The Country School is an independent, coeducational, Pre-K through 8 school founded in 1934.
News
NAIS Speakers, Part 2
The second riveting and eloquent, though much weightier, speaker that I heard at the NAIS conference a couple of weeks ago was civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson. Founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, author of bestseller Just Mercy, an NYU law professor, and a TED speaker whose talk has been viewed more than 2.35 million times, Stevenson has devoted his life to trying to ensure that the poorest and most disadvantaged of our nation’s citizens receive proper representation and justice. His talk focused on four factors that he believes it takes to change the world, but it was challenging because he put our nation’s racial issues into a perspective I had never before fully considered. I urge you to listen to and consider his TED Talk at this link.
Stevenson believes that in order to solve problems, people must increase their proximity to the issue at hand. Studying truly important issues in the abstract, at a great distance, leads to ineffective solutions and policies. He also maintains that in order to solve problems often seen as eternal, a fact of life, or intransigent, people have to start to change the narratives they attach to these problems. Proximity helps change narratives because people are exposed to deeper, more complex realities.
Remaining hopeful is another requirement, Stevenson believes, for overcoming difficult problems that seem unsolvable. Finally, to change the world, people have to be willing to do uncomfortable things. Stevenson’s NAIS talk, and to some degree his TED talk, was full of personal experiences with the criminal justice system that he has had as an attorney for those considered “the least among us.”
Some of the statistics that Stevenson cited in his talk were staggering, challenging, and uncomfortable to hear about, but one of his most poignant points is this: each of us is much more than the worst thing we have ever done. By wrestling with this reality and moving away from our society’s propensity for over-simplification, by being willing to get proximate to issues, by changing all-too-easy-to-accept narratives, by maintaining hope, and by being willing to do difficult things, we can truly make a difference. Stevenson’s talk challenged some commonly held assumptions but was inspiring in a way that I have found few speakers ever to be.
Recent News
List of 5 news stories.
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Kindergarten Students Serving Others!
Kindergarteners have been participating in a 3 part HOHO (Helping Others; Helping Ourselves) project lead by Ferris and Laura Butler. Students packed boxes to be shipped to veterans and their families. The boxeswere filled with child friendly, donated items. Also in the boxes were handwritten letters from the students along with a handmade American flag craft. The Butlers carefully orchestrated this project, and we are very grateful for their time and efforts. -
Spring Athletic Award Winners
Congratulations to all our spring athletics award winners and to all our Cougar athletes who participated in sports and clubs! This spring, TCS offered Boys’ and Girls’ Lacrosse, Pickleball Club, Running Club, and Volleyball Club. Providing so many athletic opportunities took a village—thank you to our amazing coaches, volunteers, and parent drivers for making it all possible! And thank you to our students for setting an example of dedication and sportsmanship!Read More -
Summer Trips for Upper School Students in 2025
It is with great excitement that The Country School announces the addition of 2025 summer trips for our Upper School students!Read More -
The Country School Celebrates 90 Years and Installs Jay Parker
Read MoreThe Country School is proud to be celebrating its 90th school year. This milestone year also marks the beginning of a new chapter with the appointment of Jay Parker as the 7th Head of School. -
Conversation & Homecoming - Saturday, February 24, 2024
Read MoreThe Country School, Talbot County Free Library, and the Avalon Foundation, sponsors, join with fourteen other community organizations to present Conversation & Homecoming with Carole Boston Weatherford and her son, Jeffery Boston Weatherford, a program free and open to all.
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