Academics

Upper School

The Upper School Experience

Intensity increases in the Upper School where students focus on academics, extracurricular activities and service to prepare for success in college and beyond. We believe that their educational experience should be at the same time both intellectually rigorous and personally stimulating. An outstanding faculty, beautiful campus, and strong traditions combine to inspire learning while encouraging character growth.

The Upper School curriculum is college preparatory - with Honors classes and Advanced Placement options available across all disciplines. Within the classroom, Country Day encourages self expression and independent thought through inquiry-based discussion. Independent study options are available for students with a special interest. Continual self-assessment and growth are also a focus for faculty and staff with more than half of the Upper School's teaching faculty have advanced academic degrees.

Within the framework of small classes that allow individual attention and encourage personal development, teaching styles include discussions, lectures, videos, field trips, writing assignments, special projects, and group work. All Country Day graduates are computer literate and learn in-depth word processing, databases, spreadsheets, PowerPoint, and basic computer language as a means to further learning.

To supplement its strong academic programs, Country Day offers a wide variety of opportunities for personal accomplishment and growth through extracurricular activities and service. Students may undertake a program of independent work by taking courses at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCAA) or senior externship opportunities for class-produced publications such as Le Melange and eh, las bas!

Country Day produces confident, mature, well-rounded graduates who are prepared to do well in a number of different areas. We take great pride in the scholastic achievements of our upper school students. Although Country Day offers very few internal awards to its students, their academic accomplishments are recognized annually by numerous colleges, universities, and other institutions. In 2015, 20 students were inducted into the National Honors Society and seven were designated national merit scholarship winners.
We do more than teach the rules. We teach students to understand why the rules are important.

--Upper School Principal, Howard Barton

Upcoming Events

List of 3 events.

View All Events

News

List of 3 news stories.

  • Upper School Principal Howard Barton's Blog - Looking to the future

    This Tuesday the Junior Class participated in our annual Ring Luncheon at Commanders. For most of the juniors, I would say, the luncheon was simply a chance to get away from campus for a while, to eat a fancy meal in a fancy place. It seems that the girls look forward to dressing up, while the boys begrudgingly try to remember how to tie a tie. And of course they would get their rings. Nothing more than that.

  • A Note from Upper School Principal Howard Barton - Registering for Courses

    Dear Parents,
     
    This week at our Tuesday Upper School assembly and during parent meetings on Wednesday morning and evening, I explained the policies and procedures for registering for courses for next school year, 2016-2017. (On Friday, I will meet with this year's eighth graders to help them get started on this part of their upper school experience.)  In "Important Downloads" on the Upper School page of CD Connect, which you can reach by logging in and going to the drop-down menu under Groups and selecting "Upper School Parents," you can find the information I provided at those meetings (or you can just click here after logging in).
     
     
  • 7th Annual Chamber Concert - page 1

    Musical Magic in the Dining Room

    Thursday evening , in the Country Day Dining Room, a standing room only audience enjoyed the 7th Annual Upper School Chamber Concert. Unlike the fall and spring chorale and instrumental concerts, where the choice of music is primarily made by the teachers, for this chamber concert the students were challenged to find their own music, as well as form their own eclectic groups, and find a way to arrange their choice for their own unique blend of instruments. From Beyonce to Bach, the students made choices that were interesting, fresh, and beautiful.
Archive

Contacts

List of 13 members.

  • Photo of Shannon Barrilleaux

    Ms. Shannon Barrilleaux 

    Metairie Park Country Day
    Director of College Counseling
    (504)-849-3185
  • Photo of Howard Barton

    Mr. Howard Barton , Jr.  

    Upper School Principal
    Phone - (504) 849-3178
    United States Military Academy - BS
    United States Naval War College - MA
    Yale University - MA
    Yale University - MPhil
  • Photo of Ellen Cohen

    Mrs. Ellen Cohen 81

    Metairie Park Country Day School
    Spanish Department Chair, US Spanish Teacher
    Metairie Park Country Day School
    Smith College - BA
    Smith College - MEd
  • Photo of Becka Curry

    Mrs. Becka Curry 

    MPCDS
    Upper School Assistant Principal
  • Photo of Mary Beth Ellis

    Ms. Mary Beth Ellis 

    French Department Chair, US French Teacher, Humanities Teacher
    Louisiana State University - BS
    Tulane University - MEd
  • Photo of Gretchen Hennessy

    Mrs. Gretchen Hennessy 

    Math Department Chair, US Math, Grade 11 Sponsor
    (504) 849-3167
    University of Virginia - B.A.
    University of Virginia - M.A.
  • Photo of G. Howard Hunter

    Mr. G. Howard Hunter 75

    Metairie Park Country Day School
    Academic Dean, US History Teacher
    (504) 849-3166
    Georgetown University - BA
    Harvard University - MEd
    Metairie Park Country Day School
    Tulane University - MA
  • Photo of Jenny Irwin

    Mrs. Jenny Irwin 88

    Metairie Park Country Day School
    History Department Chair, US History Teacher, Grade 9 Dean and Sponsor
    (504) 849-3172
    Metairie Park Country Day School
    Newcomb College - BA
    University of New Orleans - M.A.Ed.
  • Photo of Linda Lawrence

    Mrs. Linda Lawrence 

    Metairie Park Country Day School
    Director of Technology Development, Department of Applied Technology Chair, Computer Science Teacher
    (504) 849-3107
    Tulane University - M.S.
    Louisiana Tech University - B.S.
  • Photo of Marisa Ledet

    Mrs. Marisa Ledet 

    Metairie Park Country Day School
    US Physics Teacher, Science Department Chair
    (504) 840-3976
    Tulane University - Bachelor of Science
  • Photo of Dena Majett

    Ms. Dena Majett 

    US Administrative Assistant
    (504) 849-3160
    Phone - (504) 849-3160
    University of Miami - BBA/Marketing
  • Photo of Sheena Reed

    Sheena Reed 

    Metairie Park Country Day School
    Director of College Counseling
    (504)849-3769
  • Photo of Erin Walker

    Ms. Erin Walker 

    US English Teacher, English Department Chair
    DePaul University - BA
    University of New Orleans - MA
    University of New Orleans - MA
300 Park Road, Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 837-5204
Established in 1929, Metairie Park Country Day School is a coed private school for New Orleans area students in early childhood through Grade 12. From the elementary grades through upper school, the care and cultivation of each child comes to life in our exciting academic program, creative arts, and competitive athletic offerings.

Country Day accepts qualified students without regard to race, color, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion, national, or ethnic origin.