North Shore Country Day School
Encyclopedia
North Shore Country Day School, is a small private school
founded in 1919 and located in Winnetka, Illinois
. It consists of a lower school, a middle school, and an upper school.
with the goal of providing a progressive education with the advantages of a boarding school
but with students able to live at home. There are no class rankings and no academic awards. The founder and first headmaster was Perry Dunlap Smith, a disciple of Francis Wayland Parker
.
The school was one of 27 schools selected from a group of 250 candidate schools in the U.S. chosen in 1933 for alternative admission standards for admission to 200 selective colleges. As a progressive country day school, there was to be an enriched core curriculum with independent study. The school sought to fit the curriculum to the students' needs, rather than to require a fixed course of instruction.
At the height of the African-American Civil Rights Movement
, in 1963, the school was one of 21 schools that publicly supported the Kennedy administration's policies of racial equality, stating that independent schools must offer the benefits of a quality education to all qualified students.
and competes against eight other independent schools in the Chicago area.
Winter:
Spring:
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...
founded in 1919 and located in Winnetka, Illinois
Winnetka, Illinois
Winnetka is an affluent North Shore village located approximately north of downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. Winnetka was featured on the list of America's 25 top-earning towns and "one of the best places to live" by CNN Money in 2011...
. It consists of a lower school, a middle school, and an upper school.
History
North Shore Country Day School was founded during the Country Day School movementCountry Day School movement
The Country Day School movement is a movement in progressive education that originated in the United States in the late 19th century.Country Day schools seek to recreate the educational rigor, atmosphere, camaraderie and character-building aspects of the best college prep boarding schools while...
with the goal of providing a progressive education with the advantages of a boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
but with students able to live at home. There are no class rankings and no academic awards. The founder and first headmaster was Perry Dunlap Smith, a disciple of Francis Wayland Parker
Francis Wayland Parker
Francis Wayland Parker was a pioneer of the progressive school movement in the United States. He believed that education should include the complete development of an individual — mental, physical, and moral...
.
The school was one of 27 schools selected from a group of 250 candidate schools in the U.S. chosen in 1933 for alternative admission standards for admission to 200 selective colleges. As a progressive country day school, there was to be an enriched core curriculum with independent study. The school sought to fit the curriculum to the students' needs, rather than to require a fixed course of instruction.
At the height of the African-American Civil Rights Movement
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
, in 1963, the school was one of 21 schools that publicly supported the Kennedy administration's policies of racial equality, stating that independent schools must offer the benefits of a quality education to all qualified students.
Upper School
The Upper School contains almost all of the classes for high school students (9th Grade to 12th Grade). For arts or science, students attend class in the Arts Center/ Science Center. The Upper School also contains the admissions offices, administration offices, alumni office, and college counseling offices. In the year 2011, a completely redesigned and rebuilt Upper School opened. . This includes a new area called the "V". The V is an area where students can relax before school, during lunch or free periods, and after school. Community Gatherings are often held there. Community Gathering is when the entire school gathers to hear announcements from teachers or students.Arts Center
The Arts Center caters to the entire student community. There are classrooms for wood shop, chorus, ceramics, middle school and upper school band, practice rooms, and art rooms. In addition, the Arts Center has a photography lab and a scene shop.Middle School/Science Center
The Middle School contains class rooms for the Middle Schoolers (6th Grade to 8th Grade). A recent addition on the roof of the Middle School now serves as the Science Center. The Science Center contains the Biology Lab, Chemistry Lab, Physics room, Multipurpose Room, teachers lounge, meeting rooms, and a computer lab. Equipment is state of the art and up to date with state codes. The Middle School also contains the West Gym, which is used for many different purposes, and the library.Lower School
The Lower School is the building which contains most of the classes for Junior Kindergarten through 5th graders. One of the things they do in the lower school is afternoon ex, located in the Multipurpose room the lower school students present things they have done in class that week.Mac Gym
The Mac Gym is directly east of the Upper School. It is the biggest gym and it has an outdoor pool next to it used for summer camp. The Mac Gym is where all of the basketball and volleyball games are held. It also has a weight room and fitness center on the first floor used for student athlete strength and conditioning.West Gym
The West Gym is North Shore Country Day School's smaller gym. It is older than the Mac Gym, and is above the Cafeteria. The West Gym is used for P.E. and sports practices.Diller Street Theater
The Diller Street Theater is where most of the plays are performed. The students go to the Diller Street Theater almost every Monday and Wednesday to see the Morning Ex. Many choral and musical pieces are played here.Interim
Every year in November, upper school students partake in an event in which learning outside the classroom takes place for a week. The teachers come up with different ideas, and the students sign-up for different activities throughout the week. Teachers can choose community services, trips, and various other projects. Every student has to do one community service in his or her four years at North Shore. After the week is up, the students work together to create a presentation that shows what they did for Interim Night. Interim Night is event where students present an overview of their chosen project for parents and the school community. Current Interim Week Options for the 2011 Year Include Project Learn, Cake Decorting, Exploring Bruce Springsten, Paws and more. Past Interim Week options include: Mad Hot Ballroom, When Chicago was Hollywood, Ghost Hunters, Looking for Lincoln, Wildlife 911, Cake Decorating, Through the Lens: Exploring Chicago through Photography, Second City Workshop.Morning Ex
Every Monday and Friday all of the students in the Upper, Middle, and Lower School come together in the Diller Street Theater to view a presentation. Plays and concerts are previewed here. This time is commonly known as "Morning Exercise" or "Morning Ex" to the students and faculty.Community Gathering
Every Tuesday, the whole Upper School meets in either the V or the Dillar Street theater and gives out announcements, such as birthdays, club meetings, and sports. The gathering is led by Student Council Co-Presidents. The meeting is a chance for students to let others know about when things are happening. On occasion the dean of the school or teachers inform the upper school about what they need to work on or how they should act.Town Meeting
Some weeks North Shore has Town Meeting rather that Morning Ex. Town Meeting takes place in the library or Diller Street Theater. Students usually listen to a speaker where issues such as life, death, AIDS awareness, drug and alcohol awareness are discussed.Class Meeting
On Friday's, students go to their homerooms to talk and discuss current events. It is like Community Gathering, except it takes place in each homeroom class and each grade meets separately.Student Clubs
There are many student run organizations and clubs at North Shore Country Day School. Every Tuesday and Friday at 2:10, students have forty minutes of clubs time to do different activities. Below are clubs and classes are very important to the students and school.- Student CouncilStudent councilStudent council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
- Students are elected for the council by their classes to discuss different things throughout North Shore. - The Mirror - School yearbook. Students and teachers actively contribute, taking pictures of advisories, clubs, and events at North Shore.
- InstrumentalInstrumentalAn instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
EnsembleMusical ensembleA musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
- students and their teachers in the music ensemble perform for the school during Morning Ex's or designated nights. - ChorusChoirA choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
- Students and teachers practice singing songs. Several times a year, they perform for the school. - Community ServiceCommunity serviceCommunity service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
Club - Students and teachers create ideas about how to help the needy and will have many different types of "drives." - Diller Street Journal - Students and teachers print a newspaper that is comprised, usually, of op-ed pieces by both students and faculty, but will also include pieces about what is going on around school.
- Gay-Straight AllianceGay-straight allianceGay–straight alliances are student organizations, found primarily in North American high schools and universities, that are intended to provide a safe and supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and their straight allies .-Goal:The goal of most, if not all,...
- Students meet together once a week to discuss Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual related issues. - DanceDanceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
Club - Students, with the help of some teachers, work together to create dances for school events. - Ultimate Frisbee Club - Students meet on one of the fields of North Shore and play pick up games.
- AnimeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Club- student meet together twice a week to watch anime related T.V. shows and films - PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
Club - Students develop black and white film, critique each others prints, discuss techniques and talk about all things photography. - Kaleidoscope - Students and teachers meet together to discuss social problems.
- InternationalInternational----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
Club - Students and teachers learn about different cultures and serve corresponding ethnic foods. - P.I.L.L.O.W.S. - Students and teachers get together in the Senior Lounge and do what they want, whether it's a poem, music, or nothing. The acronym P.I.L.L.O.W.S stands for Poetry In the Literary Lives of Worldly Students.
- Environmental ClubEnvironmentalismEnvironmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
- Students and teachers discuss ways to clean up the Skokie Lagoon, forest preserve, and recycle around the school. Every Tuesday and Friday during clubs time, students volunteer to wear blue and green capes and roam around the school recycling. - Prosody - The school literary journal. Students submit their pictures or stories to Prosody. It is then published and distributed among teachers and the student body.
- CerealCerealCereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
Club - Students meet every Wednesday and Friday mornings to eat cereal. - Ping-Pong Club - Students meet every Tuesday and Friday to play a casual game of ping-pong.
Sports
North Shore is a member of the Chicago Independent School LeagueIndependent School League (Illinois)
The Independent School League is an athletic league comprising nine private secondary schools in the Chicago metro area. All of the schools are also full members of the Illinois High School Association; the governing body for most high school athletics and competitive activities in the state...
and competes against eight other independent schools in the Chicago area.
- Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
(coed) - Field HockeyField hockeyField 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...
(girls) - FootballAmerican footballAmerican 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...
(boys) - GolfGolfGolf 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....
(boys) - Soccer (boys)
- TennisTennisTennis 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...
(girls) - VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
(girls)
Winter:
- BasketballBasketballBasketball 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...
(coed) - Track & Field (coed)
Spring:
- BaseballBaseballBaseball 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...
(boys) - Soccer (girls)
- TennisTennisTennis 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...
(boys) - Track & Field (coed)
Service Learning
The school's dedication to service learning extends throughout the campus into other continents. In 2007, the junior class, (class of 2008, decided to raise money for helping a village in Tanzania. They organized a read-a-thon, and succeeded in raising almost $30,000 used towards buying land in Tanzania. Some of the students organized a trip to go to Tanzania at the end of the 2008 school year. Seniors are required to perform a Senior Service, which is a community service project lasting for two full weeks. They can work with friends at any community service place. After the Senior Service has ended students create powerpoint presentations and show the parents and students the result of their community service. This occurs in the last few weeks of the school year.Notable alumni
- Pete Wentz '97 - Bassist, lyricist, and backup vocals for Fall Out BoyFall Out BoyFall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
. - Bruce JarchowBruce JarchowBruce Jarchow is an American film and television actor, most notable for his role as Lyle Ferguson in the film Ghost.Additional television guest appearances include recurring roles in Seinfeld, Married... With Children, Weird Science, The Norm Show, What About Joan, Desperate Housewives and...
'66 - Actor. - Jessica HarperJessica HarperJessica Harper is an American actress and producer, as well as a singer and author of children's music and books.-Early life:...
'67 - Actor - Ian Punnett (Lower and Middle School) '74, National radio personality
- Brendan LeonardBrendan LeonardBrendan Patrick Leonard is a filmmaker best known for his hit series on ABC Family, The Brendan Leonard Show.-Personal life:...
'02 - Creator and host of "The Brendan Leonard Show." - Brian Jessen '02 - Basketball Player at Wake Forest University, 2004-2005.
- Richard MarxRichard MarxRichard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
'81 - Adult contemporary singer, songwriter and record producer. - Rocky WirtzRocky WirtzWilliam Rockwell "Rocky" Wirtz is the principal owner and chairman of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks. He is also president of the Blackhawks' parent company, Wirtz Corporation, a diversified conglomerate headquartered in Chicago....
'71 - owner, Chicago BlackhawksChicago BlackhawksThe Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10... - Katie O'Malley '85 - journalist
- Richard AppelRichard AppelRichard "Rich" Appel is an American writer, producer and former attorney. Growing up in Wilmette, Illinois, Appel developed a love of comedy and dreamt of a career as a comedy writer; he attended Harvard University and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon. Following in his mother's footsteps Appel...
'81 - Writer for The Simpsons, actor, producer