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GRIFFIN DAYS
“WHERE’S THE LOVE?” DODGEBALL GAME • FEB. 10
One of the Middle School’s favorite days of the year is the annual “Where's the Love?” dodgeball game. Students show their Valentine’s Day spirit while participating in friendly competition. November marks our Month of Gratitude when we are intentionally thankful for the people, moments and things that make our lives better. One way we celebrate is with our gratitude tree, where students and faculty write what they are thankful for and hang it on the tree.
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HOMECOMING PARADE • APR. 1
Homecoming this year was shifted from winter to spring to allow for outdoor festivities. Upper School students decorated different floats by grade, then showed off their creativity to the entire school with a parade.
PROM • MAY 26
Juniors and seniors posed for photos in their prom finest then danced the night away on Dorrance Plaza.
EXHIBITION • NOV. 13
Fourth Grade Exhibition is the culmination of the IB Primary Years Program, where students utilize all of the elements of the program to take action and showcase their experiences. Exhibition lays the foundation for future student inquiry and action.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL • AUG. 20
Reunited and it feels so good! After spending the previous spring in distance learning, it was so nice to finally be back together and in-person for the first day of school.
HALLOWEEN • OCT. 30
Our Griffins never fail to impress when it comes to creativity and enthusiasm! While we weren’t able to hold the traditional Halloween parade and trunkor-treat, Upper School still found a way to deliver candy to the Lower and Middle School students in the most creative way—a candy chute!
LOWER SCHOOL TALENT SHOW • APR. 14
The Lower School talent show never fails to show off the talent our Griffins possess. Thank you to the Parents‘ Community for their help in organizing this event, along with all of our confident, risk-taking performers who put on quite the show.
GRADUATION • MAY 28
Surrounded by family, friends and faculty, 34 seniors gathered on the Presnell front lawn to receive their diplomas.
I'M A GRIFFIN DAY • OCT. 14
This year's “I'm a Griffin Day” looked a little different than in the past, but we still came together to celebrate our Spartanburg Day School community. From relay games to pumpkin decorating to kickball, students and faculty alike were full of Griffin spirit.
100TH DAY OF SCHOOL • FEB. 5
One hundred days of learning! Lower School students dressed the part and participated in numerous 100-themed activities throughout the day.
PRESNELL PORCH SERIES
Upper School students took advantage of outside spaces for lunch. On several Fridays, students also enjoyed musical lunchtime performances dubbed the “Presnell Porch Series,” featuring talented Griffin musicians.
YOUTH IN GOVERNMENT • APR. 14–17
We’re grateful for the opportunities our students have through Youth in Government each year! Upper School students wrote mock bills to present to a mock trial. They went to Columbia and presented their bills to (hopefully) be passed by the youth governor, participated in elections, experienced real-life courthouse scenarios, and some students even sat as members of a mock legislature!
FOURTH GRADE TED TALKS • MAY 13
The fourth grade year at SDS is designed to encourage students to express individual passions and interests. One such opportunity: the muchanticipated Fourth Grade Ted Talks. Students choose a passion, identify a main idea and write their speech as a way to spark the interest of others. This year, students wrote on a variety of topics such as anxiety, faith, animation, pollution and more.
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL • MAY 20
We made it! This year was a memorable one to say the least; despite the challenges, we came together as a community, as always, because we are Griffin Strong. To celebrate the year, students were treated to cookies, snow cones and chicken biscuits to honor their patience, hard work and determination.
TURKEY TROT • NOV. 20
The annual turkey trot is one of Spartanburg Day School’s most beloved traditions. These little 4K turkeys trotted around campus to spread their joy and excitement for Thanksgiving.
FLAG THE LAWN • NOV. 11
“Flag the Lawn” is a schoolwide service project initiated by our boys‘ service organization, Interact Club. Club members sell flags for students to stake in front of the school each Veterans Day. Proceeds benefit Upstate Warrior Solution, an organization serving veterans and their families in South Carolina.
READERS PARADE • SEPT. 30
Kindergarten students proudly marched around campus for the annual “We Are Readers Parade” as faculty and students cheered them on.
8TH GRADE TECHFREE DAY • MAY 11
Tech-Free Day has become an annual tradition for our eighth graders. All cell phones and laptops are turned in before class begins. After school, students enjoy a tech-free afternoon with fun games and activities.
FIELD DAY • MAY 13 & 14
Students enjoyed building community and working together while participating in all the traditional field day events this year, including sack races, an egg toss, relays and more!
DEI Steering Committee plans for the future
By Kevin Wynn
Middle School English Teacher, DEI Steering Committee Member
A COMMITTEE OF NINETEEN TRUSTEES, FACULTY, STUDENTS AND ALUMNI WAS FORMED TO BEGIN AN INTENTIONAL FOCUS ON DEI STUDY, PROGRAMMING AND EDUCATION.
As part of Spartanburg Day School’s ongoing strategic plan, and in an effort to strengthen the school’s culture and community for students, parents and faculty, a DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) steering committee was created during the 2020–21 school year.
The need for an intentional focus on DEI at the Day School became even clearer in the summer of 2020 following terrible acts of racism and violence across the nation, most notably the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others. “It also weighs heavy on me the painful and frightening conversations happening in the homes of our black students, faculty, alumni and families,” Head of School Rachel Deems wrote in a letter to families in June 2020. “Within our mission statement is the phrase ‘community of trust.’ Those three words are more important today than ever before, and as Griffins, we must be united in our stand against hate, racism and violence. This begins by listening to each other, learning from each other and supporting each other.”
Board members Marjorie Appiah and Michel Stone were selected to co-chair the DEI steering committee, which was tasked with identifying areas of focus and impacting change. The committee roster represents all academic divisions, administration, athletics, alumni and the board of trustees. Students of color were chosen from the Middle and Upper Schools to be a part of the committee as well.
Stone added, “I believe that one’s humanity is inextricably bound to everyone else’s humanity
and that our DEI work will broaden lenses and spark empathy that can change the world.”
To date, the committee has accomplished several goals, including approving a mission statement (to accept, educate and empower a diverse community) and vision (to be a community where everyone is embraced). From there, a webpage was created, and in the fall of 2021, a sub-committee will oversee a DEI survey that will be distributed to alumni, parents, students and faculty members. The information and findings from these will help determine future plans and strategies.
Affinity groups continued to meet with the goal of addressing racial and gender issues, as well as providing a platform for parents and students to share opinions, address concerns, and receive support from advisors and fellow group members. In the Lower and Middle Schools, the Latinx Parents Group is advised by Lower School Spanish Teacher Aixa Anderson. The United Students of Color, advised by Middle School English Teacher Kevin Wynn, is geared for Middle School students in the seventh and eighth grades. In the Upper School, the Gender and Sexuality Alliance is advised by Upper School Teachers Amanda McGrath and David Roark.
In order to make DEI attainable and applicable, professional development is important. In December of 2020, faculty and student representatives attended the People of Color Conference. For five days, attendees took part in virtual talks and workshops that centered on issues concerning diversity, equity and inclusion. There are plans to not only continue attending this conference, but also to take part in other workshops and training opportunities. Sophomore Caleb Xiao was one of 15 Upper School students to participate in the 2021 Virtual Low Country Student Diversity Conference in January.
“One speaker that resonated with me discussed civil discourse, which is the mutual airing of views with the purpose of building perspective rather than changing another’s opinion,” said Xiao, who serves as a student representative on the DEI Steering Committee. “I felt that this skill was ever so important now in such a politically divided country. The first step to civil discourse was to know yourself, your tics, and your core values; realize that you have the capacity to love, to hate, to develop biases, to ignore and to learn. He also mentioned unconditional acceptance as a crucial social skill in civil discourse. Being self-aware and realizing that we as humans are more similar than different will be two things to keep in mind in all of my future conversations in order to help build each other up rather than tear each other down.”
The committee has a list of short-term and long-term goals for DEI. These goals include sensitivity training for the faculty and students, establishing a curriculum that authentically reflects the diversity of races and orientations, and creating a community that actively embraces and supports a diverse population.
For updates on the progress of DEI, visit spartanburgdayschool.org/about/diversityequity-inclusion.
REFLECTING ON A RECORD YEAR
Enrollment tops 500 while welcoming the largest group of new students in 40 years
As of June, retention for 2021–22 was strong with 91percent of students set to return. E nrollment at Spartanburg Day School reached record levels in 2020–21, due in part to a steady climb from years of intentional admissions and retention efforts but also a sudden influx of families seeking quality, in-person education amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with enrollment at its highest in nearly two decades, all sights are set on purposeful and long-term enrollment strategies— strategies that meet the needs of both families and the school.
Five hundred and one students arrived for the first day of school in 2020—the most in the last 19 years. Of those, 159 were new to the school, representing the largest class of new students in 40 years.
Following a total rebrand in 2016 that included a new mission statement, clearer messaging and a complete website overhaul, general interest in the school was up.
Simultaneously, the school was learning more about why families were enrolling— and staying. Several years of survey data shows that a quality academic program is the top reason families choose Spartanburg Day School. Second and third on the
list—individual attention through small class sizes and the community that comes with an independent school experience. Additionally, more emphasis was put on “word of mouth,” which empowers faculty and parents to help deliver the SDS message. In 2020, 21 percent of new student enrollments were directly attributed to the work of parent ambassadors and board of trustees members.
With positive momentum in interest and enrollment trending upward, school leaders were once again predicting and planning for a higher number of students in 2020–21. Then COVID-19 hit. In March, SDS joined schools across the nation in shifting to distance learning. What 2020–21 would hold was uncertain, and admissions activity reflected that. March and April—traditionally busy months in admissions—were quiet.
“We took a major hit in activity during the months of March, April and May,” Cobb recalled. “With families unable to come to campus, we used that time to reexamine how to offer the admissions experience to prospective families. On a dime, we produced virtual tours of the school, organized virtual open house events and found ways to meet with families via Zoom. Admissions never stops, even during a global pandemic.”
As SDS announced plans to open its doors for in-person learning in August, the emails and phone calls began pouring in. The summer of 2020 was one of the busiest in school history with more than one half of all new admissions for the year being processed in a three-month period. Seventy-five applications were processed in the month of July alone—the highest in one month ever. Of the 159 new students in 2020–21, 44 enrolled in August.
“Our mission is to provide a superior educational experience,” Deems said. “Despite the challenges the year presented, our faculty went above and beyond to ensure the quality of our academic programs was not diminished. We all looked for ways to build community at every possible opportunity—from Zoom coffees to a distanced candy chute at Halloween. We wanted every student, parent and faculty member to feel engaged as a part of our Griffin family.”
As of June, 89 percent of first year students and 91 percent of all students were set to return in 2021–22. According to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the average student retention rate is 88 percent.
“We have been impressed with the Day School and have seen a very positive change in our son since enrolling,” said one first year parent. “His relationship with his teachers is invaluable. They care and are willing to work with him on a one-on-one basis to make sure he understands the material. His critical thinking skills are getting deeper and richer. I think it is changing him as a student and a person who looks at the world with a curious and questioning eye.”
Now, with some grades full with wait pools, the admissions team and school leaders will focus on strategic growth, especially in the Middle and Upper Schools. Growth continues to concentrate in Preschool and Lower School, which is at its highest enrollment in seven years.
“Families are choosing SDS early, and though we’re always striving to improve, retention is strong,” Cobb said. “This is a unique time in our history, and we’re still working to determine its impact on our future. The good news is that despite recent challenges and the uncertainty of COVID-19, enrollment looks good, and families are seeing the value of a Day School experience.”
