North Shore Country Day School Kicks Off School Year

From NSCDS: North Shore Country Day’s first all-school gathering of the school year—known as Opening Morning Ex—took place on Sept. 5 and began with a reading of the poem, “What Is Success” by Ralph Waldo Emerson.Students, faculty, staff and even some parents packed into the auditorium as Head of School Tom Flemma welcomed and introduced new members of the school community—including 89 new students. Of those, 18 hail from outside Chicago and five are from outside the United States.

There is one set of twins and a set of triplets. And 27 of the new students have or have had a sibling at North Shore.“Being part of North Shore Country Day means that each of us—every one of us here in this room and here on this campus—belongs here. We are safe here,” Flemma explained. “We are by design a diverse and inclusive place and by being here we pledge to each other and to ourselves that we will work to lift each other up, to see the best in each other, and support each other through the good times and bad. That is what it means to be a Raider.”Each year, the Head of School chooses and reads aloud a children’s book to set the tone for the year and to reflect on its deeper meaning. This year, Flemma chose “The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes,” by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein, which tells the story of Beatrice Bottomwell, a 9-year-old perfectionist who learns that it’s OK to mess up every once in a while.“Everyone makes mistakes—everyone,” Flemma said. “Some of us, like me, make a lot of them.

But if you start to worry too much about making mistakes, you will miss opportunities to learn and to grow.”Several not-so-new faces were recognized as well. Seniors Seniors Rachel Block of Glenview, Paula Fiegl of Wilmette, Caroline Lommer of Skokie, Max Marshall of Evanston, Katie Nolan of Winnetka, Maya Valliath of Winnetka and Livvy Whitmore of Wilmette are what the North Shore community calls “Lifers”—students who have attended the school since junior or senior kindergarten.Each Lifer addressed the crowd and talked about their experiences at North Shore over the years. Then, after music teachers Linda Kiracibasi and Will Hester led the crowd in a rousing rendition of the School songs, “O’er the Fields” and “Wake the Echoes,” the Lifers and their kindergarten buddies led everyone outside to raise the school flag and ring the school bell.

North Shore Country Day School, established in 1919, is a college-preparatory school of 540 students in grades junior kindergarten through 12th grade, located at 310 Green Bay Road in Winnetka, Illinois.

Top photo: The entire North Shore Country Day community gathers on the lawn in front of the auditorium after Opening Morning Ex to watch the lifers raise the NSCD flag and ring the school bell. (Photos via NSCDS)