Honoring Achievement in the Arts: A celebration marked by the Arts Hall of Fame induction and the debut of the Young Alumni Recognition Award

(Photo caption, from left to right: Carlton Monroe (Arts Alliance president), Nick Rose (arts department chair), Rebecca Honig `95, Alan Light `84, Christian Fitzpatrick `22, H. Miller Lyle `19, Malcolm Dalglish `71, Rob Zimmerman `98 (head of school). 

This spring, Cincinnati Country Day School welcomed the fourth class of inductees into the school’s Arts Hall of Fame: Malcolm M. Dalglish `71, Alan D. Light `84, and Rebecca M. Honig `95.

The school’s Arts Hall of Fame celebrates the school’s strong and vibrant tradition in the arts. Former students and community members are recognized for their contributions to the fine, musical, performing, and literary arts at CCDS and beyond. This year’s class have all achieved international recognition and were honored for their career achievement.

During the event on May 3, the school celebrated the inaugural recipients of the Young Alumni Recognition Award: H. Miller Lyle `19 and Christian Fitzpatrick `22. With recipients selected by the arts faculty, this award is presented to recent Country Day graduates who were standouts in the arts during their student days.

“In celebrating alumni who have earned international recognition in the arts, as our honorees have, the Hall of Fame reminds us of the legacy of excellence we all must continue to steward at CCDS,” said Head of School Rob Zimmerman `98 at the ceremony. “And in showcasing the achievements of our alumni legends, we raise the ambition of our current students, the stars of tomorrow.”

“As arts department chair and as someone who has spent five years teaching at Country Day, I have had the profound joy of witnessing students transform ideas into action and self-expression,” said Nick Rose. “Here at Country Day, the arts are not simply extracurriculars – they are an essential part of our identity. They allow students to explore their passions, push boundaries, and discover new ways to express themselves and connect with others.”

All five of the graduates who were recognized during the ceremony spoke about how their experiences at Country Day were foundational to the lives they now lead.

“I don’t only remember the projects and grades, I remember being encouraged to take risks, question, and find other ways of doing things,” says Miller. “I still carry the habits I formed here, most of all staying open to discovery.”

Alan shared that sentiment, explaining that Country Day was influential in giving him the skills and experience necessary to succeed in his career today.

“So much of my thinking about music and writing and the relationship between the two happened while I was a student here [at Country Day]. That is the opportunity that a school like this allows its students – you can do a lot of stuff and you have access to a lot of things, and that is not possible at a lot of other schools. I could be on the basketball team, write for The Scroll, serve in the student government, deejay school dances, and start a film club. My time at Country Day is when everything came together in precise and sporadic ways.”

In providing advice for current and future Country Day students, Christian felt it important to remind them that “it's an easy trap to ask, ‘Is everything I’m learning really going to come up in the work I do in my career?’ And my answer is yes, it definitely does. Every experience, every teacher, every class, every friend; it will come back again and again in every pursuit.”

The inductees also reflected on their experiences in the arts while they were students as well as how they could see the arts booming at Country Day today.

“I had an exciting life here at Country Day, and what I saw here yesterday during my visit with students in music classes and on the walls was a different, even more creative version of the prep school I left in `71,” commented Malcolm during the ceremony. “The school is an immersive community of incredible mentors and inspired student makers, not just frontal lobe test takers; a place where the art of education and the education of art thrived.”

Rebecca could not agree more, citing her experience in the first grade Nativity play as the moment it all clicked into place for her. “I knew in that moment that this was my vocation, to be an actor…. From then on, I was singularly focused on a life of pursuing the arts, especially theater, and took advantage of ever opportunity the school had to offer…. Country Day helped me cultivate the future life I wanted to build.”

She continued, speaking about how influential her teachers were on her creating the life she wanted, including her own mother, Betsy Honig, who was a kindergarten teacher at Country Day for 15 years.

“Her passion was infectious. I saw what it meant to love what you do, which I know was and still is a sentiment shared by countless Country Day teachers…. More than anything that is the thing that gave me a vision to aspire to: A career in the arts that made me feel like she felt every day.”

Alan also expressed gratitude for the teachers who “stay with you for the rest of your life.” He also encouraged students to not only lean into the expert educators at Country Day but also to try new things. “These are the years to explore, to take chances, to do something that you may not be the best at. Don't avoid those risks. And then don't be afraid to commit to the things you love.”

Click here for more photos from the event on May 3.
 

BIOGRAPHIES
Malcolm M. Dalglish ’71 is widely acclaimed musician (a player of hammer dulcimers, primarily, but also of spoons and bones!), singer, choral director, and composer. As a child, he traveled the world with the American Boychoir. After graduating from CCDS, he was in residence with a new theater troupe at Oberlin College then attended UC’s College Conservatory of Music. Malcolm was a founding member of the popular folk trio Metamora. Choirs throughout the world have commissioned him to create music for them, and he performs with them everywhere from schools and festivals to Carnegie Hall. Malcolm’s folk choir, The Ooolites, is known for a sound that is both earthy and ethereal. Malcolm also runs a singing camp in the Sierra Mountains called Ooolation.

Alan D. Light ’84 is one of America’s leading music journalists and a popular radio and podcast host. He was a senior writer at Rolling Stone, founding music editor and editor-in-chief of Vibe, and editor-in-chief of Spin. He is a frequent contributor to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Esquire, among other publications. Alan is the author of numerous books, including Let’s Go Crazy: Prince and the Making of Purple Rain; biographies of Johnny Cash, Nina Simone, and the Beastie Boys; and was the co-writer of New York Times bestselling memoirs by Gregg Allman and Peter Frampton. Alan was the long-time co-host of the music talk show Debatable on SiriusXM and his discussions about music can currently be heard on the Sound Up! podcast.

Rebecca M. Honig ’95 is a highly accomplished writer for children’s educational programming as well as a very successful voice actress. Rebecca is the chief content and curriculum officer at ParentPowered, an organization that provides early childhood educational support for underprivileged families. She has authored numerous curricula, parent guides, and children’s storybooks for Sesame Workshop, Scholastic, Disney, Compass Learning, PBS, WGBH, Hispanic Information & Telecommunications Network, Nickelodeon, Mo Willems, and the Norman Rockwell Museum. As an actress, Rebecca has a long list of credits voicing dozens of characters on a variety of anime series and video game franchises.

H. Miller Lyle `19, who was an outstanding photography student at CCDS, recently graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in photography. He is pursuing a photography career in New York City.

Christian Fitzpatrick `22, who was a multitalented performing artist at CCDS, excelling in band and theater, is studying software development and game design at Northeastern University in Boston.