It's a new day at Country Day with four new state-of-the-art
facilities for students being completed in just four years!
In 2001, Country Day leaders began to envision a new
campus - one that would meet the growing needs of our student body as they
inquire, explore, and investigate the world around them. The campus had not had a ‘face-lift' in almost
40 years, with bungalows still in operation that were originally built when the
school moved to our current site in 1961.
Through the generosity of the school community, the
"Building on Excellence" campaign began and has raised more than $16 million so
far to create a campus commensurate with the future needs of our students.
Combined with tax exempt bond financing, a total of $40 million has been
invested in our 24-acre campus to ensure that our students and teachers have
the best possible environment for learning.
Building on the momentum created in 2005, when new Upper
School classrooms and improvements of synthetic turf and lights were added on
the main athletic field, a new Middle School was completed in 2006.
This wonderful facility for Grades 5-8 houses new labs
for science and computers, classrooms for English, math, world languages, and
social studies, as well as a dedicated dance studio, orchestra and band rehearsal and performance
spaces. Most recently, a digital
recording studio was added, enabling students to compose and record their own
original music.
Now the hallmark of our campus life and activities, the
Jacobs Family Library/Academic Center opened in 2007. This outstanding facility included Lower,
Middle/ Upper School libraries, a fine arts gallery, the Learning Resource
Center, the Office of Admission, a multipurpose room and administrative
offices.
Leonardo Da Vinci would be proud of our new Visual Arts
& Science Center (VASC) where the arts and sciences coexist. Opened in
2008, the VASC is an elegant building set around a tree-lined courtyard
designed as outdoor teaching space. A photovoltaic energy system, designed to
educate students on sustainable energy use, was built into the structure.
Facilities include two biology labs, two chemistry labs, two physics labs, and
prep rooms for Upper School students as well as Lower, Middle, and Upper School
art studios complete with a ceramics studio, graphics design lab, and resource
project rooms.
In Fall 2009, Country Day will open its fourth new
facility in as many years. Our new Kindergarten/Lower School Complex will be an
inviting 8,000 sq. ft. space where young minds can make new discoveries each
day. In addition to LEED certified classrooms specifically designed with the
Kindergarten student in mind, the complex will also house world language, computer,
and science laboratories for Grades 1-4. An inter-active ‘petting zoo garden,'
where all plants have animal names, will engage the senses, adding a whole new
dimension to outdoor education.
Campus redevelopment will continue through 2010 with several
other improvements on the near horizon including remodeling of the Lower School
administrative spaces to provide a welcoming place for anyone stopping into the
office. This remodel will also incorporate the school's Health Service offices
and a conference room, along with a redesigned faculty resource room. Additional upgrades to our facilities include
synthetic turf for the rest of our
athletic fields and lights for the baseball field. The expansion of our Upper School outdoor
amphitheater and enhanced landscaping and parking will round out the
redevelopment of our campus scheduled for completion in 2010.
To learn more about campus redevelopment or the "Building
on Excellence" campaign, contact Deborah Brenner, Sr. Development Officer, at (858) 453-3440 ext. 311.
