The Talent Within

As September 14, 2025 approaches, marking exactly 70 years since The Country School first opened its doors, I write to share some very exciting news. In celebration of our school’s seven-decade milestone, The Country School’s Board of Trustees has launched an ambitious, transformative endeavor we are calling The Talent Within Capital Campaign. Over the past two years of quiet conversations with families excited to help revolutionize our school,  I am thrilled to say that we are closing in on the $1 million mark.

About the most powerful step you can take as parents is to demonstrate to your children through financial support of their school that you value their education fully. While they may not express gratitude at this time, the powerful lesson will remain with them forever.

Since 1955 and our founding, parents have stretched beyond tuition to continuously improve the academic, athletic, artistic and social experience for Country School children. Having taken the baton from families who have run this race before us, now it’s our turn to polish this gem for today’s students and future generations.

Please read through the information and engage in a conversation with Nicole or me about where your interest and financial ability best overlaps with the school’s needs. Some donors get excited about supporting endowment, some want to give to academic program, some want to support the faculty and staff through salaries and professional involvement, while others might have even more precise interests.  These exploratory conversations are most enjoyable for all parties involved.

When my wife, Liza, and I were young parents I rode my bicycle to The Country School as a sixth grade English teacher because we could afford only one car. Yet still, somehow we scraped together and committed the funds to support the Campaign that built Blatchford Learning Center. When I walk under the beautiful oak sign of donors from that time, 30 years ago, I shake my head with wonder how we were able to stretch with two young children and diaper expenses, and then I nod my head with pride that we joined so many others as committed parents. Please join me in supporting the Talent Within Capital Campaign and share your joy with your children, whether they are current students or alumni.

As we head toward 2025, I give thanks to the visionary parents who brought The Country School into being all those years ago. I also thank the visionary and generous individuals who continue to make The Country School a priority today so that students and faculty will continue to benefit, now and into the future. In the words of our alumnus, it is “almost unfathomable” how many lives have been shaped. Thank you to everyone who has played a role.

With best wishes,

 

John D. Fixx P ’06

Head of School

Six years ago I stepped foot on our campus for the first time as an employee, immediately enveloped in its beauty and with an overwhelming sense of its strong foundation. Several words came to mind that first summer: lucky, magic, privilege, grateful, community.  From those first moments, my strongest feeling was one of admiration for the strength of our school’s foundation. I walked the campus, studying each named space, and questioned, Who was Mrs. Robinson? Mrs. DeFrancis? Mr. Blatchford? With wonder I found lists of named graduates who thanked their teachers by dedicating classrooms, locker rooms, athletic fields. On that warm July walk, I understood that my feeling of strength at my new school was a gift from countless grateful families, hopeful children, and passionate teachers who believed in the future then that I live today.

On that same day I wore only one hat - Director of Development.  Within several short weeks, I eagerly absorbed several new titles - English Faculty, Coach, and, yes, Country School Parent. As a new hire, I hadn’t considered moving my children from the school district where my husband is their principal. Yet, with each passing day, the magic of Country School pulled us in, and my four childrens’ stories of forts and friendships, their voices in MacLane Poetry Recitation and Holiday Program, and their growing confidence as caring leaders confirmed our small role in the grand history and future of our school. For six years, we have lived this magnanimous campus gifted us by those before us and celebrated what my family calls the “magic” of learning at Country School.

Learning is about exploration, revelation, and surprise. Surprise at the world: “Ah-ha!” and “I never knew that!” moments.  Learning is about surprising ourselves. In the right environment, with the right tools, we unexpectedly tap into parts of ourselves that reveal a talent or skill or innate knowledge that we didn’t know we had. The Country School is just this kind of environment - where students discover their magic within.  At the heart of our community is our teachers who instill in our students the confidence to share, question, and explore.  

These are the reasons why I am proud to launch The Talent Within Capital Campaign to bolster endowment, build an Engineering Facility and Maker Space, and ensure that our teachers have the tools and resources to unlock the talent within each student. 

Your gift says a lot about us. In addition to empowering Country School to invest in teaching and learning, your gift demonstrates our community’s commitment to our mission. Your gifts also acknowledge the hard work of our faculty to provide an exceptional education for every Country School child. Each time someone makes a gift to Country School they do so as a way to say “thank you.” Whether it’s a gift from a thankful alum or a grateful parent, each time a family chooses to make a gift, they choose to demonstrate their gratitude for the work our teachers are doing everyday. 

Thank you for joining my family and countless others in The Talent Within. This is our chance to thank those who built the school we love today by leaving it stronger for those who will thank us many generations from now.  

In gratitude, 
Nicole M. Talmadge