Thank You for Your Belief in our Mission

Message from the Board of Trustees Chair Scott Stevens

AS I ENTER my final year as chair of the Board of Trustees, I am reflective of all that has transpired over the past two school years and grateful for the strength and commitment of our Country Day community. Amidst the largest and most transformative capital campaign in our school’s history and record-breaking admissions inquiries and enrollment, we also weathered the tremendous challenge of responding to and navigating through in-person learning during a global pandemic.

When we began the 2020–21 school year, we knew we would face a challenge like none other in our school’s long history. I can’t thank the faculty, staff, and administration enough for their tremendous hard work, diligence, and flexibility to provide in-person learning for our students. They couldn’t do it without the support, commitment, and trust of the parent community. Together, our strong school/parent partnership allowed Country Day to deliver its mission for our students.

We can also be proud of the continued financial strength of our school, which helped us to successfully navigate an unprecedented challenge. The 2020-21 school year brought the largest enrollment in school history and our admissions pipeline is exceedingly strong with over 96% reenrollment and record applications (see page 16 for details). Support for the Country Day Fund reached nearly $2.35 million. Your annual support is a tremendous vote of confidence in the faculty and staff’s ability to provide our students with an exceptional education. Thank you to everyone who makes Country Day a philanthropic priority.

And even as we have had to deal with challenges, we have remained focused on our strategic priorities. Last year I shared with you that the Board had established a task force to assess and monitor our school’s progress toward meeting our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals. In February 2021, the Board issued a report on our findings and our strategic priorities for continued improvement. Our continued progress is detailed on page 26.

Last year, the Board was also challenged to find our next head of school, after Mark Reed announced he was stepping down after a highly impactful 12-year tenure. I am confident our legacy of strong leadership will continue with the hiring of Marcel Gauthier, who will begin his tenure in July 2022. Marcel is the right leader to build on the momentum established with our most recent strategic plan and to take us to even greater heights. You can read more about Marcel on page 22.

Finally, I’d like to recognize trustees who rolled off the board in June 2021, for their tremendous service and vision in helping to make Country Day a school others seek to emulate. Thank you to: Todd Gorelick (2002), Wellford Tabor (2009), David Benson (2011), Edison Cassels (2013), Ameesha Kansupada (2013), Adelle Anthony-Williams (2014), Ken Garcia (2014), Christi Byron (2015), Catherine Stempien (2015), and Leigh Moran (2019). Additionally, please welcome our newest Board members, whose terms began July 2021: Luke Blythe, Kandi Deitemeyer, Sammy Hood ’96, and Gary Little.

It has been my privilege to serve this community over the past 2.5 years. I can’t thank you enough for your belief in our mission, trust in our leadership, and generosity in support of our students. Here’s to another exceptional academic year.

Sincerely,

Scott Stevens Chair, Board of Trustees

The Class of 2021 included the children of several Board members, including some longtime members who are rolling off with their youngest child’s graduation. Pictured from left to right are George and Steele Dewey, Wellford and Russell Tabor (Board member 2009-21), Ron and Alexandra Eliasek, Todd ’82 and Charlie Gorelick (Board member 2002-21), Cal and Scott ’85 Benson (Board member 2011-21), and Eddie and Edison ’87 Cassels (Board member 2013-21).