Message from the Head of School

CHARLOTTE COUNTRY DAY School’s founder, Thomas Burton, was a visionary who rallied families around a new concept in education—the independent day school. Together, they set about making their plan a reality. Now, more than 75 years later, as we live out our current community-driven strategic plan, one need not look far for evidence of our collective actions to prepare the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and doers.

The most visible aspects are the new buildings going up on Cannon Campus, which are designed to support the educational, community, and wellness needs of our students for many decades to come. Yet, there is so much more to our shared vision. Inside and outside the classroom, students are developing confidence, compassion, and criticalthinking skills in ways that will serve them well in a fast-changing global society that needs people who are ready to take on pressing challenges.

The Country Day community is filled with these “doers”—people out in the world making a difference, moving from empathy to action to change agent. This issue of Perspectives includes a small, but powerful, sampling of students, teachers, alumni, and parents making an impact in our community. They all represent our school community well and help define how we serve our mission and students each and every day. While each one has a different passion, what they have in common is their desire to make our community and world a better place. I hope you enjoy reading about each one of them, and thank you for the actions you take to make Country Day a great place for our students!

When his schedule allows, Mr. Reed enjoys greeting students in morning carpool.

We also look at several other areas in which we go beyond academics to help design and shape an educational experience that feeds students’ passions and prepares them to lead and live fulfilling lives. Our teachers, administrators, and parent partners help our students become architects of their own future, making Country Day the best place for students to learn and grow. Several have authored articles in this issue that explore the values of fostering global mindedness and digital citizenship, developing talent through the arts and athletics, and building lifetime relationships.

In the spirit of our founding families, we will always be looking forward and imagining what exceptional education can and should look like now and in the future. It’s part of who we are in our charge to make every student Country Day Ready to lead, think, and do.

Sincerely,

Mark Reed, Head of School