the woman who started it all.

And so, Rose, I want to say thank you from all of us. Thank you for helping shape students who carry themselves with confidence, with grace, and with dignity. Thank you for making every child feel special and included, and meeting them where they are, regardless of ability. Thank you for all the time and all the love you put into everything you do, and for allowing your dance studio to be that safe space where children can come, unwind from the day, and discover a part of themselves they never knew was there.

On a personal note, thank you for texting me back at three in the morning when I find myself sobbing over some scene, or some song, or some show, and just need someone to talk to. I will miss our turkey wraps on Saturdays and our margaritas at Boxcar. And rest assured, whenever I hear 5-6-7-8 I will always think of you!

I know I chose a good time to leave because I would never want to be here without you. I am so excited for you to begin this next chapter with Michael and Memphis, and wish you nothing but the best in Savannah.

So please join me in raising a glass to my dear friend Rose, as we say: We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams.

GCDS will open the 2022–23 academic year fully enrolled, reflecting a strong demand for the Nursery–Grade 12 program we have built.

Nursery –Grade 12 Admission & Retention

GCDS IS FULLY ENROLLED WITH 1,445 STUDENTS!

COMMUNITY

GEOGRAPHIC REACH

ENROLLMENT

OUR FIRST FULL SENIOR CLASS

76 zip codes CONNE

The strength of our community is enhanced by the mission-driven composition of our student body.

*Based on total enrollment

Our student body represents 76 zip codes.

“There is so much buzz and excitement about GCDS locally and beyond the Greenwich area.”

—Cheryl Plummer, Director of Enrollment & Financial Aid

1,445 Students

At the start of our fourth year as a Nursery–Grade 12 school, we will open our doors fully enrolled in all grade levels. Enrollment as of July 15, 2022

91 members of the Class of 2023 were part of the first ninth-grade class at the high school. They are our GCDS Upper School pioneers!

ADMISSION & RETENTION

79% Record Retention (Between Grades 8–9)

93% Student Retention All School

Our strong retention is achieved through excellent teaching, robust programming, and our caring and connected community.

72% Yield on Offers of Admission

200 New Students (including siblings of current students)

1257 Inquiries 772 Applications

93 New Families

277 Accepts

Our admission process is extremely competitive, as evidenced by the number of applications received and caliber of students applying. Our inquiry and application numbers are at historic highs, and our yield on offers of admission has increased.

Greenwich Country Day School 2022

NEASC Accreditation

By Johnna Yeskey, Dean of Faculty & Academic Programs

At the June Meeting of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, known to us as NEASC, the Commission on Independent Schools (CIS) voted unanimously to grant accreditation to GCDS. This decision delivered to Adam Rohdie, Head of School, was the next step in an extensive process of internal self-assessment and external objective perspectives that began more than 18 months ago.

Independent school accreditation is a peer review process that occurs every 10 years. It is one that fosters excellence in education with a constant eye towards school improvement. The opportunity to engage in this reflective process could not have come at a better time in our history. We opened our doors as a Nursery through Grade 12 school for the first time in the fall of

2019, and took this opportunity to look at our programs through the lens of current research in teaching and learning as well as time proven programs that uniquely identify GCDS 2022. The oldest accrediting agency in the nation, NEASC recently completed a redesign of their process, basing it on the premise that schools should always be in a cycle of continuous growth and improvement.

THE PROCESS

The Self Study is the first of three distinct components to the accreditation process, which takes approximately one year to complete and engages all members of the community: the Board, the administration, faculty and staff, students, parents, and alums. It clarifies the school’s purpose and goals for students and plans how to accomplish these goals in alignment with 11 Standards for accreditation. The Standards address governance, operations, health and safety, teaching and learning, community and communications, and strategic planning. Committees are

created from members of the school community to research and address each Standard, resulting in a summary report of challenges, strengths, aspirations, and action plans.

A Visiting Team composed of faculty and administrators from other NEASC member schools made two visits to GCDS over the course of the process, in October 2021 and April 2022. The Team visited each of the four Divisions and French Farm, and met with administration, trustees, parents, students, and chairs from each of the Standards Committee to review our findings from the Self Study.

The Visiting Team then submitted their report to the CIS to vote on granting accreditation in June. The report includes major commendations and recommendations that are largely based on the validation of the challenges, strengths, and aspirations identified in the Self-Study. As part of the 10-year cycle for accreditation, we will establish our priorities and a timeline for continuous growth, present our progress in a yearly update to NEASC, followed by two-year and five-year visits from the Team.

THE REPORT & RESULT

From the NEASC Accreditation Report Letter to Head of School

Adam Rohdie:

The Visiting Committee found GCDS to be a genuinely mission- driven institution, deeply committed to its students and to academic excellence. The community is made up of caring and expert individuals who are committed to promoting learning; fostering character in children; and building a strong, tight-knit, and innovative community.

As this report will attest, the school is thriving according to essentially every conceivable metric. There is a strong understanding of the mission of GCDS across the school community, and enrolled students both contribute to and benefit from it. The school is blessed to have a wise and prudent Board of Trustees, and enviable financial, physical and human resources. The adult community is well organized to carry out the mission of the school, and a culture of health and safety permeates every aspect of the school. With the massive Upper School project now coming to full fruition, and with a capital campaign on track to reach its goal within five years, the administration and Board are in a strong position to deliver superlative, innovative programming to 1,450 students N–12.”

All accreditation reports end by making Major Commendations and Recommendations, generally validating those presented by GCDS in our Self Study.

The Major Commendations made by the Visiting Team highlighted the intentionality and consistency with which we articulate and live our Mission, the facilities, programs and services that support all students, our innovative curriculum and experiential pedagogy, our authentic connection with the broader community, and sustaining a culture of lifelong learning among all constituents.

The Major Recommendations suggested by NEASC reflected those that were identified by GCDS in the Self Study. They included: maintaining the strong sense of community that has always defined GCDS, continuing to attend to and care for its human resources by integrating new hires, continuing protocols for faculty and staff evaluations, exploring the most equitable ways to address faculty housing in support of the School’s Mission, and to explore whether it is time to develop a more formalized strategic plan.

As we begin the journey into our next 10 years, as a result of this reflective process we have been able to prioritize and articulate clear goals. We have also recognized that our strength lies in our flexibility to adapt to change, and our strong visionary leadership.

AS WE BEGIN THE JOURNEY INTO OUR NEXT 10 YEARS, AS A RESULT OF THIS REFLECTIVE PROCESS WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PRIORITIZE AND ARTICULATE CLEAR GOALS. WE HAVE ALSO RECOGNIZED THAT OUR STRENGTH LIES IN OUR FLEXIBILITY TO ADAPT TO CHANGE, AND OUR STRONG VISIONARY LEADERSHIP.

Dance Studio Dedicated to Rose Moye

“A. B. C. D. E. F. PLANK. H. I. J. K.” For over 10 years, Rose Moye built and led our incredible Dance Program, starting with a few dancers and growing the program to over 150 dancers today. On Friday, June 3, the GCDS dance community, including numerous alumni, gathered in celebration of Mrs. Moye’s retirement and the dedication of the Rose Moye Dance Studio at the Stanwich Road Campus. It was a wonderful celebration of a GCDS legacy and the opening of a fabulous new dance studio. Head of School Adam Rohdie thanked Mrs. Moye for over a decade of commitment and dedication to GCDS and the Dance Program. Mrs. Moye thanked the parents for all their support of her and their dancers—without them, the success of the program would not be possible. Ambush and Pride X, the Upper and Middle School dance companies, showcased their incredible talents for our guests—all the dancers were outstanding! If you are at the Upper School, be sure to stop by and check out the new dance studio. Mrs. Moye, you are a force to be reckoned with and everyone at GCDS will miss you!

Performing Arts Center Named the Debbie Blake Kerrick Theater

In honor of Debbie Blake Kerrick’s retirement, her 33 years of excellence in teaching, and the indelible mark she has left on our community and our school, we are thrilled that the Performing Arts Center on Old Church Road will be named the Debbie Blake Kerrick Theater. We are excited to carry on Ms. Kerrick’s legacy in this way and share her spirit for years to come.

Additionally, GCDS has established an endowed fund for the arts in Ms. Kerrick’s name, which will help GCDS continue to deepen and expand our arts program, for nursery to senior year. A dedication ceremony will be held in the fall. Stay tuned for more details.

OUR GCDS

Woodland Trails

BY PETER PRESTON

Our Country Day campuses on Old Church Road and Stanwich Road are beautiful. We know because we hear people say so when they visit one of them for the first time. The buildings and playing fields are so inviting to prospective families. If the buildings and grounds are Country Day’s crown jewels then the rough-cut diamonds are the woods that can be found on both campuses. They are a natural joy, and a delightful, yet hidden, complement to that enticing public face of GCDS.

There is so much happening in the GCDS woods. (They have named the trails after me so I guess I have some responsibility for that.) On the Old Church Road campus there are trails on the adjacent Schwarz Property. They are already well-used for many educational and athletic purposes for kids from all three divisions on the Old Church Road campus. I recently took Kevin Thompson, Assistant Head of the Upper Elementary School, on a tour of the Schwarz Woods and he became very ani-

mated about curricular and non-curricular possibilities for the UES.

Meanwhile, on the new Stanwich Road campus, a network of trails is being developed in woods at the back of the campus. There, one finds charming ridges, valleys, streams, and a beautiful pond. The academic disciplines are already at work on Stanwich Road: Environmental Science and Archeology activities took place in the woods in 2021–22, with more ideas in the works for this coming year.

The joy of the woodland experience is the sense of being unconstrained when immersed in nature’s free-range lifestyle. There are no smooth floors or walls, no level playing fields. In our woods, there are ups and downs and rocks and roots— perfect for helping young, developing bodies become stronger in bones and joints because every step is different. The children’s focus on balance and physical coordination are also challenged. Might they fall over and scrape a knee? Sure. But because they are kids, they get up, shake it off, and keep wandering, exploring,

scrambling. They’ll ask questions about something they just discovered. Maybe they will figure out answers by themselves. They succumb to the woodland spell. Where does this trail go? What was that sound? Did you see that?

Stewardship of the trails is also essential and part of the fun. This is especially particularly true on Stanwich Road where the trails are still a work in progress. That stewardship began this past winter and spring when both Middle School and Upper School students and teachers, in partnership with our Center for Public Good, came out with rakes and clipping tools, to actually create the trails. Stewardship should be ongoing on both campuses and amounts to cutting back the summer growth in early September and raking leaves at the end of the fall.

The trails are marked with colored markers on the Old Church Road campus, while the Stanwich trails are being similarly marked. Both trail networks will be mapped and will be available on the GCDS website. Stay tuned.

The “T-word.” Yes, there might be ticks. If you are concerned, please protect yourself. I have just completed four wonderful decades at GCDS and I’ve spent a lot of time in the woods with kids as a teacher and a cross country coach. We’ve had the occasional tick, but we never let those little critters deny us the primordial joy of plunging into those wild places. I hope you feel the same for yourself and your children, especially if their time in the woods is time away from their phone or laptop. That’s a win-win.

It’s an honor to have the trails named after me, but the real honor is the thought that people will use them for education, or recreation, or to just enjoy a peaceful moment in nature. How about taking a science, art, creative-writing, or debate class into the woods? Or just take the class for a hike. Take granny for a walk on a nice Sunday afternoon, or take the family snowshoeing in January. Enjoy!

The trails on the Old Church Road and Stanwich campuses were dedicated to Peter Preston, retired MS Science Teacher.

EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARDS

The Greenwich Country Day Excellence in Teaching Endowed Chairs are awarded to teaching faculty who are lifelong, enthusiastic, and exemplary learners and leaders. Awarded every year, the chair is held by the recipient for three years. Recipients must have completed their seventh year teaching at Country Day and are selected by the school administration. Lauren Waller currently holds the Upper School chair. Two recipients from Old Church Road were presented the award at the Closing Faculty and Staff Meeting on June 14. The following remarks were made by Head of School Adam Rohdie about the recipients:

CLAIRE BIXLER, MIDDLE SCHOOL DEAN AND MATH TEACHER, embodies all that is best about Country Day. She roams the halls with a joy and enthusiasm that literally can be heard from miles away. She is a terrific classroom teacher, and her students love having her in class. On top of that she is one of those school people who does it all. Organizing division-wide events, chaperoning a dance, coaching a sport— just look up and you will see her there and you will see a smile on her face. When a call goes out for help—her hand is always the first to go up. And finally, she loves this school, and that exuberance is contagious.

French Farm Receives Conservation Award

Greenwich Country Day School’s French Farm was presented the Ann Rockefeller Elliman Conservation Award for outstanding contribution in the field of conservation in the town of Greenwich by Hortulus, a local garden club. GCDS Trustee Wear Culvahouse accepted the award on May 18 at an annual ceremony.

The first Greenwich property to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, French Farm was stewarded by the late GCDS alumnus David Wierdsma ’55 for 40 years. The four-acre property was acquired by GCDS in 2019.

JENNIFER WEINTRAUB, KINDERGARTEN TEACHER, is not always the loudest in the room but her calm and deep connection with her students make her a favorite of all who have been lucky enough to have been in her class. She is someone that we turn to mentor younger teachers; she is an expert in understanding how young children learn; and for almost 15 years she has been a rock in our Lower Elementary Division. I challenge you to find a colleague who has uttered a bad word about her as her smile and upbeat attitude permeate everything she does.

“GCDS preserves the historical, agricultural, and artistic heritage of French Farm, while making it a laboratory for hands-on student-driven learning and sustainability,” said a statement by Hortulus. “French Farm is a treasure for our town. A piece of history that can teach us how to live in a sustainable future.”

In July 2022, the GCDS Board of Trustees presented the newly elected Trustees for the 2022–2023 school year to the community. The new members were selected based on nominations from the GCDS community and reflect a range of backgrounds, expertise, and perspectives, as well as a commitment to the school’s Mission.

NEW TRUSTEES

ALEX KARNAL

Alex Karnal is the proud father of three GCDS girls: Amelia (future GCDS Class of 2039), Anneliese (Class of 2036), and Adeline (Class of 2034), and the husband of Cassaundra Karnal.

Alex is the Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Braidwell, a life science-focused investment firm that seeks to serve the people and organizations that transform human health. Prior to cofounding Braidwell, Alex was a Partner, Managing Director, and Co-Portfolio Manager at Deerfield Management. He spent his early career at Merrill Lynch.

Alex has focused his efforts on improving human health for all. He is Co-Founder and Board Chairman of The Institute for Life Changing Medicines, a nonprofit dedicated to developing medicines for people suffering from less common, life-threatening diseases around the world. Alex has served on the Boards of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Museum of Science, the Board of The Children’s Health Fund as Vice Chairman, New York Academy of

Medicine, Discovery Labs, and Recovery Centers of America, the latter two of which he co-founded.

Alex is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a B.S., and Johns Hopkins University, where he earned a M.S.

Cassaundra and Alex Karnal are active in their community as supporters of The Greenwich Land Trust, The Bruce Museum, and The Greenwich Boys & Girl’s Club.

NICOLE MITCHELL

Nicole Mitchell is the Executive Director of SPIDACARES, a foundation established by NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell to positively impact families and communities through the life-changing power of education and athletics. In 2021, Nicole launched “Welcome Home by SPIDACARES” in collaboration with Inspirica to support the effort to end homelessness. Her current philanthropic work also extends through her role as a member of The Links, Incorporated,

and as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., where she has served in numerous leadership positions for the Omicron Upsilon Omega Chapter, including Financial Secretary, Education Advancement Foundation Captain, and Graduate Advisor.

Nicole previously taught at GCDS for 13 years. In addition to her time working with children in the classroom, she coached the Tigers in field hockey and softball. Prior to her career in education, she was Assistant Treasurer of the Bank of New York, accounts payable for the Elmsford School District.

She holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Concordia College and will complete her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education in December 2022 at Manhattanville College. Nicole is the parent of two GCDS graduates, Donovan, Class of 2012, and JordanElise, Class of 2017.

DANIELLE ROBINSON

Danielle Robinson is currently Head of Corporate Responsibility and

Alex Karnal

Nicole Mitchell

Danielle Robinson

Partnerships as well as Community Engagement at Diageo. Formerly, she was Director of Alcohol Policy and Reputation Management where she led all Responsible Drinking Programs and prior to that, the Director of Diversity and Early Career. She is also Director of the North America Learning Skills for Life Program, a global educational training program delivered in local communities to provide hospitality skills to the underemployed. She lectures across the United States at conferences and universities on Diversity and Inclusion management within corporations.

Prior to Diageo, Danielle worked for Unilever, Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals, and Simon & Schuster where she had responsibility for domestic and international human resources. She is a member of the Alvin Ailey Board of Directors, Connecticut Jackie Robinson Selection Committee, Jack and Jill of America, Norwalk Hospital Board of Directors, and College Bridge Café Board of Directors.

A published author and recently recognized in the Diversity MBA list of the Top 100 Women of Influence in 2020, Danielle received the Top 100 Emerging Leaders award from Diversity MBA Magazine in 2012 and in 2014, received both the Top 25 Most Influential Women in Business award by the Network Journal and Savoy’s 2014 Top Influential Women in Corporate America.

Danielle has an undergraduate degree in Communication from Rutgers University

and a Master’s Degree in Corporate Communication from Seton Hall University. She also has a Doctorate degree in Public Administration from Warren National University and holds a WSET Level 1 Wines Certification. Danielle’s son Myles is a rising fifth grader at GCDS and has been a student since Pre-K. She is married to Reverend Dwayne McClary.

KRYSTAL SACHS

As the GCDS Parents Association Co-Chair, Krystal Sachs has been involved as a Country Day volunteer for many years in various roles such as Class Parent, Grade Level Coordinator, and Executive Officer. Outside of GCDS, Krystal has been involved locally with Impact Fairfield County.

Krystal is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, with a degree in Education and received her Master’s Degree from Columbia University, Teachers College Reading Specialist program. Krystal spent time teaching in Charter Schools in both Washington, D.C. and New York City. She was a 2nd grade teacher, and later worked as the Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach for a K-8 charter school. Krystal has also enjoyed working with individual clients, focusing on reading intervention services.

Krystal and her husband, Michael, moved to Greenwich from New York City 10 years ago. They have four children at GCDS. William is in 6th grade, Connor and Ben are in 4th grade, and Jed is in Kindergarten.

MICHAEL TRIPLETT

Michael Triplett is a managing director and joined Insight in 1998. Mike focuses on investments in Infrastructure and Application Software companies and has been instrumental in investments in more than twenty companies, many of which have achieved fast growth and realized significant value for shareholders and employees. Notable among these are the IPOs of Click Commerce, Solarwinds Inc. (NYSE: SWI), and Quest Software, and the acquisitions of Aelita Software (acquired by Quest Software), Authorize. net (acquired by Go2Net), Astaro (acquired by Sophos), BeyondTrust

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

2022–2023

Vicki Craver, President

Dwight W. Anderson

Tricia Black

S. Wear Culvahouse, Secretary

Kristin Custar, Vice President

Richard Duckett

Taylor Glasebrook ’97

Robert L. Harteveldt, Vice President

Barbara Harty

Alex Karnal

Sonal Khichadia

Philip Lauderdale ’99

Frank Loverro

William P. Manuel

Magdalena Zavalia Miguens

Nicole Mitchell

Jeff Robertson

Danielle Robinson

Adam C. Rohdie, Head of School, Ex-Officio

Krystal Sachs, Parents Association Co-Chair

Katherine Shaio Sandhu ’91

Vernon B. Schwartz

Harry D. Schwefel

Peter F. Schweinfurth

Emily Hoffman Stern ’90, Vice President

Antonia Soares Thompson, Vice President

Michael Triplett

Don Truesdale

Frederick R. (Caleb) Watts, Treasurer

Jill Weiner, Parents Association Chair

Krystal Sachs

Michael Triplett

NEW TRUSTEES

(acquired by Veritas Capital), Imceda Software (acquired by Quest Software), eEye Digital Security (acquired by BeyondTrust), Folhamatic (acquired by Sage plc), GFI’s TeamViewer (acquired by Permira), Kabum! (purchased by founders), Metalogix (acquired by Permira), and ScriptLogic (acquired by Quest Software), SmartBear (acquired by Francisco Partners), ThreatTrack (acquired by J2 Global), and LOGICnow (acquired by SolarWinds). Recently Mike has invested in several companies in Europe and the United States.

Mike currently oversees Insight’s investments or serves on the board of

directors at Kaseya, Veeam, Recorded Future, Thycotic, Tricentis, Cloudbolt, Coreview, Lakeside Software, Liveaction, Kasten, Firemon, Carbon Relay, Keyfactor, Prevalent, AnyDesk, and Resolve Systems.

Prior to joining Insight, Mike was an investment professional at Summit Partners. Previously in his career, Mike worked as a financial analyst at Morgan Stanley & Co. and at Midland Data Systems.

Mike graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with a BA in Economics. )

Strengthening the GCDS Experience Annual Fund Chairs Express Gratitude

By Lisandro Miguens and Magdalena Zavalia-Miguens, Annual Fund Chairs

The 2021–22 school year was our family’s 16th year at GCDS. During this journey, our sons have grown to be happy and wellrounded teens. An extraordinary accomplishment! We are blessed to be part of the Tiger Family.

Each year, our entire community of parents, faculty, staff, alumni, and grandparents come together to support our students and to celebrate and strengthen the GCDS experience. Through the support of the community, we raised more than $6M to support all aspects of the GCDS experience, from unique opportunities to supplement classroom learning to generous gifts of financial assistance to talented students, from ensuring the safety of students, faculty, and staff to providing additional support to our amazing faculty and staff. The Annual Fund continues to be a clear indication of loyalty and support for our great school. Supporting the Fund with charitable gifts allows the Board to keep tuition increases to a minimum while allowing the school to be responsive to the educational and enrichment needs that best serve our students.

This year, 86 percent of current parents supported the GCDS Annual Fund, and 100 percent of the families in the Class of 2036 (Nursery) supported this year’s Annual Fund—great support from some of our newest GCDS families!

In addition to gratitude to our donors, we’d like to thank our incoming Annual Fund Co-Chairs, Anne and Jacob Citrin. They will be leading the Annual Fund next year, and we wish them great successes. We’d also like to thank our Grandparent Chairs, Amy and Jim Burger. They have helped rally our grandparent community for the past three

years to support GCDS. A huge thanks to all of our Annual Fund Committee volunteers who worked closely with the Advancement Office to connect with families and encourage support of the Annual Fund. This team worked tirelessly throughout the year, supporting the Annual Fund, encouraging their peers to support the Annual Fund, and serving as overall GCDS champions in the community.

It has been a true honor and privilege to serve GCDS as the Annual Fund Chairs for the past two years. We thank all of you for your participation and support in showing such a deep level of commitment to GCDS. From all the students, faculty, and staff at GCDS, thank you!

Magdalena and Lisandro Miguens, 2021–22 Annual Fund Chairs

GCDSNEWS

Greenwich Country Day School

P.O. Box 623, Old Church Road

Greenwich, CT 06836-0623

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Alumni returned to campus for the dedication of the Rose Moye Dance Studio. See story on page 38