Dear Country School Comrades,
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.
Over the next three years, The Talent Within will:
- Create a larger overall endowment comparable to similar schools to ensure long-term financial health and secure the institution envisioned by our Founders to “create an open atmosphere for learning in which parents and teachers working together can help children realize their full potential."
- Continue to pursue the Campus Master Plan’s next steps for functionality and beauty by building the Engineering Facility and Maker Space.
- Maintain the Operations Budget by reaching Annual Fund goals each year.
During The Talent Within Campaign, our entire community - alumni, parents of alumni, current parents, former and current trustees, grandparents, community friends - will be asked to make a gift to the Annual Fund. In addition to the Annual Fund, many donors will contribute to endowment and capital projects.
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