CHALLENGE AND JOY PILLARS OF A GCDS EDUCATION

Annual Meeting Celebrates Strength of Community and Program

Board of Trustees President Vicki Craver kicked off the evening with her remarks, outlining the board’s areas of focus: academics and program, culture and community, and maintaining sound fiscal condition.

“We are part of a great culture at GCDS, where we have fresh new ideas and welcome new people and we also respect history and tradition,” she said.

Tricia Black and Taylor Glasebrook, Capital Campaign Co-Chairs, gave an update on GCDS First: The Campaign for Tradition and Innovation, which focuses on raising funds for Upper School academics, the arts, athletics, and the Center for Public Good, in addition to growing our endowment—all while continuing to make sure that every GCDS student, parent, and faculty and staff member feels part of a “warm, tight-knit community.”

Always a highlight of the Annual Meeting, this year’s Distinguished Faculty & Staff were honored for 25 years of service (see page 34).

Head of School Adam Rohdie then took to the podium and addressed the audience about Country Day’s educational ideals:

“Tonight, I want to spend a few minutes exploring what school can and should be. Moreover, I want to shine light on what makes Country Day so unique and how we continue to innovate and change.”

Recently, he said, he was reflecting on these questions: What do you want to get out of school? Why do schools matter? What is school for?

“While we could talk for hours about the answers to these questions, when pressed about the fundamental nature of school, the purpose and mission, I think tonight, I can narrow it down to two specific ideas. Call them the twin pillars upon which a great school is built: challenge and joy.”

Mr. Rohdie first described what joyful learning looks like, “Let me be clear here, when we say joyful—we don’t mean to create an environment that is simply fun and games, we mean that we are creating opportunities to connect with students where they are, with relevance to their lives and their interests, with opportunities for application to the real world, and by creating a sense of belonging, which results in learning that is joyful.”

Sharing examples of Middle School math lessons, Mr. Rohdie noted that “when children are asked to solve a problem, applied to a real-world scenario, rather than memorize an algorithm— you have joyful learning that sticks and you have inspired a lifelong learning mindset.”

He then introduced the challenging program offered at GCDS, sharing a videotaped conversation with Assistant Head of School Jaqueline Jenkins. She said, “One of the things the teachers are really, really good at is constantly posing questions that cause students to wrestle, to really think . . . there are two sides to this argument and they have to really synthesize what they believe, as opposed to posing questions that have easy answers they could just Google.”

Mr. Rohdie demonstrated our challenging program as he described learning to read, constructing functional cable cars through trial and error, building a strong athletics program, and

Opposite: Tricia Black and Taylor Glasebrook, Capital Campaign Co-Chairs 1 Vicki Craver, Board of Trustees President 2 Attendees were treated to student performances by the Tiger Tones, the Upper School a cappella group and the Keynotes Club, the Upper School piano club. 3 Adam Rohdie, Head of School conducting research through data investigation and questioning experts in the field about affordable housing in an Advanced Applied Engineering and Economics course. He said that through our curriculum and programs, “and the teachers that teach them, we are challenging our students to think deeply, question meaningfully, solve complex problems, work collaboratively, and build purpose.”

In closing, Mr. Rohdie stated, “GCDS will celebrate our centennial in 2026. Almost 100 years ago, three moms unhappy with their local options created a school that has grown into one of the finest independent schools in America.

As we step toward our next century of educating children, we remain committed to answering that short little question—what is school for—by doubling down on deep and joyful learning. Moreover, we will continue to challenge students, to push them to discover and develop what is finest in themselves.

We will do so in a community that cares deeply for one another, a community that comes together in times of challenges and celebrates each other’s successes. A community that spreads joy while pushing and challenging every student in our care. And the reason we do it so well is actually simple—we have the most wonderful faculty and staff in the world.

As highlighted tonight by Paul, Berta, and Hilary, our people go above and beyond. They give of themselves selflessly. They are deeply invested in our children. They come into school when they are tired, when things in their own homelife are hard, and then they throw their arms around their students. And while they challenge and push their students, they never release that hug. Our children feel held. They feel known. They feel loved. And when they ultimately leave us, when our graduates can proudly hang their GCDS diploma on the wall, we know they are thoughtful, well-rounded mature young people with a finely tuned moral compass who say with pride, ‘I am who I am because of my time at Country Day.’ Wow, how lucky are we!” )