Parents’ Association

2021–2022 PA Executive Council

Gwen Golden, President Jen Kline, President-Elect/Interim VP

Community, Diversity & Inclusion Carina Calia, Treasurer Shannon Kieske, Secretary Hilary Flanagan, VP,

Community Service Sonia O’Connor, VP, Volunteers Ashley Williams, VP, Communications

PA Committees & Events

• Annual Fund Ambassadors • Campus Beautification • Class Representative Program • Community Service —

Early Childhood • Community Service — Lower School • Community Service —

Middle & Upper School • Cougar Run • DEI Task Force • Faculty & Staff Appreciation • Festival of Books

• Frogtown Fair • Greenery • Host Family Program • Kyle A. Markes Day of Service • Logo • Nominating & Appointments • Sports Photography Coordinator • Mothers at Work • Upper School Dinner

The Parents’ Association provided a welcome sense of community in a nontraditional school year.

Parent Education Series

NCCS parents enjoyed a virtual, hands-on exploration of Mixed Media Collage guided by Mark Macrides, Visual Arts Program coordinator and teacher, events coordinator and archivist. Participants received a bag of materials, and many added some of their own meaningful additions to create a custom piece of artwork. The experience was interactive, inspiring and relaxing for many who enjoyed learning a new skill and creating something outside of their familiar comfort zones.

The parent education series provides a way for parents to come together around shared interests while also getting to experience the hands-on, project-based style of education for which Country School is known. Additional offerings included a technology class with Director of Innovation and Academic Technology Aron Back, a parenting presentation on transitions for children during these challenging time(s) by professional counselor, educator, therapist and parent Andreé Palmgren, and a cooking class with Caryn Antonini ’87.

1 2

3 4 5

PA Shares Gratitude: NCCS Faculty & Staff Are Superheroes!

As a means of expressing its gratitude for the school’s faculty and staff whose jobs became exponentially more complicated during the pandemic, the Parents’ Association facilitated several events throughout the year. During the spring, these included dinners to go and a day completely dedicated to showing gratitude and appreciation.

1. On May 5, the PA celebrated NCCS faculty and staff with a day of appreciation and gratitude. 2. Lower School students posed with the “Caped Cougar” during Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day. (Front row left to right): Tata Harper, Claire

Charnin, Taylor Kern, Natalie Cahill,

Elin Charron, Tilly Mann. (Second row left to right): Courtney Rumilly,

Archer MacLear, Declan McMullen,

Ben Cotter, Major Hasbrouck,

Michael Faugno and Michael Suozzi. 3. Ella Harvey, Oliver Jellinek and

Cece Johnson were among the ninth graders who went to each

academic building with handmade signs and noisemakers to show their appreciation for their current and former teachers. 4. Tully Newport, Avery Costigan and

Ethan Costigan joined the “Caped

Cougar” mascot to greet families during morning drop-off. 5. Students thanked faculty and staff. 6. Liz Arredondo, 2020–2021

PA President Liz Keogh, and

Advancement Support Manager

Renee Bornstein were among those instrumental in facilitating family dinner delivery to all members of the faculty and staff April 9. 6

“The PA is so grateful to the NCCS faculty and staff for the extraordinary efforts they’ve put forth in the past year to keep our school community healthy and strong! The flexibility and resilience shown by them will resonate throughout our community for years to come!”

A Commitment to Service

Larger Than the Sum of Our Parts: NCCS Community Comes Together for 7th Annual Kyle A. Markes Day of Service

Country School families came together, in person and online, to serve the wide-ranging needs of 14 local nonprofit organizations April 17. They were participating in the seventh annual Kyle A. Markes Day of Service, in honor of an NCCS classmate who passed away in 2013. Kyle was passionate about community service and basketball, and the annual event incorporates both.

Volunteers restocked the food pantries at New Covenant Center (Stamford) and Person-to-Person (Norwalk); performed spring cleanup and planted flowers for Waveny Care Center (New Canaan), the New Canaan Inn (New Canaan), Open Door Shelter (Norwalk) and Inspirica (Stamford); and fulfilled the wishlists of nonprofit organizations including the Boys & Girls Club of Stamford, Building One Community (Stamford), Filling in the Blanks (Norwalk), the Horizon Family Fund Emergency Fund (New Canaan), Family & Children’s Agency (Norwalk) and Camp AmeriKids (Stamford). Volunteers also made fleece blankets for the babies in the NICU and cards for the mothers comforted by the Tiny Miracles Foundation (New Canaan) and provided toys for pediatric patients of Yale’s Smilow Cancer Center (New Haven). In a twist on the 3x3 basketball tournament and student fundraiser held annually pre-pandemic, students this year participated in a “Markes Madness Diaper Dunk!” whereby each homeroom class earned one basketball free throw for every box of macaroni and cheese they donated, as well as five free throws for every package of diapers donated. Students then got to take free throws and try to “win” by sinking the most shots. All food items collected were delivered to Person-to-Person on April 17.

1. Families worked together at home to create notes of encouragement to send to Filling in the Blanks, an organization that fights childhood hunger, to be included in weekend meal packs. 2. Chloe and Aimee Ableman 3. Regina, Alie, Mark and John

Betz; Erica Visokey; Tom,

Erin, Vivian and Lillian Kanter; and Liz, Kyle and Daley

Keogh performed spring cleanup at the nonprofit

Inspirica, in Stamford. 4. Kyle A. Markes Day of Service

Committee Chairs Aimee

Ableman, Lindsay O’Donnell,

Sally Fonner and Kristin Cahill 5. Gwyneth Majmudar 6. Marin Gokgol-Kline was among a group of volunteers who replanted flowers at the entrance to Waveny Care

Center in New Canaan. 7. Sarah, Nico, Oliver and Erik

Cetrulo brightened the entrance of the nonprofit agency Open Door Shelter of Norwalk with flowers.

4 5

6 7

Campus Beautification

Parents, students, faculty and staff gathered April 24 to brighten each building’s entrance and ensure that the NCCS campus is a joyful place to learn, visit and work.

Volunteers Clean Up Cove Island

NCCS community members spent a day at Cove Island, an inlet in Stamford, where they picked up 30 pounds of trash and 47 bottle caps, which will be counted toward the Sound Waters “One Million Bottle Cap” Challenge.