Sarah Wyllie, '10

Aside from being a top student, classical and electric violin player, and soprano singer, as well as cocaptain of varsity soccer and tricaptain of varsity basketball teams, Sarah Wyllie rose to the challenge of being editor-in-chief at New Canaan Country School like a pro. She says, “I enjoyed taking on the many responsibilities—from convincing other students to write to distributing the final product. Juggling many tasks made working on The Column team a rewarding experience.” She would love a career in journalism. At school the outgoing student attacked her roles of ambassador for the admissions office and chair of the leadership council with zeal, sharing her experiences with prospective students and their parents. For the leadership council, she spoke to, and collaborated with, peers on behalf of the student body on issues of pressing importance. When it comes to community service, Sarah is eager to lend a hand and a big smile. She volunteered with the Horizons Friends Corps, a mentoring program that partners eighth graders with fourth graders from area public schools. She also volunteered at Stamford’s Waveny Care Center, serving dinner to residents, and helped organize the Special Olympics on campus.

Hugh McGlade, '10 

This fall Hugh McGlade enters tenth grade at Groton School. Witty and urbane for a student so young, Hugh’s passions put him front and center: politics and theater. Hugh was drawn to the stage after seeing the annual musicals at New Canaan Country School. He recalls thinking, “Wow, one day I want that to be me.” In seventh grade he signed up for Bye Bye Birdie and played Harvey Johnson. “Even with a small part like that, I loved being onstage.” His most memorable role? Harold Hill, the fast-talking, charismatic salesman in The Music Man. He says, “If there is one role in theater written for me, it is Harold Hill. He is loud, persuasive, and gregarious.” A natural leader, Hugh was also editor of The Column, the school newspaper. He says he enjoyed “talking to possible writers, giving them an idea, watching them work on a piece, and eventually publishing it.” And his peers nicknamed him “The Senator” after he convinced the head of the Upper School to let him lead assemblies. This active teen aspires to be a prosecutor. He explains, “In my opinion, Law and Order is the best television show ever created. Ever since my obsession with it began, I have dreamed of being a prosecutor. Last year a senior state’s attorney [a prosecutor] came to my school. He gave a presentation about Internet safety, and when he finished, I walked up to him and asked, ‘Do you like your job?’ His response was, ‘I love going to work every day.’ To hear those words from a real lawyer and not a scripted actor reassured me that my dream is very worthwhile.”

Bridgette Lemoine, '08 & David Morgan, '08

Written by Carrie Schmelkin, Reporter/New Canaan Advertiser

Friday, 06 August 2010 07:58

While some students will spend the remaining summer days compiling book reports, a reality faced after two months of procrastination, New Canaan Country School kids will complete a different type of summer requirement — writing and sharing posts about their reading on the school’s online forum.

This summer, for the third year, seventh through ninth graders have been logging onto the school’s summer reading Web site, nccsreads.net, and writing informal responses about their summer reading choices. There are grade- and school-specific forums, and students may bring up a topic of conversation to which their peers can respond.

“I like to see what everyone else is reading and how they like the books they are reading,” student Jimmy Dolphin, 13, of New Canaan told the Advertiser.“It’s a helpful way for us to hear opinions about the books we are reading,” he said.

The brainchild of Head Librarian Mary Ann Lansdale, the site, she said, allows students to interact over the summer and share their thoughts on what they are reading in an online forum that promotes the school’s commitment to incorporating technology into lesson plans. Students are encouraged to post comments about the school-wide required reading book, “The Outsiders,”and about their nonfiction, fiction and classic reading choices for the summer. While in previous years students were required to submit written papers, the online forum is now the mandatory summer assignment. “The book report and journal writing doesn’t really create a community of readers,” Lansdale told the Advertiser. “It’s very focused on the individual.”

“When anyone reads a book and likes it, they tell someone else about it and have a conversation about it, and we wanted to get back to that,” she said. “The best way to do that with young adults is to use technology.”

Students can write book reviews, blogs, expository reports or any other style of writing that they choose, according to Director of Communications Jennifer Christensen. Kids are given login names and passwords to access the site and they can create their own thread — topic of discussion — or post underneath someone else’s.

Posts range from students comments about how a specific book might suit one gender better, to which character a student found most exciting, to whether or not the reader would recommend the book.

“It’s a way for kids to have an interactive relationship with each other in summer reading,” Christensen said.

“Just the way they might log onto Facebook to see what people are doing at camp, they will log onto nccsread.net to see what people are thinking of the books,” she said.

For Jimmy, he said his favorite part is reading what his peers think of their reading selections and sharing his own thoughts about his choices.

This summer, the rising eighth grader read “Blowback” by Brad Thor, among other books, and has posted about once every week. He told his peers it’s “a very good book” with a lot of storylines. “I think it’s helpful because it gives kids an idea of what might be a good book to read and what people think of the books they are reading,” he said of the postings.

Another helpful tool of the site is that several authors whose books are on the suggested reading list have logged in to the site to talk directly to NCCS students and answer their questions, administrators said.

Past authors have included Jordan Sonnenblick, a young adult fiction writer, David Lubar, author of more than 10 teen books, and Wendelin Van Draanen, a children’s mystery writer. “It’s really cool when the teachers can ask questions of the authors and have a virtual dialogue,” Christensen said.

In the next few weeks, Lansdale said that she hopes students will continue to post to the site and interact even more with each other about what they think of their summer reading assignments. “We try to make it really relaxed because we want them to enjoy reading, we don’t want it to be a drudgery,” she

NEW CANAAN – Passersby might have mistaken New Canaan Country School as a scene from the New Orleans Mardi Gras parade, as huge puppets donned rich pink, yellow, green and blue hues were hoisted into the air by students Wednesday.

The puppet parade marked the culmination of an exciting day at Country School, Sustainability Day. The campus was peppered with activities to promote school-wide awareness of sustainability issues including economic, social and environmental in an age-appropriate way. Students used recycled materials to make the puppets after studying puppet-making in Carol Borelli and Karen Wappler’s art classes with Resident Artist Heather Kahlert of Chronic Puppets. Borelli said students learned how to make the recycled materials to create art that moves in a theatrical way.

“The day had a lot of layers. For our very youngest students it was about teaching them to love and appreciate the environment,” said Dave Stoller, Director of Sustainability and one of the event organizers. “For our older students it’s about bringing in the issues, teaching them the impact of their actions on the environment and having them take ownership of those actions so that they develop a sense of stewardship towards the environment.

New Canaan Country School is proud to announce that four alumni from the Class of 2007 have been nominated for the 2010 U.S. Presidential Scholars Award.

The award is given to our nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors. If chosen, Class of 2007 Country School graduates, Veer S. Dedhia (Brien McMahon High School), Marissa C. Friedman (Westhill High School), Ethan D. Spector (Middlesex School), and Philip T. Pennell (Rye Country Day School), will travel to Washington, D.C. in April to join other Scholars for several days of events, including a trip to the White House to meet the President, an awards ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a community service activity to benefit a charity, and performances by the Presidential Scholars of the Arts.

To qualify for the award, students must be a U.S. citizen and receive a diploma January and August of the current year. They need to score exceptionally well on either the SAT of the College Board or the ACT of the American College Testing Program. The program was established in 1964, by executive order of the President, to honor graduating high school seniors who do exceptionally well academically. The program was expanded in 1979 to include, students who demonstrate exceptional talent in the visual, creative and performing arts. Each year, up to 141 students are named as Presidential Scholars, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students.

On a frigid New Year’s Day, a record 28 people jumped into the 39 degree waters of Long Island sound to raise funds for the Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Shane DiGiovanna, a fifth grader at New Canaan Country School, suffers from Epidermolysis Bullosa, a rare condition which causes fragile skin that has to be bandaged every day in order to protect it from further breakdowns.

Shane explains his condition by saying: “If you have EB then your hands web up and so you have to get plenty of painful surgeries. Getting bandaged every day hurts really, really badly, so I’d like there to be a cure. “

“What started out as a dare amongst middle aged, out of shape guys, has evolved into a new way to help EB kids,” said Shane’s father, Chuck DiGiovanna of Southport, CT, one of the event organizers. “The cold water hurts for a few seconds and then you are out. EB hurts all the time.” This is the 10th anniversary of the ‘Farcical Aquatic Ceremony’ held at Ye Olde Yacht Yard in Southport, CT.

Country School teacher, Kristen Ball, took the plunge for Shane, and was cheered on by Division Head, Kirsten Rosolen. A record 28 people jumped into the frigid waters, raising nearly $6,000 for the EB Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

It was fabulous for Shane to have his teachers there. We so appreciate the love and support that New Canaan Country School has given to our family,” said Shane’s mother, Patsy DiGiovanna. “The EB Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital is practically the only comprehensive center in the country to care for children with Shane's rare skin condition,”

For more information about Epidermolysis Bullosa, or to make a donation for the (EB) Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, please contact: Patsy DiGiovanna (203) 292-6024 or pdigiovanna@aol.com

Country School Alumni, William Oppenheim III ’01 was among 32 students named Rhodes Scholar representing the United States.

Oppenheim, a 2009 Bowdoin College graduate, was selected from 805 applicants at 326 schools, and joins an international group of scholars who will study at the University of Oxford in England. He was given the scholarship, worth about $50,000 per year, because of his international efforts with the Omprakash Foundation, which he founded five years ago. The foundation (www.omprakash.org) provides an online database of overseas volunteer opportunities that is completely free and education-driven.

“We are extremely proud of all of Willy’s accomplishments, and future endeavors,” said Tim Bazemore, Head of School. “The Oppenheims have been a part of the Country School community for 20 years, with their youngest child Rosey, currently an eighth-grader here. We are all certain that this is not the last time that Willy will make national headlines for his outstanding volunteerism.”

Even as a sixth grader at Country School, Willy knew he would take the road less traveled. Unlike most of his peers, Oppenheim opted out of going straight to college after graduating from the Taft School, and instead traveled to Dharamsala, India where he taught Tibetan refugees.

“I spent my adolescent summers idolizing the laborers with whom I worked construction in rural Maine. The chasm between this environment and my affluent Connecticut hometown made me self-conscious of my privilege and determined to forgo college until I felt certain that my elite education could benefit someone other than myself,” Oppenheim wrote in his Rhodes Scholar essay.

He recently visited Country School to spread awareness about possible volunteer efforts with Omprakash. Sarah Wyllie, Editor-in-Chief of the Country School’s student-run newspaper, The Column, said she was inspired by the Omprakash Foundation. Wyllie said she hopes to model an existing Omprakash program that connected a journalism club at a private school in California with a journalism program at a girls’ school in Kenya.

To date, Omprakash has more than 100 educational partners in 26 countries. As a first-year student at Bowdoin, Oppenheim got involved with Tedford Housing, a non-profit in Brunswick Maine, that helps provide shelter, housing and services for the homeless. He also founded the Global Citizens Grant, which provides students with the opportunity to pursue summer volunteer and public service projects outside the U.S., with the intent of supporting student projects that are independently-designed and focus on providing direct service by working in local communities.

Oppenheim admits the Rhode Scholarship was not even on his radar. An opportunity arose where he could lead outdoor leadership courses in the mountains of Washington State after graduating in May. It was just before leaving on this lengthy expedition that he sent in his application for a Rhodes scholarship. Had it not been for the Omprakash Foundation, Oppenheim said he would have passed over the application process until a friend put his vision into perspective.

“He told me that ‘whatever I was trying to accomplish the Omprakash Foundation, I could do it better with the Rhodes Scholarship.’ ” So he pondered a bit, and entered his application. About 50 days later, when he emerged from the mountains of Washington State, he saw an email stating that he made the next round.

That was on Nov. 8 and he was due in New York 12 days later for weekend of rigorous interviews. Oppenheim said the competition was “fierce”, however, by the end of the weekend, he felt pretty comfortable. He felt it easy to talk about the foundation that he had been working on for five years and that dedication helped him land the scholarship.

“I felt like I could be 100 percent honest and myself,” he said. “Our mission is not to give away X amount of money per year, but to keep the Web site going.”

His next step is to study comparative and international education at Oxford University, use what he learns to continue running his foundation, and help grassroots organizations around the world represent themselves on the Inte

Written by Carrie Schmelkin, Reporter with the New Canaan Advertiser
Friday, 27 November 2009

Students fly down the halls of the New Canaan Country School to the cafeteria — lining up behind one another as they seize up the lunch offerings for Thursday. With eyes wide open, first through ninth graders begin stacking their trays with bagels, fresh meat, French fries and fruit.

“We are always told take what you can eat, but no one ever pays attention to that,” said freshman Jenkins Marshall of New Canaan. “Our eyes are bigger than our stomachs.” As part of a school-wide initiative to help raise student awareness about consumption and waste, the Country School recently launched Project Clean Plate, a campaign spearheaded largely by the school’s food provider FLIK Company, owned by Chartwells, and science teacher Scott Lilley.

Since October, students have been asked to separate their food and non-food waste into two separate bins once they are finished eating. At the end of the day, the total amount of waste for

the two bins is calculated. From October 6 to 16, the school threw out 763 pounds of food and 310 pounds of non-food items, according to school administrators.

“The overall goal is to make students aware of how much food we throw away on a given day,” said Lilley. “That leads to the question of what can we do about it.” After observing how much the student body and faculty were throwing out daily, teachers led their kids in a discussion about what steps could be taken to reduce the total amount.

Country School welcomed Special Olympians from around the state for the sixth year on Wednesday, October 21, 2009. New Canaan’s South School, Broadview Middle School of Danbury, and Lincoln Bassett of New Haven were back again along with Rowayton Elementary School and John S. Martinez School of New Haven. Washington School of Waterbury made its debut.

Country School eighth and ninth grade volunteers donned in Special Olympics t-shirts and stood curbside with banners hoisted high into the air cheering on Olympians as they exited buses. “Hosting the Special Olympics here (at Country School) shows we really care about the community,” said Matthew Podlesak, a Country School ninth-grader, from New Canaan. “Everyone is so willing to put a lot of effort into making sure that the Olympians have a good time.”

NEW CANAAN – Country School honored Ambassador to Madagascar and the Comoros, Patricia Lawrence Gates Lynch Ewell ’41, with the Alumni Award. The Alumni Award is to be presented each year to an individual graduate whose life has in an exemplary way embodied the school’s mission.

“A school measures its success, in two ways,” said Headmaster Tim Bazemore. “The quality of its teachers and the accomplishments of its alumni, Mrs. Ewell’s life, in every way, embody our mission which is to inspire students to be lifelong learners with the courage and confidence to make a positive contribution in the world.”

Ewell credits her success to Country School’s first Headmaster, the late Henry Welles. “As I stood on the Great Wall of China, I reflected on the many lessons from Henry Welles who had spent time in China as a missionary,” said Ewell. “He inspired students to learn all about the world.”

 As she accepted the alumni award she reminisced about her time spent at the school and introduced her book “Thanks for Listening,” published in 2008, with a foreword written by Sandra Day O’Connor.

Ewell was not only inspired, she made history becoming one of only ten women to simultaneously serve as the United States Ambassador to Madagascar and the Federal Islamic Republic of Comoros. Before her diplomatic appointments she spent a quarter of a century with the Voice of America. Affectionately known to her listeners as Pat Gates, she hosted Voice of America’s worldwide “Breakfast Show.”

New Canaan Country School’s Head of Early Childhood, Betsy McKenna was chosen to speak at the Fourth International Conference on the Arts in Society in Venice, Italy last month. Her presentation focused on the role of the arts as means to create a community space in an educational setting that fosters relationships between program, people and environment.

New Canaan Country School alum, Joe Chan’86, was appointed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to the New York City Panel for Educational Policy last month. Chan, a Norwalk native, had been a student in the Horizons student enrichment program before enrolling in Country School. After graduating in 1968, Chan went on to Loomis Chaffee and later graduated Magna Cum Laude from New York University’s Metropolitan Studies Program. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service.

He extended his ties with Country School when he joined the board of Horizons’ in 2003, where he now serves alongside 14 other Country School community members, including alums, past faculty and past parents.  Chan also collaborated with Horizons to bring the program to Brooklyn. There are now 15 Horizons’ programs nationwide, including the newest one in Brooklyn, at the Brooklyn Friends School.

Together with seven other appointed members, Chan who also serves as President of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership will be responsible for approving educational policies proposed by the Chancellor as well as the Department of Education’s budget. Other duties include, the school capital plan, certain contracts, labor agreements, proposals for closing failing schools and other significant changes in how schools are utilized.

by Carrie Schmelkin/New Canaan Advertiser

In tough economic times, corporations are turning the creative wheel to lure back customers, some spearheading brand redesigns as part of their makeover. Pepsi, Gatorade and Snapple are just some of the latest manufacturers to jump on the brand revamping bandwagon, with public and private schools now joining in.

New Canaan Country School students were first introduced to their new logo this September, as they arrived for the first day of class and saw a banner hanging high above the main entrance doors. “We have been relatively low-key historically about our marketing presence — not been aggressive advertisers or pushed ourselves on the market,” said Tim Bazemore, school headmaster. “But it’s important for any institution in a competitive environment to make people know who they are so they can make good choices.”

Drawing from two former logos illustrating a shield and the main entrance doorway, the new symbol was designed to reflect the school’s commitment to diversity and dynamic learning, as well as to incorporate more modern elements.

More than 200 middle school girls from throughout Connecticut spent Saturday moving a soda can with static electricity, building a protective egg container from paper, tape and staples, and estimating water drops on a penny at the Academy of Our Lady Lauralton Hall’s annual Spring Science Olympics in Milford.

With the help of Lauralton faculty and students, 40 teams competed in problem-solving events related to physics, engineering and more. This was the first year New Canaan Country School entered and they were represented by the Punnet Squares.

Sixth-graders Lexi Kelley, Katherine Norton, and Christine Campisis, took home the second place trophy in the sixth grade category.

Cloudy skies and the threat of rain didn’t stop fifth graders in Kristen Ball and Katie Norton’s (5B) class from running laps in honor of an organization they care about during the second Annual 5B Cares run at New Canaan Country School.

“This project is about building awareness to inspire a call to action among students, encouraging them to have productive conversations about world issues with a focus on positive things being done for people and places in need,” said Ms. Ball, a fifth-grade teacher at Country School. In September 2008, Ms. Ball’s class was accepted to the National Association of Independent Schools Challenge 20/20 Program, an internet-based program that pairs classes at any grade level (K-12) from schools in the U.S. with their counterpart classes in schools in other countries; together the teams (of two or three schools) tackle real global problems to find solutions that can be implemented at the local level and in their own communities.

Country School parent, New Canaan resident, author, recruiter from world-class search firm, Spencer Stuart, and a thought leader on the twinned subjects of leadership and success, Jim Citrin spoke to a large gathering of parents at the final PACE event of the year.  Mr. Citrin spoke broadly about leadership but focused initially on the secrets of champions who achieve success.

Middle School students hosted a unique musical event Wednesday, April 22, during the Spring Concert, “Celebration of Composers.”

The Class of 1958 commissioned a choral work by composer Robert I. Hugh in honor of their 50^th Reunion. The gift gave middle school students the opportunity debut the song, “And She Sings,” and get personal feedback from Hugh during a recent workshop where the song was also recorded.

“It is quite simply a privilege to be part of a world premiere, and to know that this is a piece that will always be connected (through its written dedication on the actual published music) with our school,” said Marsha Whitman, Middle and Upper School music teacher. “Our children benefit first by the music itself. Their voices are at their best with Rob’s beautiful lines and they are interested in and inspired by his texts.  Students increase their choral musicianship by working on such high-level repertoire.”

Rather than donating costly supplies or a one-time donation to a nonprofit organization in need, nearly 400 NCCS volunteers rolled up their sleeves recently to demonstrate the simple act of helping others during a new volunteer initiative.

Spring Into Service was the evolution of NCCS Fall Family Community Service Day which successfully ran for more than five years.  The Parent Association decided to increase the day to a weekend to give families more scheduling and service options. Volunteers pitched in at 14 different nonprofit agencies.

Laconia O’Neil Therrio, affectionately known as “Lot,” believes everyone has a story to tell. It’s how you tell the story, he says, that makes people listen. Helping students find the story within them has been his life’s work for more than a decade.

“Storytelling bridges differences between people faster than anything else,” said LOT, a professional storyteller and Chaplain at Stamford Hospital. “It’s hard to hate someone when you know their story.”

The eight-grade storytelling unit is a long-time NCCS tradition. To complete the unit, students read more than 20 stories from around the world. Each eighth grader then chooses only one story to debut in front of students in Early Childhood as well as Lower and Middle schools.<>

Country School teacher, Andy Morris, gathered used uniforms and other equipment to help fulfill the dream of the late Private Nicholas Madras, a neighbor he'd never met. Morris, a coach and passionate sports enthusiast, saw a documentary on ESPN about Madras, a Wilton resident, who wanted to help children in Iraq play soccer by giving them new equipment. Madras was killed in Iraq on September 3, 2006 and was never able to distribute the balls himself. Shortly after his passing, the Kick for Nick Foundation, a non-profit organization, was formed. It has now reached more than 50 states.

Dr. Jeanne Marconi, pediatrician with The Center for Advanced Pediatrics, encouraged parents during a First Friday forum to recognize societal pressures affecting adolescents during their “tween” years.

Tween years range between the ages of 8 to 14, Marconi said. At this age adolescents are struggling with the desire for independence versus the need for boundaries.  Keeping a pulse on social, emotional and physical changes as they grow into their teen years is critical in identifying negative behaviors.  An open dialogue about societal pressures can also help teens make good choices.

The Stevens Common was the site on Tuesday evening, November 18, of an enthusiastic interaction between NCCS parents and faculty and Steven Goodman, Founder & Executive Director of the Educational Video Center (EVC).  Goodman demonstrated the power of the visual image and challenged parents to identify what skills were needed to produce a quality documentary video.  During a slow disclosure exercise of a print advertisement, Goodman revealed how meaning can be manipulated differently by the content, context and style of the imagery.

Founded in 1984, EVC teaches students not only competence in technical video production and editing but also integrates critical thinking, leadership, self-reflection and public speaking skills in their program.  Goodman spoke passionately about the educational process of media literacy and how the use of video not only can enhance critical thinking but also can translate into a broader pedagogical context. 

By watching EVC-produced videos of student work and of students at work, the audience perceived how EVC students demonstrate an understanding of how first to identify the scope and scale of an issue they choose to present; second, to research fully that issue engaging in effective interviewing, teamwork and technical expertise; and third to organize the material in order to deliver the most effective message.

Goodman echoed paradigms discussed at the 21^st Century Literacy Summit sponsored by Adobe  Systems and the George Lucas Educational Foundation wherein thought leaders identified media literacy as a critical extension of verbal literacy (reading, writing, listening and speaking) where aspects of visual, aural and digital literacy converge. At EVC, several issues become fundamental when students engage in video production: creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, and community collaboration and empowerment.

Goodman’s presentation was the second Forum sponsored by PACE this academic year and exemplified this year’s theme of “exploring possibilities” while addressing all three categories in the PACE mission statement: Arts, Culture and Education.  Please join us for upcoming PACE Forums in January, February and April. 

Don Hudson, President of the Chewonki Foundation, is thrilled when he gets his monthly energy bill. He was equally happy to share some of his energy saving tips with Country School parents during a recent lecture sponsored by PACE.

PACE (Parents’ Committee for the Arts, Culture and Education) invited Hudson to be its first guest speaker for the year because of his sustainability efforts at The Chewonki Foundation. The organization was founded as a wilderness summer camp in Maine in 1915. Its mission is to help youth learn ways to preserve the earth and change their view of the world.

Hudson began reducing his carbon footprint nearly twenty years ago by changing all standard filament light bulbs to the energy saving fluorescent light bulbs using up to 75 percent less energy in his home. A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our daily activities has on the environment.

“My intention was to leave Country School parents with a sense of hope that there are things we can do in our daily lives to contribute to this overall response to reducing our carbon footprint,” Hudson said. “If all of us adjusted our use of energy just a little bit we would accomplish our goal.”

 “Alot of us are grappling with ways to reduce our carbon footprint in our homes but don’t know where to begin,” said Amy Reid, PACE Co-Chair. “It was exciting to hear from Don Hudson that this is not a doom and gloom situation, that even the smallest effort makes a huge impact on our environment."

On October 30, the Diversity Office at Country School hosted a panel discussion on Race and Ethnicity that brought together nearly 50 members of the school community and friends. This was the second presentation in a series of discussions about diversity; the title was: Let’s Talk About Race – Does Race Really Matter?" The purpose of these discussions is to provide an opportunity for the New Canaan Country School community to learn more about diversity through ongoing dialogue associated with the 'Big Eight': race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, and socio-economic class.

Eighth and ninth grade Country School students, along with dozens of administrators, braved the biting temperatures Wednesday to welcome more than 50 Special Olympians from across the state.

Banners bearing the names of participating schools were hoisted high into the air as Country School students cheered on the Special Olympians exiting their buses. This is the fifth year County School has hosted the event, which is organized by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) and the Special Olympics Unified Sports of Connecticut.

 “My utmost gratitude is given to New Canaan Country School students,” said Kate Careb, Vice President of Advancement, Special Olympics of Connecticut. “These students exemplify the meaning of leadership. They welcome our Special Olympic athletes with enthusiasm and engaged them throughout the afternoon with cheers, pats on the back and smiles. It is easy to see that New Canaan Country School students have a natural instinct to be kind leaders.” 

New Canaan Country School Headmaster, Tim Bazemore was among 140 nonprofit leaders who attended a six-day management conference at Harvard Business School this summer.

The conference, Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management, was designed to help non-profit leaders improve effectiveness within their organizations. Interactive classroom assignments challenged them to look critically at core management concepts, to apply those concepts strategically, and to implement change within an organization while fulfilling its mission.

Fourth-grade students in Chantal Detlefs’ science class are helping the NCCS community save energy and money, one light at a time.

By replacing 1,357 standard light bulbs with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star qualified light bulbs, the NCCS community has prevented the release of 555,013 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere since adopting the program in January, and at a cost savings of $35,589.

By Donna Porstner, Stamford Advocate Staff Writer
When New Canaan Country School set out to renovate its upper school building a few years ago, some members of the school community were more interested in leveling the structure than saving it. "It was an unpopular building. It was a brick building on a campus with all white clapboard buildings," said Mark Macrides, the school's project manager. "There was a lot of interest in razing it. But the classrooms were well proportioned, and if we rebuilt it, we really wouldn't have done it much different."

School officials decided not only to retain the original structure, they also devised a "green" building plan that reused most of the steel and bricks in a massive addition that more than doubled the size of the Stevens Building. The 41,000-square-foot building, which houses 170 students in seventh, eighth and ninth grades, opened in September. 

On Earth Day even the naysayers couldn't be prouder as Gov. M. Jodi Rell proclaimed the Stevens building the state's "greenest school" for incorporating environmentally friendly features into the $11.5 million project.

On the morning of April 2, middle and upper school students could be found in the Stevens Building dissecting squid, building motors, designing snowflakes, exploring the possibilities of wind and solar power, examining human hearts, learning about Connecticut’s birds of prey and reptiles, and conducting emergency medical triage on fellow students as they took part in Science Scene 2008.

Jordan Metzl, MD, of the Sports Medicine department at the Hospital for Special Surgery, spoke to parents about the many benefits and the potential issues associated with being a child or teen-aged athlete. There is no question that physical activity in general, and participation on teams in particular, is essential for well-being in the young. Studies show that physical activity and play on teams raises self-esteem, teaches time management and organization, and helps young people learn that life is a combination of winning and losing. What is troubling these days, however, is the early specialization that young athletes are drawn into: year-round hockey and baseball, intensive travel team competition and combining school and afterschool sports can stress the young body.

On Saturday, January 12, 2008, a panel of young women alumnae talked about their careers, and the foundation formed at NCCS, speaking to over 60 past and current mothers and teachers at NCCS.

Amanda Nisenson, 1994: Opera singer; Marie Sette, 1992: Grade 4 teacher, NCCS; Oni Brown, 1997: Horizons Program: School Year Program Director; Taryn Jones, 1995: Director of International Business, Kate Spade; Jessica Vascellaro, 1998: Writer: The Wall Street Journal; Samar Jamali, 1995: Associate Producer, Anderson Cooper 360 - CNN.

"It's beautiful, it's great," said Riker Jones, a 9th grader and one of 13 Norwalk students in the upper school. "What's really great is it's so environmentally friendly."

The building, which became home to around 200 upper-school students on Sept. 5 when school opened for the year, may look unusual, but it is friendly to the environment and its occupants. It reduces water use by 40 percent, utilizes 20 percent recycled building materials and 20 percent materials that were extracted, processed and manufactured within 500 miles of the site.

The students met with Governor Jody Rell, Fairfield County legislators, and legislative leadership to discuss pending legislation to reduce the emission of pollutants that cause global warming. This is the third time members of Raphe Elkind’s fifth- grade class have come to the Capitol to actively lobby on behalf of legislative efforts to reduce global warming. In 2004 and 2006, Elkind brought his class to Hartford to support Connecticut Clean Cars Initiatives.