Walking the Walk: Grandparents Making a Difference Every Day

“Be curious.” Those are the parting words Andy `35 and Alex `33 hear each morning, words that reflect the values of their grandparents, Richard and Madelyn Setterberg, who are fixtures at Cincinnati Country Day School. Whether leading Walking Club, reading to classes, or helping with FallFest, their presence is felt – and appreciated – by all.

“Country Day is important to us because it’s important to these kids,” Madelyn says. “We’re on campus every day; it’s fun for us and fun for the kids.”

For this family, Country Day is more than a school, it’s a community. It’s the place that welcomed them at events like Grandparents & Special Friends Day even before they became the children's primary guardians. It’s where the seniors walk hand-in-hand with kindergarteners during Convocation, where teachers send home a special dinner after you have surgery, and where nine people recently gathered to thoughtfully determine the best advisory placement for Alex, who moved up to Middle School this year. “It’s astonishing,” Madelyn says. “The attention, the care, the personal investment in every single child. It’s relentless in the best way.”

The support they've received from the Country Day community has been profound, especially after Rich’s daughter’s passing. “We didn’t know what we were facing,” says Rich. “But the love and help we received? It’s something we’ll never forget. Someone was always there with a meal, a kind word, or a helping hand.”

And while they’ve redirected nearly all their volunteer efforts to the school, financial giving is also a family value. “We give the kids a $10 weekly allowance and $1 of it goes to charity for them to get used to the idea that you don’t get your entire paycheck but also to use the money for someone else’s good. For the past few years, they’ve chosen to donate to Country Day. Giving back is a habit we’re helping them build early. If everyone helps a little, no one has to do too much.”

From the everyday – like walking in rain, heat, and snow with lower schoolers – to less visible behind-the-scenes work during Faculty & Staff Appreciation Week, Madelyn and Rich show up. They do what needs to be done. “We don’t sit down and decide how we want to give our time to the school,” Rich explains. “We just assume we’re going to. We say yes whenever can.”

When asked why it matters to give back, Madelyn simply says: “Because Country Day wouldn’t be what it is without the community. The faculty and staff are remarkable, but the parents and grandparents, the volunteers, they’re the extra ingredient. We all make this school what it is.”