Message from the Head of School

By Mark Reed, Head of School

IN 2007, my predecessor, Margaret Gragg Bissell, created a special School Culture and Climate Committee that challenged us to create the ideal learning community in order to best prepare our students for the future. The result, in one of her last acts of leadership before retirement (in a long career of impactful leadership for Country Day), was the creation of our Affirmation of Community and the revision of our mission statement to include the “fostering of intellectual curiosity, principled character, ethical leadership, and a responsibility to serve.”

In 2011, as part of the Strategic Plan process, in which we asked the entire Country Day community to share their priorities for the future, preparing students to lead and thrive in a changing world rose to the top as one of our four shared visions. As a community, we recognize that leadership isn’t about titles, but rather about giving our students the skills to confidently navigate a fast-changing world so that they are poised to share their voice and make a lasting impact on others and the world. It’s about leading with heart and it’s about leading with purpose.

This issue of Perspectives is dedicated to examining some of the ways we instill ethical leadership in our students, both formally and informally, and through leadership by example. Social intelligence and communication skills—both as a contributor and a listener—are key to successful leadership. We explore the value of teaching civil discourse, and how we go about that in age-appropriate ways. More formally, student-athletes are learning how to put leadership theory immediately into practice throughparticipation in the Robert C. Witman Leadership Academy. And, the newly opened learning spaces that are transforming our campus layout are also providing our academic community with the resources to be on the leading edge of teaching and learning.

I consider the conferring of a diploma to be the very highest honor awarded at Country Day. To become a Country Day graduate means proving yourself capable of and committed to a higher level of academic rigor and a dedication to achieving your very best.

Leadership is a cornerstone of the Country Day mission and a quality we live and model every day. Our ability to shape young children into young adults who are ready for anything stems from our long history at the forefront of education and our long-term financial stability. In this issue of Perspectives, you’ll also see the financial, admissions, and giving reports for the 2017–18 school year, along with the donor rolls. I am thankful for the leadership of our Board of Trustees, our administrators, our faculty and staff, our parent partners, alumni, and everyone who supports our mission through their gifts of time and resources. As you read through the stories in this issue, I hope you’ll recognize the impact of your gifts on our ability to make every child Country Day Ready for college and for life.

Sincerely,

Mark Reed, Head of School