LCDS Middle and Upper School Advantages

Challenge.

Spark.

Unleash.

LANCASTER C O U N T R Y D AY SCHOOL

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Middle School

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iddle School is a time of profound growth and change for students. It is also a time of exploration, discovery and, under the right circumstances, exhilarating fun. Lancaster Country Day School understands this, and has created a Middle School where those right circumstances occur every day. Students must continue to build foundations of academic, athletic and artistic excellence; in addition, they must strengthen those elements that constitute their core values.

Every day, the Middle School faculty witness inspiring transformations: the seventh grader intimidated by math becomes a class leader when she suddenly grasps eighth grade algebra; the eighth grader who had never held a lacrosse stick emerges as a starting midfielder; the sixth grader reluctant to speak up in class finds a bold, new voice in the Middle School play or his Public Speaking class.

We carefully provide the most effective balance of challenge, fun and support to help children find their way, under the careful guidance and personal attention of our dedicated teachers.

We give our students worthy challenges so they recognize the value of hard work and strive for excellence, both in Middle School and beyond.

HALLMARKS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL EDUCATION • PERSONAL INTEGRITY • MUTUAL RESPECT • SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Students at this age must develop their individuality while also feeling a sense of belonging.

The Middle School curriculum is designed to meet the unique needs of adolescents in grades six through eight.

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MIDDLE SCHOOL

“ Our two children, each with their own unique interests and styles, were challenged to push themselves to success by a truly outstanding and caring community, whether in the classroom, on the stage, or on the athletic fields. It’s a pleasure to watch them flourish under this guidance.”

Digital literacy helps students work together to delve deeper into the curriculum, while also encouraging them to become responsible digital citizens.

Scott and Francy Bailey, Parents

Middle School is about more than just students’ academic development, it’s about development of all aspects of the child.

The journey begins in sixth grade with three one-trimester classes — Technology, Music and Public Speaking — designed to encourage everyone to take risks and grow beyond their comfort zone. Just as important is instilling a sense of balance and responsibility. Students begin Middle School meetings with silent mindfulness, discovering the value of taking a minute to simply breathe and reflect.

In sixth-grade English, children read novels and poetry. By eighth grade, after a year of intensive grammar and syntax study, they’re reading Steinbeck and Shakespeare and learning how to tailor written analyses to different audiences. Students study a foreign language each year, whether staying with French or Spanish or opting for Latin or Mandarin in eighth grade.

Programming. Technology-focused courses, as well as mainstays of the eighth-grade curriculum, are both made more immediate by the 1:1 iPad program. Every eighth grader receives an Apple tablet, as well as instruction in how to use it responsibly.

Country Day energetically supports students in pursuing their interests. The advisory program ensures that each child knows and is known by a caring adult, and the faculty are committed to providing real support so that every student can feel valued and succeed to his or her fullest potential.

Students begin Middle School meetings with silent mindfulness, discovering the value of taking a minute to simply breathe and reflect.

IN MIDDLE SCHOOL EVERY GRADE • PERFORMS COMMUNITY SERVICE • TAKES OVERNIGHT

The advisory program pairs a small group of students with a faculty mentor who meets with them several times a week and stays engaged in their growth in and outside of the classroom.

FIELD TRIPS • CULTIVATES THE SCHOOL’S LEARNING GARDENS

Students can follow their creative affinities in Country Day’s broad offering of electives, including Theater Ensemble, Jazz Band, Dance, Animation Art, Photography and Beginning Computer

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Upper School

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ancaster Country Day School provides a superior college preparatory education, and the process of guiding students from LCDS toward the right college for them begins in Middle School and truly hits its stride in Upper School. 100 percent of Country Day graduates are accepted to four-year colleges, and they’re exceptionally well prepared when they get there because of the rigor of the curriculum and the support of the faculty here.

1847 2015 SAT SCORES

COMPARED WITH

A RANGE OF 1210 TO 1617 AT OTHER SCHOOLS IN THE AREA

8:1

STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO

COMPARED WITH A RANGE OF 13:1 TO 16:1 AT OTHER SCHOOLS IN THE AREA

Lancaster Country Day School’s two college advisors work to help students identify the colleges and universities that are best suited to their talents, interests and aspirations. The advisors are actively involved in the college application process and provide support for both students and parents.

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The student-college counselor ratio at LCDS is far smaller than the national average. Representatives from more than 70 colleges visit Country Day each year.

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UPPER SCHOOL

“ At Country Day, I learned to open my mind to all disciplines and ideas with the guidance of an immensely supportive faculty. My humanities education has prepared me for an environment of academia, and I will forever remember my high school experience with great satisfaction.”

LCDS offers numerous arts electives, including Printmaking, Photography, 3-D Printing & Design, Theater, Ceramics, Robotics, Jazz Band and many more.

Arnav Shah ’14, University of Pennsylvania ’18

The distinctive, two-year World Civilization course in Upper School introduces freshmen and sophomores to world beliefs and history through an immersion in primary sources and an exposure to arts, music and philosophy across the ages.

As part of Country Day’s 1:1 iPad program, every Upper Schooler gets an Apple tablet to help connect with classmates and teachers, and lighten backpacks by replacing textbooks with e-books. They also help students become responsible digital citizens, aware of the importance of technology in the 21st century, and their duty to use it responsibly.

The Upper School curriculum provides a broad and deep learning experience that will help students become:

In addition to numerous traditional studio offerings, arts electives include Newspaper & Design as well as 3-D Printing & Design. PIAA sports run all year and include 25 varsity teams for boys and girls.

Taught by caring, dynamic faculty, Upper School classes invite students to go beyond the boundaries of traditional classrooms and connect with one another on sports teams, on stage in Shakespeare productions, and with peers around the globe — or around the corner — in service learning and travel courses.

These classes introduce students to a broader way of thinking about the world and their place in it by shaping courses in which trips aren’t simply a reward for making it to the end of the term, but an integral part of the curriculum itself.

LCDS is one of only 10 schools nationwide invited to The Hague International Model United Nations each January. Outward-looking classes such as this prepare students for the world.

UPPER SCHOOL CLASSES ON OFFER INCLUDE: • 14 AP COURSES • FOUR FOREIGN LANGUAGES • TRAVEL AND SERVICE LEARNING CLASSES • A TWO-YEAR WORLD CIVILIZATION COURSE

avvy critical thinkers S Astute readers and writers • C onscientious citizens, knowledgeable about the world • •

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LCDS fields 12 varsity teams, and our students can compete on 13 additional teams as part of a coop arrangement with the School District of Lancaster. This allows students at Country Day and SDL to play sports that their own schools don’t offer. For example, SDL girls who want to play varsity lacrosse can play for LCDS, while Country Day boys who want to play football can play for SDL.

LANCASTER COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL Admission Office 725 Hamilton Road Lancaster, PA 17603 717-392-2916 www.lancastercountryday.org

AVERAGE LCDS AP TEST RESULTS

LCDS FACTS

2014–15 87%

• Coed, college preparatory •6 07 students under one roof in preschool through 12th grade

56% 2013–14 88%

• Average class size: 13

58%

• Student-faculty ratio: 8:1

2012–13 85% 57%

• 1 00 percent of seniors accepted to four-year colleges/universities

•$ 3.1 million in financial aid awarded in 2015-2016

 Scored 3 and above  Scored 4 and above

2014 SAT SCORES SCHOOL COMPARISON LCDS

1810

York Suburban

1617

Manheim Township

1616

Hershey 1612 Lampeter Strasburg

1580

Warwick 1580 Wyomissing 1579 Lancaster Mennonite

1575

Hempfield 1568 Solanco 1528 Penn Manor

1499

Lancaster Catholic

1498

Governor Mifflin

1451

The mission of Lancaster Country Day School is to encourage each student’s growth within a challenging and supportive academic environment that inspires enthusiasm for learning, the joy of accomplishment, and commitment to community.

LCDS fosters the individual’s thinking skills, physical and emotional well-being, and creative expression with an emphasis on personal integrity, mutual respect, and social responsibility.

McCaskey 1210

STUDENT:FACULTY RATIO SCHOOL COMPARISON LCDS

8:1 (PS–12)

Lancaster Catholic

13:1

York Suburban

14:1

Hershey 14:1 McCaskey 14:1 Lancaster Mennonite

15:1

Hempfield 15:1 Solanco 15:1 Penn Manor

15:1

Governor Mifflin

15:1

Manheim Township

16:1

Lampeter Strasburg

16:1

Sources: Student-Teacher Ratios – from US News & World Report website – all are high school data unless otherwise noted SAT Scores – from PA State Education website except the following schools where the data is from the school website: Hershey High School (2014-2015) Lancaster Mennonite High School (2014-2015) Lancaster Catholic High School (2014-2015)

Warwick 16:1 Wyomissing

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16:1 (MS–US)

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