Cincinnati Country Day School
October Alumni Journal
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Match Day – honoring our superheroes! |
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Match Day, Country Day’s single-largest day of fundraising for the Country Day Fund, is coming on Thursday, November 12. With the first $100,000 of gifts matched dollar for dollar, it is a one-off opportunity to double your gift to the school!
This year, Match Day will celebrate our SUPERHEROES – the teachers who work so tirelessly to bring their subjects to life in the classroom. In this extraordinary year, our faculty members have delivered learning both in-person and remotely, redesigned curriculum and lesson plans to fit our hybrid environment, reinforced health and safety protocols to keep our students safe, supported our students in their health and emotional wellbeing, and dedicated hours of their personal time to professional development learning. All this work enables Country Day to continue to deliver on its promise of academic excellence and a superior education for our students.
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The Country Day Fund is the cornerstone of fundraising at Country Day. Tuition alone does not cover the cost of a Country Day education and we rely on our caring community to make gifts to the Country Day Fund to provide the breadth of academic, athletic, cultural, and social learning opportunities from which our students benefit.
Please make a donation in honor of YOUR superheroes – current and former teachers, coaches and administrators who made a difference in your life!
Your gift, no matter the size, makes a difference on Match Day! On behalf of our students, faculty, and staff, thank you for the opportunities that you provide!
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Alumni Tech Talk Inspires |
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As part of Homecoming and Reunion Weekend 2020, the Alumni Association and Advancement team organized a CCDSpeaks Tech Talk which was hosted by Head of School Tony Jaccaci and included four Country Day alumni specializing in the field of technology and communication: Zak Butler '05, Sarah Herrlinger '90, Lauren Legette '07, and René Peters Jr. '09.
The Tech Talk took place over Zoom and enabled CCDS alumni from across the country to listen to the conversation.
“Seeing the interesting and different paths graduates take in their lives is one of the best parts of being an educator," said Jaccaci. "Listening to these four Country Day grads speak about their careers in technology and the important work they are doing was fantastic. It has me both proud to call them Country Day alumni and has me thinking about ways to keep developing our program for our current students. Grads paying it forward – it doesn’t get better than that!”
One thing that was clear from the beginning, CCDS prepared them well to excel in their field.
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René Peters Jr. Product Manager, Augmented/Virtual Reality at NVIDIA, spoke about the importance of early technology use. "Country Day's integration of laptops (now tablets) at an early age is a key to success," said Peters. "Having a personal computer allows you more time to familiarize yourself with it at young age and really understand its capabilities and uses."
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Sarah Herrlinger, Director, Global Accessibility Policy & Initiatives at Apple Inc., explained the importance of setting goals and understanding how to achieve them. "Country Day taught me the strategic steps to complete a goal," said Herrlinger. "In our company things change and evolve so quickly that at times there are no instruction manuals. Country Day taught me how to think strategically to accomplish a goal and value work ethic."
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Zak Butler, Threat Analysis Group at Google, emphasized the importance of getting comfortable with technology early, no matter your career choice. "S.T.E.A.M education has value even if you don't plan on that type of career," said Butler. "S.T.E.A.M. education gives you a framework for the field, but Country Day has such a well-rounded educational program that it allowed me to combine S.T.E.A.M. learning and cultural and historical lessons to understand why technology should be used and why not. Having my own personal computer was so valuable - I could experiment and combine the things I learned with technology to enhance the lesson."
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Lauren Legette, Business Lead Product Marketing at Facebook, encouraged students to read tech magazines to look for trends in the market and network with the talented alumni at CCDS. "Country Day has encouraged students to engage in technology from a young age," said Legette. "This industry is booming. There is a wide variety of opportunity."
The panelists discussed the future impact and possible repercussions of technology, not only in the classroom, but the workplace and in communities. Perhaps the most interesting point was the connection between ethics and the use of technology. As one panelist remarked, “we can make many types of technology, but does that necessarily mean we should use them?”
If you would like to view the CCDSpeaks Tech Talk, we would be happy to provide you with a link to a recording of the session. Please email Giles DeCourcy at decourcyg@countryday.net.
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ELEVEN MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 2021 RECOGNIZED BY NATIONAL MERIT |
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By: Ralph Javens
Director of Communications
Five seniors have been named semifinalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. They are: Nora Brant, Skandda Chandrasekar, Abhimanyu Jetty, Michelle Riemann, and Lila Weizer. In addition, Marley Cox, and Dereck Gray received National African American Recognition and Melvin Van Cleave received National Hispanic Recognition. Celie Hudson, Griffin McAndrew, and Aziz Mahmud are National Merit Commended students.
Approximately 16,000 semifinalists have been named in the 66th Annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,600 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million. About 15,000 semifinalists are expected to advance to the finalist level.
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"Teaching language is not easy with a mask on,” Jeanette Hecker recently commented when reflecting on this unusual school year. Beginning her 22nd year of teaching French and Spanish at Cincinnati Country Day School, Jeanette continues to develop excellent instruction and learning in world languages at Country Day.
Jeanette is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana and credits her parents with her French career choice by giving her a "lovely French name." Jeanette majored in French at the University of Illinois and spent a year abroad at the Université de Haute-Bretagne, Rennes, France. She received her Masters and Doctorate from Northwestern University. "Although my teaching career started at the university level, I quickly decided that I would prefer to teach high school where I could really shape a student's experience," said Hecker. "Cincinnati Country Day has been a great fit for me, because of the value the school places on knowing and nurturing our students."
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(Pictured from left to right: Micaela Mullee' 10, Joseph Fritz III '10, Jordi Alonso '10 and Jeanette Hecker from the 2009 National French exam when all three scored 95% or higher on the level four exam)
Jeanette has shaped the world languages department in many ways, including integrating authentic foreign documents into the classroom like menus and music for students to use as learning tools, as opposed to traditional textbook lessons. She also adopted language coaching and a native speaker series, where students can communicate through a computer screen with students and teachers overseas. "I appreciate that an independent education allows me, the teacher, to be independent, to experiment and explore with my students. Singing Joe Dassin's "Aux Champs-Elysées” and flipping crêpes in class never get old, but I also have the opportunity to adapt to wherever my students’ interests take us."
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(Pictured from left to right: Jeanette Hecker and Ulysses Marin at Country Date 2018)
"Students who have exceled at the AP level, about 25% of each of the past three graduating classes, are now recognized with the Ohio Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript," said Hecker. "Strong programs are invaluable to the school's success and immersing our K-12 students in language is a large reason for the success of our program."
In addition to the achievement her students have shown on campus, Jeanette is pleased with the relationship CCDS has built with exchange schools and the way families embraced the students who have come to learn at CCDS. These exchanges, although disrupted this year due to Covid-19, have been an important outgrowth of the school’s Global Engagement pillar from the Country Day Forward strategic plan.
Both of Jeanette's sons, Grant Swinton'14 and Will Swinton'17 were lifers at Country Day. "Country Day really is a large family and community," said Hecker. "I enjoy watching all the students grow and following their journey through academics, arts, and athletics."
If you would like to send Jeanette a message, click here.
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Country Day Mascot - we want your suggestions! |
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A reminder to alumni and friends of Country Day that we welcome your submissions of ideas for a school mascot. The site for receiving mascot ideas is open and will remain open through Friday, October 23. Please click here to enter your idea for a new mascot along with a brief rationale for your suggestion. If you have more than one idea to submit, please submit each idea separately.
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Easy Ways to Support Country Day! |
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AmazonSmile is a simple and easy way to support Cincinnati Country Day School every time you shop, at no cost to you. Select CCDS as your designated charity and Amazon will donate a small portion of the purchase price back. Visit: smile.amazon.com to select your charity.
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Make a donation anytime using Venmo. Open the Venmo app, scan the QR code with your phone camera, enter your donation amount, and select “pay.” Please write your full name in the comment section. |
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Support CCDS every time you shop at Kroger by enrolling today in the Kroger Community Rewards program. Visit: kroger.com/communityrewards to get started. Link to organization #81148 or SN228 and you’ll earn money for CCDS every time you swipe your Kroger card, at no cost to you. |
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Many corporations offer matching gift programs that can double or triple the value of your gift to CCDS! Some employers will also match contributions by spouses, retirees, and trustees. Please contact your company’s Human Resources or Community Relations office for eligibility information and matching gift forms. |
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Ambika Sharma 9th grade, Emma Rainey 9th grade, and Ella Beyries 12th grade treated students and faculty to classical piano performances as part of the school’s monthly “Music in the Morning” series. |
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Members of the boys varsity soccer team before their 2-1 victory over Seven Hills! |
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"Blue and white explosion" day was the final theme of spirit week and students went all out! |
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Upper school engineering students work with solar panels in the Carey Family Amphitheater. |
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Mr. Miller's advisory on "dress like a twin and multiples" day. |
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Middle school students taking advantage of the large outdoor areas on campus. |
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Students participated in calisthenics, preparing mentally and physically for the school day. Just like Country Day students in 1934! |
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