On the Leading Edge

T he 2018–19 school year opened with the excitement of two new learning spaces, marking the completion of the first phase of a three-phase construction project. While it’s true that learning can take place just about anywhere, students and faculty thrive when they work in spaces that fully support innovative and creative academic programming. As part of the Strategic Plan process, the school community expressed a desire to ensure we continue to offer our students a distinctive and sustainable learning environment. The Board of Trustees approved a long-range master facilities plan to prepare students for a fast-changing global society. These capital projects surfaced as priorities:

• Purdy Center for Science and Mathematics (new)

• Dowd Student Center (complete renovation of current Cannon and Elizabeth Reddig Libraries)

• Hance Lower School Learning Center (new)

• John and Claudia Belk Upper School Learning Center (new)

• The Brock Center for Extended Day program space (new)

• Endowment

• Annual Giving through The Country Day Fund

Country Day has always been on the forefront of education, continually breaking new ground. Read on to learn how our two newest learning spaces are already elevating our ability to lead the way in innovative and impactful academic programming.

Purdy Center for Science and Mathematics

Eight dedicated science labs with prep rooms for the study of

• Engineering and robotics • Biology technology • Physics 1 • Chemistry (2 labs) • Biology and anatomy • Environmental biology • Physics (2 labs)

Our new building is nicer than the college labs and classrooms where I’ve taught! This building gives us the space to stimulate students’ curiosity and the flexibility to use it whenever they are ready.”

– Dr. Brittany Lott, chemistry teacher

Country Day has always supported science education, and this space allows us to do even more to expand lab opportunities, develop new curriculum, and support individual research.”

– Marsha Newton-Graham, Science Lab manager

The resources available better equip me to tackle the beast that is Organic Chemistry.”

– Marcus Woods ’19

This new building and the new technology allows for more interactive activities, which I feel help me learn. Not to mention that the plethora of whiteboards is so convenient when you need space to work out a problem or study. I also enjoy how quiet the new rooms are because I find myself more focused in class.”

– Anna Cook ’19

Hance Lower School Learning Center

Library and Media Center: This open, airy space combines an extensive collection of books with resources designed for modern information literacy and digital engineering and citizenship.

Hands-on Innovation Area: Flexible indoor and outdoor space that engages students in age-appropriate problem solving, collaboration, and design thinking.

The Brock Center: This new, inviting space features four dedicated classrooms for Extended Day and serves as the hub for After School enrichment.

Lower School ERP program and tutors

In the Makerspace, students take ownership of their learning in a very genuine way to design and build solutions to real-world problems. This type of learning promotes lifelong problem-solving skills that are hard to achieve through a traditional classroom curriculum.”

—Tim Moxley, Lower School educational technologist