News Archive

The one-hour STEAM challenge was on! Students spread across classrooms, common spaces and hallways to make a three-tiered, freestanding snowperson with tissue paper, straws, cotton balls, pipe cleaners and tape. Working in buddy pairs, students designed and built their creations during a vibrant hour of collaboration and connection. View video>> photos>>

New Canaan Country School third and fourth grade students brought holiday cheer to the residents at The Village at Waveny, an assisted living facility in New Canaan, Wed., Dec. 12.

The Lower School Arts Assembly is a quintessential Country School event, a kind of creative rite of passage for students. In this annual tradition, first and second grade students create the set and choreograph all of the dances themselves for a one-hour performance they perform first for peers and younger students during a dress rehearsal and then for parents during the school's annual Parent Visiting Day. Art teachers Liz Ferran and Performing Arts teacher Jake Alrich guide the students, but the work is very much an expression of the students' collective creativity. View photos & video >>

One of our favorite events, a panel of recent graduates and parents of recent graduates returned to campus Dec. 10 to answer questions and share with current parents their perspective of the transition through and beyond Country School.

The results are in! The winners of the 2018 French Mousse-Off are seventh grader Tanvi Debnath of Stamford, eighth grader Maeve Baker of New Canaan and ninth grader Alex Almeida, also of New Canaan. Scoring for the annual culinary contest is based on taste and execution as well as overall presentation of the delicious dessert often associated with haute cuisine. 

Fifth grade science students interviewed Atlanta-based meteorologist Carl Parker via teleconference Wednesday. The interview, led by Middle School Science Teacher Lindsay Frey, was part of a larger study on the forces that drive weather patterns.

Earlier this fall former apprentice and assistant science teacher Hannah James teleconferenced with the entire Lower School from her current base at Summit Station (atop a 2-mile deep ice sheet!). The Lower School community gathered in the new Susan Haigh Carver ’51 Dining Hall and Commons to hear about her work as a research scientist and life in the Arctic.

If there is one word to describe the John Christophe Schlesinger ’89 Library since it reopened this fall, it is versatile. With the addition of the new Amicus Foundation Innovation Space, it has been a hub of inspiration and collaboration combining the best of traditional and cutting-edge resources. The space was designed to offer flexibility with moveable furniture, write-on tables, and a variety of seating (or standing) options, in addition to shelves stocked with books and robotics kits.

New Canaan Country School cross-country runner Amitav Nott finished the 2018 fall season with first place honors (9^th grade division) following Fairchester League’s final race, Nov. 7. For Amitav, the blue ribbon represented three years’ of steady improvement, patience and dedication.

Members of the Country School community raised red, yellow and white lanterns at the annual Light the Night Walk on Oct. 28. More than 60 students, faculty, staff and alumni attended the event and raised $5,300 (surpassing their goal of $5,000!) for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Middle and Upper School students met Jordan Plotner, a British/American award-winning composer and producer based in Los Angeles during the Community Time assembly on Monday, Oct. 22.

Fourth graders learned about the lives of Native Americans at The Institute for American Indian Studies.

Middle School participated in their first round of “Clubs” last Friday, Oct. 19. Fifth and sixth grade students meet once every cycle (day 6) to participate in activities they have chosen. 

New Canaan Country School eighth graders took on the roles of characters from John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, to argue the fate of George Milton, accused of murdering his best friend, Lennie Small, during a mock trial last week. 

On Saturday, Sept. 28 the Country School community gathered for the Cougar Run on a beautiful, sunny fall morning. More than 120 registered runners completed the 5K on campus run and young children participated in an obstacle course and a Chase the Cougar Fun Run. Attendees showed their school spirit and purchased logo wear. Our very own NCCS Cross Country team helped design the course and led the way for the runners as did Head of School Aaron Cooper. VIEW PHOTOS.

Four large murals painted by the 8th and 9th grade Painting Elective and grades 1, 2, and 3 were recently hung in the Dining Hall. They depict a variety of food – fruit, vegetables and grains in vibrant colors.

Inspired by their reading of Roxaboxen, an award-winning children’s book written by Alice McLerran and illustrated by Barbara Cooney, Country School second graders headed to the woods last week to build their own imaginary town.

The annual trip to Camp Dudley provided this year’s 8th grade class with time to unify, connect with teachers and classmates outside the classroom, and display fortitude, resilience, leadership, and teamwork through a variety of outdoor activities.

On the Outdoor Action Trip (O.A.T.), Country School's 9th grade students broke up into four groups and spent three days hiking and camping on the Appalachian Trail in northwestern CT and southwestern MA.

New Canaan Country School celebrated excellence in teaching by naming three faculty chairs at the school’s Annual Meeting & Dinner on Sept. 13. Middle School Spanish teacher Abby Cali, Kindergarten teacher Darby Webber and Upper School science teacher Scott Lilley were presented the awards by Head of School Aaron Cooper in front of a large gathering of parents, faculty and staff members.

Awarded every two years, faculty chairs have been endowed by three former Country School families: the Holmes Family, the Laverack Family, and the Williams Family. The chairs recognize exceptional full-time faculty who demonstrate a commitment to engaging and inspiring students, creating curriculum to reach all learners, and seeking ongoing professional development. They also provide financial support for growth in academic research, teaching or service.

Congratulations to Alexandra Truwit '15 and Cam Raker '16 for being named "Teens to Watch" by New Canaan, Darien & Rowayton Magazine. Read more.

A day after graduation, 16 recent ninth grade graduates boarded a plane for a weeklong trip to Costa Rica to immerse themselves in Central American culture and Spanish language.

Inspired by the children’s book by Linda Kranz, the Horizons summer program theme is Only One You. Two-hundred and sixty-three students, primarily from Norwalk and Stamford, are celebrating their individuality through art, academics and personal stories. Now in its 54th year, the Horizons program’s curriculum is designed to reverse the “summer slide” in students’ academic progress, as well as instill confidence, resilience and optimism through our supportive community.

New Canaan Country School held its Closing Exercises on Thursday, June 14. Head of School Dr. Robert P. Macrae encouraged the 32 ninth grade graduates of the Class of 2018 to continue to take ownership for their learning. VIEW PHOTOS

On Tuesday, May 15 over 150 guests entered the New Canaan Country School auditorium to the smell of movie theater popcorn and the soundtrack from Levinson’s The Natural playing. The crowd assembled to support Horizons and hear stories from two legends and current NCCS grandparents: Academy Award winner, Barry Levinson and Emmy Award winner, Bob Schieffer. 

Country School students made a strong showing in the recent 2018 National World Languages exams, held this spring.

Second graders have been exploring the “fifty nifty United States” this spring. Working in small groups, they collected and presented research about the regions within the country, highlighting important landmarks and landforms.

There are birds in the science wing of the Middle School. To be more specific, there are 3D models and drawings of finches, hawks, bluebirds and flickers. They do come to life, however, as passersby hold an iPad in front of each one.  A student-made video launches describing the bird through visuals and voice narration, thereby creating an Augmented Reality experience.

As part of their study of world cultures, eighth graders visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Islamic Cultural Center of New York in Manhattan on April 19.

The Upper School classroom expanded to destinations all over the country. Ninth graders traveled to Florida to study marine biology, the American South to trace the Civil Rights movement and the Pacific Northwest to learn about ecology and environmental science. 

View photo slideshows: Pacific Northwest; Deep South; Florida Keys

Country School kindergarteners hosted a special exhibit in March 2018 as a culmination of their study on “How are we alike and different?” The students served as docents, sharing “body maps” they had created over the prior months.

What an amazing day—thank you to each and every parent who helped make this day remarkable for our amazing faculty and staff.

Alumna Victoria Manganiello ’04, a contemporary textile artist and visual art professor based in New York City, will be the featured Artist in Residence at the Sara Kay Gallery located at 4 E. 42^nd St. in Manhattan until March 15.

NCCS Dribblers wowed crowds at a halftime performance at a girls’ varsity basketball game and a faculty vs. varsity basketball team games at the end of February. The second and third grade girls showed off the skills they had learned at their 7-week afterschool program. VIEW THE VIDEO

Country School Beginners put on their annual Lantern Walk celebration with shadow puppet plays and a lantern walk. The evening was a much-anticipated event which culminated a study of light and dark.

For the past two weeks, fifth graders have come to school eager to update the Olympic medal count on the bulletin board outside of their classrooms.

Country School first graders celebrated the Lunar Year with a dragon parade, a peacock dance and song at their weekly Lower School Assembly. VIEW THE VIDEO.

The Olympic spirit has hit first and second grade!  In gym class, students have enjoyed special versions of bobsledding, biathlon, ski jumping, curling, super-G skiing and the team ski.

Three Country School students – ninth grader Aaron Watkins, eighth grader Mason Zea and fifth grader Daniel Marin –were named co-winners of the school’s 2018 Spelling Bee held Feb. 5

Students in Mr. Randolph’s sixth grade class delivered their speeches Thursday, Feb. 1. The speeches, an annual rite of passage at Country School, are part of an emphasis on developing the skills to be a confident and competent public speakers and advocates.

As part of a study of the Anglo-Saxons in social studies, fifth grade classes read Robert Nye’s Beowulf: A New Telling and performed a play based on the book. View photos.

The New Canaan Country School girls' squash team earned a fourth place national ranking following three days of hard-fought matches in the 2018 U.S. Middle School Team Squash Championship held at Yale University Jan. 19-21. Seeded in Division I, the seventh and eighth grade girls played a total of four matches, winning two.

The Country School community took time this week to reflect upon the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the enduring themes of his life’s work and the courage it takes to envision the way things could be.