The importance of the community is apparent in every tradition at Country Day. Several times a year, the entire school joins in events that may allow us to share in cultural inquiry, participate in service to the larger community, or play games together as on Field Day. Each school year opens and closes with an all-school gathering. Our seniors and their Kindergartners form a special bond during their first and last years at Country Day. Our family style lunch emphasizes the social relationship between students and faculty, giving each a chance to get to know the other outside of the classroom. The moving up ceremony in the gym on the last day of school allows students to physically "move up" to the next grade by moving their seats to their new place in the gym. Students moving from Lower School to Middle School are the most excited, and run across the gym to the "big kids area" and are cheered on by the whole school.

As a K-12 school, Country Day has many opportunities to celebrate the richness and uniqueness of our strong community, and to use that focus to teach students responsibility, role-modeling and leadership. Teachers, coaches, staff and administrators strive to teach students that their actions have consequences for the entire community around them, and to teach them to be aware of those around them in a responsible way.

ACE
An acronym for “All Community Event,” this day is designed for the entire Country Day community, students and faculty, to participate in various community service projects. The school is divided into numerous smaller groups, and each team travels to a different work site throughout the city. Everyone reconvenes at the end of the day to share their experiences.

Afternoon Football Games
Home football games at Country Day are unique in that they are always played on Friday afternoons, right after school is dismissed at 3:30 p.m.

Book Week
Each year in October the dining room is temporarily transformed into a bookstore for anyone to browse. The week also includes lectures and presentations by visiting authors, and special guests are always available in the dining room at designated times for book signings.

Candy Gram
In order to raise money for graduation, the sophomore class sponsors an event right before Winter break every year. For 50 cents, one can purchase a candy gram from a designated seller, and this allows the buyer to write a personalized message to any student or teacher in the Upper School. The sophomores attach these notes to candy canes and distribute them to the appropriate lunch tables for everyone to receive at lunch.

Carnations
Similar to a candy gram, carnations are sold by the junior class at Valentine’s Day. For a dollar, one can purchase a slip and write a personalized message to any student or teacher in the Upper School. These notes are then attached to carnations and the flowers are distributed to the recipients’ assigned lunch tables.

Capture the Flag
The goal of this game is implied in its name: members of opposing teams must capture preciously guarded flags from each other’s territory. A daring opponent must cross into the other team’s terrain, grab a flag, and then dash back to his side, all without getting tagged by his rivals. Often a game saved for special occasions in P.E., the first team to capture all of the other team’s flags wins.

Career Forum
Each spring, a morning is devoted to this seminar for the junior and senior classes. Professionals and experts, often Country Day alumni, from various job fields come to the school to speak about their careers. The goal is for students to gain a better idea of career paths that best suit them

Cheese Buns
Although not difficult to make, this is a meal that almost no one receives anywhere but Country Day. A lunchtime favorite, cheese buns are amazingly simple: American cheese melted on a hot dog bun. Fritos usually accompany this meal.

Dr. Bomb Ball
A complicated P.E. game that only Country Day students and alumni are apt to understand, it suffices to say that two teams throw soft balls at each other in an attempt to hit opponents and bowling pins. If hit, a player must sit down and wait to be rescued by a doctor on a scooter. If the doctor is hit, he no longer has the ability to rescue players, so each player hit is done for good. The first team to hit all the other opponents and their guarded bowling pins is the winner.

eh, la-bas!
French for “Hey, over there,” this is the magazine produced quarterly in the Upper School. In the early days of the school it served as a yearbook and newspaper, but over time it has evolved into a more opinion oriented publication.