Heart shaped luminarias were displayed on campus as a sign of appreciation for faculty and staff at Country Day.
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Cincinnati Country Day School
May Alumni Journal
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Message from Robert Zimmerman '98
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I've often said to our alumni that as grateful as I am for my outstanding CCDS education, I hope my children don't have the same experience I did. The world has changed a lot in 20 years, so CCDS must likewise evolve in order to prepare our students for the world they will enter, not the one their parents did. As I always tell my children, growth requires change.
That's true now more than ever in a world buffeted by a global pandemic. My children's learning environment has certainly changed since spring break. They miss exploring all the 62 acres of Country Day's bucolic campus, playing with friends on the playground or playscape, and hugging beloved teachers on the way into school. For now, they are limited to exploring our back yard as part of Country Day ConnectED, playing video games with friends on Messenger Kids, and waving at teachers in a Zoom meeting. Like everyone else, remote learning is our new normal.
So how are we doing? As a parent of two lower school boys, I am pleased to report that remote learning at CCDS, while not perfect, is going quite well. We have heard from parents, community members, and even colleagues at other schools that CCDS is a leader in remote learning that has outpaced the competition. That certainly aligns with my experience.
As best I can tell, we've succeeded thanks to four key advantages:
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- Commitment to technology - CCDS has incorporated technology into ts curriculum for more than 20 years, so many of our students and faculty were already proficient users of the same tools we now rely on for remote learning.
- Independence - As an independent school, CCDS is not restricted by state or diocesan mandates and can adapt its pedagogical approach more quickly than some competitors.
- Small Classes - Students are known and nurtured by their teachers so that individualized attention and differentiated learning remain possible even in a remote setting.
- Outstanding faculty - The hallmark of a Country Day education has always been its dedicated faculty, and their remarkable performance in the past two months has underscored their importance to our community. Now that I'm assisting the teaching of my own children, I've never felt more gratitude or awe for our teachers.
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What I find notable about these advantages is that all four are core parts of Country Day's identity. These qualities existed even when I attended CCDS, and they remain foundational to our mission today. As much as things change - and boy, have they changed - the Country Day advantage is still found in those unchanging bedrock philosophies that we all recognize from our own time at CCDS.
For all of our success, we have to recognize that things aren't flawless. If remote learning is going to be our classroom for the foreseeable future, we must continue to grow and improve. We'll all be happier when students are back on campus, but until then we will commit to making Country Day ConnectED the best education in Cincinnati. We've already proven that we are nimble enough to adapt to our changing world, and that will surely be tested in the coming months. I'm confident that CCDS will rise to that challenge. It's who we are: Blue and White Triumphant.
In these tough times, I hope you are proud of your alma mater. I know I am.
Stay healthy and stay in touch.
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Robert Zimmerman '98
President, Alumni Council
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An Update From the Athletic Director
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What an amazing year! We began with an outstanding fall season that included a state championship by our womens soccer team. Our volleyball team reached the regional finals. Sam Pettengill ’21 finished in 8
th
place at the OHSAA state golf championships, and Natalie de Beer ’20 was a state qualifier in cross country. As we moved to the winter season, CCDS continued to excel as both of its basketball programs won the MVC, and our girls made history becoming the first womens basketball team in school history to reach the sweet 16 and regional finals. Our swim and dive team qualified six individuals for the state meet in Canton, and our womens swimming team finished 12
th
in Ohio. We were excited at the prospect of watching our spring athletes continue this success, when the season was abruptly shut down.
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Our senior athletes missed the final chapters of their high school careers, and we sorely missed watching them perform. Unfortunately, as we go through life, obstacles are placed before us, and we must face those challenges and overcome them. Several times this year I have referenced the 86,400 seconds that we have each day. I encouraged our athletes to focus on the present and make the most of it. No matter what obstacles we face, we still have choices to make about how we live. No matter the circumstances you encounter, wake up and say – “I will embrace today! Today, I will be the best version of myself, and I will have a great day. I will not let things beyond my control negatively affect my life.”
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I have asked all our spring athletes, who lost their senior season, not to focus on what was taken away but rather to reflect on the amazing relationships and moments they created during their time at CCDS. I have asked them to reflect specifically on their previous spring seasons. Think of their coaches and the life lessons and skills they taught them. Think of the schools and athletes they competed against and their rivals who helped them become their best. Most importantly, to think about their teammates – their friends who attended practices with them, joked with them in the locker room or on the buses as they traveled to games. To think of their teammates and the moments they shared after a big win and even times after a disappointing loss. As they (and you!) reflect on what spring sports have meant to you, it will always be with you, and no person or pandemic can take that away. WE ARE COUNTRY DAY – and we will be back and competing again!
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Dennis Coyle
Athletic Director
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CCDS Community Stands Together on Giving Day
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By: Louise Vaughan
Director of Advancement
The support on Giving Day was incredible! We watched in awe as our resilient community raised more than $120,000 in a single day! Gifts from current families, grandparents, alumni, and our faculty and staff combined for the impressive total. Some were first-ever gifts, others represented second or third gifts in the year, and many included supportive messages to our teachers, staff and students.
No matter the size, your gift made a difference in the education and experiences of our students. We are thankful for a devoted community that stands together when support is needed most!
Although we are physically distanced, our community proved that we are standing together! On behalf of Country Day’s faculty, staff, and students,
THANK YOU!
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New Slant on a Senior Tradition
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By: Ralph Javens
Director of Communications
Each May, at the end of the senior class's last CCDS assembly, they depart Keeler Theater donning spirit wear of their future academic homes. They walk through the school's hallways and into Pattison Courtyard as they are clapped out by the entire student body, faculty, staff, and their admiring parents.
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This year, with school operating remotely for its final quarter, the clap - out celebration was not possible. However, thanks to the ingenuity of parents, faculty, staff and administrators with a fitting way to celebrate the great Class of 2020 was devised.
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Adhering to safety protocols, seniors and their families decorated their vehicles with the college each senior will be attending in the fall and then proceeded in a parade through the Country Day campus while being honked out by upper school faculty and staff (who were also in cars, parked along both sides of the parade route).
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Each student vehicle was called to the front of the Upper School where his/her name was announced on a loud speaker, and "Home of a Country Day Graduate" yard signs, locker magnets (another Country Day tradition), and other gifts were placed in their trunk. As students and their parents departed, they drove through the lower parking lot where faculty and staff honked them out, along with waves, hooting, and hollering.
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Congratulations to the graduating seniors, their families, and the entire Country Day community for making the Honk - Out a day the seniors will always remember!
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Annual Report
As the end of our fiscal year approaches, please keep an eye on your email for a draft of our Annual Report. Please take a moment to review the document and let us know if you’d like any changes to the way in which your name is presented. We will publish the final, print version of the Annual Report late summer. Gifts must be received (and pledges paid) by June 30, 2020 to be included.
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Country Day Connected wrist bands were sent to students and parents as a symbol of unity and connection.
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Students held up signs thanking the faculty and staff at Country Day during a touching video produced by the Parents' Association.
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Tony Jaccaci, Head of School, challenged students to virtual game of dodge ball, providing laughs and continuing the tradition of the faculty versus upper school game.
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Campus was illuminated to honor all of the students, faculty, and staff at Country Day.
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New Head of Lower School Mark Morawski is welcomed virtually to Country Day by Tony Jaccaci, Head of School.
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Marissa Handler, left, and her sister Marley used their 3-D printing skills to print ear saver/strap extenders for medical personnel and caregivers in nursing homes and senior centers.
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Country Day faculty and staff received yard
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signs from the Parents' Association in appreciation of their service to the school.
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Theresa Hirschauer, Head of Middle School, shows her support on draft day for the Bengals first round selection, Joe Burrow.
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