The following letter from BCD’s Board of Trustees President Paige Orloff was sent to current families last week. I’m posting it here in case you have not seen or read it yet.
January 5, 2015
Dear Berkshire Country Day School friends and family,
As we contemplate the start of this new year, I am pleased to report on behalf of the Board of Trustees that 2014 at BCD ended on a strong and promising note.
On campus, the strategic initiatives implemented at the Board’s direction last spring are off to a fabulous start. Art studios on the top floor of Furey Hall will be humming with activity again this week, with students in all divisions enjoying the redesigned studio arts curriculum under Sasha Sicurella’s and the administration’s direction. (If you’ve not heard much about this, I encourage you to ask a student about their teachers and their work. The kids notice the changes, and are enthusiastic promoters of the new program!)
In Oakes, the combined 1/2 classroom is thriving under Katherine Allentuck and Julie Milani’s leadership; in Albright, the Reggio Emilia approach is defining our preschool program thanks to Amanda Kane and Vicky Sideropoulos; and across the middle and upper school, more time is now spent working on writing skills—all specific goals of the new initiatives.
Thanks go to all of the faculty and administrators who lead these efforts with such dedication and inspiration.
Planning for the future continues, as well. Flansburgh Architects’ team has spent five days on campus since September, working with faculty, staff, administrators, and trustees.
Both veteran and new teachers have enthusiastically shaped the design of the new library and learning commons, music and performance space, and band room, which will exist in both renovated space in Furey Hall and in new space to be constructed on Furey’s northeast corner. This process has been invigorating for all as we imagine a space where all students will learn and flourish. We look forward to being able to share more about the design and the plans for realizing it later this year.
Seeing past community members engaged with BCD was a particular highlight of this fall’s Thanksgiving celebration, which included the highest number ever of returning alumni, who not only enjoyed Soup but participated in classes taught by beloved teachers such as Jim Fawcett and Ned Douglas. Our Annual Fund phonathons also brought out the best in our community, as alumni, trustees, and volunteers gathered together to ask for everyone’s support of our school. Special thanks go to Annual Fund co-chairs Jeremy Creelan and Stephanie Buchanan. Our goal is 100% participation from current parents, faculty, and staff. We hope you will join in making this happen.
The Board continues to work to make the school sustainable, forward-thinking, and responsive to the trends in our immediate and larger communities. In December, we approved a balanced budget for the 2015-16 school year, which expands employee benefits following the current year’s reductions. This was a critical priority for all of us, because we know, as you do, that a school environment is shaped not just by place, but more, by its people. We are ever grateful to our faculty, staff, and administration for their ceaseless good will and hard work on behalf of the children.
As trustees, our first duty is to act, as fiduciaries, on behalf of the school. Since most of us are also parents at the school, we are able to experience first-hand our vibrant and engaged community of friends and learners. As we look toward re-enrollment and admitting new students for next year, I hope you will join me in actively spreading the word in our larger community about your positive experiences at BCD. I believe that BCD offers the best Preschool-9 education available in our region. At BCD, students find intellectual and academic challenge; a supportive, child-centered environment; a commitment to character and to nurturing each child’s strong sense of self. Thank you to all of you for choosing BCD for your children’s education; if it takes a village, BCD is ours.
With gratitude,
Paige Orloff
President, BCD’s Board of Trustees