Connections Spring 2018

Connections Spring 2018

Cincinnati Country Day School

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Reunions for classes ending in

& Friday, September 14 5:30 p.m. - Alumni Reception (Tennis Complex) Alumni (all years) gather for a special evening featuring dinner and drinks.

7:00 p.m. - Homecoming Football Game (Stadium)

Saturday, September 15 10:00 a.m. - Alumni Breakfast (Dining Terrace) Alumni breakfast honoring the Class of 1968 and all the 50+ year alumni. All alumni are welcome.

Presentation of the Chieftain Award.

Please note: Reunions for the classes of 2008 and 2013 will take place over Thanksgiving Weekend.

All events are gratis, courtesy of the CCDS Alumni Association.

CONTENTS

6

2 Leadership

12

6

Innovative Teaching and Learning

Five-Year Strategic Plan

12

Internships and Shadowing

Program takes off

15

Scholar, Pianist, Athlete

Lorae Stojanovic - Class of 2018

16 Students

22

18 Faculty

34

22

Homecoming and Reunions

27

In Memoriam

28

Class Notes

34

7 Questions with Tony Jaccaci

ON THE COVER Senior Lorae Stojanovic. Read about Lorae on page 15.

Connections is published by the Development Office of Country Day. Photos by contributing alumni, students, parents, faculty, and staff. If you have questions or believe any information to be incorrect, please contact Ralph Javens at (513) 979-0234 or javensr@countryday.net.

Your classmates and the Country Day Community would like to hear from you.

Please submit Class Notes to Paula Brock at brockp@CountryDay.net.

Parents of graduates: If you have been receiving CCDS mail for your graduate at your home address, and they have a permanent mailing address elsewhere, please let us know how to best reach them.

We want to stay in touch with our alumni community, and save paper and postage.

Please contact Alumni Director Paula Brock at brockp@countryday.net or 513-979-0282 with updated information or send address changes to addresschanges@CountryDay.net.

Cincinnati Country Day School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age (40 or over), national origin, ancestry, or military service/veteran’s status in the administration of its educational programs and policies, admission decisions, tuition aid programs, employment practices and benefits, athletic, or other school administered programs.

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LEADERSHIP

Dear Members of the CCDS Community, While Country Day’s 92nd academic year is coming to an end, it has been a banner year of beginnings.

The school launched several initiatives, ranging from the Lower School’s Harry Potter-like house system based on our character virtues to the K-12 Curriculum Chairs who will oversee our academic program’s scope and sequence. We opened new facilities, most notably the Levison Pool in the Leonard Athletic Facility, that promote active and engaged learning. We welcomed exchange students to help prepare our students to enter an increasingly globalized community and hosted design thinking workshops to unlock creativity in tackling complex challenges. Driven by the educational imperatives of our strategic plan, much is new at Country Day, but the school remains constant in its commitment to preparing students for college and life.

Our evolving nature is essential to not only stay abreast of the innovations in academia, but to also keep pace with our student population’s growing diversity. We must constantly contemplate best practices to help our students realize their potential. Ours students, from 70+ zip codes, are an impressive group, but a collective that is beyond Tony Jaccaci, Head of School singular description. They distinguish themselves in divergent ways, with interests that range from Shakespeare to the stratosphere. To create an academic program that not only meets, but also challenges our students’ needs and interests, we must continually evolve and grow.

This issue of Connections gives an inside glimpse of some of the exciting new ways our students are embracing what educators refer to as the “big shifts” in learning. As Country Day continues to adapt to advancements in pedagogy, you will continue to hear about the innovative ways we are developing our students’ comprehension, character, and curiosity. And, as always, we greatly value your commitment to their learning journeys.

Sincerely,

Anthony T. T. Jaccaci Follow Tony on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TonyJaccaci

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LEADERSHIP

T

The Board of Trustees

he Country Day Board of Trustees is a group committed to the success and long-term viability of the school. They bring a wealth of talent and experience from our community and give freely of their time and resources. Below we feature the new trustees for 2017-2018 - Larry Kellar, Steve Lazarus ’81, Mary Morales, Aparna Shah, Matt Strauss ’88 and Woody Taft ’87. They join 20 others on the 26-member board.

Larry Kellar served in several corporate positions for 3-M Company in Finance, Accounting and Tax and then joined The Kroger Company, where he worked his way up to Group Vice President, Finance & Real Estate.

Kellar then became Vice President, Real Estate for Kmart Corporation. He was later Vice President, Retail Development for Continental Properties.

He is a 1958 graduate of the University of Iowa with a B.A. General Science. He earned his MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School in 1962.

Besides serving as a CCDS trustee, Kellar is a trustee for Acadia Realty Trust and a director for Spar Group, Inc. He is a former director of MultiColor Corporation, Frisch’s Restaurants, Bartlett Management Trust, U.S. Shoe Corporation, BT Office Products and Loehmann’s.

Among his community service endeavors, Kellar has been Chairman & Trustee of Hamilton County Library Foundation, City of Cincinnati Retirement System, Cincinnati Ballet, Central Community Health Board; Chairman & Member of the Urban Design Review Board and the Riverfront Advisory Council, both for the City of Cincinnati. He’s also been President of the Queen City Association.

Kellar has been a Trustee for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Clever Crazes for Kids Foundation, Cincinnati Opera, Greater Cincinnati Educational TV Foundation, and University of Cincinnati Foundation. He was honored as a Great Living Cincinnatian by the Chamber of Commerce in 2015.

Kellar and his wife, Barbara, live in Hyde Park and have four children: Kate, Kevin, Ainsley and Nick.

Granddaughter, Ava Kellar ’19, is a junior at CCDS. Steve Lazarus ’81 is a principal in the law firm of Hardin, Lazarus & Lewis, LLC. A graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut (B.A. History 1985) and the University of Cincinnati College of Law (J.D. 1988), he focuses his practice on the representation of public employees and their unions.

A member of the Cincinnati, Ohio and Kentucky

State Bar Association, Lazarus has lectured extensively on civil service law, effective arbitration advocacy and negotiation strategy for local, state and national organizations.

He has a lifelong involvement with CCDS. After spending 13 years at Country Day, he graduated in 1981. Since returning to Cincinnati for law school, Lazarus has served on various school committees, as well as the Board of Trustees and Alumni Council.

Lazarus of Hyde Park is married to Julie and has four children: Allison ’10, Meg ’13, Sam ’22 and Gertrude ’27, all CCDS lifers.

Since joining the CCDS community, Mary Morales has volunteered as a LS Room Parent, MS Buddy Family Coordinator, MS/ US PA Rep, and an Admission’s Parent Ambassador. She and husband David have consistently participated in the CCDS Annual Fund and continue to contribute to other CCDS events/programs.

Morales graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Vermont in 1991 and Master of Social Work from Columbia University in 1996.

Morales worked at Xerox Corporation in New York City as a major account sales representative. During graduate school, she was placed at NARCO Freedom in the Bronx, working in individual/group settings with women with substance abuse issues in jeopardy of losing custody of their children and/or public housing.

Also during graduate school, she worked at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City.

She conducted psychosocial assessment for renal transplant recipients and living related donors.

Morales facilitated groups for renal transplant recipients and their families.

After graduate school, she worked at Jersey City Medical Center as a case manager for Pediatric HIV/ AIDS in the AIDS Health Center. She assisted in implementing and maintaining a grant-funded HIV/ AIDS Mother/Child Clinic and Hospice.

Married to David L. S. Morales, MD, Mary and her family relocated to Cincinnati from Houston, in June 2012. They live in Indian Hill with their children, Madeleine ’18, David II ’20 and Adelaide

’25.

Morales enjoys spending time with family/friends and traveling. She has been involved in Alumni Reunion and Annual Fund committees for the Canterbury School where she graduated in Class of 1987. The Morales family are parishioners of All Saints Church.

Aparna Shah grew up in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and spent much of her adult life in Boston, Massachusetts. She moved from Boston to Cincinnati in August of 2012. She completed both her undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She subsequently completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General Hospitals in Boston.

She followed this with further fellowship training in urogynecology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Shah’s passion is quality women’s healthcare, and her practice focuses on pelvic floor disorders in women.

Upon initially moving to Cincinnati, Shah practiced at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

While there, she built a successful urogynecology practice and was named director of their division of urogynecology. Shah transitioned her practice to Christ Hospital in September 2016, where she currently runs a busy clinical practice and has been named director of their fellowship program in urogynecology. While here in Cincinnati, she has been named a Lead Magazine Rising Star and has also been named a Venue Magazine Great Leader Under 40. She has also been named by Cincy Magazine and Cincinnati Magazine as one of Cincinnati’s top doctors.

Shah has been an avid supporter of Cincinnati Country Day School, having previously served on the school’s diversity committee and having hosted several events on the school’s behalf in her home.

Shah and her husband Shimul live in Indian Hill with their two children, Nikhil ’25 and Rhea ’28.

Matt Strauss ’88, a Country Day lifer, is the Real Estate Development and Marketing Manager for the Madisonville Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation, an organization tasked with improving continued next page CONNECTIONS | 3

LEADERSHIP

the quality of life for the residents and business people of Madisonville.

He has done non-profit community development since he was in college, working in the Cincinnati neighborhoods of Price Hill and Camp Washington, as well as in Newark, New Jersey.

In addition to urban renewal, Strauss has spent 15 years as an adjunct professor in the Religion and Pastoral Studies department at Mount St. Joseph University. He won the Pace Prize for Religious Studies as an undergraduate at Hobart College and received his M.A. in Systematic Theology at the Union Theological Seminary in New York.

At Country Day, Strauss serves on the Alumni Council and runs the Council’s service committee.

He was a member in the Environmental group for the Long-Range Plan and aided in the Lower School renovation effort. His favorite activity at CCDS is coaching his daughter’s soccer team.

Strauss lives on the river in the East End with his wife, Carla, and their daughter, Anna ’24, who is the 12th member of the family to attend Country Day. Between studying and teaching, the family has spent more than two centuries at CCDS. Woody Taft ’87 is the founder and president of Taft Holdings, LLC, a Cincinnati-based merchant banking business.

Prior to Taft Holdings, Taft managed the private equity portfolios of Taft Broadcasting Company and The Eden Group, serving as vice-president of both companies. He serves on the boards of Bannockburn Global Forex, West Capital Partners, the Association for Corporate Growth - Cincinnati, and the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. He is also a trustee of the Nellie Leaman Taft and Louise Taft Semple Foundations.

Taft is a graduate of Yale University and holds an MBA from Miami University. He also has a diploma in acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (LAMDA).

Taft lives in Indian Hill with his wife Jennifer and two children, Elizabeth '30 and Weston '32.

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New Upper School Division Head and Director of Development Named Jenn Weinheimer has been named Cincinnati Country Day School’s next ead of upper school. Her appointment marks the culmination of a nationwide search that began last fall conducted by Upper School faculty and administrators.

Weinheimer is currently Director of Student Life at Tatnall School, a pre-primary-grade 12 school in Wilmington, Delaware. She also teaches English and serves as an advisor in Tatnall’s Upper School, where she is Dean of Students for grades 9-12.

Prior to her tenure at Tatnall, Weinheimer was chair of the English department at the Winchester Thurston School in Pittsburgh, and taught English and writing courses as a faculty member at Friends Select School in Philadelphia, Bancroft School in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Saddle River Day School in Saddle River, New Jersey.

She earned her Ed.M. in school leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and M.A. in writing from Northeastern University in Boston. Her undergraduate degree in comparative literature is from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.

“Throughout the interviews, our Head of Upper School Search Committee was impressed with Jenn’s intellect, her communication and interpersonal skills, and her strong belief in putting students at the forefront of all we do,” Head of School Tony Jaccaci said. “She will be a great fit for our students, our faculty, our families, and our program during this exciting time of growth.”

Weinheimer will succeed Stephanie Luebbers who leaves CCDS after 11 years to become Head of School at the Stoneleigh Burnham School in Greenfield, Massachusetts.

“As a teacher and leader, I feel incredibly fortunate to join such a vibrant place, with a history of preparing students for college and beyond,” Weinheimer said.

“I’m looking forward to bringing my experiences as a department chair, dean, and teacher to Country Day and building upon the school’s considerable track record of excellence in education with Country Day Forward and meeting students’ needs for an everchanging world.”

Marihelen Millar recently joined CCDS as director of development and is responsible for the school’s development office, oversight of fundraising and alumni outreach.

She and her development team will steward the Annual Fund, administer endowed and planned giving to the school, and foster alumni relationships.

She comes to Country Day from the University of Cincinnati Foundation – College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, where she was Assistant Dean for Development and Alumni Affairs.

Previous positions include Director of Marketing and Development at Cincinnati Nature Center, Campaign Manager for Fine Arts Fund (now ArtsWave), and Prospect Research Manager of Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.

Millar holds a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership, a Master of Science in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing, and Master of Business Administration, all from the University of Cincinnati.

“I’m honored to put my experience, skill set and education to work for a school as innovative as Cincinnati Country Day,” Millar said. “Having worked in the non-profit sector in Greater Cincinnati for my entire career, the thread that has woven and connected my positions over the years has been education. I have a passion for education.”

An accomplishment of which she is most proud is co-creating, collaborating and launching a regional event, The Great Outdoors Weekend (GOW), now in its 13th year. The GOW provides hundreds of free outdoor and environmental education experiences in over 50 participating venues in Southwestern Ohio, Northern Kentucky and Indiana during the third or fourth weekend in September.

“A seasoned advancement professional, Marihelen has an impressive record of success,” Head of School Tony Jaccaci said. “She spearheaded various comprehensive fundraising efforts that successfully raised millions for several of UC’s mission-driven initiatives.”

“It was Marihelen’s history of fundraising success, her ability to forge donor relationships, and her strong ties to the Cincinnati community that made her the ideal choice for the directorship.”

LEADERSHIP

COUNTRY DAY

FORWARD

THE FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN Projects and classes undertaken this year.

WALK THROUGH THE SOLAR SYSTEM

DESIGN AND BUILD A ROLLERCOASTER

CINCINNATI ZOO PROJECT

MEASURING THE VOLUME OF A 5TH GRADER

HOUR

BE AN ASTRONAUT

GLOBE TROT SCOTT

OF CODE PROGRAMMING

PHOTOGRAPHY DARK ROOM COLLABORATION WITH PKII AND AP PHOTO STUDENTS

INVESTIGATE NATIVE AMERICAN LIFE

HOUSE SYSTEM AND THE SEVEN HABITS

GAME OUTCOMES THAT WILL POWER A LIGHTBULB

BIRD PROJECT

BUILD A ROCK WALL TO WITHSTAND A WRECKING BALL

CREATE A HAND-HELD POLLINATOR

GLOBAL LEADERS RESEARCH PROJECT

COLMAR, FRANCE, CCDS STUDENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM

HOLIDAYS AROUND THE WORLD

INTERNATIONAL NIGHT

CINCINNATI SETTLERS

DIWALI

GLOBAL WAX MUSEUM

THANKSGIVING FEASTS AROUND THE WORLD

LIUZHOU, CHINA SISTER CITIES PROGRAM VISITS CCDS

HONDURAS MARINE BIOLOGY RESEARCH CAMP

THE JACCACI’S VISIT FUTURE CCDS STUDENTS IN SHANGHAI LANGUAGE SKYPE PROGRAM

ELLIS ISLAND SIMULATION

ATLACOMULA, MEXICO STUDENTS VISIT MIDDLE SCHOOL THAYER ARBORETUM

FLOWER DISSECTION

SEASONAL CHANGE OBSERVATION

NATURE ADVENTURES

WEATHER OBSERVATION

FOSSIL HUNT

TREE IDENTIFICATION

FLOWER POLLINATION WITH BEES

CREEK WALK

CINCINNATI ZOO FIELD TRIP

COMPOSTING

RECYCLING

KILOWATT KITCHEN

CINCINNATI NATURE CENTER

CONNECTIONS | 5

Five-Year Strategic Plan

Spotlight on Innovative Teaching and Learning

by Cindy Kranz

In the last issue of Connections, we covered Environmental Commitment and will cover Global Engagement In a future issue - each a pillar of the Five-Year Strategic Plan Country Day Forward. This issue will focus on a few of the innovative teaching and learning projects and initiatives already undertaken at CCDS, along with plans for the future.

F

rom second graders teaching high schoolers how to make butter to eighth graders demonstrating dry ice to Pre-K I students, it doesn’t take long to spot Innovative Teaching and Learning at Cincinnati Country Day School.

Given the abundance of talented teachers and students, work on the Innovative pillar of the FiveYear Strategic Plan is well under way.

“The plan has set in motion many new programming initiatives that will strengthen Country Day as an institution, and as a result, deepen the education experience for each child,” Head of School Tony Jaccaci said.

Three new initiatives are to be rolled out next year under the Innovative Learning and Teaching pillar:

CCDX – a five-day experiential week in March 2019 to pause from yearlong curriculum and give students a chance to experience deep learning through microcourses and micro-projects.

Expanding the K-12 Curriculum Chair structure to include all six academic disciplines:

English, science, math, history, arts and odern languages.

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Repurposing the academic dean position

to expand external learning opportunities (job shadowing, internships, etc.) for students.

CCDX The boldest initiative in the Innovative Teaching and Learning pillar is CCDX, a five-day micro course experience for Lower, Middle and Upper School students.

Teachers will set aside regular lesson plans to dig deep into a subject or topic for five days. They’ll use a Design Thinking process to help determine what they are interested in teaching and what students are interested in learning. That doesn’t mean Upper School history teacher Merle Black will venture outside his subject area to teach Spanish or pottery.

“He might be interested in reading great speeches by historical leaders, and at the end of the week, students might write and give great speeches,” Jaccaci said. “It will be a cousin to what teachers are most likely teaching in the classroom. The idea is to do something different than what students usually get in class.”

FEATURE

“We think this is going to be a great start,” Jaccaci said. “It won’t replace the curriculum. It is meant only to pause and to try learning a different way, but we think this experience will benefit the students in the immediate moment, but also in their long-term learning.”

Innovative Teaching and Learning

“...new programming initiatives that will strengthen Country Day as an institution, and as a result, deepen the education experience for each child.”

Head of School Tony Jaccaci

We will develop responsible global citizens through curricular and cocurricular opportunities that foster the skills, knowledge, and empathy required to engage ethically and successfully in a rapidly changing and interconnected world.

Marcus Twyford, Upper School computer science and engineering teacher, is leading a seven-person committee to spearhead planning for CCDX. It’s a way for teachers to present information and conduct classes in a different way, and it gives students exploration opportunities to try new things, Twyford said. “It might be a theme of a week to put on a mini play from a book they were studying, or perhaps study rocketry in much more depth and talk about all the physics that goes into rocketry.”

“We’ll go knee deep into something we wouldn’t normally the same opportunity to do, just because of the time constraints. So, when you have a small group for a week, imagine the possibilities of things that students can do, can explore, can try, can build confidence around these skills.”

“Selfishly for me, maybe a student would never have thought of taking a computer science course, but maybe if they had a week to dive into robotics and computers, and at the end of the week they were driving a robot that they built from scratch, that might be an opportunity for them to explore a college or career path they maybe never would have thought of.”

What’s more, there are tremendous opportunities for students who may not see academic success in the same way, Twyford said. “We all learn differently.

Some of us need a lot more hands-on than others, and if that’s an engaging way for a student to say ‘Wow, I really love history or English or science.

I want to pursue it more, but I’ve never seen it presented in this way.’ It’s at least a departure from what we typically do.”

Expanding K-12 Curriculum Chairs The six faculty chairs will have oversight over the full curriculum, with a goal of making seamless transitions between grade levels and divisions.

We will create the most engaging educational environment by continually examining how students best learn and use that research to continue developing the most effective and pioneering teaching.

Global Engagement

Environmental Commitment We will instill a culture of sustainability and purposeful connection to the natural world through education, partnerships, action, and self-assessment that will empower and inspire our community members to be stewards of our environment.

“The implementation of our new K-12 chairs will help with school improvement, which is a continuous process, but also, hopefully, open dialog, where teachers will see opportunity for innovation and try new interesting ways of having students embrace their learning,” Jaccaci said.

Expanding external learning opportunities Looking at some initiatives being launched now, such as external opportunities, they began on a volunteer basis, having students experience real life learning with alumni and other friends of the school.

“This was new and different, but we saw the benefits to students as they came back and were able to see their learning in a much different light and really understand the practical use of their learning,” Jaccaci said. “It developed a passion and even a purpose in some of these kids, so we saw the benefit that it could add to education.”

intentional about the learning opportunities, but we can push kids to learn and to stretch their minds in different ways.”

Here are some examples of the pillar in action:

AP students team up with Pre-K II students Carole Lichty-Smith's AP photo students and Lee Ann Bertsch's and Jennifer Hoffman's Pre-K II students had an amazing cross-divisional and crosscurricular learning experience. As if going into the darkroom wasn't exciting enough for these 4-5-year olds, the students worked together to create and develop photograph postcards. They got a hands-on experience in the dark room, and got to watch as "the photo development magic happened." The Upper School students fell naturally into the role as the teacher and guided the young students along in this exciting learning opportunity.

Expanding opportunities for internships, job shadows and other experiences can be available for all students who want to participate. “That’s how innovation becomes part of the body organic, part of the curriculum, part of the learning experience,” Jaccaci said.

“So, Innovation in Teaching and Learning, for me, means trying new ideas, not throwing the baby out with the bath water. It does not mean you do it as opposed to school improvement, but think about new ways to prepare our kids for a rapidly changing world."

“Learning in a different way does not mean that it has to be less rigorous. We certainly have to be very CONNECTIONS | 7

FEATURE

Art for Fiona

Honors Roman Republic class

Art teacher Lauren Gilmore engaged her second-grade students with a fun assignment to make art for Fiona, everyone's favorite little hippo. Gilmore first talked to her students about Fiona and then explained that they did not have to draw Fiona, but could draw anything for the hippo. Gilmore shared some of the artwork with the Cincinnati Zoo, and some work was on display at the Lower School Art Show.

Students in Dr. Jeremiah McCall's Honors Roman Republic class traveled back in time to experience the chaos of the Republic. The senior elective explores how Roman aristocrats competed, fought and squabbled, which destroyed their political system.

To illustrate the chaos, McCall had students play his prototype game of SPQR – the Roman Aristocratic Competition Sim. McCall is known for using games in his interactive history lessons. "I don't use them all of the time in my classes because it's a tool. You've got to use it at the right time for the right purpose," he said.

Lower School House System “Character education is a key component of Country Day,” Head of School Tony Jaccaci said. “The idea of using peer to peer learning to re-enforce character virtues is innovative because what we’re doing is letting students get out in front, especially at this young age. That takes some courage for our teachers to be able to empower kids, and the results have been fantastic.” See story on page 10.

Diversity Conference In the Upper School’s day-long Diversity Conference, students and faculty learned about different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences.

Fifty-three students and faculty members made 30 presentations that included varied topics such as China's One Child Policy; The Economic, Cultural, and Geopolitical Implications of Immigration in American Society; Insights into Black Lives Matter; Indian Weddings; and Mexico: Misconceptions and Facts. Students could attend one presentation during each of the three sessions. See story on page 19.

PE Olympics Lower School and Middle School students studied, followed and attempted skills associated with the Winter Olympics.

In the Lower School, students discussed what the Winter Olympics are about, and tried some variations of Olympic events. These activities included bobsledding (using scooters), speed skating (carpet skates with felt attached) and skiing (boards with carpet attached and strings to pull on). The fourth graders chose countries as they were able to do competitions for pretend medals in all of these events.

The Middle Schoolers (fifth and sixth graders) also had the same competition. They were divided into small groups, and then drew a country out of a box to study and represent. The "countries" had preliminary races in the skating and bobsledding, then a final race for pretend medals. In skiing, it was a team event.

They also had to do a group in-class project that involved research of countries participating in the Olympics. After the games were over, students were continued next page

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FEATURE

asked to write their thoughts about the Olympics in their journals.

Hour of Code Hour of Code is an international movement to introduce students to computer science by spending 60 minutes on coding, but CCDS has gone above and beyond.

“The coolest part about Hour of Code with the little kids was out with a one and done,” Director of Technology Rob Baker said. “To the vast majority of the world, that’s what it is. They get one shot at coding, and that’s it.”

“That’s clearly not what we’re doing here. In third through seventh grade, students have formal coding as part of their experience. As they get older, we start coding robots and micro bits and writing code to control other physical devices.”

While Lower School students can continue to work on coding independently in school or at home, Baker ffers STEAM classes for grades 6-8. “We’re trying to get them ready so when they get to the Upper School, they can hit the ground running.”

Sewing pillowcases Interested in spools, Pre-K I students participated in a sewing project. They viewed a sewing demonstration by US student Hannah Hess and worked with LS librarian and sewing expert Amy Thonnerieux on the project. The students learned how to operate the sewing machine and wanted to use it more in the classroom.

The class thought about making and donating pillowcases to bring hope and comfort to the patients at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

With the assistance of the middle school assistant, director of admissions, parents, grandparents, and aunts, they made eight pillowcases to donate to Children's. The students enjoyed measuring, pinning, steering/driving the sewing machine, asking questions, and especially loved seeing the final results. They presented the pillowcases to Anna Kuertz from Children's Hospital who was very grateful.

“It was a wonderful way to incorporate the Pre-K I learning standards while giving back to others and making a difference in the community,” said Liz Carr, Pre-K I teacher.

The skills students learn through coding can be transferred to other fields of study. “Coding is just an avenue to work on problem-solving skills, thinking and computational thinking. That’s why I’m a fan of coding,” Baker said. “All these kids aren’t going to be coders. We don’t want them to be.”

“We’re teaching and inspiring the leaders of the future, literally. Some of our kids are going to end up being very high-powered individuals. The better problem solver you are, the better you’ll be at your job.”

The other skill honed with coding is grit. Some students get frustrated when they can’t solve the problem, but they’ve learned not to give up.

Frustration eventually turns to joy.

“They’re excited when they get the problem. The harder the problem they solved, the happier they are.

Frankly, it’s gotten too easy, so we’ve had to make the coding a little more challenging when they get to third, fourth and fifth grade,” Baker said.

This year’s Hour of Code marked the fifth anniversary of the event at Country Day. Sixth graders acted as coding buddies for students in K-2. This year’s sixth graders were the first group introduced to coding as second graders.

“It’s not just about the coding,” Baker said. “It’s about that relationship, the big kids being able to mentor and work with the younger kids. I think the older kids get as much out of the experience as the young kids.” ■

Innovative Teaching and Learning projects for the 2017-18 year across all divisions.

Wild Arts Zoo Program Genius Hour Project in Math Cross Divisional Collaboration Native American Small Group Inquiry CCDS Zoo Project Globe Trot Scott @ STEAM House System - Seven Habits Design and Build a Roller Coaster Make Your Own Glue Diapers: Best Buy Research Measuring the Volume of a 5th grader Toys in Space Be a Lumberjack Be an Astronaut Engineering Challenge Walk Through the Solar System Solar System Project Bird Project Body Project Presentation Animal Project Presentations Leaf Inquiry Sage Dining/Harvest Tower Garden Pollinator Garden Goldenrod Dyes Yarn for Spool Studies Investigate Pond Habitats Mixed-Grade Student Group Visits Expert at UC Teachers Collaboration, Reflection, and Inquiry Flower Shop

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FEATURE

Country Day Lower School initiates House system Modeled on 5 character virtues

Responsibility Courage

T

aking a page from Harry Potter, the Lower School has implemented a House system, but there’s no Slytherin in sight. All about building character, the system takes its House names from the school’s five character virtues: Compassion, Courage, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility.

The Big Reveal was held the first week of school, when teachers and K-4 students were “sorted” by randomly drawing different colored bracelets from buckets. Students will stay in their same Houses throughout their Lower School years.

The House system is intended to lift each other up through kindness, empathy and teamwork with a focus on character and social development. The focus is not on themselves but on being part of the community.

Gone are character coins, awarded to individuals for good deeds or behavior, and traded for small prizes.

Now character points are awarded to individuals and tallied as a team.

by Cindy Kranz

Integrity

Compassion

Respect

Students can earn character points for their Houses through focus/engagement, effort, participation, organization, kind actions and words, teamwork and more. Points are totaled and revealed at assemblies. The team leading in character points might earn privileges, such as an extra recess during House meetings or a free dress pass.

“They do get rewarded, but the kids are not obsessed with what their reward is,” said second-grade teacher Prissy Schoeny, who led the effort to establish the system. “We don’t focus on ‘You’re in the lead. You’re getting this prize.’ They really don’t ask about it much. They’re just proud they’re in Head of Lower School Jen Jensen addresses an assembly where students are wearing “House” t-shirts and deciding how the lead. We never say they’re winning. We to help a school in St. Thomas, damaged by a hurricane. say they’re leading.” the classroom by recycling and composting, and emphasizing walking, not running. Student House At assemblies, House members receive a focus leaders can dispense red “speeding tickets,” to to work on for the next two weeks. Focuses have runners. Those who make good choices receive a blue included: Making eye contact when speaking to ticket, which they exchange for a character point. others, Dining Terrace manners and greeting people who work there, minimizing waste at lunch and in Last year, Schoeny became more aware that some Lower School students lacked some interpersonal skills, like making eye contact with a visitor or saying hello. “That is something that should always be expected of our students,” Schoeny said. “I felt strongly that our kids can at least be greeting adults by looking at them, making eye contact and speaking loud enough for them to hear.”

Seeds for the Lower School’s first House system were planted during spring break when Schoeny and then fourth-grade teacher Michelle Newman traveled to Ron Clark Academy, an innovative school in Atlanta, Georgia. The school, set up like a Harry Potter castle, has a House system. When they returned, Schoeny and Newman, along with first-grade teacher Meghan Graves, did a test run of a House System with some students.

Responsibility group after the initial selection at the start of school.

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So far, the House system has earned high marks.

“We were not sure what to expect being the first year of the House system but, after the first semester, we continue to be impressed and excited about the

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learning opportunities that arise,” said Head of Lower School Jen Jensen.

“Upon returning from winter break. I was able to point out to the students that, at the beginning of the year, everyone was so quiet when they sat in their Houses because they weren’t comfortable yet. Now, when students gather in their Houses, the chatter and energy is exciting. It is like a family reunion at Disney. Everyone is happy to see each other, sharing personal updates and anticipating the fun ahead. We are no longer just a division. We are a family.” ■

House Highlights The first House challenge was to see which House could bring in the most items for hurricane victims in Texas and Florida. Teachers delivered three carloads of supplies to Matthew: 25 Ministries. An additional 17 boxes were filled with food and school supplies for All Saints Cathedral School in St. Thomas, also hit by a hurricane.

Around Veterans’ Day, students made banners of appreciation for local firefighters, and cards for patients at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center.

Students assembled in their Houses for Wrap-In. Looking ahead Lower School Houses will hold a day of service in the spring and a color run at the end of the school year.

Design Thinking Cincinnati Country Day School teachers channeled their creativity last summer when they collaborated with St. George’s School for a Design Thinking workshop.

Head of School Tony Jaccaci, who taught at St. George’s in Newport, Rhode Island from 1997-2010, arranged for the event through the 9-12 co-ed boarding school’s Merck-Horton Center for Teaching and Learning. The center’s director, Tom Callahan, visited Country Day several times last school year.

“Tony suggested that we might do a Design Thinking exercise because it’s a great way to think outside-thebox about things at school that everybody has a stake in,” Academic Dean Sarah Beyreis said.

In August, Allison de Horsey, Director of Signature Programs at St. George’s, presented the workshop to teachers who have been running the professional development program.

She defined Design Thinking as a process to create solutions by using creativity. The process involves several steps. It begins with empathy interviews in which a person interviews the person they’re designing for.

“It allows you to better understand how they feel about a certain issue and what they need.

You try to get to needs and feelings before you start creating solutions,” de Horsey said.

“Once we had a better understanding, we moved into the brainstorming session. That’s very active. It’s standing up. We moved the furniture. We played music. It just becomes a very energetic working environment.”

“There were three teams, and they didn’t go silo themselves in a classroom and work independently. We all worked in the same space and went through the same process, but they each came up with their own concept at the end.”

The next step after brainstorming is deferred judgment. “During brainstorming, you want to create a volume of ideas, so there’s no analysis or overthinking of the ideas. You just want to put it on a Post-it and up on the wall.

By deferring judgment, the selection process allows the team to come together and create a concept.”

At the end, individual teachers selected ideas they found most interesting and viable. Then, de Horsey gave the three teams of teachers 20 minutes to build a mock-up model to test and see how that idea resonated with the other teams.

Design Thinking allows teachers to create without worry about budget and time constraints. “We know what our constraints are, and we just fall into those over and over, so this just liberates everyone from those constraints, but it’s hard,” de Horsey said. “The sky’s the limit, because that’s how you’re going to get to those new ideas. Otherwise, it’s just a rehash of what we already know.”

“We’re lucky to have two institutions that support a collaboration like this,” de Horsey said. “We have an opportunity to collaborate between institutions and share resources and ideas, and that’s exciting. That always brings good energy, and I look forward to whatever is next and how we can collaborate.” ■

1st grade team leader, Laura Rue (back) and 1st grade teacher Meghan Graves hold “bracelet buckets” for students to choose their House.

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Internship and shadowing programs expand

W

ith an expanded emphasis on locating internships, job shadows and other external opportunities, students can look forward to more choices that match their interests.

For several summers, CCDS students have job shadowed or interned in mostly medical settings, but the program’s goal is to grow additional opportunities in other fields, including business and law.

Senior Projects Myles Jackson ’17 and DR Williams ’17 were looking for a senior project last year, so they asked Jeff Bahl ’98, their assistant football coach, if they could shadow him. Bahl invited them to Bahl & Gaynor, a Cincinnati investment firm, for a week.

Top, Myles Jackson, bottom, DR Williams

“We spent a good amount of time with the interns because they are also learning how Bahl & Gaynor runs and how they do investing. They were closer to our age,” said Jackson, a finance major at Ohio State University.

“We got to sit in on certain board meetings with all the managers. We got to meet a decent amount of portfolio managers and some of the people below them. We were really just getting exposed to it. We were just meeting people, seeing what they were doing and taking notes.”

He was impressed with how well the employees got along and the collaborative atmosphere at the company.

The highlight of the week? “Sitting in on some of those board meetings was kind of cool, especially when the founders came in, Jeff’s dad and Mr. Gaynor. We got to sit down and talk with them, too, which was really cool. I also liked talking to the interns because they were relatable.”

Williams, who is studying management at Ohio University, said the job shadowing was a good experience, even though he’s not majoring in finance.

“I got to learn all kinds of things about the financial part of the business world that I didn’t know about, like different strategies.”

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“We got to learn everything we needed to in the world of nvestment because throughout the week, Jeff gave us booklets that he made. It was basically definitions for all the jargon that we would hear in meetings and didn’t understand. He also had ones that were tailored to us,” Williams said.

“We got to see all kinds of charts and graphs, demographics, things they worked with. We got to listen to different ideas, long-term, short-term, what worked. What didn’t work.”

Bahl had them read excerpts from a motivational book, “Toughness: Developing True Strength On and Off the Court” by Jay Bilas during the week.

Bilas, was a four-year starter at Duke under Mike Krzyzewski and also served as his ssistant coach for three seasons, helping guide the Blue Devils to two national championships.

Although finance isn’t Williams’ focus, he’s grateful for the experience and ended up taking a finance class his first semester.

After they completed their job shadow, they wrote a one- to two-page reflection of the experience for their senior project requirement. Jackson will be seeing Bahl again soon.

“Having coached Myles and DR for three years, it was great to work with them in a professional setting,” Bahl said. “Both showed incredible promise and were value-added with their questions, which is a testament to their CCD education. We are proud to have Myles back this summer as a summer intern along with our full time Co-Op program interns from the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University.”

Jackson and Williams both learned a lot about the corporate world during their job shadow, including the pitfalls of casual Friday.

Bahl had coached them on how to dress professionally, so the two wore suits and ties all week, including Friday, the last day of their experience.

When they got to the office, they were surprised to find employees dressed down in button downs, t-shirts, and cowboy boots.

“We’re in the morning board meeting just looking around, literally looking like the odd men out,” Williams said. “We’re both wearing straight black suits, still not understanding what’s going on because we’re not familiar with all the jargon. We just didn’t get the heads up on that one.”

by Cindy Kranz It may have been awkward, but at least the CCDS students ended their week with flair.

The write stuff Sylvia Nica ’20 had a virtual internship via email last year with Jeannine Hall Gailey ’91, an award-winning professional poet. Gailey, who lives in the Seattle area, has published several poetry books.

“I wanted a writing internship, but I didn’t quite know how to get that because most of the internships are for medicine or technology or engineering,” Nica said. “So, Mrs. Beyreis sent out a survey to all the alums, and she responded that she was looking for someone to help her copy/edit her work.”

Nica worked with Gailey toward the end of last school year. “It was a little bit of a struggle, especially because I don’t write poetry. I write prose. But I assumed I’d be fine. I had a little bit of panic when I got the manuscript and realized she wanted me to edit it, but Mrs. Thornberry and Ms. Floyd (CCDS English teachers) helped me with the first three poems. After that, I got a lot more comfortable, and in the evenings after homework, I’d just sit and edit them.”

That was only the first manuscript. Gailey gave Nica two. It was a bit daunting, at first, to be editing the work of a published poet.

“It was very scary, because I thought my edits would make her writing worse, but she did end up liking them, and after I did her poetry manuscript for her book, she gave me a prose manuscript to work on. This was her first non-fiction one, which was interesting because that’s something I’m a lot more familiar with. I learned a lot from that book, too, because it was a marketing book.

Nica has always wanted to be a writer, but she wasn’t familiar with poetry. “I didn’t quite understand how to do it, but she helped me understand the structure, how to make the lines flow, and I’m a lot more comfortable both writing and reading poetry, which is extremely useful because I love poetry now.”

As a self-described “horrible procrastinator,” she also was forced to face her demons - deadlines. “I learned the first time around that it probably wasn’t best to leave 60-100 pages for the night before, so

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I learned how to manage my time. I also learned communicating professionally through emails, kind of juggling that formal/informal.

Since the internship ended, she’s been writing on her own, entering competitions and trying to get her work published. She’s also checking out the writing program at Kenyon College and plans to apply for a fellowship at The Adroit Journal. She aspires to become a full-time writer and was thrilled for the experience she had with Gailey.

“Without the internship program, I wouldn’t have known there were writing internships. I would have never had this experience. A lot of people said that freshmen couldn’t do internships. Even at other schools, nobody does internships when they’re freshmen, but it was awesome that I had a chance to do it here. This was an awesome experience, and I’d love to repeat it.”

A spoonful of medicine Stephen Fatuzzo ’19 had a shadowing experience with CCDS parent Dr. Shimul Shah last summer. Before that, he was curious about medicine, but had never experienced the field up close and had no idea what to expect.

the outpatient clinic I met both new patients and post-operative transplant recipients. Almost every day, I attended hospital rounds with Dr. Shah and his transplant department team, experiencing how they communicated and interacted with the patients.

In the operating room, I was able to see multiple surgeries spread out over my time in the hospital, from elective cases to several exciting transplants!”

“Dr. Shah was a fantastic host. He always explained everything to me: where we were going, why he had decided to pursue a certain treatment, even how certain medical scans were read and what they revealed. In the operating room, he was helpful and kind, allowing me to see what he was doing very clearly and explaining the procedures.”

“On numerous occasions, Dr. Shah enabled me to see how various positions on his team worked as well.

I was able to shadow a pharmacist, several nurse practitioners, a medical student, and a resident of the program. This was extremely helpful, as it showed me the many aspects of the medical profession and how they all work together in patient care.”

“I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to see the workings of a hospital before going to college. I had an amazing time shadowing and was fascinated by what I saw of the medical field. While there is certainly some time for new experiences and change, I think I will strongly consider a pre-med path when I apply to college.”

ArtWorks

Stephen Fatuzzo with CCDS parent Dr. Shimul Shah “Dr. Shah provided me with an exceptional opportunity to do so, one that answered most if not all of my questions about medicine. In the two weeks during which I shadowed him, I was able to see how the entire transplant department functioned. Because Dr. Shah is the director of the transplant program, I had several opportunities to see the administrative side of the hospital, attending meetings and lectures he gave about the program’s new developments.”

“I was also able to experience patient interactions.

On one of my first days in the hospital, I viewed a class Dr. Shah held for possible liver transplant patients, during which he explained how the transplant procedure worked and its benefits. In

Miller Lyle ’19 had a job at ArtWorks for the last two summers as one of their “apprentices,” a youth employee. The paid apprentices work under the lead artist who is responsible for designing the mural and teaching kids how to paint it.

Cincinnati. I made a website, logo, and learned a lot about what goes on behind the scenes of a public art display.”

“Then, in the second half of July and all of August, people submitted photos of the sunset to our website.

The idea was that everyone can see the sunset, but it is different from each perspective. I would then sort these photos by date and location during my day.”

“Every Thursday, we did a community outreach where we would go to a location, such as the Roebling Bridge or Devou Park, and hand out post cards and buttons, etc., and encourage people to take photos and submit them. The final result was a four-story tall projection of all the photos onto a parking garage downtown.

“My second year at Artworks, I worked on a project called Team Flick. It was a video documentary project of the murals being painted in East Price Hill last year. I worked with only one other apprentice and the lead artist. We took videos of people painting and interviewed many people important to the creation of the mural. Then we made a video of what they did all summer.”

“Neither of my projects meant actually painting the murals because I am interested in photography. I am planning on going to art school and majoring in it and ultimately becoming a professional; however I am not sure what I want to do with it yet. These two jobs definitely encouraged the career path and made me want to pursue it more.”

“This summer, I am going to try to get a different job. Although I had two great summers, I want to see what a different type of job is like. ArtWorks was made for kids and made a very comfortable environment. It didn’t feel like what I thought a “real job” would be. I am very glad I did ArtWorks both summers, but I would like a to have a different experience, as well.” ■

Lyle learned of the job through his grandparents and signed up for an interview. Before the interview, he had to fill out a few questions, as well as complete three drawing tests so they could assess his drawing skills. He also had to bring three pieces of his own work to the interview.

Although the experience wasn’t arranged by CCDS, it’s an example of an external opportunity that’s neither an internship, nor a job shadow.

“The first year, summer of 2016, I worked on a project called CityShine with four other apprentices and the lead artist. It was a project through ArtWorks in partnership with the FotoFocus Biennial in CONNECTIONS | 13

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internship for Fatuzzo and Midha

Textile Project

"From a young age I have been fascinated with the medical field and particularly surgery. So, when Mrs. Beyreis presented TAP MD to the junior class, my ears perked up - an opportunity to formally interact with many different specialties of medicine while learning about the real experiences of physicians!

And I'd get to wear a white coat!"

"I have been incredibly fortunate to have worked in research at the UC Department of Psychiatry for two years, and TAP MD allows me to expand my experience in medicine to facets like the biomedical engineering of surgical instruments, the robotics of surgical simulators, and even the intricacies of applying to medical school, to name a few!”

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wo CCDS juniors, Stephen Fatuzzo and Manav Midha, were selected for the year-long city-wide 2018 TAP MD, a highly competitive program aimed at sparking interesting in medical careers.

Starting in January of their junior year in high school, students attend monthly experiences throughout the year, which offer exposure to a variety of specialties, practice settings, information about medical school, and more.

Though students will be exposed to other healthcare careers, learning the ins and outs of a career as a physician is the focus. The program is currently in its seventh year. To enter, students must be academically gifted, motivated, mature, dependable and have a positive attitude.

Fatuzzo applied for TAP MD because he was interested in learning more about the wide variety of professions that exist within medicine.

"In the past, I have had opportunities to learn closely about specific medical fields, such as transplant surgery. TAP MD, however, provides me with a set of events that overview an enormous variety of medical fields. For example, our first event included viewing a kidney donor's transplant at the UC Medical Center, while our next event will focus on a very different topic. We will be visiting the Children's Hospital Simulation Center to learn about the artificial training done by doctors and nurses at the UC Medical Center."

Midha applied to the program because he had taken an interest in medicine at an early age, and his passion has grown over the years.

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"At our first TAP MD event, we observed a surgery performed by transplant surgeon Dr. Tayyab Diwan of UC. The surgery we viewed is called a "livingdonor hand-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy," and is essentially the removal of a healthy kidney from an altruistic donor for immediate transplantation into a patient with kidney disease.”

"The original plan was for us to view the surgery live through the laparoscopic lens, but due to the recipient-patient having pre-surgical hypertension, we watched a video of Dr. Diwan performing the same surgery instead. Still, it was really cool to have such an esteemed surgeon guide us through this extremely complicated procedure and answer all of our questions."

"We were even able to operate the very Ethicon surgical instruments used in the surgery (a Harmonic scalpel and surgical stapler)! At the conclusion of the event, Dr. Diwan provided us with his contact information, and said that he would allow us to shadow him if we want. This is an incredible offer - one that I plan on pursuing. Because of TAP MD, I have had the opportunity to partake in these many unbelievable experiences!"

"I have always been interested in neuroscience and human behavior, and am heavily considering entering neurosurgery; I am truly fascinated by the ability to affect behavior through physical means.

However, my experience with TAP MD and Dr. Diwan's surgery has revealed to me that there are many fields, including transplant, that are incredibly interesting and impactful."

"I hope to one day become a specialized surgeon, but use a deep understanding of the connections between the systems of the human body and the non-medical aspects of health care to guide my work and provide the best possible experience to my patients." ■

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he installation project was inspired by a visit from working artist, Debbie Brod, through the Taft Museum's Artists Reaching Classrooms program. In the ARC program, local artists speak to high school students about their work and careers. After seeing images of Ms. Brod's temporary fabric installations using upcycled clothing, we decided to use our gallery as the setting for similar work.

Ms. Brod visited our campus again to offer her wisdom and help get things started for this project. Each AP or Honors student selected an area of the gallery wall to create a "painting" using textiles. Students were given free rein to work abstractly or representationally, and fill their space.

In addition to Ms. Brod's work, the class looked at work by contemporary artists Do Ho Suh, Gadha Amer, and Linn Meyers.

Because this artwork was created in a public space, younger students, teachers, and visitors to the school often watched the work being made as they passed by.

We received many excited comments from viewers of all ages. After completing their work, the student artists documented it using photography. At the end of the show, the work was disassembled, the fabrics again repurposed. Hence, the temporary nature of this work is part of its intrinsic meaning and power.

Thanks to the many members of the CCDS school community who donated used clothing and scraps of textiles for us to use! And special thanks to Lower School Art Teacher Lauren Gilmore who shared resources with us! ■

- Amy Brand, Upper School art instructor

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Lorae

Stojanovic Scholar Pianist Athlete

by Cindy Kranz

F

or senior Lorae Stojanovic, there is an abundance of opportunities and decisions ahead.

Stojanovic is a finalist in the 2018 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, bypassing other levels due to her exceptionally high ACT and SAT scores. She had a perfect ACT score of 36, and 1550 out of 1600 on her SAT. She’s also a finalist for the Jefferson Scholarship at the University of Virginia. Stojanovic was one of 120 students selected through an application and interview process in 54 national and international regions. The total value of the scholarship exceeds $280,000 for out-of-state students.

Stojanovic has also been accepted at Yale, as well as the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, where she’s a finalist for a scholarship. She’s waiting to hear her chances for a Robertson Scholarship at Duke University.

While her college destination is still unknown, Stojanovic is closer to nailing down her career choices. Country Day has played a role in those choices.

“I want to get my undergraduate degree in engineering. I really like the idea of mechanical engineering right now, but also anything like

materials science or applied math. My plan for the future is to get a Ph.D. I’m not sure in what field, but I feel like engineering sets me up well for a lot of different fields.”

“I’ve almost always wanted to get a Ph.D., but the idea of being an engineer really solidified at Country Day. I think especially because of the internships that I had after freshman and sophomore years.”

“The teachers are really passionate about what they teach, and I can always come in after class and ask them really specific questions...”

In her junior year, through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth, she won a full scholarship to spend a summer in a country of a language that’s not commonly taught in schools, but that’s important to national security. Russia was her first choice, and she spent six weeks in Moscow with 13 of her American peers. “I learned Russian starting from Level Zero.”

Through Russian social media, she keeps up with the language, speaking with her two former host families and friends she made in Russia. “Sometimes, I try to speak to Mrs. Belfor. She’s been my piano teacher for 11 years. I try to speak to her a little bit in Russian or write my emails in Russian.”

“There’s also a Russian grocery store in Cincinnati, so I go there pretty often. They know me there now, so every time I go there, they kind of teach me a little bit and help me out.”

Stojanovic also bought some Russian textbooks that she works in periodically. When she gets to college,

she plans to take Russian courses.

Besides STEM classes, she likes the Humanities. She enjoys Russian, French and playing piano, so she wants to find a university that has a balance where she can be a STEM major, but also delve into the Humanities.

Even with her course load, the National Merit finalist still devotes a significant amount of time to extracurricular activities. Among them are Science Olympiad and Science Bowl all four years and JETS engineering club for three years. She’s one of three captains of Model UN Club, captain of Academic Team, co-chair of Honor Council, peer mentor, cross country captain, and track captain.

“I’ve been a leader of clubs and school things before, but Country Day really pushed me to go outside of my comfort zone, in terms of what kind of new activities I would try,” Stojanovic said.

“I never would have envisioned myself in my freshman year being a co-chair of Honor Council and being a peer mentor. That really wasn’t my domain before. That’s not science-related. That really pushed me outside of my typical comfort zone, but now I love it, so I’m glad I did it.”

Country Day has helped shape the person she is today and her focus on the future. “I had those internship opportunities that I would not have gotten elsewhere, so that program was great,” Stojanovic said. “The teachers are really passionate about what they teach, and I can always come in after class and ask them really specific questions, and teachers will loan me books so I can learn more.” ■

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STUDENTS

Three Seniors Named National Merit Finalists Three Cincinnati Country Day School seniors have been named Finalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program: Kaitlyn Hardesty, Moya Ly and Lorae Stojanovic. All three were named Semifinalists last fall.

Finalists will be considered for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $32 million, to be offered in 2018.

Students become Semifinalists by achieving high scores on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

Approximately 1.6 million juniors from more than 22,000 high schools took the test in fall of 2016.

The three CCDS seniors scored in the top 1% of the nation’s high school seniors and were among 16,000 students named Semifinalists nationwide. Of the Semifinalists, 90% were expected to advance to the finalist level. ■ Cincinnati Country Day School's National Merit finalists from left: Kaitlyn Hardesty, Lorae Stojanovic, Moya Ly

US Musical “ A Chorus Line”

8th Grade Play

To read about and see a slide show of the US play “A Chorus Line,” visit https://www.countryday.net/news/newsposts/~post/us-drama-to-present-a-chorus-line-20180214

View the 8th grade play “Starmites” online at https://www.countryday.net/news/ news-posts/~post/eighth-grade-shines-instarmites-20171121

Scholastic Art Competition The William Messer '66 Gallery art show brought together "Scholastics Art Competition Winning Pieces & Small Works" of 31 students.

The artwork included Scholastic’s Gold Key regional winners and the American Vision nominee.

Also on display were Small Works by Upper and Middle School art students. "It's kind of two separate shows – the Scholastics and then the mini show or Small Works Show," said Fine Arts Department Chair Carole Lichty-Smith. "This is a cross-curricular, cross-divisional collaborative. It happened serendipitously."

Jamie Back's Honors Pre-Calculus class 3D printed small vases by rotating trigonometric equations around an axis.

Amy Brand's Studio Art students designed tiny images for tiny books.

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For Photo II's first darkroom assignment, Lichty-Smith asked students to create small images by taking photos with a toy plastic Diana camera.

Ully Marin's Middle School art display, Five Minute Daily Sketch, shows the work of students on Post-it notes.

All of their "small" work wasn't coordinated or planned. When the teachers realized their students were all creating small art, they decided to display the work in a show.

"It was spontaneous," Lichty-Smith said.

"I like it when that happens. When you over plan, sometimes, it doesn't come off as authentic. All of this is pretty authentic work." ■

Tiny 3D printed vases

STUDENTS

7th Graders Win Stock Market Game Three Cincinnati Country Day School seventh graders placed first in the Stock Market Game for middle schools in Ohio. Students who won the Fall Stock Market Game are Lila Lauch, Grace Noack and Sydney Bortz.

Another CCDS seventh-grade team won second place in the state: Max Berghausen, Matthew Castrucci, Emil Hettich and Nick Watts.

their stocks. No more than $30,000 can be spent on any one stock without incurring financial penalties.

Whichever team has made the most money at the end of 10 weeks, wins the game.

Ten CCDS Stock Market Game teams finished in the top 10 for the Region in The Fall Stock Market Game. ■

The first-place team will present its Stock Market Game Portfolio to a group of financial investors in May at the University of Cincinnati.

They will compete against eight other first-place teams from high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools from the Spring Game, the Fall Game and the All-Year Game to win a trip to New York City.

All seventh- and eighth-graders at CCDS played the Stock Market Game. The game is 10 weeks long. Each team of three to four students gets $100,000 in virtual money to invest in stocks, bonds, or mutual funds from the NYSE and NASDAQ. They must invest in a minimum of four different stocks, and may buy, sell or short

1st place team, left to right – Lila Lauch, Grace Noack, Sydney Bortz

Kindergarten Bird Project Cincinnati Country Day School kindergartners completed their curriculum-wide bird project by putting on a bird exhibit. Students learned the characteristics of a bird, observed and cared for birds outside the classroom windows and each chose one specific bird to study more closely. They ended their project by inviting parents and other Lower School students to their classrooms to learn about the birds they chose to study. Wearing construction paper costumes of their birds, the students read their written reports to visitors. ■

Athletics

The National Football Foundation awarded senior Connor Pohl the “That’s My Boy” award, the highest honor an individual football player can receive in Greater Cincinnati. The award is based on a combination of athletic, academic, and extracurricular achievements.

Pohl’s resume includes an All-State football selection, 4.7 GPA, 36 ACT score, and extracurriculars including Science Olympiad, Saturday Hoops volunteer, TEAMS club, and Mechanical Engineering club. Pohl has been a three-year starter for the Indians playing offense, defense, special teams, and never missing a snap during that period.

“Being able to represent Country Day at the That’s Our Boy award Banquet was an honor. I couldn’t have accomplished anything I have without the incredible support and guidance I’ve received from my family, coaches, and teachers. Winning the award was a great ending to my high school football career,” Pohl said.

Head coach Matt Hanhold said, “Connor embodies the identity of a Cincinnati Country Day football player; smart, tough, and physical with the expectation to give your very best every day, do what is right, and find a way to make someone else’s life better.”

Pohl joins illustrious Country Day history as the third “That’s My Boy” award recipient in program history, following Rodney Vincent in 1987 and Andrew Willis in 2001.

As Pohl prepares for life after Country Day, he has a number of college opportunities ahead of him and hopes to attend medical school after college. ■

Top left: Sydney Hetrick with her parents, Brent and Emily. Top right: Braden Emerson with Tony Jaccaci. Bottom right: Laci Jones with her parents, Remus and Sherry Jones.Bottom left: Michael Wood with his parents, Dan and Melissa.

For all of the great academic, philanthropic, art and athletic news, visit www.CountryDay.net and follow us on social media.

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FACULTY

Jamie Back, US Math teacher was recently selected to be a teacher blogger for the website gettingsmart.com. She writes a monthly blog on her experiences as a math teacher, shares her ideas, and addresses various topics in education innovation.

Her latest post: http://www. gettingsmart.com/2018/01/ teaching-students-how-to-work-together/ She presented Making in Math: Engineering Design & Challenge Based Learning in Geometry and PreCalculus at the 2017 UC STEM Conference.

She also presented two engineering design projects that her math classes completed, with details that could help other teachers integrate the engineering design process and “making” in their classrooms. ■ Dr. Jeremiah McCall, US History, has a new book due for publication in August 2018 with Pen & Sword Publishers: “Clan Fabius, Defenders of Rome: A History of the Republic's Most Illustrious Family”.

Jeremiah is also in the process of writing two chapter essays for book collections; “The Manipular Army System and Command Decisions in the Second Century BC,” and “Digital Legionaries: Video Game Simulations of the Face of Battle in the Republic" for an academic book called "Playing with the Ancient World".

In addition, he has published an essay in the WileyBlackwell Companion to Public History called “Historical Video Games as Participatory Public History.”

He also works on reviews and essays for Gamingthepast.net, a website dedicated to theory, design, research,and use of historical games in and beyond history education. ■ Marcus Twyford, US Computer Science teacher, is the returning President of the Ohio Computer Science Teachers Association, a Board Member on the CET Advisory Committee on Educational Technology and a member of the Cincinnati Museum Center Maker Faire Planning Board. ■ 18 | CONNECTIONS

Mock Trial Team CCDS introduced a new club called Mock Trial with faculty legal advisor Rachel Corwin, 8th Grade Team Leader and MS French teacher, and faculty advisor Nat TraceyMiller ’05, MS and US Librarian. The Ohio Mock Trial program is offered through the Ohio Center for LawRelated Education, whose mission is “to improve society by developing citizens empowered with an understanding of our democratic system.”

Ten students were part of CCDS’ Mock Trial team competing at the district level: Nora Brant, Sabrina DelBello, Jack Flynn, Annabel Forman, Nick Jaccaci, Helen Kovach, Josh Nixon, Colin Sam, Tommy Scheer, and Sterling Snell.

presentational skill of each team member. Next year’s team is sure to continue the success pioneered by this year’s group.

The students were broken into a prosecution and a defense team. They learned how to develop a case theory, articulately present arguments, object to opposing counsel and offer legal support for their objections, and adapt to general courtroom decorum and procedure. Students participated in various scrimmages, which led to the district competition at the Hamilton County Courthouse.

The club’s student co-leaders, Annabel Forman and Helen Kovach, are eager to improve upon the success of their debut season. Both juniors hope to lead next year’s team on a run to the state competition. Both faculty advisor, Tracey-Miller, and faculty/legal advisor, Corwin, agree the success of this year’s team was dependent upon the persistence, substantive and procedural legal knowledge, intellect, and

Chris Milmoe, CCDS Athletic Director was elected to serve as the vice president of the Miami Valley Conference.

His responsibilities include serving as the head of the league disciplinary committee, assisting the president in member school issues, and setting league meeting agendas for the 12-team league. ■

Mark Luebbers, MS English teacher, is collaborating with Benjamin Goluboff, a professor of American History and Art at Lake Forest College in Illinois, co-writing poems which speculate about important moments in the lives of figures from art and music history. A series of poems about the American jazz pianist Bill Evans will be published in an anthology of collaborative poetry entitled “They Said” from Black Lawrence Press.

Two of Mark’s previous poems: “Nocturne” and “Barb Wire Fence” have been accepted by The Wayfarer magazine to be published in the Spring issue. ■

FACULTY

Diversity Conference The Upper School’s foray into a day-long Diversity Conference received high marks from faculty and students who celebrated different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences inside and outside of Country Day. Fifty-three students and faculty members made 30 presentations that included varied topics, such as China’s One Child Policy; The Economic, Cultural, and Geopolitical Implications of Immigration in American Society; Insights into Black Lives Matter; Indian Weddings; and Mexico: Misconceptions and Facts. Students could attend one presentation during each of the three sessions.

“I asked the students not to use debate opinions,” said Chantal Thornberry, US English teacher and chair of the Diversity Conference planning committee.

“This is about opening our hearts and our minds to our fellow community members and learning about a viewpoint that, even though we may not agree with it, we care enough about each other to hear each other out. And hopefully, you will learn something new by the end of the day.”

“I think we rolled in a 4.5 out of 5 stars on surveys,” Thornberry said. “That’s not bad for the first time, but more importantly, I think students felt empowered at the end of it – students who oftentimes keep their perspectives to themselves probably felt that they had a platform and a voice to share those opinions. And the students who ended up going to the sessions actually felt that they had learned something new.”

-Cindy Kranz ■

Read the entire story on the website under News

Author and former Head of School John Raushenbush (1977-94) has parlayed his affinity for Yellowstone National Park into his first novel.

“Mike Mulligan, The Magic Eagle of Yellowstone,” was published last spring.

Written for 8-14-yearolds, it tells the story of two teenagers who befriend a young bald eagle.

The eagle provides, in captivating fictional terms, an opportunity for the boy and girl to experience and learn about the special wildness of the natural world to be found in Yellowstone Park. Along with scenes of action, the animals and the landscape are described in vivid detail.

Raushenbush, who grew up in Westchester County outside of New York City, first visited Yellowstone with his parents when he was 15. They were driving cross country to visit relatives in Seattle.

A family friend arranged to have a Yellowstone forest ranger friend guide them through the park for a day.

The ranger knew all sorts of secrets about the park that weren’t common knowledge.

“Scottie took us in his Jeep to wild animal locations that were not on any public trail or path. It was simply extraordinary,” Raushenbush said. “There was a place where refuse was collected until a truck came to pick it up, and we must have seen a dozen grizzly bears there. That was an absolutely brilliant moment

for us that I’ve never forgotten. That started a lifetime of returning every few years to Yellowstone and loving it and learning about it.”

When his eight grandchildren were younger, Raushenbush made up stories to tell them about Yellowstone Park and Mike Mulligan, the Magic Eagle of Yellowstone. “They liked the stories a lot, so I started sharing them with a handful of other people who had young children or who were writers.”

Encouraged by writers and editors, Raushenbush joyfully penned his storytelling into a book.

Ironically, writing had felt more like heavy lifting during his professional years.

“I read and wrote every day for my job, and it was a real task. It was not a process that I particularly enjoyed. I think that was largely because it was always under pressure of time. In my retirement, I read and write every day, and I love it as much as anything I do.”

Raushenbush has completed the second book in the Yellowstone Adventure series, which was due out this spring. The tentative title is “Mike Mulligan and the Secret of the Magic Berries.”

How did he choose the name Mike Mulligan for his star character?

“When I was a child, I was a voracious reader. My favorite book at this very young age of 6 or 7 was “Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel.” That’s where the name of my eagle came from. The extraordinary coincidence is that I learned that Mulligan is a Scottish name that means ‘grandson of the bald one.’

I didn’t know that, but boy did that make it right.” ■

Former Faculty Luncheon Head of School Tony Jaccaci invited former faculty members back to school to hold a roundtable discussion and see changes to campus. This makes the third consecutive year for Jaccaci to host former faculty and staff members for a roundtable discussion. This year our illustrious group included: (seated l-r. Karen Healy, Ann Nau, Bobbie Menter, Louise Hausman, and Marcia Raushenbush standing, Tony Jaccaci, Joe Hofmeister, Bob Plummer, Donna Legette, Peg Hagar, Susie Phillips, Ginger Scheer, John Raushenbush, and Ken Randall. ■

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FACULTY

Catching up with Bobbie Menter and Rick Van Nuys Cindy Kranz caught up with Bobbie Menter and Rick Van Nuys this Winter for a nice conversation.

A

ll of Bobbie Menter and Rick Van Nuys’ “kids” have graduated now. The Class of 2017 was the last fifth-grade class Menter taught before she retired.

Van Nuys’ last class of fifth graders was the Class of 2016.

Since their retirements, Menter and Van Nuys have faithfully returned to Country Day to support their former students’ performances on stage, at sporting events, graduation and other activities. Their explanation for their fierce loyalty is simple. “They’re our kids!” Menter said.

It’s not uncommon to see former students rush them for hugs and handshakes when they spot them on campus. They attend alumni events. They've been invited to class reunions, weddings, and bridal and baby showers. Over the years, they attended more than 100 bar and bat mitzvahs. "We would always go together because we're also good friends," Menter said.

Van Nuys, who taught social studies, began teaching in 1978 at CCDS. He retired in 2009. Menter began teaching in the early '80s, teaching various grades until becoming a fifth-grade math teacher. She retired in 2010. Yet, they keep coming back.

"We both always felt such a strong connection to our students," Menter said. "I chose this profession because I love being with children, and I used to say they feed my soul. Country Day offered the perfect opportunity for us to follow our students through because we are one big school. They come back to see you."

Menter always told former students if they visited her, she'd give them M&M's. She had a collection of M&M dispensers and other paraphernalia. She used do math activities with M&Ms, and sometimes filled

the dispensers and allowed students to line up and get a handful of the candy.

"That became an identifying feature of me and my teaching. I would say to them, 'Anytime you come back, I will give you M&MS. Just come back to see me.' So they would."

At the beginning of each school year, Van Nuys memorably introduced history by pointing out his picture wall of every student he had ever taught, saying, "This is a history of my time at Country Day,” and many of these students would see brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives on the wall."

When he runs into former students, they always tell him what they remember best about their fifth grade experience: touch football at recess with Van Nuys as quarterback, classic movies he showed them and short stories he read them, the World War II unit, especially the projects, geography games in class to learn the location and capitals of countries around the world, the picture wall and memorizing the poem "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. One former student wrote about the importance of his fifth-grade year for a college application.

Prior to Charlie Clark as head of school, only Upper School faculty had to attend graduation, Van Nuys said, but he began attending when his first class graduated in 1986.

"I always wanted my students to know that I cared about them, even after they left fifth grade," Van Nuys said. "That's one of the main reasons I attend Middle and Upper School events – games, plays, graduations, and the like – even after I retired. Seeing them during these various occasions meant a great deal to me, and hopefully, it meant something to them."

They also attended their former students' Upper School awards assemblies. "It’s always fun to hear about the kids and their accomplishments, because they change so much," Menter said.

"You go, 'Wow. they got high honors in Upper School’, and they might have been but an average student in fifth grade. That’s so interesting to see how they evolve. You never give up on a child. You just never know what they are going to accomplish and what they’re capable of."

Bobbie and Rick with Nikki Rosiello ‘17 and Charlie Sachs ‘17.

20 | CONNECTIONS

There's more. Menter started sending graduation cards to her former fifth graders.

"Then, it evolved to where I started writing a paragraph or two in the cards, wishing them good luck and talking about them a little bit or remembrances."

That effort grew when a family asked them to write a letter to their daughter who was graduating. The family wanted them to share their thoughts about teaching her in fifth grade.

"Both of us probably spent a long time writing that letter," Van Nuys said. "And I thought, 'Why to just one child?' and it became a habit really around 2000, for me." He'd personalize graduation letters to all of his former students, recalling events where he had seen them participate, from theater to sports to bar and bat mitzvahs.

Neither of them expected any acknowledgments from the kids, but they often received them anyway.

"Either the parent or the kid, years later, would come back and say, 'I still remember your letter' and how important that was for them," Van Nuys said.

When they're not at CCDS, Menter spends time with her granddaughter, tutors math, reads and travels.

Van Nuys loves to read mysteries and spy novels and travel.

"The things I miss most are the interactions with the kids, being in the classroom," Van Nuys said. "I used to go out and play touch football with the kids, and those are the things the kids remember – that interaction. And you’ll hear people say of Country Day, with the faculty, it’s the relationships that develop between students and teachers that are so important." ■

FACULTY

Remembering Joe “Doc” Holliday From the classroom to the athletic field, Joe Holliday changed countless lives at Cincinnati Country Day School. When he passed away Oct. 18, his name evoked memories of the early legends, such as Hopple, Pattison, Strauss, Yeiser. He, too, had earned a place among the legendary old guard.

Affectionately known as “Doc,” he taught eighthgrade physical science and math during his 38 years at CCDS from 1958-1996. He also coached swimming, track and golf.

To Mary Cook ’81, he was more than her eighthgrade science teacher. He was her stepdad. “He was a good teacher. He was demanding. He wanted me to be every bit as good of a student as everybody else.

That was the beauty of Country Day, for me. No one ever cut you any slack. You were going to be pushed to your limit, whatever that was.”

As her stepdad, well, he knew too much. “He was not known for his discretion,” Cook said. “We lived in Wyoming, so there was a long commute, and he would drive carpool. It probably took us over an hour to get to school because we’d drive around and pick up kids. The conversations that we had in the car would often get repeated in the halls of CCDS.” “I will never forget having him come to school and tell someone, ‘Well, you were the topic of conversation the whole way to school today. Mary has a crush on you.’ Oh my gosh, I’d be mortified.

I’d be in class and he would say something like, ‘So, you and you and you were over at my house this weekend.’ I just wanted to crawl into a hole. It’s funny. It’s the stuff I probably do to kids now, but it was mortifying then.”

Like everyone else, she called him Doc, presumably nicknamed for John Henry “Doc” Holliday, an American gambler, gunfighter, dentist, and good friend of Wyatt Earp.

Country Day was like family to him. “He loved the camaraderie. He loved the people, the family that he had there and, of course, the students,” Cook said.

“He was an outgoing, friendly, lovable guy.”

Listening to people talk about him and the relationships he had with them revealed how much he meant to people, how good he was to people, and how many students were touched by him, she said.

One of those students was Mike Leonard ’83, who had Holliday as a middle school and varsity swim coach for six years. “He encouraged me to go down the career path that I set out on – swimming and coaching,” Leonard said. “He gave me life-altering

by Cindy Kranz

advice or at least nudged me in the right direction for my career.”

“I was struggling on a path to go to college and what to do.

He said to me, ‘You know your situation and who you are. You should follow what you want to do. And what your interest is, not what you think you have to do.’”

It was good advice. Leonard has been director of Competitive Swimming and head coach at Powel Crosley, Jr. YMCA for the last 32 years. His team won the YMCA Men’s Team National Championships in 2002 and 2017.

“He was a vocal supporter of swimming, and he was a wonderful coach. He certainly got me excited about my career, both in and out of the water.

He took a personal interest in me and made an effort to connect with me. He was a very caring teacher, a good mentor and a role model.”

Another huge part of Holliday’s life was his role as a camp counselor with Camp Kooch-I-Ching. Even though the camp had no connection with Country Day, many students went to the Northern Minnesota camp during the summer.

“It was almost an extension of school, because they learned all of these things in the woods,” Cook said.

“It’s an intensely outdoor camping camp. They’d go into Canada and take two-, three- and four-week canoe trips where they had to provide for themselves the whole time.”

Holliday was also an instructor for the local KeeWay-Din Ski Club. He drove a Greyhound bus carrying many CCDS students, on weekend ski trips, usually to Boyne Highlands, Michigan. On spring break, they traveled to Snowmass, Colorado.

When Holliday retired from CCDS, he remained active with the camp and ski club. “These kids would pack into a bus with these ski instructors, some of them were Country Day teachers, and they would go up to ski for the weekend. He taught them how to ski, so he never ever quit teaching,” Cook said.

“It was this brotherhood of teachers, and counselors and instructors whose weekends and summers were an extension of Country Day. It was like teaching kids in a different schoolroom.”

“Country Day, Kee-Way-Din Ski Club and Camp Kooch-I-Ching. That was the essence of his life for many years, and it all involved helping young men grow up,” Cook said. “You see these successful guys say, ‘Yes, he played a big role in my life.’”

As his obituary said: He was Doc Holliday: teacher, coach, camp counselor, ski instructor, mentor, husband and dad. He touched so many lives along his way.

Remembrances from colleagues I coached and taught with Joe for many years. When I first arrived at CCDS in 1973, Joe was already an established and accomplished member of the CCDS community, and we worked together until he retired.

His focus in the classroom and in athletics was the development of the students that he mentored. The amount of energy that he

continued on page 33 CONNECTIONS | 21

ALUMNI

Homecoming and Reunion Weekend Homecoming 2017 was a huge success! Below are just a few pictures from the events. Members from the entire community gathered to celebrate and alumni with class years ending in 2’s and 7’s returned for reunions. The week started with students wearing different types of spirit wear each day. A pep rally for all students, PK - Grade 12, was held on the football field, complete with spirit band, contests between upper school classes, and much cheering from lower and middle school students. On Friday, the traditional FallFest, a signature event sponsored by the Country Day Parents’ Association, took place with a tremendous amount of help from volunteers. The students had a fabulous time. Early in the evening, the Alumni Reception was held on the

Alumni Breakfast

22 | CONNECTIONS

Alumni Reception

ALUMNI

Wright Tennis Courts and Tysoe Family Pavilion. A large crowd of alums, current and former teachers, past parents and students gathered to reminisce.

As people were making their way to the football field to see the game, the game ball was delivered by John and Jim Zimmerman in John’s helicopter (4th column, middle picture) and the game ball presented by Henry Kohnen. Fans were treated to a CCDS football victory. On Saturday, the Alumni Breakfast took place and the 2017 award winner was former Middle School Head Richard O’ Schwab ’67, pictured with a few of his former faculty (1st column, top picture). Saturday evening, reunions were held and everyone had a great time. (See more on reunions later in the magazine). Please plan to join us for Homecoming 2018!

FallFest

Pep Rally and Game

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ALUMNI

Chieftain Award Richard O. Schwab ’67 Richard O. (Dick) Schwab ’67 quietly embraces opportunities to make a difference in people’s lives. His good deeds often fly under the radar as he assists just one person or a group that needs a hand.

Schwab is the 2017 recipient of the CCDS Chieftain Award, which is given to those alumni who are celebrating their 50th reunion year or above. The award recognizes those alumni for their dedication, attitude and motivation expressed through volunteer service to the community.

Besides his contributions to the CCDS community as Middle School Head from 1986 to 2006, Schwab has contributed to these organizations and individuals in Greater Cincinnati: Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church Schwab knew nothing about the Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church until he met the Rev. Dr. K. Nicholas Yoda. This was the first church assignment for the young, dynamic pastor.

“I was impressed with him, and I wanted to help him make a difference,” Schwab said. And so, he became lead gift co-chair of the congregation’s highly successful endowment and capital campaign.

“More importantly, Nicholas had a vision, a dream of better connecting to the community, and lo and behold, right across the street is Pleasant Ridge Montessori School,” he said.

Schwab was the catalyst for starting the church’s after-school enrichment program for at-risk Pleasant Ridge Montessori students and remains involved. He provided the initial funding and worked with Yoda, Cincinnati Public Schools and Pleasant Ridge Montessori staff to develop the curriculum.

TEAM Works! tutors kids, serves them dinner, offers activities and a motivational, non-religious message at the end.

Glendale Needy Family Program Glendale Chief of Police Dave Warman has committed himself to helping needy families, especially children. He annually spearheads drives to collect school supplies and ensure that every child has gifts to open on Christmas.

24 | CONNECTIONS

Dick Schwab accepts the 2017 Chieftain Award from Head of School Tony Jaccaci at the Alumni Breakfast during Homecoming Weekend.

“I jumped into his programming with both feet,” said Schwab, a Glendale resident. “I had some great experiences mentoring and sponsoring a child all through their high school years and on into college, as well.”

being African American, as well, certain things were stacked against him.”

Last spring, Warman told Schwab that a dozen Princeton High School students weren’t going to receive their diplomas because their families couldn’t afford to pay their lunch fees. He told Schwab it happens every year.

Junior Statesman Foundation

“I said, ‘That’s just unacceptable.’ So, I helped make sure every one of those kids had their lunch account paid and got their diploma. I talked to Dave and said I want to keep doing that. That made a huge difference for those kids.”

Afghanistan veteran Schwab became acquainted with a young Afghanistan veteran who drove for a car service that he used to get to eye appointments.

He began requesting the veteran whenever he needed a lift. “We had lots of drives, so I really got to know him well. Interesting life. He grew up in foster homes. He doesn’t know who his parents are,” Schwab said.

“He served six years in Afghanistan. I learned firsthand, through him, how difficult it is to transition back into normal life after that experience. And

Schwab helped him to get a better job with a living wage, a home and a car.

Schwab’s benevolence extends to the civic arena with the Junior Statesmen Foundation, which provides civics education support for schools.

Every four years, it sponsors high school students to attend either the Republican or Democratic national convention.

He sponsored a boy who attended the Democratic convention in 2012 and went on to the 2016 Democratic convention as an elected delegate. The youth is now majoring in political science at Miami University and planning a career in politics.

Guided by a lyric A song lyric in “For Good,” from the musical, “Wicked,” motivates Schwab, who has a theater background, to help others. The lyric: “I do believe I have been changed for the better … Because I knew you.”

“I want to make sure that I can be, for someone else, a person who can make them better because they knew me,” Schwab said. “I let that song lyric guide me.” ■

ALUMNI

Reunions 1967

1972

To the Class of 1968 - Dear Juniors, Having had a successful reunion last September at our alma mater, we would like to pass on the following advice: • Do not bother communicating with your classmates. Just show up unannounced.

• Do not include your spouses or significant others.

• Do not invite classmates who did not matriculate with you in 1968.

• Do not extend an invitation to those who graduated from Seven Hills School (Hillsdale, Summit, etc.) in 1968.

• Let the CCDS Alumni Office plan all the events and do all the work.

Of course, if we had followed the above advice, our gathering would have been a bust. The fact is, our reunion was highly successful, and we had a great time. If you haven’t already done so, please work together to get on the phone and make contact with as many of your classmates as possible. Follow up with emails. Stay in touch with each other and be as inclusive as possible. Start talking it up now. September will roll around before you know it.

Frank Simon and I did some initial calling in advance of our reunion. It was great hearing voices from the past as Frank and I utilized the class contact list provided by Paula Brock. Gordon Deane quickly took up the torch, providing research on hard-to-find “lost” classmates and wonderful class photos from 5th and 6th grade, which we shared on line. Others jumped in—Dick Rust, Tom Block, and Mike “Mac” McCalmont, to name a few.

Be prepared for some surprises . . . and some heart-ache. It was difficult learning of the loss of five of our classmates. One of them, Nat Laffoon, passed away suddenly a few months after our initial phone calls and wonderful catch-ups. Pete Dickinson’s son Jonathan represented his father at our reunion and showed a special trailer of “Father Spirit”—a documentary film and a touching portrait of a courageous motorcycle journey he took with his father through the Himalayas before Pete’s passing.

There is a lot of personal history, 50 years multiplied by 28, to experience. Take notes. Share your story on line with the whole gang. Gordon created a wonderful booklet with all of the bios and photos gathered in advance of our reunion.

We built some activities around the official reunion. Two of the most successful mini-reunion events were an introductory cookout Thursday evening at Lanie and Joe Grever’s (Libby Simon’s brother-in-law and sister) home in Terrace Park and taking in a Sunday Reds game. Thanks to Judy Williams and her son Dick, we were given VIP treatment with a personal tour of the Red’s museum and “behind-the-scenes” activities, as well as lunch and special seating.

CCDS was there for us in the 1960s, and it was there for us in 2017. Good luck to the Class of ’68!

It is my pleasure to write a few paragraphs on the Reunion Weekend activities for the CCDS Class of 1972.

The Reunion weekend broke down into two distinct parts. Friday night was revolved around sports and athletic activities at the school. This turned out to be very fitting for our class as two of the attendees for that evening, Addison Lanier and John Minturn are recent CCDS Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees. Other classmates included Jim Currell and John and Mary Stevie, who made "repeat" performances for Saturday evening.

As he has done with every reunion in recent memory, Jim Currell hosted the Saturday night event. We had an excellent barbecue dinner outside, and new attendees included J.T. Wiley, Polly Whittaker, Jon Nau, Matt Rosen, and Will Sawyer, along with the Currells and Stevies. In reconnecting with everyone, one common thread is that almost everyone was in a "helping" profession. Jim Currell and Will Sawyers are both doctors. J.T. Wiley, like Jim Currell is in the mental health field. Polly Whittaker works with connecting people and animals and is expanding both geographically and in the services that she provides. Jon Nau is a teacher and a coach (as well as an incredible person), and John Stevie consults with businesses. John and Mary plan to have an event this summer to bring everyone together in a less "planned" environment.

Over the years, the reunions just seem to get better and better. The people in the CCDS Class of 1972 are warm, genuine, smart, and very interesting. Already, we are looking forward to our 50th!! Wow. Very Truly Yours, Matt Rosen '72

1972 1967

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ALUMNI

1977

The Class of ’77 celebrated it’s reunion at the Friday night Alumni Reception. Among those attending were Monica Hamagami Berghausen, James Trice, Steve Muldrow (back for his first reunion), Tom Langlois, Dr. Mark Niemer, Scott Maier and Jim Taylor.

1982

The Class of 1982 had a fantastic reunion in Cincinnati on September 22nd and 23rd!

Keeping in mind that this was actually the second half of our 35th reunion (the first half taking place in Maine at Corinne’s gorgeous sea-side inn earlier this summer), it’s hard to imagine a more successful and enjoyable 35th! While the majority of those attending this reunion focused on the evening get-together on Saturday night, we also had a few people who showed up Friday evening for the pre-homecoming alumni gathering at the Wright Tennis Pavilion, where we had an opportunity to introduce some of our out-oftown classmates to Mr. Jaccaci. The weather was unseasonably warm, which made for absolutely perfect conditions by the time the football game got underway as the sun set.

CCDS’s solid 28-6 victory over New Miami put the finishing touches on a truly enjoyable day! The warm weather continued for the main gathering at the Noacks’ house the next evening, and we all had a great time reconnecting and catching up. Attendance was strong, with several people flying in from significant distances to join us. We had one classmate from Maine, two from New York, one from Florida, as well as several others from long distances. Thank you to everyone who went the extra mile to make it back here for our 35th, and a very special thanks to Bob Plummer and Dave Walsh for making time in their schedule to be with us! It was great to reminisce with our former teachers! — Wendell Morris

1977

1987

On Friday of Homecoming Weekend 2017, 15 alumni from the class of 1987 gathered near the tennis courts at the pregame football tailgate to celebrate their 30th class reunion.

Most had not seen one another since the 20th or 25th reunion, while some others had not seen their past ‘fishbowl’ friends since high school or college days. Because so many fellow classmates live outside of the Cincinnati area, it has become more and more difficult to get together, so it goes without saying that the time flew by. Many stayed for the entire football game where the Indians delivered a crushing defeat to rival, New Miami. Many went from the game to continue the festivities at The Precinct restaurant, where some from the class of '92 were also present.

Reunion Weekend continued Saturday night at classmate Jody Brant's house. Jody and his lovely wife, Debbie (coincidentally, his class of '88 sister, also named, Debbie) graciously hosted 20 class of 1987 friends and their spouses with great food, beverages and fun-filled stories and past teenage exploits. Just like in the 1980's, Jody had to threaten to call the Amberley Village police to convince his free-loading friends to leave by 1 a.m. Thanks to everyone who helped make the weekend such a fantastic success. The Class of '87 has been challenged and will pick up the baton to support the naming and dedication of “the beach.” Plans for our 40th will begin soon!

1982

1992

Reunion weekend 2017 was one to remember with alums venturing from California, Washington, New York to Florida. The weekend began with a reception under the lights at homecoming game. Catching up with other alums with a beautiful night to celebrate, watching the game ball flown in on a helicopter with the lucky auction winner from CountryDate. We were all excited to see some of our favorite teachers including the Dunns, Walshes, and Blacks. Mad Tree Brewery provided a great outdoor meeting place for the 1992 graduates the following night. After catching up outdoors, we headed to Teller’s, securing the “Vault” as in prior reunion years to have dinner. New technology allowed other classmates from far away to “face time” the group at dinner. Finally, Tosdados Karaoke Grill was the final journey of the evening. Such talent from our Country Day graduates including entertainment expert John Hudson, to reliving the 8th grade play, “Grease,” to the ladies’ renditions of Journey and Fleetwood Mac. All the while, the entire reunion group was dancing and supporting each other. Marybeth Leahy 26 | CONNECTIONS

1987 continued next page

ALUMNI

continued acapella outside while all stood around to sing back up. We all agreed, the next reunion will be even better. -Pat Gates, Hans Schroeder, Chris Bortz, David and James Zimmerman, John Hudson, Kristy Walsh Garfoot, Mary LaMacchia Zimmerman, Katie Schwab Frink, Micaela Heekin Hart, Marybeth Leahy Mount Paige Heimann deBuys, Carrie Strauss Dunn

1997

The CCDS Class of '97 got together for our 20-yr reunion the weekend of September 23rd in Cincinnati.

We had 27 alums (along with many significant others) from the class of '97 attend the total school Alumni reunion on campus and Homecoming football game Friday evening and enjoy a nice get together celebrating our 20-yr mark Saturday evening. It

1992

Carly Brightwell ’08 died alongside her soulmate Ryan Marcil in a climbing accident on August 20, 2017. She is survived by her parents Henry and Linda Brightwell and sister and best friend Sidney Brightwell ’05.

Patricia Briggs passed away on November 18, 2017.

She is survived by her four children, Elizabeth, David ’83, Andrew and Patrick. She was the treasured grandmother of Paul, Margaret, and Samuel Gosiger, Molly and Kaitlin Briggs, Ryan Briggs and Wilder and Sadie Briggs.

Lee Comisar passed away surrounded by his family on December 19th. He is survived by his high school sweetheart and loving wife of 66 years, Joan Hempel. Devoted father to Michael E. Comisar, Marc (Paula) Comisar, and Vallie (Rodney) Geier.

Adored grandfather and "Da" to Jason (Jackie) Comisar, Margaux (Mark) Higgins, Max (Angela) Comisar, Alex Comisar, Natalie (Matt) Geier Cohen, Emily (Alex) Vollmer, Vallie (David) Tapke, and 12 great-grandchildren (Lily, Carter, & Mira Comisar, Wyatt & Kendall Higgins, Charlie Comisar, Glady, Phelps, & Pfeiffer Cohen, Makena Vollmer, and Olivia & Blaire Tapke). Preceded in death by his granddaughter, Makena "Kenzie" Comisar, in 2002.

William Dohrmann ’52 passed away January 14, 2018. He is survived by his wife Linda, sons William and Ross, and daughter Natalie.

In Memoriam

Robert A. Erkins ’42 passed away on April 26, 2017.

He is survived by his wife Bernadine (Barnee), 11 children, 28 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. He was the founder of the Bliss Valley Foods Company and served as a Trustee of the University of Notre Dame.

William R. Hardy ’52 passed away on October 24, 2017. He is survived by his daughter Anita C. Hardy ’83 and his son William Hardy, Jr .’85 and grandchildren Patrick W. Hardy and Linn T. Hardy.

Joseph “Doc” “Holliday died on October 18, 2017 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He is survived by his wife Louise, four stepchildren; Louise Walker, Fred Warner, Matt Warner and Mary Cook.

Beloved member of the Country Day community for over 40 years, he touched many lives and will be missed. See article on page 21.

Eileen Magenheim passed away October 14, 2017.

She is survived by her sons Doug ’80, Andy ’82 and Robert ’85 and grandchildren David, Elliot, Peter, Hailey and Alexis.

Lloyd Miller ’72 passed away January 12, 2018 after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Susan and children Alex, Lloyd, Luke, Lauren and Eli Miller.

Margaret Wright (Peggy) beloved wife for 50 years of the late Gordon R. Wright, passed away on January 12, 2018 in Montecito, California with

was great to catch up with almost HALF of our graduating class and hear so many great stories on life post CCDS, growing families, amazing work experiences, travel all over the world...and so much more. Among those who were able to attend, the class voted Taylor Boswell "Most Valuable Player" for the weekend. Hopefully we will have many chances to connect again prior to our 25th in 2022!

1997

family at her side. She is lovingly remembered by her four surviving children and their spouses: Margaret "Nini" Seaman and her husband, Peter, of Carpinteria, CA; Phelps H. Swift, Jr. and his wife, Pam, of Wilson, WY; Gordon "Gibby" Wright ’85 and his wife, Susan, of Cincinnati, OH; and Holly S. Brown and her husband, Joel, of Denver, CO. She was predeceased by two beloved children: Lindsay S. Jones and the unforgettable Ramsey Runyan Wright ’84. She is survived by granddaughter Maggie ’19 and grandson Jack ’21 along with 9 other grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

Eric. B. “Buck” Yeiser ’43 passed away on December 25, 2017 at the age of 92. He was preceded in death by his wife of over forty years, Joslin Haggart Yeiser. He is survived by his children Lin Yeiser Coonan of San Francisco CA, Louise Yeiser McAlpin (KC) of Harbor Springs MI, Eric B Yeiser, Jr ’70. of Gleneden Beach OR and Jane Yeiser Woods of Sarasota FL. Also surviving are his grandchildren, Lindsey Coonan, Nicholas Priess, Jeffrey Priess, James Woods, Joslin Woods and Eric Woods. He was predeceased by his beloved brothers, Charles F. Yeiser and Henry Craig Yeiser, and is survived by his beloved brother in-law, Dr. George C. Kaiser of St. Louis MO. He was predeceased by his wife Margaret Kite Yeiser, who gave him a large, loving stepfamily to whom he was a wonderful friend and role model. A lifelong resident of Cincinnati, Buck attended Cincinnati Country Day School and graduated from Lawrenceville School in New Jersey.

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Class Notes Winter/Spring 2018 1953

During the summer of 2017 members of the class of 1953 came together at Ted Jones's '53 home in Colorado for a memorial service in honor of their friend and classmate Punky Boylan '53. Ted Jones presided over the service and Paul Wentworth '53 was the photographer.

1962

On Labor Day, Tim Wollaeger finished 5th in the 70 – 74 age group in the 1-Mile Oceanside, California Pier Swim. This was Tim’s 37th consecutive Oceanside race in rough Pacific Ocean waters.

1969

This February, Country Day alumni gathered at the home of John and Eileen Ward Barrett ’69 in Naples, Florida. They were joined by Head of School Tony Jaccaci and Director of Alumni Relations Paula Brock. Among those attending were Eileen Barrett ’69, Judy ’67 and Joe Williams, John Mackelfresh ’47, Kathy ‘67 and Hunt Whitbeck and Matt Rosen ’72.

Many thanks to the Barretts for hosting and looking forward to seeing everyone again next year!

(Pictured: Matt Rosen ‘72 with Eileen Barrett ‘69)

1971

Dr. Brooks Jackson '71 has accepted a position at the University of Iowa as the vice president of medical affairs and dean of the medical school.

28 | CONNECTIONS

1976

Jeffrey Harrison ’76 is the author of five books of poetry, including, most recently, Into Daylight, published by Tupelo Press in 2014 as the winner of the Dorset Prize. His poem “Higher Education,” reprinted here, first appeared in The Yale Review and is included in Best American Poetry 2017, published last September. Harrison made these comments about the poem for the anthology: Since the poem is straightforwardly autobiographical, there’s not much to explain.

My father really did list those three colleges as off-limits, and I really did go to Columbia anyway, where I was lucky to be able to study with poets Kenneth Koch and David Shapiro while also taking the courses that comprise the college’s core curriculum, which the poem obliquely mentions.

As is often the case with me, I wrote the first few lines without knowing where they were going to lead, and the poem went through many versions before it found its shape and current ending. It became clear fairly early that the poem was not so much about college education as about the learning that goes on, or does not go on, between fathers and sons.

But the facts still underpin the poem, and one of them was sitting in plain sight but came into the poem surprisingly late in the game: that my own son had recently graduated from my father’s alma mater, Kenyon. Getting that in led to the imagined, temporary reconciliation at the end of the poem.

HIGHER EDUCATION Antioch, Berkeley, and Columbia were the ABC’s of colleges my father said he wouldn’t pay for— breeding grounds for radicalism he called them, as if their campuses were giant Petri dishes spawning toxic cultures. Our own pathology was pretty toxic at the time, both of us stubbornly refusing to learn anything about each other, or about ourselves for that matter, stuck in a rudimentary pattern of defining ourselves as opposites.

I wouldn’t even look at Kenyon, his beloved alma mater, despite its long tradition as a school for future poets. I hadn’t read a word of Robert Lowell or James Wright yet, but I’d read Ginsberg, and the first stop on my college tour was Columbia, and that’s where I ended up going.

And my father, to his credit, must have seen it was the right place for me or at least was unavoidable, so he let me go, and he paid for it.

And the only price I had to pay was, when I was home on holidays, to suffer his barbed commentary about the very education he was financing, which ironically had to do with the core values of Western Civilization. I can’t remember—is forgiveness one of them?

We both got a C in Forgiveness but later bumped it up to a B minus when, in a surprising twist, my son ended up at Kenyon. My father took real pleasure in that, though he was already dying by then. I thought of him at graduation, how proud he would have been for his grandson who, he might have joked, was a better student than he had ever been—all our ignorance put aside at least for that one day of celebration.

HIGHER EDUCATION was first published in The Yale Review and reprinted in Best American Poetry 2017 (pub date September 2017). Robert Lowell and James Wright are well-known poets who went to Kenyon College, whereas Allen Ginsberg went to Columbia University.

1977

Jim Taylor '77 writes: In March 2017, I was asked to go on an educational/cultural exchange to China with a group called Tower Bridge International. I was with a group of fifteen American students and five teachers.

In addition to seeing some of the major sites around Beijing and Qingdao, we visited several schools where I participated in panel discussions on teaching practice, curriculum, and school culture along with observing classes. I also learned some Thai Chi during the PE class and worked on some art projects (continued next page) in the art room.

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Of course, the highlight was visiting the Great Wall. I became the second one in my family to visit the Great Wall since my grandmother scaled it in 1928. The food was amazing and that's a whole story in itself.

his past. The raw and revealing process that the incarcerated men undertake exceeds the expectations of the free men, ripping them out of their comfort zones and forcing them to see themselves and the prisoners in unexpected ways. "The Work" offers a powerful and rare look past the cinder block walls, steel doors and the dehumanizing tropes in our culture to reveal a movement of change and redemption that transcends what we think of as rehabilitation.

Skyline Chili meets the Great Wall of China

The trailer can be viewed at https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=cca5QWdSTMQ

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1988

1978

Bob Ziegler After 31 years at AT&T, culminating as Senior IP Network Design Engineer, I am retired, spending days now golfing, gardening, biking, strolling, volunteering, napping, and snow birding in Boca. It's simple, and all is well and good...

Hope it's all good for you too.

Tom Wolf I am an Associate Director for Global Site Management Operations at Allergan, a large pharmaceutical company. I help manage resources for the development of investigative drugs.

1998

JR Foster '98 and David Hornberger '98 appeared in a Cincinnati.com article in May 2017 about the Real Estate company they founded together, Robert Louis Group.

JR Foster has a baby boy named James Harrington Foster “Jam Jam”.

Dave Hornberger and his wife Brett’s first child, a boy named Rory Wolfe Hornberger was born on April 13th, 2017.

As for the Wolf pack (below, l-r) – back row Cameron, me, wife Christine and Christian; front row Brandon and William. We are blessed to live in Bradenton, Florida, close to the Gulf of Mexico. We enjoy all sports, music, and loud family fun!

1980

Jeff March '80: Daughter Jenny March released her first single "California Daze" in January 2018. It is climbing the charts and was recently featured on Spotify’s New Pop Hits of 2018. Jenny’s artistic career has taken off and you can follow her on social media and at jennymarch.com

Danielle Levy Fisher and her husband Doug welcomed twins, Luke Davis Fisher and Juliette Lyla Fisher “Jules” on Friday, August 4, 2017. They join big sister Grace, who turned 2 in September.

1986

Roth Herrlinger '86 and his colleagues released a documentary about the maximum security prison Folsom State Prison in Northern California to incredible reviews. “The Work” won the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary at SXSW, and has been named to many Top 10 lists, including #2 on Rolling Stone’s Best Documentaries of 2017.

Below is a synopsis of "The Work", for more information visit: https://theworkmovie.com/ watch-home

1996

Libby and Ben ’96 Hardigg welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Hunter Elizabeth Hardigg on June 25, 2017.

Dessners '94 and The National win Grammy Bryce and Aaron Dessner and their band, The National, won its first Grammy for Alternative Music Album, “Sleep Well Beast.”

Set inside a single room in Folsom Prison, "The Work" follows three men from the outside as they participate in a four-day group therapy retreat with level-four convicts. Over the four days, each man in the room takes his turn at delving deep into CONNECTIONS | 29

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1999

Emily (Fitzhugh) Irish ’99 writes: On June 13th, 2017 my husband Jonathan and I joyfully welcomed our twins Michael Grayson and Cassadie Flora into the world. They were born at 7:36 pm and weighed 5 lbs 8 oz and 5 lbs 3 oz respectively. We are so in love and enjoying watching them grow ! They are a wonderful addition to our family!

Isabel Phillips (Boswell) ’99 and her husband Scott welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Charlotte Boswell Phillips on March 7, 2017.

2000

Greg and Christina Vollmer welcomed their third child, a son, Theodore Lawrence Vollmer, Teddy born December 7, 2017.

Will and Krista Applegate welcomed their first child, a baby boy named Philip Charles Applegate on July 12, 2017.

2001

Mari Bower writes: Jeremy and I welcomed our first child on 7.17.17, a sweet baby girl named Lucia James Kerth.

Andrea Murphy (Warm) writes: Piper Shaw Murphy made an early entrance into the world on 3/30/17 at 3:26pm.

She weighed in at a whopping 5 lbs 4oz and is 17.5 in long.

Hillary (DeHaan) Hawes '01 and husband Jamie welcomed a son, James Drexel Hawes, on September 18, 2017.

Baby James joins big sister Charlotte Slone (4).

The Hawes family live in Alexandria, VA, where Jamie works as an attorney and Hillary is a school counselor.

Dana Harmon '01 was married to Ryan Tompkins on November 18, 2017, at the historic Mattei's Tavern in Los Olivos, CA. Several CCDS alums celebrated the happy couple, including bridesmaids Claire Beech Millet '01 and Mari Bower '01 and other friends of the bride and groom, Liz Murphy Dohrmann '01 and Audrey DeYoung Wible '01.

Dana and Ryan reside in Newport Beach, CA, where Dana owns Bardot, a women's clothing boutique, and Ryan is a sales executive for Top Gun Technology.

2003

Ashley Zalta ’03 was featured in the article below for The Hollywood Reporter in November 2017 titled Next Gen 2017: Hollywood's Up-and-Coming Execs 35 and Under Ashley is the Head of Production for Sugar23.

"Zalta has been so deep in the throes of production on Netflix's Emma Stone-Jonah Hill series Maniac that she could find only three days earlier this fall to return to her native Ohio and get married in her parents' backyard. She's hopeful that she and her college sweetheart — both graduated from Harvard, where Zalta was a member of Hasty Pudding — will be able to carve out more time for a honeymoon, though finding it won't come easy. The former Bain consultant, who worked for Team Downey and Emma Watts at 20th Century Fox before segueing to an exec role at Anonymous Content four-plus years ago, jumped to mentor (and Next Gen alum) Michael Sugar's new Anonymous-based shingle in November. Among her forthcoming projects, many of which share a common through line of female empowerment: the comic adaptation Princeless for the big screen and a Sleeping Beauties project for the small one.

BIG BREAK "Producing the Hasty Pudding show. Yes, I wouldn't be here without a musical comedy drag show."

WHEN I WANT TO DISCONNECT "I get my nails done and lie about where I am."

Elizabeth and Bob Dake welcomed their sweet baby boy, McKnight R. D. Dake "Mac" on September 8, 2017.

30 | CONNECTIONS

Emily Sberna '03 was married to Jason Uebel on June 2, 2017. Both the ceremony and reception were held outdoors on a warm, sunny day at The Cincinnati Nature Center.

Friends and family were there to celebrate, including fellow alumni Joe Sberna '95, Nick Sberna '98, Patrick Sberna '00, Jake Sberna '05, Doug Sberna '07, Joe Stanfill '95, Rob Stearns '95, Rob Zimmerman '98, Tobi Acklen '03, Annie Barrett '03, Kristin (Hesser)

ALUMNI

Horsburgh '03, Erin Tapke '03, Emily (Geier) Vollmer '03 and Alex Vollmer '01. Even Señorita Carrillo came to celebrar la pareja!

Emily works as a registered dietitian for The Christ Hospital in the Diabetes and Endocrine Center, and Jason works as a cyber security analyst at Proctor and Gamble. The couple lives in Mt. Washington with their two dogs, Gracie and Otis.

'00 and John Bahl '06. Emily is a Product Development Analyst for JM&A Group and RJ is a IT Project Manager for Mutual of America.

They reside in Boca Raton, Florida.

Claire Bechhold married Erik Johnson on 11.11.17.

L to R:, TOP: Jack Burchenal '06, Rodger Davis '06, Kevin Dunn '06

2004

Amelia Alpaugh '03 was married to Matthew Hayden on June 17th at Fountain Point Resort on Lake Leelanau. Several Country Day alums made the journey to northern Michigan for the three day celebration, including Amelia's sister Abby Alpaugh Knowles '00, Tobi Acklen '03, Jeremy Guttman '03, Amanda Mauer '03, Mary Robinson '03 and Danielle Mendelson '03 who was also the officiant. Amelia is a photographer and owner of The Modern Collector and Matt is Managing Partner at Berkeley Square Holdings. They live in Denver, CO with their adorable dog Mishka.

Emily Bahl '03 was married to RJ Salzman on May 13, 2017 at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo, Florida. The oceanfront ceremony was officiated by Emily's brothers and CCDS alums Jeff Bahl '98, Andrew Bahl,

Gary '04 and Eliza Moffat became the proud parents of James Gary Moffat III ("Tripp") on October 12, 2017.

They currently live in Hyde Park and are loving every minute of parenthood.

2006

Lizzie Birckhead married James Kuley, September 4, 2017.

Drew Tholke '06 writes "I married Anna Zerilli on September 2, 2017. Anna is from Udine, Italy - it's about an hour and half outside of Venice, Italy. We met in Los Angeles and that's where we currently live."

BOTTOM: Megan Hunt Deliso '06, Megan Tysoe '06, Alice Podore Nocco '06, Reed Seward '06, Anna Podore Collard '99, Claire Bechhold Johnson '06, Lee Lawrence '06, Elizabeth Oblinger '06

2009

6 North of 60: This past summer Maddie Stoehr ’09, Meredith Freshley ’09 and four other women canoed 62 days, 750 miles through Canada and ended in the Arctic Ocean. Their expedition, titled, “6 North of 60,” envisaged for two reasons: the first to offer their own small part in empowering young women in the outdoor community; the second, to fundraise for the Leadership Development program at Camp Ogichi Daa Kwe, a wilderness-tripping and communitybased nonprofit in Minnesota that has been formative to their individual developments as strong, confident female leaders.

To learn more about their expedition and fundraising campaign, follow their Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as check out their website, www.6northof60.org.

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Allie Rue ’09 Along the shore of Charleston Harbor, Allie Rue '09 and Matt White were married on October 8, 2017. Allie & Matt live in Mt. Pleasant, a suburb of Charleston, where they enjoy the beach, golfing and all the activities that Charleston has to offer. Allie, a Clemson graduate, is a production engineer at Ingevity and Matt, a Naval Academy graduate, is a systems engineer for SPAWARSpace and Naval Warfare Systems Command.

Allie & Matt are renovating a home in Mt. Pleasant and look forward to living there with their dogs Rudy & Cal.

2010

Tom Langlois '10 Photo (l-r): Will Portman ’10, Michelle Haines, Tom Langlois ’10, Erik Muldrow ’10, and Tom Langlois ’77

Clint Thomas ’10 Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Thomas III are pleased to announce the engagement of their son, Charles L. Thomas IV (Clint), to Miss Emily Elizabeth Sanford of Durham, NC. Emily is the daughter of Mr. Michael Sanford and Ms. Anne Wilkinson of Burlington, NC. Clint is a 2010 graduate of CCDS and a 2014 graduate of Elon University. He is a financial analyst for Credit Suisse in Research Triangle Park, NC. Emily is a 2011 graduate of Walter M. Williams High School in Burlington, NC and a 2015 graduate of Elon University.

She is Marketing and Events Coordinator at Pink Magnolia Boutique in Cary, NC. A fall 2018 wedding is planned.

2011 Trooper John Wildman Recognized As Aviation Command’s Trooper of The Year (FREDERICK, MD) – The Maryland State Police Aviation Command recognized Trooper John “Jack” Wildman as 2017 Maryland State Police Aviation Command’s Trooper of the Year.

2015 Grace Krammer poem published

Grace Krammer is in her 3rd year of nursing school at Ohio State University. Grace, who was very active with InWords, the CCDS literary magazine, recently had a poem published in the book Ohio's Best Emerging Poets. Her poem "known" (song of myself) is available on Amazon and J Publishing's website. Her poem is the 2nd poem in the book.

2017

Ian McInturf GK – Kenyon nominated for Division 3 freshman soccer player of the year.

Wildman received the honor due to his outstanding performance, leadership and a personal desire to help others in the community through his position in Maryland State Police Aviation Command. Wildman is an active trooper who successfully blends his experience as a paramedic with his passion for law enforcement.

Tom Langlois ’10 was married this fall to Michelle Haines in Minneapolis. The couple met during their freshman year at Georgetown University. Erik Muldrow ’10 was the best man and Will Portman ’10 was a groomsman. Tom’s father, Class of ’77, and his aunt, Linda Riethmiller ’75, were in attendance along with other friends and family. The couple honeymooned in Scotland, climbing Ben Lomond and hiking on the Isle of Skye. They plan to live in Minneapolis.

32 | CONNECTIONS

Wildman, 24, has been with Maryland State Police since 2015. He is currently assigned to the Aviation Command Frederick Section. Wildman has a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College and has completed coursework in a graduate program at Johns Hopkins University. In 2017, Wildman led the Aviation Command across all criminal and traffic enforcement categories...

To read the entire story visit: http://news. maryland.gov/msp/2018/01/02/msp-aviation-command-recognizes-trooper-of-theyear-john-wildman/

Kenyon Keeper Ian McInturf (Mike Munden/Kenyon Athletics photo)

19 games/10 shutouts (T6th) Kenyon keeper Ian McInturf led the North Coast Athletic Conference with a .783 save percentage and a 0.48 goals-against average. His 10 shutouts ranked in the top-1o in all of D3.

ALUMNI

2018 Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony

Sydney Stoehr Whedon ’05

Park Gilmore, Coach

Hans Schroeder ’92

Brad Buck ’87

Jeff Bahl ’98

The CCDS Athletic Department held a dinner and ceremony for the inductees and their family and friends on a Friday evening in January. President of the CCDS Alumni Association, Rob Zimmerman ’98, opened the ceremony and then turned the mic over to Master of Ceremonies, CCDS Athletic Director Chris Milmoe, who introduced the recipients. In addition, the group was recognized during halftime of the home basketball game. Whedon was unable to attend the induction, but will be honored at a school assembly later this year. You can view a video of the ceremony at https://youtu.be/w-f6m1Ri_Ck

Jeff Bahl '98

-Football, Basketball, Baseball -Participated in all 12 seasons of high school career -All-City honors in football, baseball -All-State honors in football -Member of football team that went 36-7, three MVC championships, State Final Four -National Football Foundation Scholarship Award

Brad Buck '87

-Cross Country, Wrestling, Track -Team captain for all three teams -Team MVP in cross country and wrestling -State qualifier in cross country -Regional qualifier in track

Hans Schroeder '92

-Football, Basketball -All MVC football and basketball honors -All-City and District football honors -All-State football honors -Member of State Final Four football and basketball

-Middle School football, basketball, baseball coach -Three-sport coach for over 15 years -Won multiple MVC championships -Mentor and role model for hundreds of young men -Prepared students for US on and off the field

Sydney Stoehr Whedon '05

-Soccer, Gymnastics, Track -Heinichen Award winner – Top Female Athlete -All MVC Honors in soccer and track -Team captain in all three sports -Set four school records in track -State qualifier in track and member of State Runner -Up Relay Team

Remembering Joe “Doc” Holliday

Accepting their awards at the event : (l-r) Jeff Bahl, Hans Schroeder, Brad Buck, Park Gilmore.

continued from page 21

expended was open ended. For example, he would teach a full load of classes, then arrive on the track in the early afternoon to coach the middle school team. As soon as their practice was over, he would coach the upper school team until it was time to head home for the evening.

the sport and had a good time participating.

Doc was so effective in coaching track and swimming and golf, as well as teaching science, because he loved his profession. Working with kids was his calling. His dedication to teaching and coaching was exceptional, as was his impact on all of us who worked with him.

His coaching went beyond developing workouts and explaining techniques. Doc would demonstrate what he wanted them to do. At age 40 and beyond, he would run some hurdles to show the correct form rather than just describe how to do it. More importantly, Doc clearly cared about each athlete and was able to employ a sense of humor, abundant energy, and a knowledge of the sport to train his students to be competitive athletes and to enjoy the sport.

-David Walsh, retired CCDS Science and English teacher, and girls head track coach

Those of us who coached with him learned how to relate to the kids so that they progressed in

Park Gilmore, Coach

Doc Holliday was truly a renaissance man.

He taught in many areas, such as science, swimming and physical education. He also coached golf, track and field and swimming.

Toward the end of his career, he served as the MS Athletic Director.

He had the students spend a lot of time outside, studying nature. During the summers, he would drive a bus load of students to a nature camp in Minnesota. He may have been the only teacher

ever at Country Day to hit a moose with a bus, as he did one year on the way to the camp.

As a track coach, he single-handedly started the MS Track and Field Invitational. That yearly meet is still an annual event at Country Day, only now, it is named the Doc Holliday Track and Field Invitational. Doc also became a certified OHSAA track official.

I was fortunate to work with Doc at the end of his career. His stories and educational thoughts were legendary. I know of very few who had the kind of dedication and love of Cincinnati Country Day School than him. This was his home and family. He had a true love for the students, faculty and staff.

-Steve Conner, CCDS LS/MS physical education teacher and varsity track and gymnastics coach

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7 Questions for alumni entrepreneurs E ducators across the country are introducing students to the vast world of entrepreneurship.

Young Cincinnati Country Day alumni already have flourishing and emerging businesses. Head of School Tony Jaccaci (TJ) recently interviewed three alums who are growing their businesses in Cincinnati and elsewhere.

Joining Jaccaci were:

Kai Schneider ’97 (KS), owner of Dude, Seriously, a hot sauce brand

in school I was working with about 20 non-profit organizations, getting as much experience as I possibly could. Afterwards, a lot of people came up to me and said, ‘You’re really good with this problemsolving thing. Would you stay?’ I decided I love Egyptology too much, so I proceeded to go out to the Mediterranean and go on about 27 archaeological digs. I just completed my 27th this past summer.

I published a few books and I thought, ‘You know what? I love making an effective contribution,’ so I decided to start my own consulting firm. I just started that a few months back, and I’m traveling all over the world.

TJ: In education today, we’re thinking about entrepreneurism. We must teach entrepreneurial skills. How do you define that?

Aashi Mital ’04 (AM), owner of

Pivotal Solutions Consulting

KK: Independent thinking.

KS: Doing. So much is in the “do” Just get up and do it. Most people don’t even get to the point of doing.

Write down your task list and do it. You’ll become an entrepreneur.

Katie Keidel ’07 (KK), owner of Language Social, a language learning business

TJ: Where have you been since Country Day? KK: I attended the College of Charleston for my undergraduate degree and then went to the University of Cincinnati for a graduate degree in health education. Last year, I created a Spanish learning group, which is turning into a full-blown language learning business. We have German and Spanish, right now. I have 10 tutors on staff for French, German, Italian and Spanish. It’s based in Cincinnati, but I also have groups in Charleston. The tutors meet in coffee shops, so it’s face to face.

KS: I went to Pepperdine University, graduated in 2001 and got into the entertainment field managing various bands. The music business became a tech business, so I moved out to San Francisco where I have a tech company. I recently moved here in June, and I started a hot sauce business, Dude, Seriously.

I created this hot sauce, and I still run my tech company.

AM: I got a full ride to the University of Cincinnati to their archaeology program, so I graduated with a bachelors in American History and master’s degree in archaeology, specifically Egyptology. While I was 34 | CONNECTIONS

TJ: Either in your business in California or your business here in Cincinnati, two very different businesses, was there a time when you said, ‘You know what? I’ve done as much as I can. Now is the time to go.’

KS: I think every day you have that challenge. When you have to go to a meeting, you must put your game face on and just do it. There’s so many times you tell yourself, ‘No I’m not good enough’ or ‘This is not going to work out,’ and then you quit. The key is to see it through.

AM: When you're working 9-5 corporate or non-profit, you know when you call in sick, someone's going to have your back. When you’re an entrepreneur, you’re responsible for everything. If you're too lazy or you don't want to push it, basically not going to a networking event, not going to a business meeting, not trying your best every single day, you're accountable. If you don't show up to an appointment and possibly be able to close a deal, quite frankly, it's on your conscience. And if you wonder why you're not getting anywhere, I think it may be time for some reflection.

KS: You have to learn how to do things you don't like or don’t want to do. You have a list of things you have to do, and you look at it and go, 'Oh, that's going to be horrible,' but you've got to do it. You realize when you're working a 9-5 job, you're doing things you don't want to do – for somebody else. There's nothing

by Cindy Kranz

worse than doing things you don't want to do when it's not for you.

AM: Starting a business is like having a baby.

There's not a right time to have a child. Do not let fear paralyze you into not doing something. When I began thinking about starting a consulting business a couple years ago, people were like, ‘Go for it.

You’re published. You’ve worked with companies all over the world - museums, businesses, Fortune 500 companies. What are you waiting for?’ I was absolutely terrified. Once again, set goals. Meet those objectives. You don't have to create a brand in five minutes.

TJ: It sounds like it would not be a good match for a perfectionist.

AM: I'm a perfectionist. There are things perfectionism really works for, but there are other times when it is my worst enemy. Once again, that is something to be overcome. Put your best foot forward, but if things happen, things happen. I think it's a matter of character, also.

KK: I'm struggling with perfectionism because it makes the tasks 10 times longer to finish because I'm trying to make sure everything is perfect. It's silly tasks. It's marketing, like Facebook posts. I'm like ‘I just spent an hour picking out the perfect picture that's going to draw attention.’ I found somebody to take over social media because I was spending so much time on that. That's not where I should be spending my time.

TJ: Where should you be spending time at this stage of your business? You're just getting it going.

Where do you think your time is most valuable in the development?

KK: It's more client relationships. With the initial group I started with, I'm really close with them, and they give me great feedback about my business model. But I haven't really gotten to know some of the newer members, and this business is not only language classes, it's international travel, so people have to feel very comfortable with me to go over to Europe or to Costa Rica on a trip.

TJ: We talk these days about hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are the ability to write well, the ability to speak well, you know your math and have a good quantitative mind, but then the soft skills – grit, persistence, passion. In education today, we're trying to introduce both. It sounds like character is almost more important to being an entrepreneur than some other skills.

ALUMNI

KS: What do you bring with you when you graduate from Country Day? Is it your math skills or your English skills? I think LinkedIn is the most important thing you can graduate with coming out of Country Day. There should be a class on just LinkedIn presentations. Facebook, how you post.

AM: What's the first line on your resume? How to build a resume. I think kids at 16 need to have a professional resume, not ‘I worked at Pete's Pizza in the summer of '94.’ Professional development is paramount, I cannot say that enough. Not only about social media. Not only about public speaking.

What do you wear to a job interview? It's how to be someone who can get a job.”

TJ: It sounds like you have to be a true believer in yourself. Does being an entrepreneur require an incredible amount of confidence? Do you find that you feel very confident or do you find that selfdoubt, at times?

KS: I have self-doubt every single day.

AM: Here's my unfortunate demon that I'm dealing with right now. I don't know what happened to a little bit of my self confidence. The concept of fake it till you make it, fine that's great. It works on certain days and other days you just want to hide under the bed. For me, I feel like I've lost a little bit of that gumption, a little bit of that boldness. With me, yes there's a demand, but in some cases I had to create that demand. I was not, nor am I, as fortunate as some entrepreneurs. And that mental state that you have to deal with, just picking yourself up every single day, makes you lose your confidence. We literally just started back in August. It's beyond scary.

I don't think I even have a word for how terrifying to the point where, I'm not a crier, and I've been doing a lot of crying.

KK: I am a crier, and it's intense.

AM: It's very intense and you learn a lot about yourself, not just your professional skills. You learn about your boundaries, your limits. You learn about how much you can take, what you can take and then you learn how to work on that. Let's demystify that myth right now. Not every entrepreneur becomes a unicorn or becomes a multi-millionaire. Blood, sweat, tears. You eat it, breathe it, live it, and nobody really sees how much work you put into something that just appears to be genius or magical.

KS: Yes, you have to be confident because there's going to be risk involved, and you have to get all your self doubt out, but at that point when you start your business you'll know that you are educated enough to make the decisions to, hopefully, get this thing off the ground. I would cry at every job. I'd stress myself

Head of School Tony Jaccaci with (l-r) Katie Keidel, Aashi Mital, and Kai Schneider

out. I'd overwork. I'd spread myself too thin. I didn't see the solutions. I didn't know how to create the solutions because of manpower or funding or whatever it may have been.

Eventually, you'll just say ‘OK, I have this much time. I can only dedicate myself so much.’ Then when you have kids, you have no free time. But what I had to do for myself is to say, ‘How do I start making money without working?’ I need recurring revenue, and I can sit back and it's going to come in so it will allow me to do something else, because if you're always giving your hours, there are never enough hours in the day. That's the first step.

‘Who do I trust enough to run this business for me that I can get a little time back?’ You need it too, because you must have your thinking evolve. You can't always be down in tasks and worrying about that bottom line. You can, eventually, have this thing running itself and technology is such a big benefit. ■

SAVE THE DATE

MATCH DAY 2018

THURSDAY, MAY 10 2018 marks the fifth Annual Fund Match Day at Country Day! Please join in on the excitement of Match Day and help us once again meet our goal of raising $200,000 in 24-hours by making a gift on 5/10/18.

Your gifts will help us fulfill our mission and reinforce the elements that make Country Day a first class education. www.CountryDay.net/go/CCDS

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ALUMNI

Health and Creativity A recipe for success

by Cindy Kranz

Megan Tysoe ’06 Georgetown University, B.A. in Finance Owner, Rooted Juicery + Kitchen

M

egan Tysoe cried when she took a leap of faith and signed the lease to a building where she planned to open her first juice bar. They were part tears of joy, but mostly tears of fear.

“I remember the day I signed the lease I had a little panic attack,” Tysoe said. “I was like, ‘What did I do?

What if no one comes? What if no one likes it?’’’ Not only was the juice bar concept new to Cincinnati, but she was a new business owner. “It was scary.”

That seems so long ago as Tysoe now has three juice bars in the Cincinnati area. “I’ve been really excited and pleased with the way that it’s been received and all the support I’ve gotten from friends, family and community members.”

Her first Rooted Juicery + Kitchen opened in 2015 in Oakley. The second store opened in 2016 in Mariemont.

A third opened downtown in the Central Business District last November. “There are so many people looking for healthier lunch options. It’s been a good fit.

It was a really important store for me to do.”

After college, Tysoe moved to New York to work in investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

“I did that for a year, but it wasn’t for me. That wasn’t the path that made me happy. I had a few health issues when I was in college, and changing my diet helped me feel better, so I became passionate about that.”

Tysoe enrolled in the Natural Gourmet Institute, a plant-based alternative culinary school focused on health more than traditional schools. All recipes could be modified in a vegan, gluten free version.

“They brought in a lot of Eastern methodologies like ayurvedic cooking, detox kitchens, how to cook for people diagnosed with cancer, a focus on organic ingredients, environmentalism and local foods. It was really specialized.”

She did an internship in Jupiter, Florida at Christopher’s Kitchen.

The owner, Chris Slawson, became a close friend and mentor. Tysoe helped him with his cleanse program.

She had learned about cleansing and detoxing, mostly through self study and her own experiences doing cleanses.

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Tysoe returned to New York where she held several culinary jobs before discerning that she often ended up doing more desk work than creative work. “I always felt like I wanted to start my own company, and that creative drive was really important to me. My mentor, Chris, said he would help if I ever wanted to open my own place, but the stars never aligned.”

A family friend, whose children also went to Country Day, had experienced her own healing process through holistic foods and encouraged her to come back to Cincinnati. The market was wide open for juice bars, and vegan and organic food.

Tysoe visited Cincinnati to explore her options. She toured Turner Farm, now one of her main partners.

She met with the University of Cincinnati Integrative Wellness Division. She talked with family and friends.

Everything fell into place.

“I felt like I could make an impact on the community, whereas in New York or even Colorado or L.A., there are many places like this. So, I felt I could help people feel better, the way this kind of food helped me.”

She returned at the end of 2014 when she started the project. Her mentor came to Cincinnati as a consultant and worked with her as she created recipes.

“When people ask me what Rooted is, I say we’re a plant-based juice bar and restaurant, which means we don’t use any animal products. We do use honey, so that’s why we don’t just say we’re vegan. Our focus is on eating a lot of plants, not just eating vegan and not eating animal products, because they’re very different,” Tysoe said.

“You can eat Oreos all day, and those are vegan, but that’s not healthy, so we’re focused on consuming the healthiest foods – foods that are not only good for you but they make you feel good, and they’re also leaving a gentle footprint on our environment.”

Rooted sources as much food locally as possible and is nearly 100 percent organic. The stores also have water filtration systems that remove fluoride and chlorine.

They use recyclable containers in the kitchen and compostable containers for customers.

“We’re constantly trying to create a brand and a

company that’s focused on sustainability, wellness and health of our bodies, communities, and planet. So, it’s an all-encompassing mission,” Tysoe said.

It’s not easy opening a plant-based restaurant in a city, nicknamed Porkopolis, that prides itself on Skyline chili and Montgomery Inn ribs. Educating the public about her products has been a challenge. “There are a lot of people who say, ’Why would I eat this way? What is this food? What’s your story?’ That’s one reason we put our core values on the wall, because we want to educate people.”

Her biggest challenge was believing in herself and taking the risk. Managing different people and personalities was another challenge, but she’s proud to say she has a great team that collaborates to make Rooted a success. She currently has 70 employees.

Tysoe, who’s been a vegetarian for eight years, believes Rooted has been successful because it offers an alternative. She’s received requests to launch Rooted stores in several suburban communities, but for now, she’s focused on developing new menu items, opening an online store and expanding catering.

“I would prefer to grow smart than to grow fast. I’m excited to see how it will naturally evolve. There’s definitely been challenges and struggles, but at the end of the day, it’s definitely worth it.”

How Country Day prepared her “I definitely felt very supported and guided at Country Day. I still have an amazing group of friends that are incredibly special to me.

I don’t think I’d be the person I am today without those friendships. The same with the teachers. I always felt empowered and fostered in the CCDS environment.”

“One of the things that’s important in my career is creativity. I was able to cultivate that at Country Day, whether it was through a photography class or Ms. (Kelly) Hammond’s India class that I loved. I remember that had an amazing impact on me because it was a different perspective, a different way of looking at things. It was one of my first actual classes on awareness and mindfulness, and that had a really big influence on me.”

“I was very competitive, and I think that competitive spirit was fueled through the athletic program. It’s something that I now channel in a different way, but I think it helps me a lot in a business sense. Country Day also helped develop great values, like the importance of teamwork.”

ALUMNI

3,000

Alumni

7 Days

1 DAY

COUNTRY

During Homecoming Week 2017, Cincinnati Country Day Alumni came together in friendly competition to raise money for the Country Day Annual Fund. Each alumni class competed for bragging rights for the highest alumni participation and the most money raised. During this seven-day Alumni Challenge, over $25,000 was raised, with the class of 1982 winning for highest participation at 29%, while the class of 1985 won for most money raised with over $5,000.

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Address Service Requested Parents of alumni: If this publication is addressed to your son or daughter, who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify CCDS of his or her new mailing address by emailing the change to alumniaddresschanges@countryday.net.

38 | CONNECTIONS

8th graders on the traditional Washington, D.C. educational trip.