For the RCDS that stands for the Royal College of Defence Studies, please click here.

Rye Country Day School
Address
Cedar Street Rye, New York, 10580 USA
Coordinates	40°59′19″N 73°40′52″W / 40.98861°N 73.68111°W / 40.98861; -73.68111Coordinates: 40°59′19″N 73°40′52″W / 40.98861°N 73.68111°W / 40.98861; -73.68111
Information
School type	Private, co-ed[1]
Established	1869
Principal	Paul Wieman (Upper), Joe Isola (Middle), Barbara K. Shea (Lower)
Head of school	Scott A. Nelson
Staff	193
Grades	PK–12[1]
Age range	4–19
Number of students	828[1]
Student:teacher ratio	8[1]
Hours in school day	7[1]
Color(s)	Blue and Gold
Mascot	Wildcat
Accreditation(s)	National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS)[1]
Publication	Bulletin (Spring/Fall)
Newspaper	Rye Crop
Yearbook	Echo
Tuition	$17,100–$27,500 (2007-08) (grade-based)
Website	http://www.ryecountryday.org

Rye Country Day School, or RCDS, is a co-educational, college preparatory school in Rye, New York, in the United States.

[edit] Students and the school

[edit] Clubs

* - see Diversity Coalition below

[edit] Student government

RCDS students are involved in a unique student government system that involves a fairly new "Diversity Coalition."

The makeup of the government is as follows:

• Student Body
  • President of the Student Body - Janelle McDermoth
  • Vice President of the Student Body - Amanda Shulman
• Grade 12
  • President - Elexa Antweil
  • Vice President - Tomoaki Yokose
  • Senators (2) - Jonathan Madorsky, Eugene Vinitsky
• Grade 11
  • President - Jay Kurahashi-Sofue
  • Vice President - Samantha Coughlin
  • Senators (2) - Nicholas Lattanzio, Sam Fleischman, BC6
• Grade 10
  • President - Andrew Razman
  • Vice President - Christopher Farley
  • Senators (2) - Mark Temple, Adam Loewentheil
• Grade 9
  • President - Victoria Montgomery
  • Vice President - James Kissell
  • Senators (2) -
• Other
  • Representatives of the Spirit Club (2)
  • Representatives of the Diversity Coalition (2)
  • One Faculty Advisor (non-voting)

[edit] Diversity Coalition

Created in May 2006, the Diversity Coalition's goal is to bridge the student clubs that are based on racial, religious, sexual orientation, or minority groups. The President and Vice President of each of the clubs listed above with a * sit on the Coalition board. Two representatives of the Coalition then sit on the Student Government as voting members adding the diverse voice of the Student Body to the Government.

[edit] Modern languages

In March, 2006, Rye Country Day School announced two new additions to the Modern Language department for the next academic year: In Lower School, parents will now chose between Spanish or French for their child in grades 2-4. Fifth Graders and their parents will also make this choice. Additionally, Mandarin Chinese is also offered to sixth and seventh grade students (first half of Level 1) and to all Upper School students (full year course covering Level 1.) After discussion of adding a non-western language to the curriculum, the administration decided to move forward with the Mandarin Chinese initiative starting fall 2006.

With the addition of Mandarin and change of language options in Lower School, the break-down of each grade follows:

• Grade 2-5: Choice of Spanish or French.
• Grades 6-8: Continuation of Spanish; or an Introduction to Latin or Mandarin (second half of Level 1 is covered in the first 3 languages.)
• Grades 9-12: Through Level 3 (minimum) of following languages must be completed. Additional languages may be added during Level 3 of original language or after.
  • Spanish (Honors levels available)
  • French (Honors levels available)
  • Latin (Honors levels available)
  • Mandarin

Some languages may be taken as Independent Studies from teachers who know these languages. Currently, Ancient Greek, Italian, and German are all taken by students.

[edit] The arts

[edit] Music

All students in grades Pre-K through 6 are required to have music in their schedules and all Upper School students are required to have a minimum credit exposure to music.

• Students in grades Pre-K-4 participate in "music classes" with their class.
• Students in grades 5-6 are required to pick either Band or Choir (or both) for the school year.
• Students in grades 7-8 have the option, but are not required to take a music class. Classes offered are Band and Choir. Students in Band can chose to play in the Middle School Jazz band and those in Choir can be in the Cubscats, the junior version of the Wildscats, the school's a capella group.
• Students in grades 9-12 have the option, but are not required to take a music class. Classes offered are Band, Choir, Music Survey, and Music Theory. Of these four, Music Survey is the only required class.
  • Sub-bands:
    • "Jazz Big Band"
    • "Jazz Messengers"
    • "Chamber Five"
  • Sub-Choirs:
    • Bel Canto
    • Madrigals
    • Wildscats

[edit] Drama

Acting classes and shows are produced multiple times per year. Below is a list of some common drama events put on annually.

• Fall U.S. Drama (most recently Arabian Nights)
• Winter U.S. Student/Faculty Musical (upcoming Anything Goes)
• M.S. [7/8 Concert Choir] Musical (upcoming Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
• Spring U.S. One-Acts (most recently Theatre of the Absurd)

Classes offered are:

• Upper School
  • Art of Comedy
  • Acting Workshop
• Middle School
  • Acting Workshop

[edit] Fine arts

Classes are offered at all levels that include the study of fine art. These classes include:

• Upper School
  • Art Survey (Required)
  • A.P. Studio Art/Photo
  • Drawing and Printmaking
  • Ceramics and Sculpture
  • Foundations in Art
  • Painting
  • Photo 1, 2, 3, and Special Topics
  • Topics in Studio Art I/II
• Middle School
  • [7/8] Art Class
  • [7/8] Ceramics
  • [7/8] Photo
  • [5/6] Art Class (Required)
• Lower School
  • Art Class

[edit] Athletics

[edit] Athletic teams

The Scott A. Nelson Athletic Center that was completed in 1999 as part of the School's Capital Campaign.

• V = Varsity, JV = Junior Varsity, MS = Middle School

[edit] Technology

Students in grades 7-12 are required to have a laptop computer (either Windows or Apple operating systems.) These students use the wireless network that is available throughout campus in addition to multiple servers and an e-mail system. Students in 6th grade and below use the computer labs that are located in the lower, middle, and upper school. Smartboards are used in every classroom.

[edit] Notable persons

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2009)

[edit] Alumni

• Edward Albee, playwright (left prior to graduation)^[2]
• Barbara Bush (left prior to graduation), former First Lady ^[3]
• Greg Fitzsimmons, stand-up comedian and Emmy-award-winning comedy writer
• Nick Kroll, comedian, television and screen actor.
• Barry Mendel, producer
• Princess Leila Pahlavi, former Princess of Iran
• Richard Stevenson Parker (a.k.a. Parker Stevenson), actor
• John Treacy Egan, actor
• Robi Hager, actor in Spring Awakening
• Gregory Campbell, ice hockey player, Florida Panthers

[edit] Teachers

• Margaret Hamilton, kindergarten teacher turned actress, best known as the Wicked Witch of the West in the movie The Wizard of Oz ^[4]
• Ted Lawrence, Varsity Baseball Head Coach, former player for the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers
• David Tafe, Upper School Latin teacher, co-wrote the original Ecce Romani textbook series

[edit] References

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2008)

[edit] External links

• Rye Country Day School