Sarah Hepburn

I have been a parent at The Country Day School since 2014 when my twins started in Grade 5. My two eldest have since graduated and are attending university, and my youngest just finished Grade 10. Throughout their years at CDS they have grown as individuals through the smaller, more personalized classes, the extracurricular activities and the trips they have participated on. All of my boys participated in the sports extracurriculars and thrived. Arriving early in the morning for basketball or soccer practice or playing around on the hill at snowboarding events with their teammates are memories they will cherish forever. 

School Leadership
Having been a parent since my children were in Grade 5, I have had the opportunity to interact with the school leadership across all levels from the Junior School on through Middle and Senior Schools. At all points, the school leadership communicated openly and in a timely fashion. There is a weekly newsletter called "The Backpack" which is a helpful tool to keep up-to-date on events at the school, news on student life and reminders for parents to stay on top of key dates and other things we need to know.

The faculty at the school have been key in shaping my boys into the young men they are today. When they were in Junior School it felt like a warm hug as they were guided forward at every turn with kindness and gentle encouragement. When they moved into the Middle and Senior Schools, the faculty saw through their awkward and sometimes not so great tweeny-teen behaviour to appreciate them for the young adults they were becoming. The teachers found ways to connect with learners in a variety of ways and utilized the amazing property as teaching space at every opportunity. I loved seeing kids learning outside when I drove into the school. The teachers always saw promise in my boys even in the most awkward of stages. 

The Country Day School follows a rigorous academic standard. What makes it exceptional is their commitment to present the material in a way that acknowledges the varied learning styles and academic abilities of the students. For one of my boys, academic excellence is not something that has come easily to him. Yet, with persistence and patience, his teachers coaxed him forward throughout the years including the pandemic online learning phases where it was hard to find any motivation for school. He is now attending his first choice for university and this would not have happened without the care, kindness and focus on academic excellence he experienced throughout his years at the school. The school cares about the long term success of each student and holds everyone to a high standard.

The Country Day School offers a variety of extracurricular activities. My boys were heavily involved in sports during their time at the school. This included more traditional sports like soccer and basketball, but also a snowboarding team as well. CDS offers opportunities to participate in sports at all levels. Kids might not make the first team they try out for, but there is always an opportunity for them to compete on another team and still experience all that sport and being on a team has to offer.

The Country Day School is not a small school by any stretch but because it is spread across JK to Grade 12, it retains a smaller school feel. As a parent of twins it was important for us that our boys could be in separate homeroom classes and CDS was able to accommodate this. What has been amazing to see as the boys have moved into their later years at CDS is how tight their grade becomes. Everyone genuinely supports each other and I have seen this at sporting events and witnessed the laughter and camaraderie at pick up each day. In Grade 12 there is a lounge area just for the graduating year and my boys have loved having that space to hang out with their friends.

I can honestly say that I have never heard my boys complain about going to school … not once. Even during times where they were finding the school work hard or were going through a tween or teen thing, they were able to find something about each day that made them happy. Be it themed grub days, activities like the outdoor Terry Fox run through the beloved "Back 40" campus, or even just daily laughs in the hallway with friends, school has been a happy place for them. The boys felt a sense of belonging at CDS. They weren't some invisible face. Other students knew who they were, teachers knew their names, and there was always a friendly smile or wave offered to them.

I have volunteered in a variety of capacities throughout my time as a parent at CDS. When I was new to the school, I became a grade parent which was a great opportunity to get to know other parents, the students and how the school worked. I have also volunteered in the General Store where I loved helping students and parents find what they needed, be it school supplies or uniform items. I have also had the privilege of volunteering as a judge at the debating competitions CDS has hosted. Everyone feels welcome from the moment they step into the school. The school leadership makes a point of thanking volunteers and speaking to each of us personally at the annual volunteer breakfast.

The university placement process has been first class. The boys have been supported throughout by regular communications from this office and the Director of Post-Secondary Counselling has an open door, anytime policy. This level of accessibility has helped my boys by answering questions about what the process is for certain schools, suggestions on completing supplemental applications and general brainstorming in cases where the kids might not have been totally sure for what and where they wanted to apply. As parents navigating the intense world of university admissions for the first time, we found the school to be very supportive. We attended a presentation at the start of the school year that covered things like key dates, typical admissions requirements and other information that we would have otherwise had to research ourselves. If you only go to CDS for the counselling support during the university admissions process, you are miles ahead of other schools.