Maumee Valley Country Day School
Encyclopedia
Maumee Valley Country Day School (or MVCDS, Maumee Valley or MV) is an independent and non-religious private school
located in Toledo, Ohio
. The school was founded in 1842 as an all-girls finishing school in Western New York and was moved to Toledo in 1884, where it became The Smead School for Girls. The school became coeducational and adopted its present location and name in the early 1930s.
Today, MVCDS has approximately 500 students from preschool through 12th grade and boasts academic achievements such as a 10:1 student teacher ratio. It is also accredited by ISACS and NAIS, and is widely considered the most selective and prestigious school in the area, sending one or two,sometimes three each year to Ivy League schools and to top liberal arts colleges. The school gets its name of "Maumee Valley" from the nearby Maumee River
, which flows north through Lucas County and Toledo, finally emptying into Lake Erie
.
Girls, run by Miss Smead In 1934, the school relocated to its current location on South Reynolds Road in Toledo, Ohio
with the construction of the Smead Building, and became a co-ed school. In 1959, a new building to house the upper school was built near the Smead Building on the campus. In 1972, the current lower and middle school building was completed next to the upper school building and connected by a hallway that was known as the "International Hall". A large dining hall and kitchen were added in the area between the two buildings. In 1984, a new science center was added to the upper school classrooms which included. In 1988, a 400m running track was built next to the sports fields by Glendale Avenue. In 1991, the Wolfe Gallery was constructed next to the Smead Building to showcase student and professional art projects that were displayed at the school. In 1997, a new area known as the "Johnson Bayer Physical Education Complex" was added. This included new sports offices, a weight training room, and a new gymnasium that were added next to the existing upper school gym. The middle school was expanded with additional classrooms as well as a science lab, and the 300 seat "Millennium Theatre" with a lobby was built next to the dining hall. A large clock tower was built next to the new theatre lobby to establish a central location on the campus. In addition, the road on campus was extended to Glendale Avenue to provide a second entrance/exit and a parking lot was added next to the new gymnasium. In 2007, new outdoor adventure course challenges were built throughout the woods on the campus. They include both low and high ropes course challenges for students. In 2009, a renovation project began to rebuild the upper school building and connect all of the campus buildings under one roof.
The school has had a variety of headmistresses and headmasters over the years. The present headmaster, Gary Boehm, has been the head of school since 2006.
It was also difficult to travel about the campus, as it is made up of several different buildings. The plan included a connector that joined all of these buildings as well through the addition of an enclosed hallway between the Lower school and Smead buildings. The balcony area around the lunch room was also enclosed in glass, which will enable students to access every building on campus without traveling outside. The Smead building, which is also the oldest on campus, was renovated to house the entire early childhood (Preschool-Kindergarten) program. Finally, a small roofed area was added next to the drop-off area for students to wait in the event of bad weather when they are dismissed from school. The entire operation was known as the "Under One Roof" project. The total cost was over 15 million dollars.
The new building was designed by the parents of one of the students. It is considerable larger than the old upper school building, with an average of 25% more floor space per classroom. It was placed on the footprint of the old upper school commons room and contains two floors. The new building incorporates natural lighting to reduce energy consumption. The class of 2015 will be the first group of students to occupy this new building during all four years of high school (the class of 2014 will occupy the building for about 3 1/2 years).
There were no plans to renovate the lower and middle school building in the project.
(OHSAA) and competes in the nine-school Toledo Area Athletic Conference (TAAC). The school has co-ed teams in eight sports at the varsity and junior varsity levels including: field hockey
, tennis
, soccer, golf
, baseball
, lacrosse
, and basketball
. The school used to have a football
team, but this was canceled in the late 1970s. In the 2005-06 school year alone, 13 student-athletes were named all-state and three were recruited for Division I athletics.
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
located in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
. The school was founded in 1842 as an all-girls finishing school in Western New York and was moved to Toledo in 1884, where it became The Smead School for Girls. The school became coeducational and adopted its present location and name in the early 1930s.
Today, MVCDS has approximately 500 students from preschool through 12th grade and boasts academic achievements such as a 10:1 student teacher ratio. It is also accredited by ISACS and NAIS, and is widely considered the most selective and prestigious school in the area, sending one or two,sometimes three each year to Ivy League schools and to top liberal arts colleges. The school gets its name of "Maumee Valley" from the nearby Maumee River
Maumee River
The Maumee River is a river in northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana in the United States. It is formed at Fort Wayne, Indiana by the confluence of the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers, and meanders northeastwardly for through an agricultural region of glacial moraines before flowing into the...
, which flows north through Lucas County and Toledo, finally emptying into Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
.
Site History
Maumee Valley Country Day School was founded in New York as Miss Seminary. The school relocated to the Toledo area in 1884 and became The Smead School forGirls, run by Miss Smead In 1934, the school relocated to its current location on South Reynolds Road in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
with the construction of the Smead Building, and became a co-ed school. In 1959, a new building to house the upper school was built near the Smead Building on the campus. In 1972, the current lower and middle school building was completed next to the upper school building and connected by a hallway that was known as the "International Hall". A large dining hall and kitchen were added in the area between the two buildings. In 1984, a new science center was added to the upper school classrooms which included. In 1988, a 400m running track was built next to the sports fields by Glendale Avenue. In 1991, the Wolfe Gallery was constructed next to the Smead Building to showcase student and professional art projects that were displayed at the school. In 1997, a new area known as the "Johnson Bayer Physical Education Complex" was added. This included new sports offices, a weight training room, and a new gymnasium that were added next to the existing upper school gym. The middle school was expanded with additional classrooms as well as a science lab, and the 300 seat "Millennium Theatre" with a lobby was built next to the dining hall. A large clock tower was built next to the new theatre lobby to establish a central location on the campus. In addition, the road on campus was extended to Glendale Avenue to provide a second entrance/exit and a parking lot was added next to the new gymnasium. In 2007, new outdoor adventure course challenges were built throughout the woods on the campus. They include both low and high ropes course challenges for students. In 2009, a renovation project began to rebuild the upper school building and connect all of the campus buildings under one roof.
The school has had a variety of headmistresses and headmasters over the years. The present headmaster, Gary Boehm, has been the head of school since 2006.
Renovation
By the mid 2000s, it was becoming clear that the existing upper school building that was approaching 50 years of age, was too small and poorly heated/ cooled to meet the needs of modern students. In 2007, a massive capital campaign was launched to rebuild the upper school buildings. During the summer of 2009, the upper school commons area was demolished and construction on the foundation for the new building began. The old upper school class rooms were demolished in March, 2011.It was also difficult to travel about the campus, as it is made up of several different buildings. The plan included a connector that joined all of these buildings as well through the addition of an enclosed hallway between the Lower school and Smead buildings. The balcony area around the lunch room was also enclosed in glass, which will enable students to access every building on campus without traveling outside. The Smead building, which is also the oldest on campus, was renovated to house the entire early childhood (Preschool-Kindergarten) program. Finally, a small roofed area was added next to the drop-off area for students to wait in the event of bad weather when they are dismissed from school. The entire operation was known as the "Under One Roof" project. The total cost was over 15 million dollars.
The new building was designed by the parents of one of the students. It is considerable larger than the old upper school building, with an average of 25% more floor space per classroom. It was placed on the footprint of the old upper school commons room and contains two floors. The new building incorporates natural lighting to reduce energy consumption. The class of 2015 will be the first group of students to occupy this new building during all four years of high school (the class of 2014 will occupy the building for about 3 1/2 years).
There were no plans to renovate the lower and middle school building in the project.
Athletics
The school is a member of the Ohio High School Athletic AssociationOhio High School Athletic Association
The Ohio High School Athletic Association is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio...
(OHSAA) and competes in the nine-school Toledo Area Athletic Conference (TAAC). The school has co-ed teams in eight sports at the varsity and junior varsity levels including: field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, soccer, golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. The school used to have a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team, but this was canceled in the late 1970s. In the 2005-06 school year alone, 13 student-athletes were named all-state and three were recruited for Division I athletics.
Notable Students and Alumni
- Erickson Blakney, television reporter, Bloomberg News
- Patrick Day, vice chancellor, University of Massachusetts BostonUniversity of Massachusetts BostonThe University of Massachusetts Boston, also known as UMass Boston, is an urban public research university and the second largest campus in the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. The university is located on on Harbor Point in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States...
- Carty FinkbeinerCarty FinkbeinerCarleton "Carty" S. Finkbeiner is a Democratic Party politician who is the former mayor of Toledo, Ohio. First elected in 1993, he took office on January 1, 1994. In 1997, he defeated challenger Nick Wichowski to win a second term. Term limits prevented him from running a third consecutive time...
, three-term mayor of ToledoToledo, OhioToledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan... - Pat LindseyPat Lindsey (golfer)Pat Lindsey is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour.Lindsey was born, raised and still makes his home in Toledo, Ohio. He was introduced to golf by his father, an orthodontist, and top amateur golfer. A 1970 graduate of Maumee Valley Country Day School, he went on to attend...
, professional golferProfessional golferIn golf the distinction between amateurs and professionals is rigorously maintained. An amateur who breaches the rules of amateur status may lose his or her amateur status. A golfer who has lost his or her amateur status may not play in amateur competitions until amateur status has been reinstated;...
, winner of 1983 PGA Tour event - B.C. OpenB.C. OpenThe Dick's Sporting Goods Open is a Champions Tour event. It debuted in July 2007, supplanting the B.C. Open, a now-defunct PGA Tour event, which was held annually from 1971 to 2006. It is sponsored by Dick's Sporting Goods.... - Marc Rayman, NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Chief Propulsion Engineer - Michelle RheeMichelle RheeMichelle A. Rhee is a public figure involved in the American education system. She was chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public schools from 2007 to 2010...
, Chancellor, District of Columbia Public SchoolsDistrict of Columbia Public SchoolsDistrict of Columbia Public Schools is the traditional public school system of Washington, D.C. in the United States.- Composition and enrollment :...
, and founder and former president of the New Teacher Project - James Willey, Genetics Researcher
- Alyson StonerAlyson StonerAlyson Rae Stoner is an American actress, dancer and singer. Stoner is known for her roles in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody , Cheaper By The Dozen and Cheaper By The Dozen 2 , Step Up and Step Up 3 , and Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2...
, Actress, Cheaper by the Dozen (2003 film)Cheaper by the Dozen (2003 film)Cheaper by the Dozen is a 2003 American comedy film about a family with 12 children . The film takes its title from the 1948 biography of the same name of Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Lillian Moller Gilbreth and their 12 children, but other than the title and the concept of a family with 12 children,...
, Camp RockCamp RockCamp Rock is a 2008 Disney Channel Original Movie starring the Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. The music is written by Julie Brown, Paul Brown, Regina Hicks and Karen Gist. The film is directed by Matthew Diamond and produced by Alan Sacks.... - Zuri Hall, television reporter MyINDI-TV
- Mayor Michael B. Coleman, Mayor- City of Columbus