The 4 C's Make Us Unique
Many features make CCDS a top school, locally and nationally. But, Country Day stands alone in four major areas that we define as our distinguishing characteristics - curriculum, campus, community, and character.
Curriculum
Our rigorous academic curriculum inspires and challenges each student in a joyful learning environment. As an independent school we have the resources, training and freedom to teach what is important for the personal and educational growth of students. Country Day was founded in 1926 on traditional educational values with a progressive approach to student learning. With the guidance of a dedicated and experienced faculty as well as the exposure to cutting-edge technology, our students become master learners, independent thinkers, and even inventors – several students have received patents for their works that began here in one of our engineering classes. Our innovative learning and teaching programs involve hand-on learning with an emphasis on both environmental awareness and global engagement. Makerspaces, campus gardens, outdoor classrooms, and exchange programs in Spain and France, are just a few examples of opportunities that abound.
Campus
Located away from major thoroughfares, traffic jams, and crowded buildings, sits the crown jewel of educational settings in the Midwest – the pastoral 62-acre Country Day campus. The campus is more than large enough to support students from Early Childhood through Grade 12 on the same campus – a benefit for families eliminating the need to be at multiple locations. The campus has nine athletic fields so that students of any age can practice and play at the same time, supporting our varsity athletes as well as our youth programs. The campus also provides numerous natural spaces and opportunities for our well-established outdoor program. Top off the beautiful setting with a new athletic center and pool, two gymnasiums, separate buildings for Upper School, Middle School and Lower School, a new Early Childhood Center and playscape, an outdoor performing arts center with amphitheater, a world-class theater, a new tennis center, and a modern dining facility, and you have an environment conducive to providing unprecedented learning opportunities where students can explore their interests and find their passions.
Community
We believe we are stronger with an involved community - people who take an active part in the school whether it be as parents, students, alumni, teachers, grandparents, volunteers, or friends. Country Day is not a drop-off and pick-up community. Our buildings were designed with common spaces for community engagement. We invite parents and others to join us for coffee in the morning and a Lower School sing-a-long, stay for lunch with your kids, attend a Parent Association meeting, listen to a lecture as part of our speaker series, take a jog around our track or cross country course, use the cardio balcony in our athletic complex, take care of business through our wireless network found in our many common spaces and lounges, or simply enjoy a good book in one of our many tree groves. During the afternoons and evenings you will find families on campus enjoying a sporting event, art exhibit in the Messer Art Gallery, play or musical performance, nature trail, or multiple playgrounds and new playscape. We work hard to make sure that our community members are known, and to that end, we work closely with the Indian Hill Rangers, divisional receptionist, and grounds and facility personnel to provide a safe, suburban campus. At Country Day, we are family.
Character/Competencies
A Country Day student is provided an academically enriched experience with opportunities to explore many things like the arts, athletics, and service outside of the classroom. But woven into the fabric of every aspect of a Country Day education is character. We educate the moral and ethical leaders for the next generation - students who will “do the right thing even when no one is watching.” It is ingrained in the life of the school and not only are our five character virtues - Respect, Responsibility, Integrity, Compassion, Courage - publicly posted and talked about frequently, but they too are included in our educational lessons, and emphasized during sporting events, fields trips, and assemblies. A Country Day education provides a tremendous, well-rounded foundation for the future of every student, and a key component is character.