Pictured above: Stephen Schwartz '80, Edmund Jones '53, and Joel Brant '87 at the Board of Trustee Reunion.
Cincinnati Country Day School
September 2021 Alumni Journal
Upper School Teacher Featured on Science Friday
Upper School faculty member Jamie Back was selected for the Science Friday Educator Collaborator Program, a competitive publishing program for K-12 educators. She is one of six people from a competitive pool of applicants across the country to join the latest cohort of educators.
Science Friday is an award-winning public radio broadcast organization that produces podcasts, digital videos, and educational resources for teachers and informal educators.

Back and the others in her cohort were charged with developing a STEM educational resource. They could pick from any Science Friday piece and develop a resource to align with that story.

Back was inspired by a Science Friday video of popup artist Matthew Reinhart explaining how he creates popup books. And then she did her homework.
She then created a resource that guides students through the process to build and explore popup mechanisms and reflect upon the engineering and geometry that makes them "pop."

“The resource had to be a learner-facing lesson, presented in a way that you could read through the activity and be led through the whole thing from start to finish without additional instruction,” explained Back. “It also had to be presented in a way that teachers could take it and turn it into a classroom activity or it could be a project that someone could stumble on and do themselves.” 


On Friday, September 3, 2021, Back and her cohort were introduced during a Science Friday radio segment.
Back is a STEAM teacher and The Makerspace Coordinator. CCDS Makerspace area invites students to design, tinker, create, innovate, experiment, learn, and play. Students, faculty, and staff can use the Makerspace with a class or for their own project ideas.


More specific training is given to those who want to create with the Cricut smart cutting machine, 3D printers, foam board cutter, sewing machines, Dremel Laser Cutter, Bantam PCB Milling Machine, and other specialized equipment. “Making” projects can be low tech, high tech, and everywhere in between. Students and faculty have designed board games, prototypes for assistive technologies, coding projects, jewelry, t-shirt iron-ons, engineering prototypes, hands-on visuals for classes, 3D printed math art, and more.
Help CCDS Soar on Match Day Thursday, November 11
Match Day is your chance to support all the things that make Cincinnati Country Day School special and bring us together. You do not want to miss our biggest day of fundraising for the Country Day Fund. Double your donation! The first $100,000 of gifts are matched dollar for dollar for 24 hours.
Get Ready for Homecoming and Reunion Weekend!
We are less than a week away from welcoming our alumni back for a fantastic weekend together! Share some memories, cocktails, and appetizers with old friends and faculty at the Alumni Reception on Friday, October 1, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Gordon R. Wright Tennis Complex. After the reception, cheer on the Country Day Nighthawks football team when they play New Miami at 7:00 p.m. on the new turf field in Brian J. Bortz Family Stadium.

Join fellow alumni for breakfast outside in the Carey Family Amphitheater on Saturday, October 2 at 10:30 a.m. (More details below.)

Numerous classes have planned reunions for Saturday evening. Classes ending in 0,1,5, and 6 should reach out to class ambassadors for more details.

Cincinnati Country Day School requires attendees to wear mask indoors unless eating or drinking. CCDS encourages mask use on campus when unable to appropriately distance.
The Class of 1971 will celebrate their 50th reunion Saturday, October 2 at 6:00 p.m. at TQL Stadium. Please email Rodney Geier or Brooks Jackson for more details.
The Class of 1976 will celebrate their 45th reunion Saturday, October 2 at 7:00 p.m. at the Camargo Club Winter Sports Building. Please email Michael Barach, Andrew Garvey, Jeff Harrison, or Tiger Kite for more details.
The Class of 1981 will celebrate their 40th reunion Saturday, October 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lazarus home. Please email Steve Lazarus or Andy Wilson for more information.
The Class of 2016 will celebrate their fifth reunion Saturday, November 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Mad Tree Brewing. Please contact Abby Bryant or Bradley Dick for more information.
Alumni Breakfast Saturday October 2
Please join fellow Country Day alumni for breakfast in the Carey Family Amphitheater on Saturday, October 2, at 10:30 a.m. 
breakfast_coffee_orange.jpg
Head of School Rob Zimmerman '98 will present Sarah Herrlinger '90 with the 2021 Distinguished Alumna Award and Rodney Geier '71 with the Virtue In Action Award.  
 
The breakfast is courtesy of the Alumni Association, but an RSVP is required. 
 
Tours of campus will be available immediately following the event!
CCDS is proud to announce that Sarah Herrlinger ’90 has been chosen as our Distinguished Alumna for 2021. Sarah Herrlinger is senior director of global accessibility policy & initiatives at Apple. She leads accessibility programs for Apple, including support for disability communities worldwide, the accessibility technologies built into all Apple hardware, software, and services, as well as other initiatives that promote Apple’s culture of inclusion. Click here to read more.
CCDS is happy to announce that Dr. Rodney P. Geier ’71 has been selected as this year’s Virtue In Action Award recipient. The CCDS Virtue in Action Award recognizes those alumni that are celebrating their 50th reunion year or more, for their dedication, attitude and motivation expressed through volunteer service to the community. This alumnus exemplifies our motto, Virtue in Action. Click here to read more.
Cincinnati Country Day School requires attendees to wear mask indoors unless eating or drinking. CCDS encourages mask use on campus when unable to appropriately distance.
Update Contact Information
We have added a page to the Cincinnati Country Day School website where you can update information and submit class notes.
Accelerating Alumna
Tradition is something that Elizabeth Blackburn ’11 is very passionate about.
"I was nervous about going to college, but as soon as I arrived at Dartmouth College, I never looked back – I loved the people and the small size,” said Blackburn. “There were a lot of similarities with Country Day and that was comforting; it’s a small school, with a tight community and academic focus, in this idyllic, beautiful setting.”

In keeping in line with her passion for tradition, Elizabeth said the needle-moving point for choosing Dartmouth over her other choices was the legacy component – both her mom and grandfather also attended Dartmouth. Elizabeth’s mom, Katie (Brown) Blackburn ‘82, was also a graduate of Country Day.

“Having rich traditions demonstrates a strong culture. It's what people love about sports and there has never been a more important time for culture, traditions, and community than coming out a pandemic and re-engaging the community.”

And that is exactly what Elizabeth is doing. As director of strategy & engagement for the Cincinnati Bengals, when she stepped into the role in February 2020 she was initially charged with executing high-level strategic projects and engaging fans and key stakeholders.
Now, she is expanding her efforts to focus on getting people excited about games this fall.

“I don't think there is a better place in the universe than at a football game on game day,” said Blackburn. “We're revamping the game day experience this fall, and I’m so excited to see how it comes together. I know people are looking forward to coming back to the stadium and we’re looking forward to providing them with an elevated experience.” Blackburn hopes to see Country Day alumni, faculty and staff, and current students and their families at Paul Brown Stadium this fall.
Although Elizabeth said she knew as a little kid that she wanted to come back to Cincinnati to work at the Bengals, she also knew that she wanted to get job experience before doing so. She said Country Day gave her the confidence and experience to do so.

“The small school provided opportunities to develop deep friendships, which gave me the safety net and confidence to try new things. Even academically, some people were overwhelmed and intimidated during our freshman year at Dartmouth but I was so prepared. I didn't go through that feeling of being unstable because Country Day gave me such a solid foundation.”

She also credits her experience at Country Day with some choices she made along her career path.

“Because Country Day is small, I could play two sports every season and be the social chair and participate in a bunch of clubs, giving me exposure to so many things. It’s one of the reasons I was drawn to consulting – I like staying busy and diversifying what I’m doing.”

As a Country Day lifer, it is not lost on Elizabeth that her life’s trajectory was greatly influenced by her experience at Country Day.

“I think so fondly of Country Day. The teachers were so impactful. I remember my kindergarten teacher (Mrs. Childs) teaching me that if you make a mistake you can turn it into something beautiful. Every year there were so many of those big, life-changing lessons that I took with me. I am grateful for my time there.”   
Pictures of the Month
Christian Fitzpatrick '22 (Kenwood), Pooja Kantemneni '22 (Mason), Victor Nica '22 (Anderson), Alistair Norwood '22 (Coldstream), and Margaret Sprigg-Dudley '22 (Loveland) were named Semifinalists in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship Program. 
Ronald Allen '17 signed with the Florence Yall's, Northern Kentucky's professional baseball team and member of the independent Frontier League an MLB Partner League.
Ariella "Ari" Cohen '01 was named one of the Cincinnati Enquirer's Women of the Year. Click here to read the story.
CCDS alumni Steve Lazarus '81, Will Portman '10, Gertrude Lazarus '27, Sam Lazarus '22, David Lazarus' 79, Xanni Brown '10, Meg Lazarus '13, Chatlie Schriber ' 10, Allison Lazarus '10 gathered in Berkshires, Massachusetts for Allision Lazarus's one-year anniversary party.
Katie Wang '24 is the winner of age 13-15 Shining Star Teen Solo National Champion.
Addison Heimann '24 taps in his birdie putt and leads the varsity boys golf team, shooting one over par at the Vineyard Golf Course.