The Country School is an independent, coeducational, Pre-K through 8 school founded in 1934.
News
Return from Sabbatical
Most of you know that I was away the last three weeks on a mini-sabbatical that the Board of Trustees granted me to mark my 25 years as Head of School. What you probably don't know is that I spent most of the time in Puglia, the relatively undiscovered, spectacularly beautiful "heel" of Italy. Nestled between the Ionian and Adriatic Seas, the area is characterized by the azure sea, gnarled olive groves outlined by antique, dust-colored stone walls, ancient fortified towns, and astounding architectural and artistic treasures, mostly centering on the life of the church. Picture the most extraordinary images you've seen of calm, clear, turquoise grottos adjacent to areas of aquamarine water crashing into naturally-carved cliffs, add picturesque towns that tower above the sea, and impossibly narrow, winding, fast moving roads, and you've pretty much captured how I’ll remember coastal Puglia, particularly the southeastern area known as Salento.
As we explored each spot, I was struck by contrasts I didn't expect. Restaurants that served carefully prepared "slow food" in somehow cozy, stone-arched ceilinged spaces with waiters using touchscreen devices to beam orders to the kitchen. Parking areas in archetypal, labyrinthine, stone and stucco towns that, undetected, captured license plates and the time as cars entered so that the fee could be calculated upon leaving. Isolated hill towns that had acres and acres of solar panels or wind farms in the nearby countryside. People using selfie sticks to get in the photo of the Easter week procession as elderly men in tuxedos carried a full scale, realistic replica of Christ in a glass casket. Drivers who are in such a rush that they pass you on impossibly curvy and narrow roads yet still participate in the culture-wide siesta that occurs from 1:00 - 4:00 every afternoon. The old and the new live side by side.
One of the gifts that comes from traveling to a different place, particularly if you don't speak the language, is the chance -- the necessity, even -- to see simple, everyday things anew and to have to stop and really think about what you're doing, where you are and where you're headed, and what you're trying to say. Around almost every bend I witnessed the results of people now, and through the ages, trying to make the very best and most beautiful use of the humble ingredients they had at hand -- stone, flour, pigments, the bounty of the sea and carefully nurtured fields.
On the morning we were to fly home, I received a call from school about a significant health issue one of our students was experiencing. It made me realize that, despite the fairly frenetic pace we were keeping to, I had had the chance to let go of the daily responsibility for everything at school for the first time in a very long time. Liberating and healthy, it also allowed me to experience things in a deeper way -- far different from my usual trips or vacations.
Coming to this realization, experiencing these juxtapositions, slowing down to see some things anew, and having the chance to meet some remarkably friendly, ingenious, and generous people were all true gifts. I'm grateful both that the Board provided the opportunity and that so many people "stepped up" in my absence so that the work of the school didn't miss a beat.
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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