Dear Country Day Alumni and Friends, 

Yesterday, we formally opened Country Day’s 98^th academic year at our all-school Convocation. During the ceremony, I shared with the students a personal reflection about the value of relationships, along with research indicating just how important personal connections are to success and happiness in life. I encouraged our students to take advantage of the life-changing relationships available at Country Day – with classmates, teammates, and teachers. As I said to the students, life is short, and people are what matter. 

These Convocation themes apply just as well to our cherished alumni. As you will see below, there are extensive opportunities for alumni to connect with CCDS in the coming months, including Homecoming and reunions next month. Like our current students, I encourage you to nurture your Country Day relationships and to stay in touch with the school. Your involvement helps to maintain a tradition of community connectedness across generations.  

And on the subject of tradition, I am delighted to report that Country Day’s Board of Trustees adopted a new strategic plan in June that will continue our tradition of excellence into a second century. This plan is the culmination of a comprehensive 10-month planning process with engagement from hundreds of community stakeholders – alumni, students, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, and trustees. We are grateful for your insights and support along the way, and we are excited to share the details of our vision with you soon. Look for an announcement of our new strategic plan in September. 

In the meantime, enjoy the sights and sounds of another joyful school year.

Sincerely,

Friday, September 22 and Saturday, September 23

Homecoming is less than a month away, and we cannot wait to welcome our alumni back for a fantastic weekend! Keep reading for a full schedule and details on the festivities. !

ALUMNI RECEPTION

Friday, September 22

5:30 p.m.

Wright Family Tennis Complex

All alumni gather for a special evening featuring cocktails and dinner by the bite.

HOMECOMING FOOTBALL GAME

7:00 p.m.

Brian J. Bortz Family Stadium

ALUMNI BREAKFAST

Saturday, September 23

10:30 a.m.

Dining Terrace

Alumni breakfast honoring the Class of 1973 and 50+ year alumni. All alumni are welcome. Includes the presentation of the Virtue in Action Award and Distinguished Alum Award.

All events are gratis, courtesy of the CCDS Alumni Association.

Please contact Kathy Paff, advancement coordinator,

at 513-979-0285 or [email protected] with questions.

Over Homecoming Weekend, Country Day will host its inaugural Black Alumni Network gathering. Please join the Office of Belonging and Well-Being and fellow CCDS alumni for cocktails, dinner by the bite, and a chance to welcome the school's new director of academic affairs - Alpacino "Al" Beauchamp. For more information on the Black Alumni Network, contact Angela Barber-Joiner, director of belonging and well-being, at [email protected].

Reunions

The Class of 1963 is celebrating it's 60th reunion.

The Class of 1973 is celebrating its 50th reunion.

The Class of 1983 is celebrating its 40th reunion.

The Class of 1998 is celebrating its 25th reunion.

Classes ending in ’3 and ’8 will celebrate their reunions over Homecoming Weekend! If your class is celebrating a milestone reunion year and you have not yet heard about plans for a celebration, contact Peter Fossett '80, associate director of alumni and legacy giving, at 513-979-0283 or [email protected].

Richard D. Durand '73 to Receive Virtue in Action Award

Dick Durand ’73 is this year’s recipient of the Virtue in Action Award. The Virtue in Action Award is given to an alum celebrating their 50^th or greater reunion year whose volunteer service in their community exemplifies the school’s motto: Virtue in Action.

Dick has been an integral part of the Country Day community for 60 years. From his first day as a third grader in 1963, Dick has worn many Country Day hats: student, alumnus, parent, volunteer, employee, and trustee. Often juggling several of those hats at once, Dick has demonstrated a powerful commitment to serving Country Day. While Dick’s contributions of time and energy have helped shape many elements of the Country Day experience, he has been particularly instrumental in the expansion and improvement of the school’s campus over the last 25 years. From helping to plan and oversee the construction of the Upper School building, the Early Childhood Center, and the Leonard Family Athletic Center, to managing the renovation of Broadwell House, Dick has literally left his mark on the Country Day campus.

While Dick has given much of himself to Country Day, he has also made major impacts on the larger Cincinnati area through his award-winning volunteer service to The Cincinnati Children’s Home, the Inter Parish Ministries Food Pantry, and Camp Ernst. A true fan and student of the game of baseball, Dick has also spent many years coaching and promoting youth baseball throughout Ohio.



Dick is a model of giving back to Country Day and to the larger community. Motivated by an interest in making life better for others, Dick is Virtue in Action.

Stephen S. Lazarus '81 to Receive Distinguished Alumni Award

At its May meeting, the CCDS Alumni Council unanimously selected Steve Lazarus ’81 to be the recipient of the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Steve Lazarus is completely committed to Country Day. A lifer who attended Country Day from kindergarten, Steve dove right back into the Country Day community after completing his collegiate and professional education. As a young lawyer only recently out of law school, Steve joined the Alumni Council in 1989 to champion the interests of alumni and to advance the school. Between 1989 and 2023, Steve gave 16 years of service to the council, helping to mold the council into an influential vehicle for alumni voices. For 14 of those 16 years, Steve also served as an alumni representative on the school’s board of trustees, and for the last three of those years, Steve was chair of the board’s finance committee. As a trustee and as chair of the finance committee, Steve has been integral to planning the school’s future and guiding it to its current position of strength. While Steve has been one of the school’s longest-serving trustees and one of its most dedicated alumni, his service to the school is not finished: Steve will continue to protect and promote the interests of the school as an at-large member of the board of trustees and as chair of the finance committee for another three-year term.

Steve’s dedication to Country Day and his love for the school are also reflected in his decision to send all four of his children to the school from their earliest years. Allison ’10, Meg ’13, Sam ’22, and Gertrude ’27 are all lifers.

In his professional life, Steve is a principal in the law firm of Lazarus & Lewis, where his practice focuses on the representation of public employees and their unions. For more than 30 years, Steve has been a powerful advocate for public employees, negotiating their labor contracts and protecting their rights in arbitration proceedings, disciplinary hearings, and court cases. Widely acclaimed as an expert in these fields, Steve is much in demand as a speaker, as a teacher, and as a panel participant throughout Ohio and Kentucky.

The school will celebrate Steve and present him the Distinguished Alumni Award on Saturday, September 23, during Homecoming Weekend.

Dick and Steve will be celebrated for their service and presented their respective awards at the Alumni Breakfast on Saturday, September 23, during Homecoming Weekend. The event starts at 10:30 AM and all alumni are welcome.

Connections Recap

Connections, Country Day's biannual magazine, was delivered to homes in July. Didn't receive your copy? Please update your mailing address for our records and we will make sure you receive it next time!

As well as exciting updates on life at Country Day, Connections included articles on the successes and accomplishments of our alumni. Click on the links below for a small selection of the stories.

The 1926 Society's Legacy

These individuals know through firsthand experience the power of a Country Day education and have chosen to give back so that others in turn can benefit. We are deeply appreciative of their commitment. Their contributions will change students’ lives forever and strengthen the school as it moves forward into a second century.

To read about our generous donors or learn about ways to leave your Country Day legacy, visit www.ccdslegacy.org.

If you have questions or would like to speak about planned giving, please contact Peter Fossett '80, associate director of alumni and of legacy giving, at [email protected] or 513.979.0282.

Pictures of the Summer

It was a summer of adventures for Nati the Nighthawk, who tagged along on the trips of CCDS community members! Highlights include canoeing 125 miles down the Ohio River with Middle School teacher Rick Schoeny, taking in the mountain views in Steamboat, Colorado with Lower School Head Mark Morawski, and scuba diving in Roatan, Honduras with Matthew Wood '27, Michael Wood '30, and their parents (CCDS teachers Melissa and Dan Wood).

Leadership in action! These CCDS alums and current students spent the summer guiding high-need and high-potential middle school students from across the city with Breakthrough Cincinnati, hosted on Country Day's campus. They truly represented leadership and virtue in action every step of the way!

Every week of summer was full of new adventures and possibilities for CCDSummer campers, who learned about engineering, storytelling, art, music, and much, much more!

The Country Day community, from recent alums to some of our youngest learners, came together to represent Country Day and celebrate our country in the annual Indian Hill 4th of July parade.

Our students participating in the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams grant initiative spent time this summer immersed in the process of what it takes to become an inventor. These young leaders are just getting started so stay tuned to see what they come up with as they prepare, research, and eventually write a full grant proposal to submit to MIT.

CCDS Summer campers made a splash during one of our favorite traditions - Cardboard Regatta!

Our newest alumni, the Class of 2023, signed yearbooks and enjoyed time with faculty and friends as they were welcomed into the CCDS Alumni Association at Senior Sendoff. They will head off on their next adventure with a beloved CCDS tradition - the Country Day pen flip - demonstrated by a flip-off between Head of School Rob Zimmerman '98 and Peter Fossett '80!

The Class of 2024 greeted the first day of their last year at Country Day with one of our favorite new traditions: Senior Sunrise. Only 283 days until commencement! We have no doubt that the Class of 2024 will make them great!

It was an unforgettable 1st Day of School! Here's to a year filled with learning, growth, and more memorable moments. We can't wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for us!

SAVE THE DATE

Support The Country Day Fund on 

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2