2021-2022 Country Day View Book

OUR MISSION

Metairie Park Country Day School enriches the lives of talented young people in a dynamic learning environment, building strength of intellect and strength of character within a community that is simultaneously challenging and supportive. Our students learn to be flexible, to be adaptable, and to face the challenges of life with honor, optimism, confidence, creativity, and a sense of humor.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSIVENESS, AND BELONGING STATEMENT

Metairie Park Country Day School believes that creating a fully inclusive community is an ongoing process that is essential for optimal learning.

We are cultivating a community based upon respect and empowerment of all individuals. Our School’s commitment to fostering diversity does not simply reflect tolerance or accommodation, but rather a recognition of the ways in which all members of our community are enriched and strengthened when these principles are embraced.

In pursuit of this goal, our School community seeks to eliminate bias in school by addressing stereotypes, emphasizing similarities as well as differences, and encouraging awareness and enjoyment of multiple perspectives. The Country Day Board, administration, faculty, staff, parents, and students are committed to creating and maintaining a positive environment where the academic and social well-being of all students is affirmed.

Welcome to Metairie Park Country Day School!

Our founders’ dream of a school that offers the finest academic preparation within a caring community exists today at Metairie Park Country Day School.

“Country Day” as we call it, is a joyful place, filled with thoughtful, passionate adults united in our mission to help students learn to be “flexible, adaptable, and to face life’s challenges with honor, optimism, confidence, creativity, and a sense of humor.” We understand that students learn best in an environment that is both academically demanding and appropriately supportive so we encourage independence, foster critical thinking, allow students to take risks, and empower our students to open their minds to limitless possibilities.

State-of-the-art engineering, science, and art-centered learning spaces combined with our use of advanced technology, continue to support our expansive curriculum and enhance our sense of shared community. Independent Study courses in Arabic Language through Culture and Musical Theatre as Literature and Global Online Academy courses in Medical Problem Solving, Entrepreneurship in a Global Context, and Introduction to Investments, as well as travel abroad opportunities, continue to open the world to our students.

We are a proud school community, conscious of our long-standing traditions, our appetite for innovation, and our collegiality. Specific traditions like a common Dining Room, multi-age groupings of K/1/2 and 3/4 students in Lower School, and our Faculty Fellows professional development program emblematize our community, and our insistence on intellectual virtues and ethical leadership is woven throughout every aspect of our day.

It is my sincere hope that you spend a few moments looking through our view book and visiting with us on campus. By doing so, I believe you will see a community that lives its mission, actualizes its values, and a school spirit that is second to none.

Sincerely,

Rob Hereford Head of School

ON-SITE COLLEGE COUNSELING DIRECTORS help students find the “right fit” college through one-on-one discussions, an annual College Forum, and through College 101, a program covering college essay writing, interviews, application completion, scholarship opportunities, and more.

Our students are recognized as PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS MOREHEAD-CAIN SCHOLARS MCDERMOTT SCHOLARS POSSE SCHOLARS QUESTBRIDGE NATIONAL COLLEGE MATCH SCHOLARSHIPS

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“Country Day’s creative energy propels our students to take risks, explore, and problem solve. Our unique balance between rigor and support defines the Country Day experience and is only surpassed by the caring individuals that make up our community.”

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Academics

Academics We Discover Country Day’s educational approach reflects the rigor and accountability of traditional schools fused with the creativity and intellectual flexibility of progressive schools, cultivating a culture of enthusiastic learning, critical thinking, and innovation. Whether the creation of the multifaceted service opportunities to enhance the civic engagement of our students or our ability to fuse disciplines and divisions during Hour of Code Week to enhance our students’ computational thinking and problem-solving, Country Day prepares each student for college and for life.

philosophy lessons and lectures. Our Humanities class was created to skillfully balance just that. More recently, faculty members from the Department of Applied Technology saw the need for students to have a stronger foundation in computational thinking, Pre-K through 12th grade. Within one year, best practices were studied, a leading computer science curriculum was implemented, and formal instruction was scaffolded throughout lower, middle, and upper school. As part of these changes, a Computer Science Principles course was introduced in upper school to augment the existing AP Computer Science course. As a balanced exploration of the math-sciences, humanities, and the arts, our academic subjects are not self-contained but connected across disciplines and grade levels.

Country Day has consistently taken a concerted look at our curriculum and program throughout its history. About 25 years ago, faculty members saw the need for a class that centered on current events through a mix of art, music, religion, and

OVER

75%

OF STUDENTS scored a 3 or higher on AP Exams

29%

of the Class of 2021 are attending colleges in-state and

71% are attending out-of-state.

2

PRESIDENTIAL SCHOLARS* in the last

5

YEARS

*Each year, only ~160 students are named Presidential Scholars out of nearly 4 million high school seniors.

OVER

60% OF UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS take 1+ Honors or AP course

2

PERFECT ACT SCORES by the Class of 2021 (63 total students)

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Country Day Life

Country Day Life We Build Community Academic intensity at Country Day is balanced by a rich student life, a diverse community of friends, and faculty to rely on for direction and support. Everyone shares a role in maintaining the integrity of our community, and through that responsibility comes an appreciation for all Country Day embodies.

Advisors Clear the Path Faculty advisors are assigned to every middle and upper school student and meet with their advisees weekly to assess personal and academic goals. Advisors guide students in ethical decisionmaking and regularly communicate with parents about their child’s personal and academic progress.

The Campus The community-oriented values of Country Day are exemplified in the physical form of the fifteenacre campus. There are no closed hallways, but rather open walkways, numerous courtyards, and vegetable and flower gardens that invite an appreciation of nature or friendly conversation.

Expanded Viewpoints Our youngest students begin to understand diversity as they learn about the uniqueness of each individual. That knowledge base grows in Middle and Upper School as they further explore literature, languages, history, and are exposed to varying viewpoints and perspectives. Country Day also provides opportunities for older students to experience the richness of cultures through student exchange programs, however, all students participate in regular discussions on cultural competency and diversity.

Join the Club Our students create their own opportunities to remain engaged in their academic interests beyond the classroom. With numerous student run clubs in the Upper School and a rich after-school enrichment program offering classes in robotics, chess, etiquette, performing arts, and study skills development, there is truly something for everyone.

Social-Emotional Learning Opportunities to teach, nurture, and practice the values that build children of character are integrated into every aspect of school life. Social-emotional learning is woven into daily life through lower school morning meetings and our unique lunch program.

SEL is then reinforced in Middle School and through High Resolves in Upper School.

Designing Our Future Faculty provide students with a challenging, balanced curriculum and regularly use advanced technology to enhance the learning process.

Country Day’s Department of Applied Technology supports the infusion of digital technology into all disciplines and grade levels from Pre-K to 12th grade by promoting computational thinking through experiential, project-based learning.

Family Style Dining The dining experience at Country Day is one of our most deeply treasured traditions. To promote interaction among diverse groups, students sit for lunch in a family style setting at round tables with their peers from other grades. A designated server is responsible for serving the day’s meal and ensuring the younger children are cared for first. Faculty and staff hosts sit at nearly every table to assist in fostering mature conversation and reinforcing manners. When the meal is complete, all share in the responsibility of clearing the table and leaving it ready for the next group of students.

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“Our students have the freedom to thrive in dedicated, creative spaces under the direction of renowned, practicing artists and musicians.”

KATIE ANTIS, ART DEPARTMENT CHAIR

The Arts

The Arts We Create What does it mean to participate in the Arts at Country Day? It means that our students, faculty, and staff are exploring daily, excited each minute, and engaging each second in more than 50 different art-related activities throughout the year. During a normal academic year, students present in four major art shows in the Georges Art Gallery and participate in more than 15 musical and theatrical productions.

In addition, our student artists and musicians

venture off campus to contribute to art exhibits such as Art in Bloom at the New Orleans Museum of Art, and students craft ceramic soup bowls to share with the Salvation Army during the Souper Bowl Gala. Musicians and singers are selected to perform at the district and state levels, and several artists place nationally each year in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

ART OFFERINGS LOWER SCHOOL Multimedia Art Ceramics

Printmaking Band

Orchestra Music

After School Players

MIDDLE SCHOOL Metals Woodworking Ceramics

Drawing and Painting Photography Band

Orchestra Percussion Ensemble Boys’ Choir

Girls’ Choir Drama

UPPER SCHOOL Metals Woodworking Ceramics

Drawing and Painting Graphic Design Honors Studio Art

Band Orchestra Advanced Chorale

Honors Music Small Vocal Ensemble AP Studio Art

Students are selected each year for the LOUISIANA ALL-STATE ORCHESTRA and are named ACADEMIC ALL-STATE for maintaining a

3.5 GPA

1,500

STUDENT WORKS exhibited in Georges Art Gallery each year

70%+

UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS participate in the fine arts

160+

MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS participate in school plays each year

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“We are a dynamic school community centered on students, ensuring that their individual and collective pursuits are nurtured and explored.

That includes athletic endeavors on the field, on the court, or in the gym.”

MIKE MCGUIRE, ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Athletics

Athletics We Compete Country Day’s athletic program is designed to engage our students in healthy, active lifestyles that instill leadership and sportsmanship qualities essential for success on and off the field. Our “no-cut” policy allows our student-athletes the opportunity to be part of one of 19 sports or 50

VARSITY SPORTS OFFERINGS: Baseball Basketball Cheerleading

Cross Country Football Golf

2020

VOLLEYBALL STATE CHAMPIONS

2020

BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY STATE CHAMPIONS

middle school, junior varsity, or varsity level teams. Over 70% of our upper school students participate in at least one sport at Country Day. The typical Country Day athlete is involved in the arts, extracurricular clubs, and community service.

Soccer Softball Swimming

Tennis Track and Field Volleyball

2020

GIRLS’ CROSS COUNTRY STATE RUNNER-UP

DISTRICT CHAMPIONS Baseball, Football, Volleyball, Boys’ and Girls’ Track and Field, Boys’ Cross Country, and Boys’ Soccer.

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Come Inside Wondrous Writers Room One (grades 1 & 2) Wondrous Writers completed their narrative writing unit. They studied writers of good literature and became better writers by emulating them. They learned to plan a story, follow story structure (characters, setting, events, problem/wish, and solution), use vivid words for description, develop interesting characters, and revise and edit. They follow the Writing Workshop method where short mini-lessons are taught by the teacher and a demonstration is given; the students then apply the skill.

Using Technology to Solve Problems In Computer Science, 5th graders worked on a project through Google Education called Applied Digital Skills - Create a Slogan for Earth Day. They selected an environmental issue with a partner.

They then researched information using kidsafe search engines such as Kiddle.co, kidrex. org, and the Lower School Library website. In the culminating project each student created a website using Google Sites. 5th graders took skills they learned in the Google Suite at the beginning of the year and applied those skills to a project with new skills. Learning how to collaborate with a partner or small group was an essential part of the project.

Learning Through Performing 7th grade Honors French students have spent the semester reading an abridged version of La Tulipe Noire by Alexandre Dumas (famed author of The Count of Monte Cristo and the Three Musketeers).

They then performed a theatrical version of the story on Founders’ Terrace for their peers and some lucky adults on campus who were able to enjoy this tour de force pop-up performance.

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Launch Testing with Physics Remember paper airplanes? Ever get in trouble for throwing paper airplanes in school? During 8th-grade Physical Science, students tested paper airplanes with added weight to explore the topic of center of gravity. During the paper airplane test, students experimented with the number and placement of washers on paper airplanes to control the center of gravity and document how the flight was affected by the different variations. The Aerospace Project culminated as they launched the bottle rockets they designed.

Creative Adaptations in Drama 7th & 8th grade Drama classes embraced the idea that all the world is truly a stage and moved their performances outdoor. Middle School Drama students presented Shakespeare Deconstructed / Shakespeare Reconstructed, explorations of the Bard which took pieces of his plays, scrambled them and reassembled them into new configurations.

Poetry for Good Upper School faculty awarded students their 1st place recognition from the ADL Fighting

Hate for Good Art and Poetry Contest. Students responded to the following prompt: In the words of the immortal John Lewis, “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” What good and necessary trouble would you get into to fight systemic racism, hate, and prejudices of all kinds? Congratulations to these students on their work!

Honor Band Successes Students were named to the Senior High District Jazz Honor Band and the Junior High District Jazz Honor Band!

QUESTIONS? We're here to help!

AMY WHITE Director of Admission 504.849.3105 amy_white@mpcds.com CECILIA LEON-DRAGO Associate Director of Admission & Director of Financial Aid 504.849.3101 cldrago@mpcds.com REED GREEN Coordinator of Admission & Outreach 504.849.3110 rgreen@mpcds.com CHARLOTTE LIN Admissions Assistant 504.849.3120 charlotte_lin@mpcds.com

300 PARK ROAD, METAIRIE, LA 70005 504.837.5204 | MPCDS.COM Country Day accepts qualified students without regard to race, color, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national or ethnic origin.