Seattle Country Day School

What do you call it when two SCDS teachers show up to school wearing the same outfit…up to and including the same pair of earrings? Kismet? Coincidence? Vulcan mind meld? We’re not sure, either, but we’re glad we saw it! (And K–2 Mandarin teacher Ying Ying G. and second-grade teacher Christina L. tell us it’s not the first time it’s happened, either...)

A marvelous confluence: tasty cheeses, a local film festival, AND an alum from the Class of 1999! Here’s the story: Alumnus Nick Bayne alerted us to a movie, now playing at the Seattle International Film Festival, called “The Big Cheese.” It’s a documentary about the American cheesemongers who competed at the “Olympics of Cheese,” the Concours Mondial du Meilleur Fromager, in 2023. Why did Nick alert us? Nick, too, is a cheesemonger — and he won the bronze medal for the U.K. in 2023. (Rumor has it that Nick can be seen in the movie, albeit briefly.) A belated congratulations, Nick, and thanks for the news about this delicious film!

Last Friday, SCDS’s Parent & Guardian Council pulled off an amazing feat: a huge annual event called Math Adventures, designed for the K–5 set. Was there math? Yes. And was there adventure? You bet; in fact, the students were sleuthing the solution to a “cold, creamy crime”! SCDS would like to thank all the adult and middle-school volunteers who planned, coached, provided math support, portrayed characters, and lent their time and effort to this event in various ways. Thank you all for making hundreds of children EXTREMELY happy!

You might notice that there’s no teacher at the front of this classroom. That’s deliberate. Instead, language arts teacher Alex Baranov had sixth-grade teams conduct research and make presentations to their peers in preparation for reading “Refugee,” a novel by Alan Gratz. This team, for instance, is presenting information on recent Syrian history in order to provide additional background for Mahmoud, a character escaping from Syria in 2015. It was very cool to see the sixth-graders providing historical context for their next reading adventure.

Fourth-grade SCDS student Soren M. recently won four awards at the Washington State Science & Engineering Fair (WSSEF), grades 1–8. What was the winning project? A well-researched presentation on airfoils and airplane wings. Soren was inspired by SCDS middle-schoolers in the Mechanics of Flight elective to collect more information on airfoils’ capacity to generate lift. Then Soren set out for the fair, held in late March, with a project called “Lift Off! Blueprints for Flight.” The judges who spoke with Soren at the fair — including former mayors, Boeing executives, and other people in the industry — were super-impressed, and Soren won not only the WSSEF’s Best of Grade 4 Award, but also the Navy League of the U.S. Bremerton/Olympic Peninsula Council STEM Award, the Origami Math and Science Award, and the Museum of Flight “Sights of Flight” Award. Congratulations, Soren! Photo: Rachel M.

Being head of the Lower School for a day is a big responsibility. First-grader Julian L. — replacing adult administrator Tom D. — fulfilled all his duties admirably. He co-hosted the Lower School assembly; he had a meeting with Tom and Lynne H., the Lower School counselor; and he observed the second-grade recess, among other tasks. There’s a rumor that he even helped with dismissal, using the adult radio! There are perks to the job, too; Julian and some of his buddies had a lunch with Tom that featured both pizza AND sushi. Julian’s take on the day: “You get to do things you wouldn’t normally do.” Indeed! (Group photo: SCDS faculty.)

Yesterday, SCDS held the final Middle School musical theatre production of the year: the “kids” version of “The Jungle Book.” On stage, we were reacquainted with old Jungle Book friends: Mowgli; Bagheera, the protective panther; the fun-loving Baloo the bear; and Shere Khan, the fearsome tiger, among others. There was a lot of fancy footwork and rousing send-ups of tunes, including “The Bare Necessities” and “That’s What Friends Are For,” from the cast, as well as some very fine work from the student crew, responsible for lighting, costumes, sound, and set. Congratulations to all!

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and we’re sending a big shout-out to the smart and inspiring adults at the helm in SCDS’s classrooms: You all are the best! We’d also like to issue a big “thanks” to our families for reaching out this week — and to the Parent & Guardian Council, which has been providing teachers and staff with delicious treats every day. We appreciate it!

These students look like they’re putting on a show! And soon, they will be. Today, these young set designers are creating a papier-mâché rock. Later this spring, they’ll join their classmates in the third-grade musical production of “Finding Nemo.” Can’t wait!

It was time for language arts, and SCDS second-graders were eagerly raising their hands to contribute to a literary Venn diagram. Students were reading “The One and Only Ivan” by Katherine Applegate and noting how two of the main characters, Ivan and Stella, were alike and different. One student even provided a page number as proof for one of the characters’ commonalities (liking raisins)!

The fifth grade just got back from their trip to Victoria, B.C., and the photos show that they had a GREAT time! SCDS students had tea and enjoyed the flowers at Butchart Gardens, tested their mettle on the WildPlay ropes course, and enjoyed the Royal BC Museum, among other fun and educational activities. Welcome home! (Photos: SCDS faculty)