Metairie Park Country Day School

Metairie Park Country Day School
Address
300 Park Rd Metairie, Louisiana, 70005 USA
Information
Type	private, nondenominational, co-educational
Established	1929
Faculty	79; 43 with advanced degrees
Enrollment	700
Student to teacher ratio	8:1
Campus size	14 acres (5.7 ha)
Color(s)	Red, Blue
Mascot	Cajuns
Accreditation(s)	Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, National Association of Independent Schools
Information	[phone]
Website	www.mpcds.com

Metairie Park Country Day School is a private, nondenominational, co-educational college preparatory school preparatory day school in Metairie, Louisiana, with classes in grades Pre-Kindergarten-12. The 14-acre (57,000 m²) campus is located in the Old Metairie section of Metairie, Louisiana.

History

Country Day was founded in 1929 by a group of families who wanted an alternative to the traditional public, private and parochial schooling available in the New Orleans area. The founding families were Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Benjamin, Sr., Mr. Russell Clark, Mr. A.M. Dantzler, Mr. Thomas Bayne Denegre, Mr. and Mrs. Stuart O. Landry, Mr. T.C. Nichols, Mrs. Dorothy H. Pigman, Mrs. Fort Pipes, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Stern, Mr. and Mrs. Eli T. Watson, Mr. Robert M. Walmsley, and Mr. and Mrs. C.S. Williams. Several of the founding families have grandchildren at the School today, and the Stern family - also credited with the founding or advancement of Newcomb Nursery School and Dillard University - was instrumental in luring the founding head, Ralph Boothby, who began to apply the progressive principles that were to be a hallmark of his new school.

The first young classes assembled in the current administration building, completed just in time to open for the academic year. Since that time the school has evolved into a Pre K-12 institution of 700 students and almost 100 full- and part-time faculty, with an early childhood program of 85 students added in 1986. Until the 1950s, it also had a small boarding department, which was phased out (as were similar departments at a number of schools during this period). Its founding educational philosophy - defined in the current Mission statement- is probably captured as well as anywhere in Mr. Boothby's original conversation with prospective parents at the founding of the school:

1. Study of the individual child, and effort to satisfy his or her needs. 2. Freedom to develop naturally, which does not mean license to invade other people's rights. 3. Attention to play and physical development for every child. 4. The utilization of children's interests for educational ends. 5. A large place for beauty in nature, in art, in music. 6. Friendly relationship between pupils and teachers, with teachers functioning as guides rather than taskmasters. 7. Such cooperation between school and home as will make the two, supplementing each other, provide for the whole development of the child.

Like many schools, Country Day has gone through a number of changes, some the result of leadership, some of cultural pressure from the external world, some from accumulated innovation on the part of its teachers. Parents have always had a significant role to play in the shaping of the community, and the governance of the School resided in part in a modified "town meeting" that included all parents, until it was assigned to a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees comparable to that of most independent educational institutions. Today, parents comprise more than seventy-five percent of the Board. Representatives of the Parents Association and the Dads Club sit on the current Board, as does an elected member of the faculty. Students are also involved in several of the strategic committees of the Board.

As was the case with many Country Day Schools, over time Metairie Park Country Day School incorporated much of the more traditional college preparatory model (including AP courses) as its student body sought college placement in an increasingly competitive college marketplace. Throughout its history, it has claimed among its graduates and its more active parents many of the innovative leaders in the Greater New Orleans community. The strength of the bonds among its alumni and alumnae are almost legendary.

Finally, the values of the community are neatly exemplified in the physical form of the campus. Its open walkways, main courtyard, and classrooms in the round all invite community members to stroll, to converse, to enjoy the outdoors as well as the interior learning spaces. The campus, unlike most schools in the area, has relatively open boundaries that welcome the neighborhood visitor and ensure that the School is not cut off from its environment, but is rather part of it.

Campus

The campuse covers 14 acres (57,000 m²) with 23 buildings (including one gym and 3 acres (12,000 m²) of athletic playing fields). The Physical plant value is $34,000,000. The campus is highly "wired," with Wi-Fi capability throughout the entire School, and HP tablet computers for every upper school student. Country Day's separate lower and middle/upper school libraries hold a vast wealth of resources in literature, research, audio/visual materials, and technological tools to help all students at every level learn the skills and the joys of exploring for knowledge. The libraries contain over 50,000 volumes, more than 135 periodicals and newspapers as well as over 40 networked computers. Students of all ages enjoy unlimited checkouts of books with no overdue fines. The libraries' computer network provides students instant access to the world of reference material, including encyclopedias, dictionaries, indexes, atlases, almanacs, and periodical/newspaper databases.

Academics

Country Day offers comprehensive education for students in grades Pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, organized into Lower, Middle and Upper schools.

The school is a member of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest and the National Association of Independent Schools.

Athletics

Despite maintaing a "no cut" policy, Country Day's athletic program has brought statewide acclaim. From 2001 to 2007 the School has either won the prestigious Southern Quality Ford Cup or was state runner-up. The Southern Quality Ford Cup is the Louisiana High School Athletic Association's (LHSAA) All Sports Award that recognizes the leading overall athletic program in each of the LHSAA's seven classes. The competition is based on a school's performance in the 23 sports governed by the LHSAA; Country Day currently contends in 17 of those sports. Any team that finishes in one of the top four places in the state earns points towards the School's quest for the Cup. At the end of the academic year, the school that has accumulated the most points in its class is recognized with this prestigious award.

In the upper school, 70 to 80 percent of students participate in at least one sport, with 50 to 60 percent involved in two or more sports. Recent Country Day graduates participate in collegiate athletic programs at Dartmouth College, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Southern Methodist University, Mississippi State University, University of California at Santa Barbara, Rhodes College, Louisiana State University, and Auburn University.

Country offers students the ability to participate in many sports, including baseball, football, volleyball, softball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track.

Tuition

The average cost of tuition for pre-kingergarden students per year is $11,950. For grades K through 5th, tuition is $14,560, $17,590 for grades 6th through 8th, and $18,095 for grades 9th through 12th.

School spirit

School Mascot: Cajuns School Colors: Red and Blue School Song: Flags Fly for Country Day

Administration

Head of School: Carolyn Chandler
Head of Upper School: Howard "Howie" Barton
Head of Middle School: Corbett Simons
Head of Lower School: Ray Webb

Notable alumni

• Walker Hines

References

"MPCDS". Metairie Park Country Day school. http://www.mpcds.com. Retrieved May 2, 2010. 

External links

• Metairie Park Country Day School