Country Day Names Director of Academic Affairs

We are pleased to announce Alpacino “Al” Beauchamp has been named the school’s director of academic affairs.

Beauchamp will work directly with Head of School Rob Zimmerman `98 to lead the school’s academic program. Beauchamp is charged with advancing a culture of innovative teaching and learning, providing faculty with professional growth opportunities, and further differentiating the school’s program while promoting the highest standards of academic excellence.

“While this was an international search, we were delighted to find Al's unique blend of experiences here in Cincinnati,” says Zimmerman. “He is well-positioned to have an immediate impact at Country Day. Al has led a community of more than 800 students and 70 faculty as a principal, taught at the middle school, high school, and university levels, led a new small private school as head of school, and worked in the corporate world domestically and internationally. And as a former student at Summit Country Day and St. Xavier High School, Al knows the Cincinnati private school market. We could not be more excited to bring such an accomplished leader to join our team of educators as we head toward the school’s second century of excellence.”

Beauchamp holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in education from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in business administration from Miami University-Oxford. He is currently completing his doctorate in educational leadership at Miami University-Oxford. Beauchamp began his educational career 20 years ago. In his current role as principal of Roberts Academy in Cincinnati, he led the rigorous accreditation process with the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Under his leadership, Roberts Academy is positioned to become the first IB elementary school in southern Ohio.

“Having dedicated more than 19 years of my life to developing lifelong learners through intentional and purposeful educational practices, I am honored to accept this position with such an incredible institution and community and to serve alongside educators at Country Day,” says Beauchamp. “My diverse and comprehensive experience in education has prepared me to take on this role; I have dedicated my career to educational leadership and student achievement. As educators, it is our purpose to build systems, structures, and environments that perpetually cultivate relevance, rigor, and inspiration. Cincinnati Country Day School has long exemplified these core values in its practices, and I look forward to serving this school community and fostering continued growth and excellence for our students.”

Beauchamp will assume his role on July 1, 2023.

CCDX Week Recap

CCDX is an experiential learning week that takes place every March. Offering developmentally appropriate courses for all students, CCDX promotes learning through exploration. From playing and designing games and puzzles, to imagining cities and addressing their problems, to diving into canoe building, the arts, or global cultures, and to grappling with technology's ethical challenges, students from the ECC through the Upper School explore their interests and engage in meaningful learning. CCDX offers more than 75 course options - many of which are designed and led by students! During CCDX, students and faculty engage in innovative learning and teaching - the hallmark of a Country Day education.

See below for some of the fun we had this past week during CCDX 2023!

Upper School students in CCDX Urban Development and Affordable Housing visited City Hall to meet with Council Member Reggie Harris.

First graders immersed themselves in coding for the first time during CCDX Specials!

Kindergarten students learned about tools and safety, made wire sculptures, and took electronics apart. Engineers in the making!

Middle School students worked together to build canoes. From assembling the frame to coating the paddles, students were hands on every step of the way! 

Students learned different techniques for baking and running a small business in CCDX Cupcake Wars.

Fourth graders spent CCDX Week preparing for their production of Petra's Problem.

CCDX Week at the ECC was all about mud. Our littlest learners planted seeds, made fossils, and experienced the pure joy of squishing around in a muddy puddle!

On the CCDX service trip to Costa Rica, Upper School students worked with local villagers on a variety of projects, including building shelves at the volcano national park and clearing an area for tree planting. Some fruit trees will help families become more self-sufficient; others are native plants needed to attract bees and other insect species.

On March 3, Cincinnati Country Day School held its 6th annual Diversity Conference in the Upper School.

Upper School students participated in a full day of learning that included keynote speakers, conference sessions, and viewing the award-winning documentary film Crip Camp. The conference breakout sessions covered a variety of topics that celebrated backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of Country Day students and beyond.

“Through participation in the conference activities, every student has a greater understanding of what it takes to be a true leader. These are important moments that prepare our students for success in an increasingly global and diverse world,” says Angela Joiner, director of equity, diversity, and inclusion & social-emotional learning. “The diversity conference directly reflects our school mission to create leaders who, through the discovery of their own abilities, kindle the potential of others and better a dynamic world.”

Student-led breakout sessions included Latin Music and Dance, Black Women and Black Hair, British Colonialism in India and Egypt, A Stateless Nation: History, Culture, and Resistance of the Kurds in Iran, First Generation Students, We’re Here, We’re Queer: LGBT+ History & Stigmas, Origins of Sappho, An Introduction to the European Migrant Situation, Modern Day Civil Rights Movements and Protests, Investigating Identity, and Race in Healthcare.

In addition to his keynote address on “What Made You and What Will You Make?”, award-winning writer, comic, and speaker Haroon Moghul also led a breakout session on “Modern Islam: An Extended Conversation.”

“The concept of diversity is not a new invention. And in this country, we are getting increasingly reflective and inclusive about who lives here. It’s something my generation started and yours is continuing,” says Moghul. “Consider your own stories and families and what makes you who you are. Think about the decisions the family members before you made and how they affected you and how your decisions will affect those who come after you. Acknowledge that you will be someone else's history. What are you going to do with that knowledge?”

Jason Harris and Peter Niehoff `05, representatives from LADD (Living Arrangements for the Developmentally Disabled), introduced the film Crip Camp and discussed the movie's major themes.

“We live in a society that has certain ways of thinking of something as being ‘right’ and builds systems around those ways of thinking and doing,” says Harris. “We have come a long way, but we still need to talk and think about those who have needs and how we can accommodate them because disability can happen to any of us.”

Country Day trustee and parent Dereck Gray, vice president of human resources, global finance & accounting at Procter & Gamble, gave an interactive address and highlighted some of the challenges facing the world today and how they affect the business world.

“Working across diverse teams is not an option anymore,” explains Gray. “You need empathy to enable you to see the world through someone else’s eyes. The goal should always be to try to find common ground that you can build on together. If you only look at the world through your vantage point, you will never be able to work well with others.”

Erika Armstead '12

Marc A. Comisar '71

Kyle R. Kistinger '12

Meredith "Meridy" Vollmer McLane '01

To attend the luncheon, please RSVP by April 28 to Kathy Paff at [email protected] or 513.979.0285.

Celebrating Country Day's 40th Cum Laude Banquet

On March 7, 2023, Cincinnati Country Day School held its 40th Cum Laude Society banquet. The event celebrates students who have demonstrated a sustained record of academic excellence across their Country Day careers.

Congratulations to the Class of 2023 inductees! Back Row: Mica Murdoch '23, Weison Huang '23, Emil Hettich '23, Devon Michalski '23, Miller Mann '23, Will Donovan '23. Front Row: Ethan Rezer '23, Yousef Mostafa '23, Josh Williamson '23, Lizzy Stacy '23, Miki Ozawa '23, Emma Valentin '23, Annalyse Deming '23. Not pictured: Will Griffin '23

“I am extremely proud of the work these young adults have put in over the last four years and excited to welcome them into this esteemed group,” said Nat Tracey-Miller `05, who is chapter president and earned membership in the Cum Laude Society as a student at Country Day.

The Cum Laude Society is dedicated to honoring scholastic achievement in secondary schools and is modeled after the collegiate Phi Beta Kappa Society. Membership in the Cum Laude Society is an academic honor based exclusively on grades earned in the sophomore through senior years. Country Day established its Cum Laude Society chapter in 1950 and is only one of six schools in the Cincinnati area to participate in the organization. Click here for more information on the Cum Laude Society. 

The first president of the Country Day chapter was Lee Pattison, who served the community for many years as a history teacher, head of the service club, student council advisor, and coach. The celebratory banquet was begun by long-time English teacher Sarah Hickman in 1983.

Read all about it! The March issue of The Scroll is here!

SAVE THE DATE!

HOMECOMING & REUNION WEEKEND 2023

With the incredible support of the CCDS community, everyone was a winner at Casino Night! Thank you to all who made CountryDate 2023 a great success!

Kindergarten students proudly presented their research projects in front of their 4th grade buddies.

Our outstanding student-thespians brought down the house with their incredible performances in the Upper School musical, Tick, Tick... BOOM!

Beckett Stapleton '33 recounted tales of the great George Washington at the ever-popular 2nd Grade Wax Museum.

Middle School Spanish students experienced the Hispanic Flamenco Ballet performing their new Hispania America show at Memorial Hall. The students were immersed in the culture, music, and dance from various Spanish-speaking countries, including Spain, the Caribbean, Colombia, and Argentina.

The annual Country Day Fund campaign runs through June 30. If you have not done so already, please join fellow alumni in making a gift. Look out for details on Giving Day, Tuesday, May 2 - the perfect opportunity to make a gift before the year is out!