GCDS News, March 2022

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

In January, I had the pleasure of interviewing Caroline Simmons ’01, the newly elected Mayor of Stamford for an Alumni Masterclass event (see story, p. 44). She spoke about how well GCDS prepared her for a life of public service by providing her with excellent, foundational communication skills. Caroline isn’t alone. I’ve spoken with many GCDS alums who inevitably reflect back on how Country Day helped them “find their voice,” whether it was through our intentional public speaking program or the supportive relationships they had with classroom teachers. A hallmark of the GCDS experience is the ability to communicate ideas and knowledge effectively. As adults, we know this to be a prerequisite for a fulfilling career and life. By helping students learn the power of their voice, we develop what is finest in each and every one of them.

In this issue of GCDS News, you will read about how our Middle School program focuses on developing student voice in a variety of contexts including Harkness Table discussions and

Tiger Talks, as well as other unique, student-centered programs such as our Exhibitions of Learning across the grades and Upper School Intersession. By engaging in these activities, students are required to synthesize information, practice how to engage thoughtfully with others, and demonstrate their learning to an authentic audience using a variety of media. As you will see, our students rise to the occasion, deeply engaged and eager to share what they have learned.

I am so proud of what our students have accomplished this year. Please enjoy this issue of GCDS News and I know that you, too, will be proud.

Adam C. Rohdie

“This I Believe”

Ninth graders reflected on their values in “This I Believe” essays. These essays inspired the creation of individual light boxes in the Maker Space, which are currently displayed near the Upper School lobby (see story on p. 28).

GCDSNEWS

MARCH 2022

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

MAGAZINE DESIGN Foogoo Communications Design

MARKETING GRAPHICS

Kirsten Bitzonis

WEBSITE Abbey Lake

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: Cooper Taylor, Grade 8

Cover

Ubiña

A Joyful Season: Winter Concerts

Photos: Front, Back & Inside Front ChiChi

VOICE VOICE THE POWER OF IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

On a wintry Friday morning in late January, eighth-grade students and teachers filed into the Performing Arts Center while the rest of the Middle School classrooms logged on to Zoom to be there virtually. As it neared 8 a.m., a hush took over the entire division as Cooper Taylor made his way onto the stage for the week’s Tiger Talk.

For the next several minutes, the audience sat utterly captivated by Cooper’s calm and detailed retelling of accidentally catching on fire in seventh grade, his path to recovery, and what he learned during this harrowing experience.

A relatively new tradition, Tiger Talks have become a rite of passage in the eighth grade. Budding orators explore personal stories and experiences that reflect their values. Using what they have learned about the writing process, every eighth grader crafts a speech and shares compelling tales and youthful wisdom with classmates. After evaluating the message and presentation, teachers ask a group of students to share their speeches with the entire division.

“This ritual’s vibrant energy is quite an exceptional experience for everyone involved. Student voices infuse deeper meaning into what we hold dear—Tiger Pride,” says Michael McGovern, Chair of the Middle School English Department.

“In eighth grade, we dig deeper into the characteristics of Tiger Pride as well as the impact they have on the individual and the larger community.”

“Writing this speech helped me to think deeply about what happened,” said Cooper after delivering his talk, which included themes of bravery, gratitude, resilience, and perspective-taking. “I really wanted to make it meaningful and to share something important, for people to take a message away from it.”

This is precisely what a Tiger Talk is meant to accomplish, says Mr. McGovern.

“We teach students the skills to explore significant moments and capture an authentic audience. Once you get past the typical adolescent eye-rolling, they begin to understand that they can make the world a better place through the power of their words. It gives them a sense of efficacy and agency,” says Mr. McGovern.

Middle School is a pivotal time for students developmentally, especially regarding their identity. “Before adolescence, a child often feels defined by others. They’ve been told who and what they are. During adolescence, they are trying to figure out who they are in the context of a community and a society,” says Mr. McGovern.

Like all units of study in Middle School English classrooms, the Tiger Talk unit is the culmination and celebration of intensive reading and writing. Students read,

For almost 100 years, GCDS students have been distinguished by their communication skills. Beginning in Nursery and through Upper School, students are given regular opportunities to stand up in front of their classmates and teachers and share their ideas, reflections, or prepared speeches. With the support and guidance of expert teachers, students learn to develop and use their unique voices. Time and time again, alumni have returned to GCDS telling us that the communication and public speaking skills that they developed at GCDS have helped them to progress in their careers and to advocate for the causes in which they believe.

“When students leave Middle School, we want them to have a clear, authentic voice as they transition to Upper School, not just in English class, but across the curriculum. They should feel that being readers, writers, orators, and deep thinkers are significant parts of their identity.”

—Mr. McGovern, Chair of the Middle School English Department

Clara Sibley reads a poem, Bryce Hill (seated)

HARKNESS DISCUSSIONS PROMOTE CIVIL DISCOURSE

In Middle School, strong communication skills begin when students learn and think together through studentled discussions inspired by the Harkness method, a practice of sophisticated and high-level skills in collaboration promoting civil discourse. Student-led dialogue encourages an open exchange of ideas among students while the teacher keeps track of behavior, participation, and the quality of the work. Harkness is not a competition to see who talks the most, and it is not a debate. An effective participant listens and keeps track of their thinking just as much as they speak.

“This is a challenging concept to grasp at this age and to be honest, students need lots of practice. They’re ter-

analyze, and discuss mentor texts. They immerse themselves in the writing process by planning, organizing, drafting, revising, and editing multiple pieces. Throughout this process they receive feedback from faculty and peer responders. They practice to be effective. They craft to engage.

“When students leave Middle School, we want them to have a clear, authentic voice as they transition to Upper School, not just in English class, but across the curriculum. They should feel that being readers, writers, orators, and deep thinkers are significant parts of their identity,” says Mr. McGovern.

rible at it at first,” says Mr. McGovern. “It requires that you treat one another’s ideas with dignity and not always think about being right or wrong. It’s about creating a space where ideas can be explored and exchanged with respect. It’s about creating a space where ideas can evolve.”

Students begin to lean into this type of discussion in both sixth and seventh

HARKNESS GUIDELINES

1

Everyone participates in a meaningful way and, more or less, equally.

2

Balance and order prevail; focus is on one speaker and one idea at a time.

grade. By eighth grade, even skeptical students see how the idea of civil discourse is an effective mode to help progress their understanding—whether the topic is the motivation of a fictional character or a political leader.

“It’s as much about how they treat one another as it is about the actual content,” says Mr. McGovern.

3

As discussion builds, there is an attempt to resolve all questions before moving on.

Big ideas and deep insights are developed.

4

Students support their arguments with examples and quotations throughout the discussion.

5

Students listen respectfully to one another—no one talks, daydreams, rustles papers, makes faces, or uses laptops when someone else is speaking as this communicates disrespect and undermines the discussion.

Cooper Taylor, Grade 8, preparing for his Tiger Talk with Mr. McGovern.

Layla Morris, Avery Vittone

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, established in 1923, is the nation’s longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for young artists and writers in grades 7–12. Congratulations to the 2021 GCDS award recipients.

Steele Barhydt, Grade 8

Category: Novel Writing

Excerpt: “The Dirt Path from Hell”

Award: Silver Key

Cooper Taylor, Grade 8

Category: Personal Essay & Memoir

“The Fire”

Award: Silver Key

Annie Noble, Grade 7

Category: Short Story

“The Tunnel to My Past”

Award: Honorable Mention

Riley Hart, Grade 8

Category: Short Story

“Modern Gladiators”

Award: Honorable Mention

Francesca Loverro, Grade 10

Category: Critical Essay

“The Remedy of Respect”

Award: Honorable Mention

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Caleb Goldman participates in a Harkness discussion

Below: Annie Noble, Cooper Taylor, Steele Barhydt Right: Francesca Loverro (not pictured: Riley Hart)

Seth Delany, Scarlett Li

The Writing Center

In addition to being a source of support for students in all of their classes (and not just English—think history research papers and even science lab reports), the Writing Center is a space for students to share their creative ideas and practice more unstructured writing.

BY SARAH LUCENTE Middle School Humanities Co-Teacher

The Writing Center, physically located in the English department knuckle outside Head of Middle School Flynn Corson’s office, is a place for students to have a conversation about their writing. They can bring anything from a concern about an essay, a question on a homework assignment, to a creative piece they want feedback on, and a teacher will be there to discuss it with them. The newly revamped Center is staffed with Humanities faculty on a weekly rotation, all of whom ask the students to read their work aloud and to enumerate for themselves what they’re concerned about, so the teacher can give the most direct and productive feedback.

In addition to being a source of support for students in all of their classes (and not just English—think history research papers and even science lab reports), the Writing Center is a space for students to share their creative ideas and practice more unstructured writing. Periodically, short writing challenges are announced, with winners chosen and given an authentic audience for their work. For the first prompt of the year, students were asked to write a biogra-

phy of the colorful, giant, abstract giraffe statue outside of the Middle School, and the writing of the winning student, seventh grader Shep O’Keeffe, was put on a plaque for the giraffe, now named Harold. More recently, students have been asked to share a favorite holiday memory, and even for their own suggestions for Writing Center prompts.

Shep O’Keeffe, Grade 7

Ms. Lucente works with Steele Barhydt and Annie Noble at the Writing Center.

BY ETHAN PARSONS Middle School Student Support Teacher and Video Production Teacher

Tiger News, shown every Monday morning in every Middle School homeroom, is a weekly video bulletin filmed and produced by Middle School students. The broadcast includes general school announcements, the lunch menu for the week, and a space to recognize notable student accomplishments (known as Props!). The students who create the bulletin are part of a video production class offered every semester. In class, they learn the basics of operating equipment, including the camera, micro -

Tiger News

speaking,

build technical skills, and learn how to present information in a clear and dynamic manner.

Strong communications skills are as important in math class as they are in English.

Alex Simko, Math Teacher Britt Carnegie ’00, Margaux Citrin, Asst. Head of Middle School Marshall Spooner, Maisy Johnson

DEVELOPING VOICE IN:

Grade 6

Each student begins to develop an authentic voice through the composition of creative and expository writing. The year culminates with the composition and presentation of an original poem that explores an element of their identity.

Grade 7

Students explore the theme “The Individual in Society” through rich novels, short stories, and poetry. Seventhgrade students are introduced to the Harkness method and build agency and leadership skills as they work together to identify the deeper meanings of texts and dissect essential questions.

Grade 8

Students invest in their own agency with experiences like contributing poetry to The Art Poetry Project, crafting their own Tiger Talk, and directing their chosen course of reading in the Reading Workshop. Working collaboratively, practicing effective communication skills, and using feedback help students polish their writing skills and learn how the power of their own voice can impact a community.

STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES

At the end of the first semester in early February, Middle School students reflected on their achievements and challenges in preparation for student-led conferences. Through one-on-one meetings, advisors worked with advisees to prepare for the conferences with their parents.

As they create presentations on different aspects of their school life, students come to understand themselves as learners and, therefore, become well-positioned

to exercise greater agency over their academic experience, now and in the future. In this way, the conferences help to place students in the “driver’s seat” and become self-advocates, which is consistent with Country Day’s broader ambition of providing a student-centered experience that prioritizes the development of transferable academic skills and dispositions. )

“This conference let me watch my daughter shine with (Tiger) pride about her personal growth and future goals. Her discussion of what she brings to the GCDS community made her feel valued as a student and as an individual person—she understands individual differences and that human diversity should be embraced.”

—Rebecca Colin, GCDS Parent

View a GCDS video about developing voice in Middle School

Morgan Klein rehearses presentation with Math Teacher Luisa Myavec

Charlie Vintiadis with Matt Basinet, Middle School Dean and Math Teacher

Teach-In

Addressing Adolescent Development

BY FLYNN CORSON, HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

We rely on our students as experts of a culture that in so many ways is unrecognizable to someone of a previous generation. As a result, they are called upon not just to learn during Teach-In week, but to teach.

Each year during a one-week period that falls between semesters, the Middle School engages in a health and wellness program we call Teach-In. Popularized in the Vietnam War era, Teach-Ins were originally designed to examine and honor real-world issues. Their programs were based on the belief that students and teachers could learn from, and alongside, one another with an eye towards action-oriented outcomes.

Despite having no political or anti-war bent, the Middle School’s annual Teach-In follows a similar tradition. It is designed to allow students and faculty to dive deeply into pressing issues related to adolescent development. Our goal is for the MS community to be better prepared to navigate academic and personal growth and well-being.

To help facilitate this, experts in various fields throughout the community participate in the program. They offer workshops on a range of topics including digital citizenship, substance abuse and addiction, mental health, and sexual development. And because GCDS teachers are best in class, many are able to facilitate workshops or programs in disciplines beyond their traditional instructional load.

But our students are best in class, too. And what’s more, they are actively navigating an adolescent context that is altogether different from the one the adults in their lives encountered at the same age. We rely on our students as experts of a culture that in so many ways is unrecognizable to someone of a previous generation. As a result, they are called upon not just to learn during Teach-In week, but to teach. For example, during this year’s program, students from the Honor Board reinforced community expectations and the values of Tiger Pride by leading case studies of common ethical dilemmas faced by kids their age—hypothetical situations that ranged in theme from academic integrity to substance abuse to social media behavior.

In addition to issues related to health, wellness, and relationships, Teach-In also provides Advisory groups time for students to reflect on their learning over the last several months and begin to prepare for Student-Led Conferences. Rounding out the program in this way introduces opportunities for students to develop critical metacognitive skills, and to arrive at new and evolving understandings for how they learn best, and what makes learning meaningful to them.

In sum, Teach-In is a perfect example of how GCDS is redefining the idea of rigor as we prepare students for success in school and in life in a rapidly changing 21st century landscape.

Teach-In [Courses]

Digital Citizenship

J.R. Howe and Ethan Parsons, Middle School Faculty

Belonging & Friendship

Discussion of the 2017 film “Wonder,” Laura Moore, Middle School Counselor

Nutrition

Will Turner, Strength & Conditioning Coach

Healthy Communication & Relationships

The Rowan Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and empowering students to understand the importance of empathy, respect, and boundaries.

Substances & Substance Use Prevention

Freedom from Chemical Use Dependency

Stress & Stress Management

Dr. Jeffrey DeTeso, School Psychologist; Laura Moore, Middle School Counselor

Stress, Anxiety & the Brain

Dr. Jeffrey DeTeso, School Psychologist; Flynn Corson, Division Head

Mental Health

Katherine Noble, MD, Managing Partner of Sound Beach Pediatrics

Desensitization of Harmful Language

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Team; Andrew Ledee; Keith Williams; Catherine Georges

Metacognition and Academic Success

Lindsey Wohl, Dean of Teaching & Learning, Student-Led Conference Preparation

Exhibitions of Learning

Students Put Learning on Display through Interactive Presentations

Eveyln Valencia and Juelles Roc

Ninth Graders Explore Changing Identities of Global Cities

On the evening of Dec. 9, ninth graders transformed the Upper School into 30 cities around the world. The ninth-grade Exhibition of Learning was a collaborative project in which students were asked to explore, analyze, and explain the identity of a global city. This was no easy task, as students have wrestled with a myriad of different topics ranging from the history of a city to its culture and/or cultural heritage, asking questions such as what are a city’s defining economic characteristics, and how do a place’s natural resources affect its political system? Using skills acquired in their core classes, and weaving in connections to their world languages, arts, and elective courses, the ninth graders set their aim on answering the essential question: How can we come to understand the identity of a global community?

All students created a brief history of their assigned city in the form of an infographic and wrote a children’s book about it with a partner. Students were asked to study one particular aspect of their city, which they would present at the exhibition. Georgina Wolfson researched how whales help climate change in Reykjavik, Iceland; Reminy D’Albert explored the history of music and art of Prague, the Czech Republic, and made connections to the present day music scene; Harrison Servedio examined the carbon footprint of Jakarta, Indonesia, the causes and mitigation efforts. As visitors passed in and out of the “cities,” their passports, which were handed out at the beginning of the evening, were stamped with a passport design created by the groups in the Maker Lab.

“We were all so knowledgeable and passionate about our subjects that it was easy to talk in depth to our parents,” said Georgina.

GCDS Upper School students presented work to their families and friends this winter—in-person and on campus. A founding tradition of our high school, the Exhibition of Learning (EOL) is an academic showcase that allows our students to present their learning from the first semester and demonstrate their mastery of skills, knowledge, and interdisciplinary thinking. The EOL challenges students to apply all of this to real-world issues, debates, and problems.

Olivia Karanikolaidis

Imran Iftikar

Exhibitions of Learning

Tenth Graders Investigate Systems of Power & Dissidents Who Change Them

Tenth graders turned the Upper School into an art gallery with multi-media representations of figures from American and international history who challenged their societies and structures of power: people like the late Chief Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; Ida B. Wells, a prominent journalist; Albert Einstein, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist; Banksy, a street artist; the second U.S. President John Adams; Henry David Thoreau, a philosopher and essayist; and Virginia Hall, an American spy during WWII. The theme of this year’s exhibition, which took place on Dec. 14, focused on the concept of dissidence and debate, and spanned tenth-grade History, English, Art, and Chemistry classes. Students examined the role of dissidence in the larger context of power and systems—a particular focus of their Seminar classes. Concurrent with this work, students researched and wrote about a dissident of their choice. They also developed artistic representations of this figure in one of a variety of ways including sculptures, original musical compositions, and copper etchings—all of which were presented at the exhibition.

“It was exciting to see how the students took classroom knowledge and made meaningful connections across multiple subject areas. They felt a sense of pride and accomplishment as they shared their work with their families.”

ChrisWinters,HeadofUpperSchool

Chloe Caliboso

Harry Moloney

Eleventh Graders Present Preliminary Research on Junior Thesis Topics

All GCDS eleventh graders complete a Junior Thesis on a topic of interest by the end of their junior year. On the evening of Dec. 13, the students presented their preliminary research on their topics, walking families and friends through their process and discussing their research directions going forward.

At the time of the exhibition, students had finished their prospectus and literature review, and were sharpening their investigative focus. Students shared how they chose their thesis topics, the sources they are using, where their research is taking them, and whether their topic has changed over time.

The goal of the night was to solicit feedback from community members, inviting parents, teachers, and friends into the interdisciplinary research process. Roving around the building, this diverse audience engaged our eleventh-grade researchers well into the evening, making connections, offering resources and ideas, and collaborating on solutions to research challenges.

“Our students are becoming experts in their chosen fields,” said Stephanie McDonald, Dean of Student Life and the Junior Thesis Advisor. “This was evident throughout the EOL.”

By the end of the school year, students will defend their thesis, (which has a substantial written component—an approximately 20-page paper), to a faculty committee, selected by the student and thesis advisor, for final assessment. On May 10, they will also exhibit their research findings to the community in Junior Thesis exhibition night. This evening will also showcase exhibitions of our students’ work in advanced visual and performing arts. Keep an eye out for the invitation!

Carmie Zuniga

Harry Manion

Morgan Dall

Clipper Singsen

Exhibitions of Learning

Student work was also showcased on Old Church Road. On the morning of Dec. 6, fourth graders treated their families to a “Celebración sobre México,” a celebration highlighting all that they had learned about the country. In addition, Grade 2 proudly displayed their intricate Lenape Village dioramas, which they created as they learned about the life and customs of the Lenape people, a Native American tribe.

Fourth Graders Celebrate Mexico across Disciplines

How does where you live impact how you live?” Using Mexico as a case study, fourth graders explored this essential question in all of their classes and through a variety of media. They researched Mexico’s history and culture, read “Dancing Home,” the story of cousins from two countries, explored the Mayan number system, and charted the migration of monarch butterflies in science class. They also created Papel Amate in art class, carved Folk Art Fish in woodshop, built bridges in the Maker Lab, learned classic songs from Mexico and sang them in Spanish, wrote dialogues about the weather in different regions of Mexico, and filmed short skits in Spanish. And, of course, no study of Mexico would be complete without a

“fútbol” tournament across the grade, class against class.

As part of the unit, Katarina Amen, a fourth grader, wrote a report about the holidays in Mexico focusing on Las Posadas, a weeklong celebration during Christmas. “I really liked that I could choose what I wanted to do my report about and that I did research. I also learned a lot from my friends’ reports.”

The fourth-grade study culminated in a Celebración sobre México, Dec. 6, where students presented their learning to their parents.

“The students took ownership of their work and were so proud as they demonstrated their learning to their parents,” said Maddie Roberts, a fourth-grade teacher. “Because they had an audience, they had a different sense of purpose. These fourth graders are getting prepared for their high school Exhibitions of Learning!”

Second Graders Re-create Lenape Villages as Dioramas

Second-grade students learned about the history and culture of the Lenape people, a community indigenous to the lands surrounding GCDS. The students’ culminating project—Lenape Village dioramas—provided an opportunity to showcase their learning. The displays depicted the daily activities of the community in the 1600s. Students learned about the homes they lived in, the food they ate, and the clothes they wore. In the Creativity Lab, students built wigwam structures and learned how to make a light circuit to create a glowing fire for the center of the wigwam.

“I liked making a canoe, the beehive, baskets, and people,” said Eloise Swanson, a second grader. “It was fun to learn how the Lenape made pottery and then try to make it yourself. We built what we learned about.”

Since each diorama was created by a group of students, the project required student collaboration and communication. “Students worked to solve problems together and creatively and respectfully share their understanding of Lenape culture and lifestyle as a team,” said Betsy Warren, a second-grade teacher. “Their curiosity and enthusiasm were palpable! As a teacher, it was a joy to watch them build something they were truly proud of.”

Second-grade families enjoyed seeing the finished products when they attended the Winter Concerts. )

Left: Colt Goodner and Myer Gutman proudly shared their bridges

Wills Gandy shared his papel amate artwork

Kingsley Robertson, Chase Bragg, Reagan Withrow, Piper Jewett, D’Auria Pike, Emi Kantt, Ryan Hellinger, Owen Steuerer, Kelsi Lopez

Exhibitions of Learning

What are you working on?

ANDREW THOMPSON

Grade 11

Hypothesizing an Alternate History of the Roman Empire

Have you ever thought about how history might have been different if the Roman dictator Julius Caesar hadn’t been assassinated? Eleventh grader Andrew Thompson has. In fact, he has spent the entire year thinking about this question as part of his Junior Thesis, a requirement for every eleventh grader.

An avid Latin student since sixth grade, Andrew knew he wanted to focus his thesis on Ancient Rome. In high school, his study of Latin has moved beyond only language to a study of Roman history.

“My Latin class has been as much a history class as it is a language class. We study the Roman Empire by translating important works,” says Andrew.

“So many things happened in Rome that have affected world history. I wanted to ask a big ‘What if’ question,” he says.

In order to pursue this hypothetical idea in a scholarly way, Andrew has been building upon his knowledge of actual Roman history at the time of Caesar, Mark Antony, Augustus and beyond. He has researched the period through books and articles, and considered the military status, leadership, and resources of different regions. He is also considering the political stability of populations and the rates of technological development. For much of his research, he has gone straight to the primary sources of that time.

“Luckily for me, there were a lot of people at the time documenting Caesar’s

In this series, we highlight students as they are deeply engaged in the process of learning and taking responsibility for their own learning— extending their knowledge and skills and constructing real-world applications.

actions day by day,” he says. “There are actual notes of what he was planning to do just four days before he was assassinated.”

Caesar had planned to conquer the territory of Dacia (now Romania) and then go on to invade Parthia (now Armenia), which was also a superpower at the time, similar to Rome, explains Andrew.

“The question I’m asking is what might have happened if Caesar had actually gone through with his invasion plans. How does that change the layout of what we now consider modern Europe?”

Andrew will anwer this question in the form of an approximately 20-page paper accompanied with a detailed timeline. As part of the Junior Thesis program, he will have to present and defend his work to a committee comprised of select faculty members.

Alongside his advisor and Latin teacher Jay Reynolds, Andrew is actively discussing potential scenarios.

“He points me in different directions and his vast knowledge is so useful,” says

Andrew. “I trust him so much with this project.”

Andrew is also factoring in the personality and psychology of Caesar and the key stakeholders of the period into this thesis.

“Caesar was a dictator and he loved power and held it close. Would Caesar have continued to rule in the same way? And Augustus, would he have been a different type of ruler had he grown up in a context of mass power?”

In addition to a solid grasp of history and personalities, Andrew said that his Junior Thesis requires imagination and the ability to tell a story. His love of a good yarn is inspired by his love of everything Marvel. The idea for this thesis actually came from a Marvel series called “What If . . . ?” that explores alternate narratives for Marvel characters. “I wanted to do the same thing, but with history,” says Andrew who could not be more excited about combining his love of Ancient Rome and storytelling together. “This is the perfect spot for me.”

Upper School Students Attend Diversity Leadership Conference

Upper School students attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference in early December. The conference, organized by the National Association of Independent Schools, was held virtually and GCDS students participated in the conference at a local offsite location in Stamford. Along with students from across the country, participants delved into this year’s theme, “Believing and Belonging in Our Schools, Reckoning with Injustice, and Reconciling with Love.” Students focused on self-reflection, forming allies, and building community, and they plan to share their learnings with the GCDS community. In addition, 15 faculty and staff members attended the People of Color conference, which took place during the same time period.

“The best part of the conference was connecting with students from other schools who care about justice, identity, and affinity,” said Steve Paul, a tenth grader.

Fellow tenth grader Danna Justiniano agreed, “We had a lot in common, but I also learned new perspectives which opened my mind.”

A couple of weeks after they returned, the students met with Head of School Adam Rohdie to talk about their experience and how it relates to Country Day. Together with Mr. Rohdie, the group discussed the importance of recruiting and retaining diverse faculty and administrators, faculty professional development, disciplinary procedures, and how students can help attract a more diverse student body.

Mr. Rohdie pointed to strides made in certain areas, such

as the recruitment of faculty and administrators of color and the diversifying of reading lists. He added, “These issues are a very high priority for me.”

Pictured: Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Andrew Ledee; Danna Justiniano; Head of School Adam Rohdie; Steve Paul, Chloe Caliboso, Sofia Urbina. Not pictured: Coco Motoyoshi and Mao Motoyoshi

.

. . after they returned, the students met with Head of School Adam Rohdie to talk about their experience and how it relates to Country Day.

“These issues are a very high priority for me.”

—Adam Rohdie

UPPER SCHOOL

Pursuing In-Depth Courses During INTERSESSION

Asher joined the French Farm/Beekeeping Intersession class not quite sure what he was getting into. After learning about the anatomy of bees—who knew they have five eyes?—and the behavior of bees to forgo all individual gain for the good of the colony, it was clear that he was sold. This was just the start of a three-week course in the Upper School focused on the role of pollinators and other factors impacting sustainable farming. In a very short amount of time, students traveled from mildly interested in beekeeping to experts ready to start hives and businesses on both the Stanwich Road and French Farm campuses. And that is what Intersession is all about—an immersive experience into an area of interest; generating a product, project, performance, or proposal that demonstrates learning—and that many students continue to pursue after the course is completed.

By Chris Winters Head of Upper School

For the first three weeks in January at the GCDS Upper School, students experience an in-depth exploration of an individual topic of their choice from among the course offerings. Courses take advantage of the expertise of our faculty and our local resources. With full days working and researching together, students become partners in the planning and execution of the class and associated projects. Often, new relationships form with teachers or classmates in other grades that they might not otherwise have met and strong connections are made.

GASTRONOMY

SET DESIGN

BREWING UP BUSINESS

INTERSESSION COURSES

Animals with Purpose

Astro-optics

Brewing Up Business

Broadway and Historical Context

Chasing Car Culture

Emergency Medical Training

Empathizing with an Aging Generation

French Farm/Beekeeping

Gastronomy

Hungry for Change

Jazz Immersion

NYC Art Scene

NYC Neighborhoods

Psychology of Self Defense

Prototyping & Fabrication

South Florida/Marine Science

Sports Media & Work

Storytelling— Multiverse of Marvel

Sustainable Fashion

Working with and in Politics

NYC NEIGHBORHOODS

View a video about GCDS’ Intersession

This year, Intersession featured 20 different courses. Some students took advantage of the rich opportunities afforded us by the proximity of New York City and others participated in community service opportunities. Students also focused on marine science, music, sports media, medical training, astrooptics, prototyping and fabrication, mechanics and engineering, politics, business and marketing, and more. The Intersession program for seniors was in the form of internships in a variety of local, in-person work experiences.

Our Upper School program has been designed in response to what we know is best for student learning and for what the top universities are looking for in high school graduates. Intersession is one program designed to address the expressed desire to consider high school graduates that have pursued an area of interest with depth and passion. Intersession offers our students an opportunity to expand on their “story” and to share the expertise that comes with a deep dive into a particular field of study.

INTERSESSION HIGHLIGHTS

ASTRO-OPTICS

Students learned how light behaves with mirrors and lenses, and investigated reflection, refraction, and the behavior of lasers. The math and geometry of optics was explored and then applied to build a simple telescope. These, along with larger telescopes, were used to investigate the night sky.

BREWING UP BUSINESS

Students studied the culture and challenges of startups. Their “Shark Tank” style pitches for their developed products not only demonstrated considerable depth and breadth of learning, but there’s even a decent chance of a patent on some of their ideas.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRAINING

Approximately 20 students received a full emergency medical training course. They learned how to shock a heart, tie a tourniquet, deliver a baby, sling and swathe a broken arm, treat for shock, and rescue someone from the wilderness. They touched every piece of equipment that paramedics use and worked with search and rescue dogs.

FRENCH FARM/BEEKEEPING

Participants gained knowledge of honey bee biology as well as how to care for honey bees throughout the year. They constructed eight hives plus stands and swarm traps.

BROADWAY MEDICAL TRAINING

NYC BASED

Groups traveled into multiple NYC neighborhoods the Lower East Side, East Harlem, Harlem, Arthur Avenue, the Bronx, Chinatown, and Little Italy—to learn about their history, immigration patterns, and unique characteristics. Students got an up-close look at the NYC art scene. They met with gallerists, visited drawing rooms, went on gallery walks, and visited the Met, the Whitney, and the Morgan. At a silkscreen school in Brooklyn, students tried their hands at printmaking and made poster designs. Other New York Intersession courses delved into the science of gastronomy, preparing and eating specialty foods from various NYC establishments. A group of students studied theater and were able to attend Broadway shows, tour backstage programs, and meet stage managers.

SERVICE RELATED

One group studied sustainable fashion and created a Clothes Corner on the Stanwich campus, similar to the one on OCR. Another group engaged with the elderly forming relationships that brought some joy to the lives of seniors and understanding/ empathy to our students. Another group focused on food insecurity. They put their learning into action by packing and delivering meals to those who need some assistance. A final group, Animals with Purpose, worked with service and guide dogs.

SOUTH FLORIDA MARINE SCIENCE

Originally planned as a travel/ research experience at a marine science laboratory in Florida, this group remained on campus because of COVID. Students explored the fragility of our marine habitat by taking advantage of Greenwich Point, the Maritime Center, and our wellequipped classroom.

WORKING WITH AND IN POLITICS

Students researched the trends and issues at the forefront of the congressional and gubernatorial races in Georgia and staged debates between candidates in front of an audience of parents and teachers.

SOUTH FLORIDA/MARINE SCIENCE

NYC ART SCENE

ASTRO-OPTICS

. . . THAT IS WHAT INTERSESSION IS ALL ABOUT—AN IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE INTO AN AREA OF INTEREST; GENERATING A PRODUCT, PROJECT, PERFORMANCE, OR PROPOSAL THAT DEMONSTRATES LEARNING—AND THAT MANY STUDENTS CONTINUE TO PURSUE AFTER THE COURSE IS COMPLETED.

GCDS Libraries Provide Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Doors for Young Readers >>

>> Susan Polos has served on the 2014 Newbery Committee, the 2018 Pura Belpré Committee, the 2020–21 Coretta Scott King Book Award Jury, and is currently Chair of the Newbery 100th Anniversary Celebration Task Force.

Middle School Librarian Susan Polos with William Curran

CURATING THE COLLECTION

By Susan Polos, Middle School Librarian

>> Literature is powerful. According to Rudine Sims Bishop, professor emerita at The Ohio State University, books can validate our own experiences as mirrors, provide new perspectives as windows, and take us into worlds we can only imagine as sliding glass doors. Uma Krishnaswami, an author and professor at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, expanded upon the metaphor, explaining that literature can also function as a prism, disrupting status quo thinking and challenging fixed ideas through “intersecting identities, settings, cultural contexts, and histories.”

When curating our school library collections, GCDS librarians ensure that students have access to a wide range of materials which represent mirrors, windows, sliding glass doors, and prisms for all members of our community. When possible, librarians preview advance copies of books, and they also carefully read reviews in professional journals, paying special attention to books with starred reviews and those that win literary awards. On January 24, the American Library Association’s 2022 Youth Media Awards were announced. The first and oldest book award for children’s literature, the Newbery Award, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. On the same day, the GCDS librarians hosted an evening presentation for parents about the power of literature.

This year’s winning Newbery Medal book, The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera also won the Pura Belpré Author Award, an award given to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose

GCDS Mock Newbery Group: (l to r) Front: Henry Gittes, Mia Karish, Samantha Packard, Lily Cipolla Back: Nate Weintraub, Kate Chandra, Nate Smith, Kristina Estock, Scarlet Li, Molly Behrend

work portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience. This year’s Newbery Honors included Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca; A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger; Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff, which also won the Stonewall Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature; and Watercress by Andrea Wang, which also won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Picture Book.

The manual for the actual Newbery Selection Committee was amended just six years ago to include guidelines asking jury members to be open to considering experiences that are both familiar and unfamiliar to them. The change in the Newbery jury manual and the shift to recognizing more diverse books has been a long time in coming. For many years, an often all-white Newbery jury would select titles that mirrored their own experiences. The result was that many outstanding books were overlooked, and thus awards such as the Coretta Scott King Book Awards and the Pura Belpré Book Awards were created. The purpose of these awards was not only to recognize and reward diverse authors who otherwise were not receiving these honors, but also to remind publishers that there is a larger reading public than represented by the Newbery winners of the past.

Here at GCDS, students in fifth grade at Upper Elementary and Middle School students are invited to join a Mock Newbery group and read selected titles that represent a range of genres among eligible titles. The librarian facilitators provide discussion questions, which include asking the readers to consider whether the books they read are mirrors or windows. (Did the characters remind you of you or your family? Did learning about the way the characters lived show you what life was like for other people?)

GCDS Mock Newbery Group

The GCDS Mock Newbery group voted last year and this year for books by diverse authors. Last year’s GCDS winning title was Class Act by Jerry Craft, and this year’s winner was Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca. The students are proud to see

their sticker, a tiger’s paw, on the books they chose. For some students, these books may be mirrors and, for others, windows. Students consider this as part of the criteria of what makes a book distinguished.

It is very satisfying to see the overlap in the awards and to know that GCDS students recognize and affirm the value of diverse titles. As Jacqueline Woodson, winner of multiple Newbery Honor awards, said in 2014, “I would like for us one day not to have this conversation. I’d love for the word ‘diverse’ to one day be cliché, redundant almost. . . . ‘We Need Diverse Books!’ Well, no. We need books, and those books are the books that represent all of us.” )

>> This article is a summary of a Jan. 24 presentation to parents by Chrissy Colón Bradt, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Palmer Sloan, Lower School Librarian; Ellen Gittes, Upper Elementary Librarian; Susan Polos, Middle School Librarian; Emily Auerswald, Upper School Librarian; and Andrew Ledee, Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

GCDS Celebrates Black History Month

This February, GCDS celebrated Black History Month across the divisions. As part of their changemakers unit, Grade 2 students researched a broad range of people who envisioned a new reality and then took steps to help bring that reality to life, including prominent Black Americans, such as Jackie Robinson, Mae Jemison, Wilma Rudolph, and Ruby Bridges. Their work was exhibited in the Cos Cob Library throughout the month of February. In Upper Elementary school, students heard from community members who have a connection to the civil rights movement. Middle School students discussed the significance of the month at their Assembly. In Upper School, students learned about the rich history of roller skating in the Black community during the 1950s and the civil rights movement.

A sampling of Grade 2 portraits, part of their research projects on changemakers.

Mildred Osafo-Bekoe, Madeline Milgram

SOUPER BOWL Tigers vote for their favorite team

The Center for Public Good sponsored its annual “GCDS Souper Bowl” in February. Tigers in all divisions brought one can of soup into school the week leading up to the Super Bowl and voted either for the Bengals or the Rams. The Rams may have won the actual game, but here at GCDS, the Bengals dominated in each division. The final score was 462-266—for a total of 728 cans donated to a local food bank—our most successful Souper Bowl yet!

It’s the Year of the Tiger!

In celebration of the Lunar New Year, our Lower Elementary School students wore red, listened to a read-aloud by visiting parents, and created Chinese lanterns. The Year of the Tiger is commonly associated with bravery and strength, two traits we often see in our own GCDS Tigers.

National Geographic Kids’ Author

LAURA MARSH Shares Writing Tips with Second Graders

Second-grade students enjoyed an engaging and informative presentation on Dec. 13 by beloved nonfiction author Laura Marsh. Author of 31 books by National Geographic Kids, Ms. Marsh took the children through the process of publishing one of her most popular books, “Ugly Animals.” After studying her books as mentor texts in reading and writing, the students were thrilled to hear more about how she selects her topics and puts a book together. Her message about the importance of revising was especially relevant as the children were getting their own nonfiction books ready for publication in class.

LEARNIN CONSTRUCTING

Lesley McTague, Upper School Maker Teacher, Inspires Students to Make Ideas Tangible

The most powerful learning experiences are . . .

UNEXPECTED

Lesley McTague’s classroom is unusual. It isn’t quiet, there are power tools and lasers, and you’re liable to come away messy. Questions are explored with curious minds and active hands. Failures aren’t just uncommon, they’re expected— that’s when the best learning happens! All are part of the daily happenings for McTague in her first year guiding our Upper School students through the learning laboratory that is their Maker Space.

PERSONAL

McTague took a fascinating path to teaching and to Greenwich Country Day. Growing up, art was always her constant. “Traveling between countries and cultures, perpetually being the ‘new kid’ in schools, I found that drawing was a way for a quiet girl like me to gain some recognition from my peers.”

That talent grew into a focus of study as she attended a high school centered on the arts where her teachers cultivated her skills and ambition. “All the teachers treated our efforts and our dedication to our chosen specialty (be it fine arts, theater, music, dance, literary arts, culinary arts) seriously and as such, we took our own growth and development seriously as well,” McTague shared. “It was therefore exciting to be ambitious with our projects because we were eager to push ourselves and see what more we could learn and accomplish.”

That ambition led to the Maryland Institute College of Art and then to Harvard Graduate School of Design. Art had evolved from interest, to passion, to

G

study, to livelihood, stoked along the way by teachers and projects that inspired.

McTague spent the last seven years creating art on a grand scale. Her projects were sweeping and dynamic scenic installations, designed specifically to steal the show at large events, such as the Robin Hood and the Whitney Museum Galas. She also taught classes at her undergraduate alma mater and at the Parsons School of Design.

McTague had successfully turned art into a career, but she went looking for a way to get deeper meaning from her work. She landed on Stanwich Road.

CONNECTING AND CONNECTED

In September, McTague welcomed ninthgrade seminar students just beginning their time in the Upper School. They were there to bring their writing to life. The project involved the construction of individual light boxes, hand cut and joined, with self-installed LED lighting, and layers of laser cut designs to tell a story. It was an introduction for the students to their classmates. The light boxes illustrated a written piece each student had penned entitled, “This I Believe.”

The project was representative of McTague and her teaching, in that it weaved together disciplines and skills, with tangible deliverables and a high level of creative autonomy.

According to McTague, the “This I Believe” project successfully accomplished a few tasks, including introducing the students to the Maker Space and its resources, but most importantly, “it engaged students, right off the bat, in a process of construction that focused their attention on the ‘doing’—while giving them time to follow it up with a period of

By Andrew Niblock Director of Schoolwide Initiatives

creative thinking that invited each student to personalize what they made.”

ACTIVE AND TANGIBLE

The Maker Space is an educational environment like no other in the Upper School. That is by design, and it offers a unique way to get at the learning process.

It is a space for exactly the kind of learning that resonated with McTague. “I’ve always been the type of person who loves learning, who’s easily fascinated by new knowledge and experiences. And whereas I enjoy learning through reading, it never really sticks in my memory until I have a bodily memory of the experience—I need to involve my hands with my mind in order for the thinking to register in a meaningful way.”

INSPIRING AND CHALLENGING

McTague remembers high school teachers with gratitude for not just instruction, but inspiration, and a place to ask big questions. “It was serious business exploring the subject of your creations, because the questions we were asking as to ‘why paint this, what am I trying to say, why does it matter’ were, effectively, ‘who am I’ questions and ‘how do I make sense of our world’ questions.”

Amidst the omnipresent sawdust, goggles, 3-D printers, and circuits, McTague has helped to create a space for students to learn how they learn. There are lessons to be discovered here that McTague knows from experience will hit home and endure. “There’s a confidence you gain when you pursue a line of thinking, investigate it with curiosity and care, and then concretize it into a real thing.”

“THIS I BELIEVE” INSTALLATION Ninth-grade seminar students brought their writing to life through the construction of individual light boxes with layers of laser cut designs to tell a story.

“There’s a confidence you gain when you pursue a line of thinking, investigate it with curiosity and care, and then concretize it into a real thing.”

— Lesley McTague, Upper School Maker Teacher

Chase Richards

Annabelle Futch and Ellie Hochberg

Season. . . A Joyful

Winter Concerts

By Debbie Blake Kerrick Director, Performing & Visual Arts Dept.

Music at GCDS rang in the holidays as students in all divisions had opportunities to perform Winter Concerts! While our venues may have been different, we kept the music alive in new and joyful ways. Upper School musicians kicked off our concert series in the beautiful new choral and band rooms on Stanwich Road. A cappella songs were in abundance, followed by stellar performances by our orchestra, concert band, and jazz band. Students in the Middle and Upper Elementary Schools performed concerts in the Alumni Gym, where our young instrumentalists shared the beautiful and varied repertoire they had been working on all semester. The choruses processed in candlelight and sang pieces in a variety of styles to celebrate the season. Our youngest Tigers sang and played Orff instruments, with song cycles from around the world. Families were thrilled to be able to attend in-person concerts after the long pandemic hiatus. Congratulations to all our GCDS musicians and their teachers on a fabulous concert season!

Grade 1

1 Annabelle Meyers, Carter Wright

2 Quinton Hahn, Ben Yingst, Kalyna Paine 3 Tatiana Busch, Sienna Love

4 Penelope Patel, Luna Winterhoff

Grade 2

Grade 1

1 Eleanor Garrett, Audrey Lam-Danback, Jack Brodie 2 Corbin Wreschner, Isa Monterisi, Agnes Thomaier 3 Leo Butler, Sarah Hamran 4 Caroline Butz, Lion Vazquez 5 D’Auria Pike, Kelsi Lopez 6 Kasen Fu

Winter Concerts Season. . . A Joyful

Upper Elementary School

1 Trumpet and trombone section 2 Violinists Colin Politi, Georgiana Platsis 3 Annabel Frank, Charlie Gray perform ”Gloves” 4 Grade 4 featured dancers perform the Hora 5 Flutists Julia Maza Palma, Gracie Carella, Gwynnie Grogan, Anjali Khichadia, Annaleis Pauletti

1 Middle School Orchestra under the direction of Ms. Sasaki

2 Bella Shore, Riya Sharma, Brooklyn Setterberg sing “Non Nobis Domine” 3 Middle School Chorus sings “Light One Candle” 4 Chloe Kilts, Elizabeth Higgins, Devon Carella

5 Payton Baldwin

Winter Concerts Season. . . A Joyful

1 Yash Jain, Owen Collins and the Concert Band 2 Lucas Hochberg (left), Charlie Moloney 3 Ben Gross, Emily Moloney 4 Jordyn Nadine Sesler, Deja Drackett, Coco Motoyoshi, William Slater, Mao Motoyoshi, Rihanna Samson

5 Evan LiVigni, Mitchell Parron (front)

Beyond Skills

GCDS Athletics Provides Service and Character-Building Opportunities

For Shannon Doyle, coach of the Girls Varsity Ice Hockey team, the time her girls spend outside the rink is as important as the time in the rink.

Character Building

Skills are skills and they’re very important,” says Doyle. “But they will only take you so far. We also focus on life skills for our girls. That means being a good teammate and being resilient through the hard times and celebrating the successes of others and not just your own.”

The GCDS Athletics program builds sportsmanship and character intentionally through group activities, relationships with coaches who focus on the whole individual, and time together.

“I think what makes us stand out is that we truly try to see each child as who they are when they’re not with us and support them in their other seasons and all their other facets of life,” says Mrs. Doyle. “We work hard to support each girl, seeing her as a student, a sister, a lacrosse player in the spring and an artist.”

Community Service

Another way that GCDS Athletics focuses on building character and leadership skills is through community service, an integral part of the program. Each team is required to participate in community service every season. This year, teams have worked with Abilis, an organization that supports individuals with special needs, and Filling the Blanks, a food pantry that fights childhood hunger.

“You can’t be successful if you’re not willing to serve other people,” says Pat Scanlon, Boys Varsity Basketball Coach. “It’s the foundation of being a leader. It’s the foundation of being a great teammate. Our school has fully embraced this ethos.”

“I really like the service component of GCDS,” said Demitrius Farias, a sophomore and varsity wrestler. “My classmates are always willing to help out.”

During the winter season, the school

“I think what makes us stand out is that we truly try to see each child as who they are when they’re not with us and support them in their other seasons and all their other facets of life.”

gathered for three high-energy and spirited community-building athletic events— Pack the Rink, Hoops Night, and the First Annual Andrew Niblock ALS Basketball Challenge. Fans filled the arenas for games against local rivals and cheered on the Tigers. The GCDS dancers performed and funds were raised for local non-profits, Rise Against Hunger, The Andrew Grene

Foundation, and the ALS Association. (see related stories)

“Those kinds of events are something our whole community can rally around. If we’re going to have everybody in the gym at the same time, let’s find a way to give back and be appreciative of all that we have,” said Mr. Scanlon.

—Ms. Doyle, Coach, Girls Varsity Ice Hocky Team

View a video about GCDS Athletics & Community Service

Athletics

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL advanced to the FAA Tournament Championships with a successful season, defeating King School in the quarterfinals at home before facing off against Brunswick School in the semifinals. The Tigers ranked fourth overall in the FAA Conference.

GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL advanced to the FAA Tournament Championships, facing off against Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals.

MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS SQUASH made a stellar appearance at the 2022 U.S. Middle School Team Squash Championships in Philadelphia, finishing 2nd overall in Div. 2.

VARSITY WRESTLING AND SWIMMING competed in the teams’ first FAA Tournament.

COACHES AWARDS | UPPER SCHOOL

This student-athlete demonstrates the highest qualities of sportsmanship, character, leadership, devotion, and skill. This individual shows a constant desire to improve, works hard, and pushes their teammates.

VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL

The H. Bridgman Griswold Basketball Award

Lemar Fulmore

VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL

The Floren Basketball Award

Brianna McDermott, Rory Ashmeade

VARSITY BOYS HOCKEY

The H. Terrell Van Ingen Hockey Award

Ben Offit

VARSITY BOYS SQUASH

Alex van Niekerk

JV GIRLS SQUASH

Naomi Oberweger

VARSITY WRESTLING

The Scherman Wrestling Award

Harrison Cole

PRIDE AWARDS

A student-athlete who is the definition of Tiger Pride, giving their heart and soul to the team. This individual was always willing to learn, overcame adversity, and displayed growth throughout the season.

Upper School

VARSITY BOYS BASKETBALL

Noah Weiner

JV BOYS BASKETBALL

Zach Sternberg

3RDS BOYS BASKETBALL

Murphy Watner, Zach Rohdie

VARSITY GIRLS BASKETBALL

Paloma Snisky

JV GIRLS BASKETBALL

Mia Rodgers, Sophia Schwartz, Ainsley Carella

VARSITY BOYS HOCKEY

Jack Reisner, Will Mackey

VARSITY GIRLS HOCKEY

Elle Price, Leighton Krueger, Katherine Salce

VARSITY BOYS SQUASH

Landon Ristau

JV GIRLS SQUASH

Bridget Day

VARSITY SWIMMING

Fiorella Deus, Zachary Cole

VARSITY WRESTLING

Demitrius Farias, Thayer Ross

Middle School

BOYS BASKETBALL

Black: Ells Wydra, Whit Anderson, Peter Costantino

Orange: Holden Vintiadis, Bryce Hill

Gray: Lachlan Hill, Parkin Overbay

Grade 6: Eddie Chandra, David Whiteley, LJ Stephens, William Curran

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Black: Kate Chandra, Mia Secko-Thompson

Orange: Annetta Solari, Ellie Riess, Devon Carella

Grade 6: Annabelle Kim, Lilly Patchen, Mildred Osafo-Bekoe,Talia Sandhu

CROSS TRAINING

Luke Dixon

DANCE

Annie Noble, Marli Young, Molly Zeitlin

HOCKEY

Contact: James Higgins, Aidan Dougherty, Sebastian Ball

Non-Contact: Grace Kepler, Kendrick Fu

WRESTLING

Tessa Murphy, Justin Hires, Jamie Sherriff, Julian Toub

UPPER SCHOOL ATHLETICS

Varsity Wrestling

Varsity Basketball

Girls Varsity Ice Hockey

Girls JV Basketball

Boys Varsity Ice Hockey

Senior Day

1 Caroline Hart with her parents

2 Vaughn Shannonhouse and his family

3 Cooper Johnson with his parents and brother Sawyer, a ninth grader.

Congratulations Girls Middle School Squash team on your 2nd place win (Div. 2) at the 2022 U.S. Middle School Team Squash Championships at the Arlen Specter U.S. Squash Center, Philadelphia! Go Tigers!

MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS

Boys Basketball

Contact Hockey

Girls Squash

Dance

A FULL HOUSE

First Annual Andrew Niblock Basketball Challenge

GCDS hosted the first annual Andrew Niblock ALS Basketball Challenge. The event, which took place after school Friday, Jan. 21, featured three girls’ basketball games, a performance by our GCDS Dance Team, two boys’ basketball games, and a fundraiser for ALS.

Andrew Niblock, a longtime faculty member battling ALS, inspires ongoing efforts at GCDS to raise awareness and money to research treatments and a cure. “Andrew has touched every part of our community, and as he will tell you, one of his greatest loves and accomplishments is the imprint he has made on the GCDS basketball culture,” said Keith Williams, Associate Athletic Director.

The Basketball Challenge raised more than $8,000 thanks to the support of all the players who participated, the fans who came to cheer, Tiger volunteers, and the entire GCDS community.

YOUNG TIGERS

TAKE TO THE ICE

Grade 1–5 students enjoy ice skating—a beloved GCDS tradition—down the hill at Greenwich Skating Club, once a week throughout the winter. This special unit is accessible to all students with opportunities for hockey, skill games, free skating, and individualized lessons from professional instructors. Whether the Tiger is a seasoned skater or just getting comfortable on the ice, this unit is a favorite every year.

Thank

PACK THE RINK

Upper School Pack the Rink took place on an icy cold December night at Greenwich Skating Club. No matter—the Girls and Boys Varsity Ice Hockey Tigers sure brought the heat in their double-header games! The huge fan turnout not only benefited the Tigers on the ice but also Rise Against Hunger, an organization dedicated to providing pantry items and meals to those in need. The GCDS Center for Public Good (CPG) celebrated a sold-out bake sale and organized a fun “Chuck the Puck” contest between games. At Middle School Pack the Rink, fans and players enjoyed lateafternoon February sun on the ice and a decisive win.

HOOPS NIGHT >

Hoops Night took place on an electric Friday night in February with four back-to-back basketball games—two Middle School followed by Girls and Boys Varsity. Between games and at halftime, the Middle and Upper School dance teams took the courts by storm with their performances. While we cheered on our Tigers, money was raised for The Andrew Grene Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping the Haitian people, through a delicious bake sale, spirit wear purchases, and fun raffles and contests. In addition to three wins on the court and a buzzing student section, faculty and staff enjoyed another win: Austin Lehn, Upper School Science Teacher, sank his half-court shot to earn three dress-down days. A big shoutout to CPG for helping organize such a great service and athletics event.

you Tigers for showing up for your teammates and for others outside our GCDS community!

For Caroline Simmons ’01, election night came down to the wire. “My family and I were at my house all huddled around a computer in the kitchen, waiting for the results to come back. It was neck-and-neck the whole time,” recalled the GCDS alumna. “We were waiting to hear from 20 polling stations—in one poll, we would win by a couple of hundred votes and in another we would lose by that much.”

It wasn’t until midnight as Ms. Simmons and her family were making their way to campaign headquarters that

CAROLINE SIMMONS ’01

Newly Elected Mayor of Stamford, Connecticut

she found out that she had won the election to be the new Mayor of Stamford, CT—the first woman elected to that position in the city’s history.

In the end, 1,500 absentee ballots put her over the top.

On Jan. 24, two months into her term, Mayor Simmons joined Head of School Adam Rohdie and Taylor Glasebrook ’97, Chair of the Alumni Advisory Council (AAC), from her office in City Hall for a Masterclass Zoom conversation. Alumni, students, faculty, and parents, past and present, logged on to the program sponsored by the AAC, to learn about her pri-

MS. SIMMONS PRAISED GCDS FOR ITS CROSS-DISCIPLINARY, COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO EDUCATION, PARTICULARLY IN THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL. “IT LAYS THE GROUNDWORK FOR A SET OF SKILLS THAT IS GOING TO BE VERY BENEFICIAL TO THE STUDENTS IN THE FUTURE, IN COLLEGE AND IN THEIR CAREERS. IT’S DEFINITELY THE WAY WE TRY TO WORK IN CITY HALL.”

orities as mayor, her life in public service, and her memories of Old Church Road.

Ms. Simmons is humbled by the historic nature of her election.

“To all of the women and girls in our city, today is for you,” she said at her swearing-in ceremony at the Stamford Government Center. “I know today as I take this oath that I’m just picking up a torch that many of you have been carrying for a long time and that the young girls watching today will be picking up long after me.”

During the campaign, Ms. Simmons encountered skepticism about whether a 35-year-old mother could run the city. She noted that only 20 percent of U.S. mayors are female. Since she has been on the job, however, she has been pleasantly surprised. “In office, I haven’t really experienced many gender-related issues. I just concentrate on the work with my great team. But I’m not naive to think that it may not resurface at different times.”

In her two months as mayor, she has been doing what she promised—staying focused on improving people’s lives in Stamford.

“To all of the women and girls in our city, today is for you.”

“We have the ability to touch constituents’ lives directly on issues, whether it’s their roads, schools, or the quality of their neighborhoods. As mayor, I take that task really seriously and ask myself daily: What did I do to help people today?”

When Ms. Simmons is not addressing the city’s immediate needs, such as COVID and weather-related issues, she and her eight-member cabinet are tackling their five 100-day strategic priorities: 1) improving the city’s infrastructure 2) better investing in city schools 3) enhancing economic prosperity for residents 4) making the city more affordable and equitable 5) improving constituent services and responsiveness.

Ms. Simmons’ road to City Hall was preceded by a career in federal and state government—first at the Department of Homeland Security and then as the State Representative for the 144th House District.

“I felt that there was this shift in policy making taking place from the federal government to state and local govern-

around this issue. This prompted her to run for state representative.

Ms. Simmons’s passion for public service and politics started early around the dinner table with her parents and four siblings, Sara Simmons Bartow ’98, Julia Simmons ’03, Nick Simmons ’04, Cliff Simmons ’07, all GCDS alumni.

“I’ve always loved politics. I grew up in a political family. My dad was a Republican and my mom’s a Democrat. My siblings and I would hear them debating politics at the dinner table and they would take us to national political conventions. This sparked an early interest.”

She credits Country Day for teaching her how to be a good public speaker and writer, skills that she uses every day in her role as mayor.

“Country Day provides this incredible foundational education for communication skills, both speaking and writing. I’ve used them throughout my career and they’re so important no matter what you decide to go into,” she said, recalling

and Mayor of Hartford Luke Bronin ’94. Her team is also working with federal agencies in Washington, D.C., especially due to the passing of the recent bi-partisan Infrastructure Bill by Congress.

“We have this historic opportunity to take advantage to rebuild our train

BIOGRAPHY

Prior to assuming the role of Mayor of Stamford, CT, Caroline represented Stamford’s 144th House District. She was appointed as the chair of the Commerce Committee in her second term and successfully introduced, led debate, and helped pass over 16 bipartisan business bills on the House Floor. She is a passionate advocate for women- and minority-owned businesses and has helped pass legislation to provide more grants and access to capital to entrepreneurs and startups and to support small business and job growth across Connecticut. During her time in the legislature, she was also a member of the Higher Education and Employment and Human Services committees.

ments,” she said pointing to the gridlock in Washington.

Like many others in her generation, she was drawn to public service because of 9/11. “In the aftermath of that tragedy, I was very inspired by the ability to do good, watching the firefighters, first responders, and volunteers at Ground Zero. That led me to study and pursue international affairs and counter-terrorism work, ending up at the Department of Homeland Security.”

Ms. Simmons remembers feeling frustrated by the lack of urgency regarding gun violence in Washington, a cause about which she cares deeply, especially after the shooting in Newtown, CT. She saw that state governments were making progress

Ms. Harris’ grammar lessons and Mr. Kelly’s help with speeches.

Despite a divided two party political system, Ms. Simmons, a Democrat, believes that bi-partisanship is essential.

“The best policy making comes out of collaboration. I’ve always believed in reaching across the aisle. Instead of attacking each other, let’s attack the problem,” she said. “Things may still get heated, and we don’t always get to a perfect solution, but I think if we can remember to put people first and try to put politics aside, we’ll all be better off.”

Not only does Ms. Simmons reach across party lines, but she also reaches out to her colleagues in Hartford. In fact, she is in regular touch with GCDS alumnus

Previously, Caroline worked at Yale University at Elevate: A Policy Lab to Elevate Mental Health and Disrupt Poverty, the Women’s Business Development Council in Stamford, and at the Department of Homeland Security, serving as a Special Assistant in the Office of the Secretary, a Policy Analyst in the Office of the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, and as a Director of Special Projects in the Counterterrorism Coordinator’s Office at Homeland Security. She received a B.A. from Harvard University and an M.S in Middle East Studies from the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.

Caroline currently resides in Stamford, CT, with her husband and three sons.

“COUNTRY DAY PROVIDES THIS INCREDIBLE FOUNDATIONAL EDUCATION FOR COMMUNICATION SKILLS, BOTH SPEAKING AND WRITING. I’VE USED THEM THROUGHOUT MY CAREER AND THEY’RE SO IMPORTANT NO MATTER WHAT YOU DECIDE TO GO INTO.”

MAYOR SIMMONS ON . . .

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Cities like Stamford are facing a housing crisis. We are short about 5,000 affordable housing units. Whether you’re a recent graduate who wants to move back to Stamford, a working family struggling to even afford your first home, or a senior who has grown up here and wants to retire in the city, we’re working on ways to make the city more affordable through possible assistance with down payments and tax credits for seniors.

STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH

We’re working with our Superintendent and Board of Education on rolling out mental health initiatives for our students. Many students are experiencing trauma amidst this pandemic. We’ve seen an increasing absenteeism rate and even aside from the pandemic, many students are facing stressors and anxieties that have been exacerbated by COVID.

EQUITY

Equity is a top priority of our administration. We must reduce the racial disparities that we see in our community and help advance communities of color. We’re in the process of hiring the city’s first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer. We’re conducting a disparity study and looking across city departments to determine where to embed racial equity goals. We don’t just want to talk about equity, we want to move the needle and make some systemic changes.

“THE BEST POLICY MAKING COMES OUT OF COLLABORATION. I’VE ALWAYS BELIEVED IN REACHING ACROSS THE AISLE. INSTEAD OF ATTACKING EACH OTHER, LET’S ATTACK THE PROBLEM. THINGS MAY STILL GET HEATED, AND WE DON’T ALWAYS GET TO A PERFECT SOLUTION, BUT I THINK IF WE CAN REMEMBER TO PUT PEOPLE FIRST AND TRY TO PUT POLITICS ASIDE, WE’LL ALL BE BETTER OFF.”

station, roads, and bridges and we need to be shovel-ready and prepared,” said Ms. Simmons. “So much of what we encounter on a day-to-day basis, whether it’s navigating the COVID pandemic or education issues, requires collaboration with state and federal partners to advance our city.”

During the Q&A portion of the interview, a student participating on the webinar asked for advice about working in government. Ms. Simmons said that it’s never too early to get involved and educated.

Connecticut has two mayors who are GCDS alumni. Luke Bronin ’94 has been the Mayor of Hartford since 2016.

“Get yourself acquainted with the issues and see what you are passionate about. Don’t give up the first time you try and run for office, putting your name on a ballot is an incredibly rewarding experience. And remember, there are a lot of ways of getting involved behind the scenes, at the non-profit level, working on policy.”

She remembered running for Class Rep in ninth grade and losing. “It wasn’t even close,” she recalled with a laugh.

Ms. Simmons praised GCDS for its cross-disciplinary, collaborative approach to education, particularly in the new high school. “It lays the groundwork for a set of skills that is going to be very beneficial to the students in the future, in college and in their careers. It’s definitely the way we try to work in City Hall.” )

CPG Service Event

A Gathering of Parents of Alumni

On December 3, former GCDS mothers returned to campus for a service event and to learn more about the Center for Public Good (CPG). Jen Donnalley, Director of the Center for Public Good, and Adam Rohdie, Head of School, led a conversation about CPG, its impact to date and vision for the future. Following the presentation, the group worked together to build baskets for individuals moving out of the shelter system into stable housing. The baskets were donated to Pacific House and distributed to their clients who were embarking on this next chapter of their lives.

1 Jen Donnalley, Director of the Center for Public Good, shares a presentation with guests 2 Icy Frantz, Lucy Barrett, Polly Ketchum, and Jan DeAngelo

3 Frosty Friedman and Sharlene Cameron

4 Libby King and Margaret Miao

IN MEMORIAM Former Faculty

Grade 3, 1936

JANE-KERIN MOFFAT, 90, of Skillman, NJ, a noted environmentalist, passed away peacefully on December 10, 2021. A resident of Greenwich, CT, for almost 60 years, she had moved to Stonebridge at Montgomery in 2019 to be near her sister. Daughter of the late Abbot Low Moffat, former Princeton Township Committeeman, and Marion Adams Moffat, Jane-Kerin spent much of her early childhood on the family farm in Fitzwilliam, NH, fostering a love of nature which shaped her life’s work. After graduating from Chatham Hall in VA, she moved to London and received her B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Somerville College, Oxford University in 1952, followed by a Master’s degree in Education. Returning to the States, she taught at the Potomac School in VA for 7 years, then moved to Greenwich, where she taught at Greenwich Country Day School for another 6 years. Throughout her studies and teaching career, she had been interested in the role of television in society and she left teaching to obtain her Doctorate in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, completing her dissertation, “Toward a Theory of Education for Television: A Phenomenological Perspective” in 1978. After completing her doctorate, she found that she was considered overqualified for teaching in secondary school, so she set out on new pursuits. Upon taking a walk at Greenwich Point in the early 1980s, she noted piles of rotting leaves that had been left by the town to decompose on the beach. Offended by the smell, she joined the Greenwich Point Committee and helped draft a comprehensive park and beach management plan, which was adopted by the town in 1990. She then turned her efforts to saving the Jay property in Rye, New York, from development into condominiums. A 23-acre parcel that stretched from the Boston Post Road to the Long Island Sound, and bordered the environmentally sensitive Marshlands Conservancy, it also happened to be the place where her forebear, founding father John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, had spent his childhood. Helping to organize an alliance of over 65 environmental, historical, government, and non-profit groups, her efforts led to the property being purchased by Westchester County in

1992 and added to the Marshlands Conservancy. A non-profit entity, the Jay Heritage Center, was chartered by the New York Board of Regents to manage the property for public purposes, and the site was ultimately designated as part of the Boston Post Road Historic District with the Jay Mansion, its acknowledged centerpiece, designated a National Historic Landmark. Known by now as an organizer and coalition builder, Jane-Kerin was hired in 1990 by the National Audubon Society to be the coordinator of the Long Island Sound Watershed Alliance, which pulled together over 180 groups interested in preserving the Sound. Through Audubon, she organized hearings in towns along the coast to determine the extent and nature of the degradation of the Sound due to population growth and pollution, and co-authored a report on the information collected to become the foundation of the Alliance. She coordinated a Citizens Summit Conference, drawing over 200 environmentalists to discuss proposals to rejuvenate the Sound with legislators from NY and CT, in the hope of creating a model for national estuary restorations. She also coordinated a meeting at Greenwich Point with the United Nation Summit Conference in Brazil. As part of her Watershed Alliance work, she also founded the Greenwich Network for Long Island Sound, a network of 23 organizations, to promote education and coordinated environmental action. She also served as vice-president and conservation chairwoman of the Greenwich Audubon Society. For her leadership in these efforts, she was awarded the Greenwich Garden Club Conservation Award in 1992. The Town of Greenwich also gave her its Conservation Award for her contributions to the environmental movement in 1994, and a shadblow tree was planted at Greenwich Point in her honor. Her work did not end there, however. In 1997 she became president of the Audubon Council of CT and in 1998 she set up an email network, linking the leaders of all of the environmental groups in the state, later doing the same for the state’s Audubon members. The National Audubon Society gave her its Audubon Activist Award and published a feature article about her in their magazine entitled “One Sound Lady” in 2000. She went on to serve on its board from 2007–2013. In addition to her environmental activism, Jane-Kerin was known for her kindness, charm, wit, and magnificent storytelling skills, which also made her a compelling public speaker. Beloved by her friends and family, including many nieces, nephews, and cousins, she is survived by her brother, Burnham Moffat of Reno, and her sister Nancy Lifland of Skillman. Jane-Kerin will be interred at the Jay Family Cemetery in Rye, NY, in the spring of 2022. A ceremony of celebration and remembrance will be held at that time.

DAY OF SCHOOL 100th

On Feb. 28, Lower and Upper Elementary School students celebrated the 100th Day of School with learning activities, creative 100-day inspired clothing, and the much-loved Dominoes track of 100 boxes of cereal.

Greenwich Country Day School

Old Church Road, P.O. Box 623

Greenwich, CT 06836-0623

Return Service Requested Save

First Annual Andrew Niblock