2016 Auxiliary Programs Annual Report
Miami Country Day School’s Auxiliary Programs help fulfill the school’s mission of educating the whole child and promoting lifelong learning.
At Miami Country Day School, we believe that learning goes beyond the four walls of a classroom. Through our Auxiliary Programs we ensure that the school’s mission of educating the whole child and promoting lifelong learning is fulfilled whether it be on the field, in the art studio, or aboard a canoe. Year round and summer enrichment and academic opportunities engage students, campers, and local community members on- and off-campus, 365 days out of the year. This annual report highlights all programs that ran in fiscal year 2015-16, as well as some of their accomplishments. 2016 marked the 90th anniversary of our Summer Programs, which saw the addition of several new summer offerings through the first ever Auxiliary Programs Startup Challenge. You can read more about the anniversary and challenge in the summer section of this report in an article written by one of our operations interns, Dwight Spencer ’16. Additionally, a focus on increasing our online presence resulted in the school’s first-ever official social media photo campaign called #GrabYourGear (see adjacent page for some campaign photos). Other milestones this year included adding a full-time Day Camp Director, a part-time Chess Director, a new Aquatics Director, and a joint staff hire with Athletics to address current and projected program enrollment growth. Finally, the massive undertaking of launching and running the Student Success Network (SSN) cannot go unmentioned. The SSN quickly became an integral part of the school’s day-to-day operations, and I would be remiss if I did not thank Betsy Kaplan and Valerie Bosman for their tireless commitment and dedication to ensuring the programs’ stellar debut and continued triumph. As Director of Auxiliary Programs and Corporate Operations, I am immensely grateful to work with such committed and resourceful program directors and staff, whose many efforts are represented in this report. I am also indebted to Jacquie Niang and Chris Polite, who always work beyond their job descriptions to ensure the success of all of our programs. Finally, the work of Auxiliary Programs would not be possible without the guidance and support of the Auxiliary Programs Committee of the Board of Trustees, Chris Bellows, Dr. John Davies, Gary Butts, and critical aid from the rest of the school community. I hope you enjoy reading about our many programs and find new ways of engaging with Country Day. Sincerely,
Christian Ashley Martell Director of Auxiliary Programs and Corporate Operations
At A Glance 15 Programs 1,743 Students Served 3 Host Countries 2 State Championship Teams 90 Years of Summer Camp 445 Facebook Likes
ENROLLMENTS Year Round Programs Total Number of Participants After School Clubs Aquatics Breakthrough Miami Business Partners Chess Student Success Network
200 215 160 77 383 157
Summer Programs Average Participants by Week Basketball Camp CIT Program COEP Summer Treks Day Camp Fashion Design 101 GATEway Madrid GATEway Nice Simple Soccer Camp Summer Academies Top Flight Trip Camp
38 28 21 268 3 17 20 33 7 5 7
CONTRIBUTION TO SCHOOL OPERATING BUDGET
$3.05MM
$37MM
Year Round
AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS Miami Country Day School’s After School Clubs program is specifically designed for our Lower School students. These organized after school activities provide students with adventure, sports, art, languages, and more. Children are fully engaged by trained and enthusiastic instructors, who are professionals in each of their fields. Since the program’s inception in 1991, our After School Clubs have brought our youngest students an opportunity to enrich their interests.
2016 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • Sport Clubs teach students how to develop a positive self-esteem and the meaning of teamwork • Broadcasting SpartanTV allows 4th and 5th grade students the chance to enjoy our state-of-the-art broadcasting studio
Director: Betsy Kaplan | clubs@miamicountryday.org
AQUATICS
Miami Country Day Aquatics has something to offer swimmers of all levels. Swim lessons give beginners the chance to learn to swim. For swimmers who are looking to compete, the swim club provides an opportunity to sharpen individual skills and attend local swim meets. Master’s swimming for adults is available year round and the summer swim team keeps young swimmers active when school lets out. MCDA also offers a year round USA Water Polo Club Program. The staff ensure that swimmers and polo players learn proper technique at the highest level, in a safe environment.
2016 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • Early morning swim for Masters & After-Drop-Off Swim for Parents • Daily practices prepare swimmers of all ages to prepare for local and regional competitions Director: Eric Scheingoltz | aquatics@miamicountryday.org
BREAKTHROUGH MIAMI This is our fifth year hosting Breakthrough Miami on our campus. Breakthrough Miami is an eight-year, tuition-free academic enrichment program that provides motivated middle school students from underserved communities with the tools they need to achieve their most ambitious goals. Their students-teaching-students internship engages outstanding older students as teachers, mentors, and role models. The experience provided by Breakthrough Miami encourages scholars to enter and thrive in top college preparatory high schools and later enroll in college.
2016 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • 60% return rate on summer staff from 2015 • Over 120 volunteers, many former Breakthrough scholars themselves • Established sitewide, learn-to-swim program
Director: Kierra Smith | kierra@breakthroughmiami.org
BUSINESS PARTNERS Financial support for our community, which includes alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, board members, and volunteers, contributes to the enrichment of our students and provides an exceptional college preparatory program. Our Business Partners benefit from recognition on campus as patrons who make a difference for Athletics, the Arts, Summer Programs, and Academics. Sponsors have the unique opportunity to showcase their support and make a big impact on the school and their business. Director: Jacqueline Niang | businesspartners@miamicountryday.org
CHESS
The Chess Program includes private lessons, chess camps, a competitive chess team, and an after school chess club. Students improve their chess game by receiving direct instruction from a FIDE International Grandmaster and by competing in USCF rated tournaments. Miami Country Day School has an active chess culture, and the Spartan Chess Team has achieved state and national success. The campus hosts multiple tournaments for the scholastic chess community in the fall and spring.
2016 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • Spartan Chess Team took 3rd place at Nationals in Indianapolis, IN • Spatan Chess Team awarded 1st place at Florida State Tournament • Six chess tournaments hosted in partnership with Broward Chess Club
Director: Grandmaster Ron Henley | chess@miamicountryday.org
STUDENT SUCCESS NETWORK The Student Success Network facilitates the whole child development by offering a broad range of services designed to achieve success. Offerings include academic and test prep tutoring, individualized enrichment lessons, athletic coaching, and recurring test prep classes for athletes. Most tutors hold advanced degrees in their subject areas, and all have scored in the 95th percentile or higher on all standardized exams taught.
2016 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • Singapore Math added to offerings • Test prep now includes SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE, PSAT, AP, ERB, and SAT Subject Tests • Specialized services include occupational therapy, speech therapy, and behavioral and educational support
Director: Betsy Kaplan | studentsuccess@miamicountryday.org
Our year-round and summer offerings enrich the lives of students and the community at large.
Summer
CELEBRATING 90 YEARS OF SUMMER MEMORIES By Dwight Spencer, Jr. ‘16
M
iami Country Day School was founded in 1938; however, its origins are linked closely to the world of Summer Programs. In honor of the 90th anniversary of
Summer Programs at MCDS, we invite you to read a brief history of our ever-popular Day Camp and the creation of our more recent additions.
Before there was a school, there was a camp... According to the Hibiscus Hedge, a history of the school written by William D. Ellis, the original camp opened during the summer of 1926. Camp Cloudmont, under the direction of L.B Sommers and C. W. Doc Abele, lead to the founding of The Miami Country Day and Resident School for Boys 78 years ago. Hundreds of Cloudmont parents knew there was something in the SommersAbele duo that provided more than just summer fun for their young boys, and convinced the two to establish a school their children could attend year-round. The magic behind Sommers and Abele’s approach was to make children the number one priority. John Barbick, a member of the Miami Country Day community for 38 years and former Day Camp director of 30 years, strongly believes that this is the reason why Miami Country Day School and our Day Camp continues to be one of the best places for students and campers alike to grow. “Just knowing that every summer it was my responsibility to make camp as exciting for the children as possible was my challenge,” says Barbick. “They want to be entertained, play, and laugh.” When Barbick began as camp director, there were fewer buildings and very open spaces. There was even an area known as the quadrangle; where what are now classrooms looked more like cabins. Today, Miami Country Day expands more than 30 acres and is divided into the Garner Campus and the North Campus. The Garner Campus houses the recently renovated Koch Family Athletic Complex, a state-of-the-art Katherine E. Franco Center For Learning Resources, while the building of the new Center for the Arts and Parking Garage are underway on the North Campus. Current Day Camp Director Ian McNamara credits the improved campus for the growth in the camp, which averages more than 300 campers a week. “One of the great strengths we have here, is
the facilities we have at the school – we make use of every square inch of the campus we can,” said McNamara. “The school and the camp have really been built on a foundation of a fantastic community.” Many campers were transported by bus in the early years, a tradition recently renewed. As of 2015, Summer Programs proudly offers complimentary buses throughout several different locations in Miami-Dade County. “We understand the need for flexibility during the summer months and our buses provide that for many families”, said Chris Polite, Athletics and Auxiliary Programs Coordinator. “The closeness of our pick-up and drop-off locations to many of our families’ homes, offer a convenient method of for children to arrive on our campus by our 9:00am start time.” Our Day Camp has always provided a variety of traditional camp activities such as canoeing, swimming, archery, and arts and crafts. However, the camp has also grown over the years with the inclusion of activities such as IT design, DJ’ing, hip hop dance, science, water slides and many more. In addition, theme weeks are now a pivotal aspect of what makes our Day Camp so special. With themes such as Blast from the Past and Summer Spooktacular, the camp staff develops weekly activities that make summer at MCDS unforgettable.
AA wave wave of of new new programs programs While the Day Camp takes the prize as our longest, continuously operating summer offering, our academic offerings come in second. Our academic summer component has not just changed names over the years—from Summer School to Summer Studies to the current combination of Summer Academies and the Student Success Network— there have also been changes in content. For years, the purposes of the academic summer program was to provide remediation opportunities for students
who needed extra help between school years. Now, the revamped Summer Academies provides academic enrichment in the areas of S.T.E.M, Arts, Languages, Academic Readiness, and College Prep for students and adults of all ages. Meanwhile, the Student Success Network, created in 2015, provides oneon-one and small group academic and test prep tutoring, as well as special services and enrichment and athletic lessons. The year 2010 marked the launch of our Simple Soccer and Basketball Camps. Simple Soccer, led by FACA Hall of Fame Coach Jeff Watson, is designed to help players improve their individual skills in all aspects of soccer. Staffed by current and former Class 3A state basketball champions and directed by Miami Herald Coach of the Year, Ochiel Swaby, Basketball Camp aims to build a solid foundation of skills beneficial to players of all levels. Two years later, the hiring of the first ever Director of Aquatics at MCDS gave way to a new host of summer offerings in the pool, such as competitive summer swim team, water polo, swim lessons, masters swimming, lifeguard camp, and other activities. >>
The growth in programming was not just academic and athletic in nature. Since 2010, a myriad of specialty programs stemming from the school’s curriculum have also been offered, such as summer treks via our Comprehensive Outdoor Education Program (COEP) and SpartanTV Broadcasting Camp. Alternatively, some programs have been integrated into the school’s curriculum after garnering success during the summer months. For instance, our Chess Camp, which has run the first and last week of summer for the past four years under the direction of FIDE International Grandmaster Ronald Henley, added to the growing momentum of chess at MCDS and made way for the inclusion of a chess elective in the middle school. Our scholastic chess team finished 3rd at the national tournament this year and captured 1st in the Florida State Championship for the third consecutive year. Channeling his love for international experiences, Upper School Director Glen Turf launched our Global Access to Education program in 2014. The GATEway program gives students the opportunity to earn high school credit all while experiencing the benefits of living and learning in a foreign country. This year, the program expanded from the original site in Madrid, Spain to Nice, France and reached a combined enrollment over 35. Carroll Kelly, this year’s lead chaperone for GATEway Madrid and former Day Camp Director, views MCDS summers as a time for continued growth and learning. “Summer at MCDS is almost as exciting as the school year, and I am thrilled to expand the Spartan reach during the summers,” she said.
Looking Forward Forward Looking The Auxiliary Programs Committee of the Board of Trustees at Miami Country Day School approved the first ever Auxiliary Programs Startup Challenge during the 2015-16 academic year. Faculty and staff members were asked to propose new and unique Auxiliary Programs that they would like to spearhead in the coming year. There were nine total submissions judged by committee members. Winners were eligible to receive up to $25,000 in funds to apply towards their proposed program and were selected based on the following: creativity, market research, program viability and potential for growth. The challenge winners were Sha’Quan Johnson’s Fashion Design 101, a program designed to help students understand the history of fashion and garment construction, and Andrew Malcolm’s Top Flight, a drone camp where participants learn the science behind flying. Honorable mentions included Glen Turf (GATEway Nice), Jeff Watson (Simple Soccer League), Sean Hill (G.L.I.D.E.
4 Life), and Brenda Holsing (Tinkering). “The purpose of the Auxiliary Programs Startup Challenge is to give faculty and staff an opportunity to be creative and share their interests with others without having to worry about upfront startup costs,” said Christian Martell, Director of Auxiliary Programs and Corporate Operations. “Though we did not expect winners to add to our Summer Programs specifically, the committee was most moved by the uniqueness and feasibility of the summer camp component in the Fashion Design 101 and Top Flight proposals.” Ninety years later, the summer offerings at Miami Country Day School have gone from one spirited camp for boys to a range of coed programs serving a little over 1,000 students each year. Our Summer Programs now offer a myriad of avenues for learning and fun for children and adults. Moving forward, we believe new and existing programs will continue to advance our school mission of educating the whole child and preparing lifelong learners.
BASKETBALL CAMP Our Basketball Camp has earned a reputation for being a top camp for developing the complete player. Led by National Championship winning coach, Ochiel Swaby, campers build a solid foundation of skills and learn the fundamentals of teamwork. A focus is placed on shooting, ball handling, passing, and basketball-IQ development. Through technical instruction, unique drills, and guided game situational play, campers develop into better players with a passion for the game of basketball.
2016 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • Staff included current and former High School Class 3A Girls Varsity Basketball champions • Campers enjoyed a new game room featuring arcade classics like fooseball and Dance Dance Revolution Director: Ochiel Swaby | basketball@miamicountryday.org
COEP SUMMER TREK Comprehensive Outdoor Education Program (COEP) Alaska: Land of the Midnight Sun takes trekkers beyond textbooks on this amazing adventure and into the depths of the Alaskan wilderness to explore the Last Frontier. The primary focus of this trek is outdoor adventure. We brave whitewater rapids and plunge through an Alaskan forest on an exciting zip line course. We take time to experience the cultural aspects that Alaska has to offer. We visit native museums, pan for gold, watch for wildlife, ride behind Iditarod veterans on a dog sled, and see marine wildlife and the calving of glaciers on a tour of Prince William Sound. Our biggest adventure, however, is going deep into Denali National Park, home to the highest peak in North America, where we are sure to see grizzlies, wolves, moose, and eagles in their natural habitat.
2016 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • Trekkers enjoyed gold panning, Iditarod dog sledding, whale watching, etc. • Trek leader Torreya is a certified Wilderness First Responder with over ten years of experience in the outdoors Director: Francesca “Torreya” Bruno | coep@miamicountryday.org
DAY CAMP
Day Camp is an eight-week program that offers age-appropriate activities for outstanding children and future leaders from PreK through 8th grade. Campers enjoy a variety of activities throughout the day including our expanded daily swim program, canoeing, arts and crafts, fishing, ropes course, animal lab, drama, music, and more. Older students attend our Counselor in Training (CIT) program, where they learn valuable first aid, counseling, and leadership skills while also enjoying the best of camp.
2016 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • Learn to swim program and Friday Funday added • Paddle boats on the canal provided hours of fun • Campers enjoyed our new ropes course, AdventureLand
Director: Ian McNamara | summercamp@miamicountryday.org
TRIP CAMP New for this year, trip campers enjoyed daily outings to a variety of destinations spread throughout the Miami area, including the Florida Everglades, the equine experience at Gulf Stream, Kendall Ice Arena, Miami Zoo, Action Town and others.
TOP FLIGHT Drones are one of the latest developments in the century-old world of flight and aerospace engineering, and they are the perfect vessel for kids to develop a passion for flying, an understanding of the science behind flying machines, and a new perspective of the world they see every day. Our one-week Top Flight proram introduces students to the world of flying through the use of drones, friendly competition, and aeronautics.
Director: Andrew Malcolm | summercamp@miamicountryday.org
FASHION DESIGN 101 Fashion Design 101 is geared for young designers ages 7-13. Qualified instructors work exclusively with each young designer to develop their individual style while understanding fashion from a technical perspective. The multi-level fashion course teaches students to understand the history of fashion, garment construction, and fashion illustration. Director: Sha’Quan Johnson | summercamp@miamicountryday.org
GATEWAY
Global Access To Education is a four-week program that provides students in grades 1012 with an academically stimulating adventure, where they simultaneously experience the benefits of learning in a foreign culture. Students spend the majority of their time studying at their host site, Madrid or Nice, but excursions to other notable cities are included to enrich the experience as well. Students earn high school credit from Miami Country Day School for the academic and cultural immersion program.
2016 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • GATEway Madrid day excursions to Toledo, El Escorial, and Sevilla • GATEway Nice day excursions to Monaco, Cannes, and four days in Paris • Joint GATEway program week in Barcelona Director: Glen Turf | gateway@miamicountryday.org
Our programs facilitate the development of the intellectual, physical, aesthetic, social, emotional, and spiritual potentials of every student, every day.
SIMPLE SOCCER CAMP Simple Soccer Camp is designed to help players ages 6-17 develop their full potential by providing them with a solid foundation of soccer skills. Led by FACA Hall of Fame Coach Jeff Watson, the camp embraces training for the individual player in all aspects of soccer, starting with personal and technical development. Campers take part in skill competitions in juggling, dribbling, shooting, passing, and small-sided games. In addition to soccer skills, campers learn life lessons in dedication to goals, sportsmanship, and teamwork.
2016 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • Campers enjoyed a new game room featuring arcade classics like fooseball and Dance Dance Revolution
Director: Jeff Watson | summercamp@miamicountryday.org
SUMMER ACADEMIES With course offerings in S.T.E.M., Arts, Languages, Academic Readiness, College Prep, and Adult Courses, Summer Academies truly have something for students of all ages. Part of our school’s mission is to prepare students to be lifelong learners, and our Summer Academies are our mission in practice.
2016 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS • New offerings included LEGO Workshop: Animation, GLIDE 4 LIFE, and Viva Spanish Immersion for Adults Director: Kimberly Arredondo | summercamp@miamicountryday.org
Operations Interns Our operations interns provide invaluable support for various aspects of our school operations and in particular for our summer programs. Past interns have gained experience in construction and facilities management, bookkepping, event planning, marketing, and of course teaching. Interns are paired with a full-time school employee working in their area of interest at the school and receive instruction and guidance from them throughout the summer months. As the internship enters its fifth year, we at Miami Country Day School’s Auxiliary Programs would like to take this time to reflect on the wonderful interns we have had thus far. Below we feature a spotlight on a past intern who tackled several responsibilities during his two summers with us. On the right, we showcase the biographies of our most recent interns-- Lydie, Miracle, and Dwight. We are ever grateful for their many contributions and for
INTERESTED? Current students or young alumni interested in being considered for a summer operations internship should contact Christian Martell, Director of Auxiliary Programs and Corporate Operations, via email. Please include a statement of interest of no longer than 500 words.
SPOTLIGHT ON A PAST INTERN PASCAL DAFINIS ’15 Pascal served as an operations intern in 2014 and 2015. His time working as a Miami Country Day operations intern prepared him be involved in a Community Service Internship at his college. In this internship, Pascal dedicates seven hours of his week to underprivileged youth in Utica School District in New York. This summer, he partnered with Urgent Inc. in Overtown Miami to bolster a grassroots project known as PHOTOVOICE. Pascal is a 2015 graduate of MCDS and will return to Hamilton College, where he plans to major in Africana Studies, for his sophomore year in the fall of 2016.
LYDIE ALVAREZ ’15 This was Lydie’s first summer as an operations intern, during which she was particularly involved in the Day Camp program. Her responsibilities included being a bus chaperone, editor of summer-related documents, sending out weather reports, and giving campus tours. This experience, helped Lydie improve her communication skills as she aspires to work in the field of hospitality. Lydie is a 2015 graduate of MCDS and will be returning to Florida International University for her second year in the fall.
MIRACLE HEAGLE ’15 This was Miracle’s second consecutive summer working as an operations intern. Miracle was responsible for collecting outstanding account balances, inputting attendance data, assisting with staff appreciation events, and answering prospective camper inquiries by phone, email, and our new instant messenger function. She credits her experience with improving her organization, communication, and Excel skills. A 2015 graduate of MCDS, Miracle will be retuning to Howard University for her second year in the fall of 2016.
DWIGHT SPENCER JR. ’16 This was Dwight’s third consecutive year as an operations intern. His responsibilities included serving as a bus chaperone, creating promotional video and print content, and assisting our Summer Safety Coordinator with campus safety procedures and all daily operations. Dwight enjoys interning with Country Day because it provides him with an opportunity to learn new and exciting things outside of the classroom. Dwight is a recent graduate of MCDS and will be entering his first year at Hofstra University in the fall of 2016 where he plans to major in Journalism.
Contact Us Christian Martell, Director of Auxiliary Programs & Corporate Operations 305.779.7286 | martellc@miamicountryday.org Jacqueline Niang, Auxiliary Programs Coordinator 305.899.2819 | niangj@miamicountryday.org Christopher Polite, Auxiliary Programs Coordinator 305.721.0131 | politec@miamicountryday.org Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube | MCDSummerPrograms
After School Clubs
Aquatics
Breakthrough Miami
Business Partners
Chess
COEP Summer Treks
Day Camp + CIT
GATEway
Specialty Camps
Sports Camps
Student Success Network
Trip Camp
Clubs@miamicountryday.org
BusinessPartners@miamicountryday.org
SummerCamp@miamicountryday.org
SummerCamp@miamicountryday.org
Aquatics@miamicountryday.org
Chess@miamicountryday.org
GATEway@miamicountryday.org
StudentSuccess@miamicountryday.org
Kierra@breakthroughmiami.org
COEP@miamicountryday.org
SummerCamp@miamicountryday.org
SummerCamp@miamicountryday.org
Auxiliary Programs | 601 NE 107 St. Miami, FL 33161 305.779.7200 | miamicountryday.org/Page/Auxiliary-Programs